New dynamics increase pressure on Big East
2005 Bonesville.net
The Big East's residence in football nirvana is no longer secure. The decisions made last week at the annual meetings of the Bowl Championship Series generated that unnerving prospect for the reconfigured league.
After more than a year of speculation about the Big East's status at the BCS table, the answer now is clear: If the league proves it can provide the bacon, it is more than welcome to partake in the feast.
The free meal pass the Big East once owned has been revoked.
"There's no guarantee there will be seven automatic (bids)," BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said last week. "There could be five, there could be six, there could be seven for that two-year block.
"So we're set through the first two years of the new agreement with the same six conferences having automatic qualification berths. This evaluation will occur, and it could change for the final two years for this agreement. That's years three and four of the new agreement, which is the regular seasons of 2008 and 2009."
Landing a BCS bid during and beyond those two seasons is far from a guarantee under the Big East's new set-up. Not only has the league lost its primetime programs, its overall depth has been depleted as well.
Compare that with the new dynamics of major college football — the requirement that leagues compare favorably at both the top of the heap as well as the bottom — and it is difficult to find a valid reason for celebration within Big East circles.
"We're pleased," Pittsburgh AD Jeff Long said last week in putting a positive spin on the turn of events. "There's going to be a fair assessment of all conferences. We, as a conference, will stack up to those standards.
"Having Louisville count obviously will help us."
The same can't be said for Cincinnati or South Florida. While neither is a bottom-of-the-barrel program, they do little to boost the Big East's national perception.
Likewise for Rutgers and Connecticut. Though the Scarlet Knights and Huskies reside in appealing markets, neither has been accused of strengthening the Big East's position in the human or computer polls.
With only eight programs, it will be interesting to see how that foursome balances against the other four, which has had more success historically. The immediate outlook is pessimistic considering the ground Syracuse has lost over the past couple of seasons.
Not to be lost in this is the additional headache a 12-game season is certain to introduce. Seven league games leave five holes on the schedule and provide little negotiating power for most Big East schools.
That Cincinnati, Rutgers, or South Florida can court an additional home game that generates appeal is unlikely. Adding a I-AA opponent that produces a modest turnout and little profit would seem par for the course.
As would a steady decline in the Big East's position in the national power structure's pecking order. Voters look more favorably on schools that schedule aggressively, a notion that is magnified when the league slate is below the desired standard for consideration of mention among the power conferences.
Such is the scenario for the Big East.
Logic suggests the Mountain West Conference at some point will court Boise State. With the addition of Texas Christian this year, that would boost the league to 10 members, easing the non-conference scheduling burden and likely distancing the MWC from the Big East on the food chain.
The Big East simply can't afford to lose more ground. The pressure to multiply has become too intensive to ignore.
Poll-itics
The BCS is entertaining sales pitches from organizations interested in filling the void left by the Associated Press' decision to yank its poll from the equation.
Though a decision likely won't be concrete until sometime this summer, the criteria for voters is growing more clear.
"We had presentations here from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame as well as the Division I-A Athletic Directors' association," Weiberg said. "We continue to look at a poll that we would potentially include a panel of voters that would be comprised of individuals who have had experience with the sport, either as administrators, coaches or perhaps former players. That's where we're putting most of our focus on at this point."
Splendid idea.
Let's take a group that is somewhat removed from the sport and is unlikely to view enough games to provide a fair gauge. Moreover, make sure that group has intimate ties to specific schools or current coaches, and thus has a strong emotional element that could influence the voting.
With a group of current coaches already casting ballots, there needs to be a media poll that would help provide balance. The media has access to more games and typically is far more knowledgeable about the nation as a whole.
Whichever route the BCS goes, it should wait until at least October before the first opinion poll is revealed.
Cardinal rule
You have to hand it to those BCS suits. They certainly know how to think outside the box.
With the Big East's future status as an automatic qualifier for one of the big-money bowls in jeopardy, the BCS devised a way to give the league a boost.
"What we're taking forward as a recommendation is that your conference membership at the time of evaluation is what will be evaluated," Weiberg said. "The reason for that is that we're trying to get an assessment looking forward of the prospective strength of the conference, even though it will be based on past performance.
"So Louisville will count under that provision, assuming the report is accepted, in the Big East Conference. That is, assuming it is still there when the evaluation is taken four years from now."
What's next? The Big East cashing the checks from Louisville's appearance in the Final Four?
Luck of the Irish
Don't expect Notre Dame to relinquish its Independent status anytime soon.
The new BCS arrangement gives the Irish an all-access pass as if they were a member of a power league, despite their modest position in the national pecking order over the last several seasons.
"Under the new structure, we're going to give Notre Dame an annual share of revenue that is similar to what an annual share would be for a member of any conference that would have automatic qualification," Weiberg said. "In that year when they do qualify, they would receive an at-large share, not a full-conference share.
"That share is currently $4.5 million. They would get an annual share, whether they play in a game or not, and an annual share, if I'm not mistaken, is a little over $1 million."
Add to that the hefty paycheck Notre Dame receives from NBC and the scheduling freedom it enjoys. That alone is a sound reason to remain in a league of its own.
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Interesting article on Big East, Notre Dame
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