Message Boards

ND and UCF make the most sense to me. TCU means a whole lot of travel, ditto for Houston and BSU. Nova doesn't seem like it brings much to the table.

agree....NOVA is waste


CHECK out my blogs to get into the COLLEGE FOOTBALL MIX

QUOTE(#3):

Originally posted 03:33 PM ET  11.03 by JRM74

If Notre Dame were to even hint that it might join a football conference, they'd get invites from both the Big 10(12) and Big XII(10) within five minutes of dropping such a hint. Either of those conferences would be vastly more lucrative for the Irish.IMO, the Big East is among the walking dead as far as being a BCS AQ conference. Big XII(10) probably is unless they can attract Notre Dame. Next re-alignment wave, they gotta either expand to 14 schools or disband.

The advantage the BE holds for ND is that they could actually win the conference on a regular basis. No way the Irish win the B10 or B12 more than one year in ten.

Okay, first of all...I was shocked not to hear Memphis mentioned in this article. Fed Ex is willing to fork over 10 million to land Memphis in a BCS conference and the Big East isn't listening? Doesn't make sense.

Secondly, TCU is frothing at the mouth for an opportunity to land in the Big 12. However, Texas drives the Big 12 bus and they don't want anything to do with TCU. I mean things are bad enough. They just lost to Baylor, they don't want to be challenged by a real threat like TCU.

Thirdly, Notre Dame would be fools to leave independence for the Big East Conference. They will stay independent until someone forces their hand. This could happen if the major conferences go to 16 team conferences or if a rule change occurs, which states that you must belong to a BCS Conference to be invited to BCS Bowls. That's not going to happen anytime soon and they are very happy with NBC's TV deal. Also, The Big Ten Network generates big revenues for their conference. If Notre Dame was to choose a conference, my guess is that they would follow the dollars and natural rivalries with Michigan, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana.

Fourth, The Big East is right to worry. If conferences decide to go to sixteen team conferences, they could be picked apart. Pitt and West Virginia are prime candidates for the Big Ten. USF might make sense in the ACC or SEC.

As bad as the Big East has been this season OOC against BCS competition (2-11), its AQ status is not in endangerment. The BCS uses a 4-year sliding scale to judge the qualifications of conferences. By that metric the ACC is currently the weakest AQ conference and, incidentally, still meets all BCS qualifications. (Just for the record the ACC this season is 3-10 OOC against BCS competition.)

The MWC, the highest ranked non-AQ conferences, has yet to meet all the BCS qualification standards on the 4-year sliding scale. (Again, just for the record, this season they are 5-9 against BCS competition.)

The Big East is doing this to maintain critical membership and protect itself should "certain current members" find the grass greener in someone else's conference.

QUOTE(#6):

Originally posted 01:13 AM ET  11.04 by Keeping It Real

The Big East is doing this to maintain critical membership and protect itself should "certain current members" find the grass greener in someone else's conference.

There's only three schools worth luring away. Syracuse, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. And now that the Big 10 is 12 teams, who is going to ask them?

The Big Ten will generate less money per school in the long run if it does not sell its network in the large TV markets of the east. The addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten arcade is viewed by media experts as no more than negotiation muscle to penetrate these markets once they are aboard. A 14 or 16 team Big 10 is a financial inevitability.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 02:07 AM ET  11.04 by Keeping It Real

The Big Ten will generate less money per school in the long run if it does not sell its network in the large TV markets of the east. The addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten arcade is viewed by media experts as no more than negotiation muscle to penetrate these markets once they are aboard. A 14 or 16 team Big 10 is a financial inevitability.

The more I think about it, it's unlikely they'll ever go to 16 teams. In practice that would be two 8 team conferences. You'd go at least 6 years without playing teams from the other half plus you would lose a non-conference game or 2. Maybe it would work with 14 teams but then you're still losing a non-conference game or 2.

QUOTE(#7):

Originally posted 01:30 AM ET  11.04 by Orac

There's only three schools worth luring away. Syracuse, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. And now that the Big 10 is 12 teams, who is going to ask them?

If the B10 becomes a B16 I can see Pitt and Rutgers as targets of choice-really who else would they want other than ND? Maryland? UCONN? Missouri?

Also, BTW I can't see how adding TCU/ECU/Whomever would keep Pitt and Rutgers from going to the dark side-the B10 TV deal is great and money motivates....

QUOTE(#11):

Originally posted 07:31 AM ET  11.04 by Armpit

Also, BTW I can't see how adding TCU/ECU/Whomever would keep Pitt and Rutgers from going to the dark side-the B10 TV deal is great and money motivates....

I don't think the intention of the Big East expansion is necessarily to keep certain teams. In fact, I think they are more worried about protecting the league itself. Right now, if two teams leave, that leaves the Big East with only six teams and it isn't a very viable league. This would put them in a very vulnerable position. If they add two more teams now and become a ten team league, then if two teams leave, they are still viable with eight teams.

Andy Staples wrote an amazing article on why NOTRE DAME should join the BIG EAST. NOTRE DAME is a bunch of SNOBs that think they are too good for a conference. Well, keep on sucking NOtre Dame because in the BIGEAST you could become respectable again.

Notre Dame will always be the "Girl at the dance that always says no to anyone who asks" Eventually the girl is going to need to dance!

Notre Dame should just get it done. They would get worked over in the big-12 and big-10..join the weak big east and get it done

the big east wants football to catch up to where basketball is at...that will never happen! I would love to see 16-team super conferences. the big-10 would then take away syracuse, pitt, Cincinnati, and Notre dame

the sec would then carve up and take Georgia tech, clemson, Fsu, and miami. AWESOME

The Pac-10 would probably still aboid boise and take BYU, Fresno State, San Diego state, and colorado.

it would be awesome!

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 11:02 AM ET  11.04 by Jeff Hostetler

sec would then carve up and take Georgia tech, clemson, Fsu, and miami.

I don't think the SEC would necessarily go after those teams. They don't add any new TV markets. We already have teams in those states/regions. those are good teams, but TV contracts (Money) is what the SEC wants if it expands.

If the SEC went to 16 teams, I would think they would go after new TV markets. Va Tech, NC State, Tex A&M, and Missouri would bring in new TV markets and would increase the SEC pot of money to split.

I don't think there are a lot of options. The Big East doesn't have the muscle to pull anyone away from another AQ conference (and I include Notre Dame football in that statement). Getting BC back would make sense since it looks like it was a mistake, but that's not likely. The best options may be: Villanova (this would be obvious if 'Nova makes the jump from FCS to FBS), East Carolina (they are hot right now), Central Florida, or Marshall (though they wouldn't really bring much to the table - mediocre team for now, and not much of a new TV market since the BE already has WVU). I doubt TCU and Houston would join without the other. Geography may not really fit, but neither does Louisville or Cincinnati. Basically, anyone the BE could realstically add would just be for the sake of having 10 teams, and not truly improve the conference in football.

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 08:18 AM ET  11.04 by KC guy

I don't think the intention of the Big East expansion is necessarily to keep certain teams. In fact, I think they are more worried about protecting the league itself. Right now, if two teams leave, that leaves the Big East with only six teams and it isn't a very viable league. This would put them in a very vulnerable position. If they add two more teams now and become a ten team league, then if two teams leave, they are still viable with eight teams.

KC, you are correct. That what I meant when I used the term "protect itself."

If I was PITT or SYRACUSE I would leave the BIG EAST in a heart beat! the BIG-10 brings in so much money and for some reason has more respect that the BIG EAST! JOIN NOW and forget about what everyone else says

the BIG EAST will be a horrible gutted version of a conference if they ever goto 16 or even 14 team power conferences

The Big East would be smart to tell teams in their conference that they need to bring football to the table or they can not be apart of other sports....then other schools would pony up but the real school would be NOTRE DAME!