Providence Journal: BBall schools plan to break away if UConn or Ville Depart

[Aughnanure]

"There has been some, but very little, discussion of growing the league to 20 members by adding schools that do not play football. The basketball faction has instead chosen to remain aligned with what it hopes will still be a BCS-level football conference. If, however, there are additional defections from the Big East that include either Connecticut or Louisville, the basketball schools are expected to pull away from their football partners."

http://www.projo.com/pc/content/big_east_expansion_10-16-11_A8QVDNJ_v2.67af0.html

[dw3dw3dw3]

I like this... WVU probably could be added to that list.

By "pull-away" does that mean kick out football members? What does the vote need to be to kick a member out like Temple was?

Adding a few 2nd tier bball programs is ok, if it means we are aligned long term with UConn, Ville, Cincinnati, WVU. Those 4 schools w Rutgers, USF, UCF, Houston still outweigh losing them and adding Xavier/Dayton/Butler etc...

[GOO]

I hope it means that as part of the agreement to allow football expansion, if Uconn and/or UL (or any three other football teams) leave, that the basketball schools have the right to kick out the remaining football schools and keep the BE name, etc,.... but it probably means the basketball schools can simply leave the conference without penalty... which sucks if that is the deal.

[Aughnanure]

Likely the basketball schools would be able to leave with the Big East name through arbitration, as 4 of them are original members, compared to only 1 on the football side.

[brewcity77]

All this us why we need a forfeiture of future TV revenue clause. Without it, the Big East is just asking to be broken up.

[GOO]

All this us why we need a forfeiture of future TV revenue clause. Without it, the Big East is just asking to be broken up.

Well, the fact that the basketball schools appear to have agreed to a 10 million bump only, gives zero hope that the BE is together for longer than a season or two in the new form... if it lasts that long.  Someone at UL or UConn will donate the 10 million if the ACC or B12 come calling.   I just hope we get negotiated some other goodies like a split with no penalty and we get the BE name (wihout arbitration or court action) if UL or UConn or any other 3 football schools leave.  If we just got the 10 million and nothing else, we shoud not agree to add any football schools with other programs who are not serious about the BE.

[muhs03]

When it comes to maintaining the BE's BCS status, I dont understand why UConn is so pivotal. WVU is far more important than UConn. This sentiment appears to be driven by a bball viewpoint without regard to football....especially since it came from Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal (a guy who seems to be fed info from BE front-office sources).

I continually go back and forth as to whether or not a bball-only conference is better than a hybrid. At this point, why not stay attached to the football schools (Cincy, UConn, UL and WVU in particular) than expedite what will probably be an inevitable split? I say keep it together as long as possible; we have nothing to lose by doing so. The bball-only conference will ALWAYS be an option.

[wiscwarrior]

Why don't the Big East and Big XII football schools merge and leave all their other sports in their respective. Travel is going to become an issue for some sports in these mega conferences. If the Big East is looking at football only members, why not others?

[Tulsa Warrior]

Great idea -- Big 12/Big East Football merger -- leave basketball unchanged.

[brewcity77]

Why don't the Big East and Big XII football schools merge and leave all their other sports in their respective. Travel is going to become an issue for some sports in these mega conferences. If the Big East is looking at football only members, why not others?

I'd cream my jeans if this happened.

[GGGG]

Why don't the Big East and Big XII football schools merge and leave all their other sports in their respective.

Because the B12 gains nothing from this arrangement that they don't already have.

[Aughnanure]

When it comes to maintaining the BE's BCS status, I dont understand why UConn is so pivotal. WVU is far more important than UConn. This sentiment appears to be driven by a bball viewpoint without regard to football....especially since it came from Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal (a guy who seems to be fed info from BE front-office sources).

I continually go back and forth as to whether or not a bball-only conference is better than a hybrid. At this point, why not stay attached to the football schools (Cincy, UConn, UL and WVU in particular) than expedite what will probably be an inevitable split? I say keep it together as long as possible; we have nothing to lose by doing so. The bball-only conference will ALWAYS be an option.

I think that if Louisville or UConn leave, you lose one of your last two NAMEBRAND basketball programs. WVU and Cincy aren't at the same level and their name does not bring the cache that the Ville and UConn do that can financially benefit the league. Without them, it becomes a fair question as to whether the league is more valuable with them, along with wahtever grouping of football schools. Remember, we don't get the football money, so its about does this help the league get a more valuable basketball TV contract. Losing UConn or Louisville would severely damage that.

Basketball still has to be the most important entity in the Big East to survive. Losing WVU would hurt, but being good at football is not as important as staying great at basketball. If basketball goes under, this league wont have a leg to stand on. The Big East has been used to being a bottom 5-7 football conference and as long as stay just barely decent they will keep their BCS bid - and thats the only reason any one really thinks WVU is more important.

[GOO]

When it comes to maintaining the BE's BCS status, I dont understand why UConn is so pivotal. WVU is far more important than UConn. This sentiment appears to be driven by a bball viewpoint without regard to football....especially since it came from Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal (a guy who seems to be fed info from BE front-office sources).

I continually go back and forth as to whether or not a bball-only conference is better than a hybrid. At this point, why not stay attached to the football schools (Cincy, UConn, UL and WVU in particular) than expedite what will probably be an inevitable split? I say keep it together as long as possible; we have nothing to lose by doing so. The bball-only conference will ALWAYS be an option.

As long as we don't have to leave the conference and form a new conference with a new name.  The basketball schools have to leave the conference with the name and without a buyout/penalty. 

[forgetful]

If it comes down to it, we will not be leaving the Big East.  Rather we will probably collectively put our foot down on additional expansion. 

I think this is a fundamental reason why they are not adding many teams for both football and basketball.  If Louisville, UCONN, Rutgers leave we will just say that we will not add any more teams.  That will essentially force the football side to look elsewhere for conference affiliations (or be in the smallest football conference with little to no bowl tie ins).

[Zephyr820]

Could be any day now with the news Missouri has decided on the SEC, last night.

The Big 12 considered staying at 10 with Missouri but wi go to 12 without them.  West Virginia and Louisville are virtual locks while Cincinnati is an option for the final spot.

It's over

[brewcity77]

Could be any day now with the news Missouri has decided on the SEC, last night.

The Big 12 considered staying at 10 with Missouri but wi go to 12 without them.  West Virginia and Louisville are virtual locks while Cincinnati is an option for the final spot.

It's over

This is exactly why we needed a forfeiture of future revenues clause. $10M is a drop in the bucket when your annual revenues increase by $5-8M per year. But if they had to give up 5-7 years of future revenue, hell, even 2-3 years, they'd have to give it a long, hard think.

Be curious to see what Pitino says now.

[nyg]

Report: Mizzou moves closer to SEC bid
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The New York Times is reporting Missouri's decision to officially apply for membership in the Southeastern Conference is "inevitable and imminent."

The newspaper, citing an official familiar with school decisions involving conference affiliation, reported Monday night that Mizzou officials expect to get enough votes among SEC presidents to become a member, although the school would still need to be formally invited to join the conference.

Missouri curators, who must approve any change in conference alignment, are scheduled to next meet at the University of Missouri, Kansas City on Oct. 20-21.

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• Blog network: College Football Nation

While interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas said last week he expects Mizzou to stay in the league and SEC commissioner Mike Slive has said the conference has no immediate expansion plans, The Times reported the Tigers could join the SEC as early as next year.

SEC presidents voted to accept Texas A&M as the league's 13th member in September and several SEC athletic directors have suggested that adding a 14th team to balance league schedules is inevitable.

Mizzou curators agreed unanimously earlier this month to give Chancellor Brady Deaton the authority to look elsewhere rather than immediately commit to the Big 12. A 45-page document presented to curators suggests the school would hope to get as much as $12 million more each year in additional revenue with a move to the SEC if TV deals are renegotiated.

The document, which was obtained by The Associated Press, states Missouri would not suffer a dramatic loss in academic prestige with an SEC move. The SEC has three other members of the prestigious Association of American Universities: Florida, soon-to-arrive Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, the same number as the Big 12 now has, excluding Missouri.

TCU accepted an invitation last week to join the Big 12. The Horned Frogs will replace the Aggies, keeping the league at 10 members when the Aggies leave for the SEC next July.

While TCU will be the first new member since the Big 12 started play in 1996, Texas A&M will be the third school to leave. Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-12) left this year.

A source with direct knowledge of the Big 12's expansion panel's plans told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that if Missouri departs, the Big 12 still must decide if it wants to go to 10 or 12 members. The source said Louisville and West Virginia are two of the top candidates to replace Missouri if it leaves.

While Missouri is a charter member of the Big 12, founded in 1996 when the Big Eight schools added four members of the defunct Southwest Conference, dissatisfaction with the conference has grown. In the early '90s, with the Big Eight on the verge of collapse, Missouri pushed to join the Big Ten and a group of state business leaders even formed a lobbying group.

Asked at a news conference last week about the potential costs of a league departure -- hours before curators discussed the financial document -- Deaton demurred.

"We're really just beginning the exploration of our options, and those figures will become very clear during that process," he said. "At this time we've made no decision (to leave). That's a bit of a hypothetical."

Very bad scenario for the BE hoops.  With each day, there is a new issue. Losing Louisville and West Virginia to SEC will only enhance UCONN's efforts to leave. Who will accept UCONN is only a matter of time because their B-ball team is a National Champion and has the prestige.  I don't like the looks of things to come.

[GGGG]

The bball schools cannot allow the BE to add members until the B12 situation is resolved. 

[NersEllenson]

The bball schools cannot allow the BE to add members until the B12 situation is resolved. 

Bingo.  It would be tragic for the likes of SMU, Houston, UCF, ECU, etc to get bids to the Big East to replace the likes of Lville, West Virginia, and UCONN.

To think you get the Dallas market by adding a school like SMU is a stretch - nobody in Dallas or Fort Worth cares about SMU or TCU - unless you are an alum of either school.  Just like the dynamic in MKE - very few people care about MU, other than those with ties to the school via family, or being an alum.  However, due to the limited teams to root for in a state like WI - MU probably can attract more casual fans, than can an SMU/TCU/UCF/Houston - where those markets have so many teams to be fans of....

[GGGG]

This is exactly why we needed a forfeiture of future revenues clause. $10M is a drop in the bucket when your annual revenues increase by $5-8M per year. But if they had to give up 5-7 years of future revenue, hell, even 2-3 years, they'd have to give it a long, hard think.

It is being reported that the increase in exit fees are contingent on Navy and Air Force accepting an invitation to join.  However my guess is that they don't join if Louisville or WVU leave.

[79Warrior]

It is being reported that the increase in exit fees are contingent on Navy and Air Force accepting an invitation to join.  However my guess is that they don't join if Louisville or WVU leave.

That goes without saying. Once Mizz makes its move, the rest of the dominos will fall into place. This whole realignnment will be over shortly for the football schools. The basketball schools will then move forward with their own conference and hopefully poach a few good programs from other leagues.