[New York Times] Temple in Talks to Join Big East in All Sports

[Aughnanure]

The TV contract would be a pretty big step down in your "Big North" scenario.  Those are all smaller private schools with smaller alumni bases in mostly mid-tier cities without much national branding that don't get the backing of the common fan like major state schools.  We'd be lucky if it was even 60% of our current deal.

Would it really? Correct me if I'm wrong, but its not like the TV contract is even that big to begin with. Something like $1-2 million per basketball-only school. I have a hard time believing a conference of Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, Xavier, Notre Dame (until they decide to lose their independent status they are with us), Providence, Seton Hall, DePaul, St. Louis, Creighton, etc., couldn't command around that.

Who's bringing in the money for basketball? Outside of the bball-onlies its Louisville and UConn. I don't buy that the schools w/ football (i.e., Cincy, Memphis, Temple) are the make-or-break reasons we get a good TV contract.

[Aughnanure]

ESPN will race to televise these games as long as the Big East is a BCS conference. Once you become a non-BCS conference its like you were killed and left the sports world. To see how important a BCS league is, look at the party Memphis had to join a BCS league. Look at how hard Xavier tries to not be labeled at a BCS league.

What is funny is the threads on the Big East private's message boards about getting out, while the thread for every other basketball playing school is five times as long as ours about getting in to the Big-East or any other BCS league. Everyone thinks the grass is always greener on the other side. We need to accept that we are in the position that every school in a non-BCS league wants to be in.

Agreed, but the BCS label may be gone relatively soon (2014).

[cheebs09]

Exactly...Pitino is a short-timer anyway.  Conference affiliation is a long-term decision in comparison.

Oh come on, hasn't there been enough jokes about Pitino's episode on this board

Overall, I'm happy about Temple. I think they will be solid in both football and basketball.

[brewcity77]

According to CBS' Brett McMurphy, Temple to the Big East in all sports in 2012 is virtually a done deal. 

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/34946571

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I forgot to mention earlier.  The new Marquette AD spoke at the UConn pre-game reception.  I didn't think he had anything new that wasn't already said but I'll paraphrase some of his remarks that may seem telling.  (Soemone can correct if they heard differently.)

* He said he was playing golf for the first time 2 days prior and he had to end his game due to a realignment related phone call from Father Pilarz.  (Temple?)
* Asked about adding football, he said if there was anyone willing to donate $250mil they would.  He jokenly said Father Pilarz would still probably prefer to spend the money on something else.
* Asked about a basketball only conference, he said that could be an option in the future, but that football is what is driving TV revenue growth and it was in Marquette's interest to be affiliated with football revenue generating schools (something savily stated along those lines).
* When asked, said it was SEC jealousy of the PAC-12 TV contract that kicked off the latest round of realignment.  The SEC had a new TV contract, but the fact that the PAC-12 contract signed soon after theirs was so much larger made them feel compelled to act.  The only option they had to renegoitiate a new TV deal was to expand membership.