Big East getting proactive?

[GOO]

At 12 and adding four basketball schools, you have at least 11 of the 16 expecting to play in the NCAA Tournament every year when 9 will be the norm after conference play, and a few others who at least have some hope being pounded into perennial doormats.  At 20 you can get the schools who make the investment and play for the NCAA every year into the tournament, since 11 or 12 will get in.  It's a free pass to abuse DePaul, Providence, and Seton Hall to get yourself into the NCAA, stroke your own ego, and get your own payout as well as the conference share, which might be even better than casting them aside.  Furthermore, basketball-only schools provide either a foothold or exclusive access to the New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Providence/Boston, Milwaukee, and South Bend markets listed above.  

Good points, I must agree and hope others see the 20 making sense.  But egos and the football mentality of wanting their own conference could be the factor that trumps logic. If the dollars with all involved make sense more than with 12 or 16, then I guess 20 will work for now.  At least until the 12 football schools want to add more football teams (especially if the ACC disbands) then issues start again.

[bilsu]

I think it will be rare that a conference gets more than half of its teams in the NCAA tournament. What Notre Dame does is a big key here. We also know you need 12 teams to have a football championship. I wonder if it would be possible to allow Notre Dame to remain independent, but include them as the 12th team for a football championship game. They could play in the championshp game if their BCS ranking is higher than at least 10 of the Big East teams. I think this would be attractive to Notre Dame and keep them from jumping ship. They could keep their independence and also have a chance to play in Big East football championship game, if they have a very good team.

[GGGG]

Because there is a declining marginal return the more schools you have in a conference.  With 20 schools, you have 20 people you have to listen to and 20 egos to feed.  Futhermore, how much more of an increase in money do you think the 8 schools would bring in basketball versus just having the 12 alone?  Part of the problem with adding schools like Kansas, KSU and Mizzou, is that you are adding a lot of basketball power...that actually makes it easier for them to dump Georgetown, et al because they'll make up for the loss elsewhere.

The only reason they went to 16 in the first place was to keep the historic balance between football and basketball, and because the football schools didn't want to dump their long term rivals like Georgetown and Villanova.  Those are less compelling reasons this time around.

[brewcity77]

Maybe I'm naive, but it seems that the likes of Providence, Georgetown, and Villanova have enough say to keep themselves in the Big East. 12 football and 20 basketball is by no means too unwieldy considering the direction major college sports is going in currently.

[GoldenWarrior]

Maybe I'm naive, but it seems that the likes of Providence, Georgetown, and Villanova have enough say to keep themselves in the Big East. 12 football and 20 basketball is by no means too unwieldy considering the direction major college sports is going in currently.

Agreed

[ListerineSting]

The real benefit of adding the four Big 12 cast offs? BBQ. Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe's, Lawnside, Danny Edwards, Smokestack, Cherokee Pete's, Gates, and, of course - the King: Arthur Bryants. Give me some of that rubbed and sauced smack!

[Dawson Rental]

The real benefit of adding the four Big 12 cast offs? BBQ. Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe's, Lawnside, Danny Edwards, Smokestack, Cherokee Pete's, Gates, and, of course - the King: Arthur Bryants. Give me some of that rubbed and sauced smack!

Sounds like this would be the perfect time to petition the NCAA to make Bar-B-Q and NCAA sport!  We'd dominate.  Take that Texas!

[chapman]

The real benefit of adding the four Big 12 cast offs? BBQ. Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe's, Lawnside, Danny Edwards, Smokestack, Cherokee Pete's, Gates, and, of course - the King: Arthur Bryants. Give me some of that rubbed and sauced smack!

Buzz would eat it up (literally)!