I know I’m talking about a whole different era of Eastern Independents/Big East but why did it take so long for Penn St to look at the Big Ten?

When he couldn’t get the teams he wanted and the Big East was founded without him, why didn’t Penn St and Pittsburgh approach the Big Ten as a package deal? They could have spent the 80s together in the Big Ten and beaten the SEC to become the first conference with a CCG.

(07-20-2021 10:32 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  I posted this on the thread in the AAC message board but it probably belongs in the realignment board.

Had Judy not consistently blocked UCF the Big East could of added UCF & TCU as advised. Adding full members in Orlando & Dallas going into TV contract negotiations would of definitely boosted the contract. Pitt & Rutgers could of likely convinced the conference to sign a GOR without the turmoil stabilizing the conference and putting the Big East in a position to be on the offensive during the realignment chaos instead of picked apart. Lock in this lineup and work with ESPN to pick up value adds during realignment.

Full Members:
Syracuse
Pitt
West Virginia
Rutgers
Louisville
UConn
Cincinnati
usf
UCF (new addition)
TCU (new addition)

Non Football Members:
Notre Dame
Georgetown
Providence
St Johns
Seton Hall
Villanova
DePaul
Marquette

At that point with the Big 12 looses Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M & Missouri putting them at 8 members and very vulnerable with the options they wanted tied up in the Big East GOR.
The ACC had Maryland looking for the door with the Big 10, maybe they add Boston College instead of Rutgers putting the ACC at 10 members and a weakened position during TV contract negotiations. Would ESPN had rather attempted to pluck GT & FSU from the ACC and place them into their partners in the Big East than pay what they did for the ACC?

You can post it as much as you like, but other than the anonymous McMurphy bit, it hasn't held any water. But you go on and think that adding UCF would have been what it took to keep the Big East together. It wouldn't be the first (or last) time a UCF fan simultaneously overestimated UCF's importance and incorrectly vilified USF.

USFFan

(07-21-2021 12:45 PM)Erictelevision Wrote:  Bill: that IS a great conference! However, none of them play FBS, so according to most posters here, may as well not exist.

Are you addressing this post to me, EVision? If so, I'm a bit confused.

(07-20-2021 02:39 PM)Erictelevision Wrote:  If they wanted Navy (and they should’ve) why NOT Army?

Army didn't want to join another conference after to C-USA debacle.

(07-21-2021 11:18 AM)ken d Wrote:  I believe the beginning of the end of the Big East was the beginning of the Big East.

And I put most of the blame on Joe Paterno. He wanted to be in an eastern conference with all sports except football. He knew Penn State could dominate northeast football, but they were mediocre at best in the other sports.

If, instead, he had been forward thinking enough to propose an east coast (not just northeast) all sports conference, this is what was available to him in 1981. All these were football independents at the time (1981 AP ranks that year).

Even if your scenario came to pass, Penn state would still leave for the B1G in 1991.

(07-20-2021 11:08 PM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  

(07-20-2021 10:08 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(07-20-2021 09:11 PM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  

(07-20-2021 02:30 PM)esayem Wrote:  There was no way the Big East was going to remain a P6 conference, so if they wanted to keep the entire conference intact they should have added Villanova (football) and UCF (all-sports). When Rutgers, WVU, and Louisville left, add Temple, UMass, and Navy (football only). You end up with a 13-team Big East for basketball with the option of adding one of Xavier, Butler, or Creighton for an even 7/7 split.

UMass*
UConn
Temple*
Villanova*
Navy*
Cincinnati
UCF*
USF

PC
SJU
Seton Hall
G'town
Xavier*
DePaul
Marquette

Stop. Villanova moving up was pure fantasy. They had no stadium, no ability to improve practice facilities, no fan support and no money to make the move. There was no room on campus for improved facilities and the town was dead set against allowing expansion of the campus or the original stadium. Villanova's plan was to play all away games and expect the other BE schools to split their gates. Eventually their home games would be played at a little soccer stadium in Chester, hoping the away team would fill the venue.

Yet they were legitimately brought up and seriously considered by Big East people. Huh, weird.

And very nearly voted in under those crazy terms. Shows how desperate some of the schools were. There was even a push the get G'town to try and move up. RU and WV were two definite no votes on Villanova. I've heard that Pitt was the third.

Villanova was an easy add for two reasons: they added a football team in a big market in the center of the conference, without adding “another mouth to feed.” And no one wanted to shut down and turn down an existing member. That’s it. Plus the big East has already moved up UConn and USF moved up recently. They were sort of felling themselves as well.

I’d like to point out to newbies here/ and every vet can confirm this- there was such echo chamber going on back then, that the idea to add several of those teams literally originated on this board, 100%. That’s how badly it was run.