The Conference Expansion Thread

[Smooth Criminal]

Anyone wanna go over how the Big East goes about losing their BCS bid? Does another conference have to take it or can there just be 5 auto bids?

[RealityCheck]

Originally Posted by Smooth Criminal

Anyone wanna go over how the Big East goes about losing their BCS bid? Does another conference have to take it or can there just be 5 auto bids?

They won't, but if they did I guess they'd stay with 5.

[Giantsfan1080]

The BCS contract ends in 2013 so that would be the first time the Big East could lose their bid. The Big East could probably have a good lawsuit against ESPN right now but the leadership is so terrible in the conference they continue to look like dopes.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by RealityCheck

I feel FIU should get a shot too.

What?!?!?!?

[bearsfan_51]

Also, I have a hard time believing that anyone outside of those two schools would give a **** about a Big East championship game involving Navy and Rutgers.

Someone needs to just take this dog out back and shoot it. Even if schools like South Florida end up in Conference USA, the Big East is basically just Conference USA in football anyway.

[diabsoule]

As long as Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and UConn remain in the Big East they will retain their BCS bid. If one of any of those teams leaves then kiss it good-bye. Those four teams are the only ones left that have made BCS games - WVU with 2 appearances, Cincinnati 2, Louisville 1, and UConn 1. Pitt and Syracuse each had one appearance each.

[JoeJoeBrown]

Originally Posted by diabsoule

As long as Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and UConn remain in the Big East they will retain their BCS bid. If one of any of those teams leaves then kiss it good-bye. Those four teams are the only ones left that have made BCS games - WVU with 2 appearances, Cincinnati 2, Louisville 1, and UConn 1. Pitt and Syracuse each had one appearance each.

The Big East needs to be killed. They haven't deserved a BCS bid since Miami, VaTech, and Boston College left the conference.

[diabsoule]

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssport...32522/32664172
Army is no longer being considered as a candidate for the Big East. “They’ve been honest with us and that they’re not interested because of the challenges they had previously in Conference USA,” the source said.

Looks like the Big East is strongly considering Navy, Temple, UCF, Air Force, SMU, and Houston

[JoeJoeBrown]

Originally Posted by diabsoule

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssport...32522/32664172
Army is no longer being considered as a candidate for the Big East. “They’ve been honest with us and that they’re not interested because of the challenges they had previously in Conference USA,” the source said.

Looks like the Big East is strongly considering Navy, Temple, UCF, Air Force, SMU, and Houston

I.e. the desperate last second, hail mary, shotgun blast, throw **** at the wall to see if it sticks, random grasping at anything before falling into the permanent abyss approach to expansion.

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by JoeJoeBrown

The Big East needs to be killed. They haven't deserved a BCS bid since Miami, VaTech, and Boston College left the conference.

That's not really true. 2006 was a very strong year for Big east football with 3 teams in the top 15 for most of the year.

[JoeJoeBrown]

Originally Posted by Giantsfan1080

That's not really true. 2006 was a very strong year for Big east football with 3 teams in the top 15 for most of the year.

So that one time five years ago there were three above average teams in the conference during some of the season. Great point for saving Big East football.

The conference sucks at football. There's no real shame in that, it's the best basketball conference by far.

What's worse for the conference is that the two of the better teams from a crappy conference are leaving. WVU is the only team worth a damn left in the Big East. I'm sorry, but Rutgers had a few years of decency and those are gone.

Take the Big East behind the woodshed and kill it.

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by JoeJoeBrown

So that one time five years ago there were three above average teams in the conference during some of the season. Great point for saving Big East football.

The conference sucks at football. There's no real shame in that, it's the best basketball conference by far.

What's worse for the conference is that the two of the better teams from a crappy conference are leaving. WVU is the only team worth a damn left in the Big East. I'm sorry, but Rutgers had a few years of decency and those are gone.

Take the Big East behind the woodshed and kill it.

I agree it's not a good conference but I was just refuting your 2nd point. They have had some high points since the first ACC raid.

[diabsoule]

My thoughts for the Big East? Go big or go home.

Try your damndest to expand to 14 teams with UCF, Temple, SMU, Houston, Boise St, Air Force, Navy, and..... BYU.

Reason for BYU is this: Yeah, they turned down the Big 12 but the Big 12 would have had to work around the Cougars TV deal which would have been somewhat difficult to do. Plus, Baylor probably had objections to allowing a Mormon affiliated school within the conference.

There was initial mutual interest with BYU and the Big 12 but it fell apart quickly. The reason that BYU would be interested is obvious: more money and they get to be in a BCS conference. That's why it would a smart move to extend an invite to BYU for a football only membership in the Big East.

Houston, SMU, UCF, and Temple would be the invites for all sports.

With the Big East already considering a split between the football and basketball schools but keeping them both under the Big East banner, it would be ideal to add all 8 schools.

Why does it make sense:

1. Protection against losing teams
If the Big 12 chooses to expand to 12 teams like Oklahoma president Boren wants they will likely target 2 Big East schools out of Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. If two of those teams leaves the Big East will still be a 12 team conference with the loss of two universities and retain a conference championship game.

2. Media markets
By adding Houston, SMU, Temple, and UCF the Big East would add the media markets of Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Orlando respectively boosting their national audience while also adding the Mormon audience with BYU, America's BCS buster darling in Boise St., and the national appeal of having two service academies in the conference.

3. Geographic balance
Both divisions in the Big East could easily be split into a West and East division. The East division would consist of UConn, Rutgers, Temple, Navy, West Virginia, South Florida, and Central while the West would be Boise St, BYU, Houston, SMU, Cincinnati, and Louisville. The West would have fairly easy bridges to schools with Idaho, Utah, Texas, Kentucky, and Ohio for travel ease.

4. Recruiting
The teams in the East division would gain access to the state of Florida by having annual trips to either Orland or Tampa when they play UCF and USF respectively while teams in the West division would have annual trips to the state of Texas when they face SMU and Houston.

5. Scheduling ease
With 14 teams in the conference the Big East could easily schedule a 9 game conference schedule with each team in the division playing their six division opponents plus one permanent rivalry with a team in the opposing division while two teams rotate yearly. This would allow Air Force, for example, to still schedule annual rivalry games with Army, Colorado State, and Wyoming. Navy could also continue it's annual games with Army, Maryland, and Notre Dame.

6. Works for basketball
Air Force, Boise St, BYU, and Navy would all join the conference as football only schools. That would mean that only Houston, SMU, Temple, and UCF would be added for all sports. This move would increase the basketball schools in the Big East to a still manageable 18 team conference. The conference was already set to become a 17 team league with the addition of TCU and this would only increase the basketball playing teams by one.

[Giantsfan1080]

The Big East leadership is terrible and all they care about is the basketball side of things. They'll still screw this up big time.

[bearsfan_51]

If the Big East only cared about basketball they wouldn't have added TCU, and they wouldn't be looking to add any of the teams they are.

You could argue they used to only care about bball and that's why they are in the situation they are in now, but their recent moves indicate a desperation to remain football relevant.

Honestly, they'd be better off maintaining their identity as a basketball league and not diluting it by adding teams like East Carolina.

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

If the Big East only cared about basketball they wouldn't have added TCU, and they wouldn't be looking to add any of the teams they are.

You could argue they used to only care about bball and that's why they are in the situation they are in now, but their recent moves indicate a desperation to remain football relevant.

Honestly, they'd be better off maintaining their identity as a basketball league and not diluting it by adding teams like East Carolina.

Well they have finally realized that the conference is going to go belly up without the addition of new blood. They've been reactive to everything this whole time going back to the first raid. They've never been out in charge of any of this mess. As you said the only reason they're acting now is because they're desperate. Even when they added TCU it still would have only been a 9 team football conference which does nothing. They were supposed to add more teams and just laid back and got poached again. They should just split from the football teams now but they know they'd lose tons of dollars if they did so. I just want out already.

[diabsoule]

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2011...wo-leagues-one

From Tom Liucci of the NJ Star-Ledger
In addition, the Big East’s long-term goal is to create two separate leagues under one umbrella, with the 12 football schools having a separate commissioner from the eight basketball schools.
The sides would offer a united front during all future TV negotiations.

[RealityCheck]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...eed-persuading

It's a terrible fit geographically, but I can't blame them. You have to take what you can get, since the Pac-12 and the Big 12 just don't want Boise, at least not now.

IMO with 3 or 4 good seasons in the BE they should get an invite to either one of them. The Big 12 would be perfect for Boise (even if it's a football-only membership), but it seems like UT and OU don't feel like having a Idaho school in their conference. Apparently, they think Idaho is just rivers of potatoes with a blue football field.

[diabsoule]

Big 12 tv partners didn't want BYU http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs....56338/32715926

Big East to extend invites to Boise St, Air Force, Navy, UCF and choose between Houston, SMU, and Temple as the 5th and 6th. Also, trying to increase conference exit fees from $5 million to $15-17 million
http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssport...32522/32716356

[JoeJoeBrown]

Originally Posted by diabsoule

Big 12 tv partners didn't want BYU http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs....56338/32715926

Big East to extend invites to Boise St, Air Force, Navy, UCF and choose between Houston, SMU, and Temple as the 5th and 6th. Also, trying to increase conference exit fees from $5 million to $15-17 million
http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssport...32522/32716356

How the eff isn't that tortious interference?!??

[Giantsfan1080]

The Big East will not get the votes they need to raise the fees.

[SickwithIt1010]

Originally Posted by RealityCheck

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...eed-persuading

It's a terrible fit geographically, but I can't blame them. You have to take what you can get, since the Pac-12 and the Big 12 just don't want Boise, at least not now.

IMO with 3 or 4 good seasons in the BE they should get an invite to either one of them. The Big 12 would be perfect for Boise (even if it's a football-only membership), but it seems like UT and OU don't feel like having a Idaho school in their conference. Apparently, they think Idaho is just rivers of potatoes with a blue football field.

Thats not nice man.

[diabsoule]

Conference USA and the Mountain West to make a joint announce tonight likely about the football only merger of the two conferences. If that happens, and they sign off on a full grant of rights for football, that would make the Big East DOA.

[nrk]

I wouldn't want Boise St. in the Big 12 just because that means I'd have to watch more games on that ugly ass blue field.

[RealityCheck]

I'm one of the few fans of the blue field. When watching a BSU game, I just stare at it for, like, 5 straight minutes.