Rumors floating around that Calipari

[Blackhat]

is interested in the Arizona job.   That's the one job I can see him leaving Memphis and cupcake city for. 

[ecompt]

If he brings those two kids with him Arizona will be very tough next year.

[4everwarriors]

So, Josh Pastner would end up back in Tucson as well.

[Big Papi]

Or if Benford gets a head coaching position, Josh can come here and bring one of those recruits with him.

[Buzz4Prez]

Or Pastner gets a head coaching position some where. I could see Dixon going to AZ also. No matter what happens there is going to be some coaches doing some moving around with the Arizona and Kentucky jobs both open.

[Ahoya06]

Any chance Arizona's interim coach stays on after making the sweet 16? That might keep Dixon at Pitt, and Miller out of the BE for at least one more year...

[avid1010]

Any chance Arizona's interim coach stays on after making the sweet 16? That might keep Dixon at Pitt, and Miller out of the BE for at least one more year...

No chance the coach at U of A gets another year...the only reason he got the job was because no one else wanted a one and done season which was inevitable. 

Keeping Miller out of the BEAST at the expense of having Dixon remain at Pitt is a wash at best in my book.  I'd take Dixon over Miller if I had the choice.  I can't say I'd hate to see both of them in the BEAST.  I'm having a great time watching the BEAST dominate the tournament.  I'm interested to hear if Memphis stands any chance of getting into the BEAST.  That might be enough to keep Calapari at Memphis.

[MuMark]

Big East already has 16 teams.......no room for anyone else.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

I'm interested to hear if Memphis stands any chance of getting into the BEAST.  That might be enough to keep Calapari at Memphis.

They were rejected the first time because of their academics (Georgetown and a few others were very concerned) and because the other Big East programs wanted a Florida-based football program for recruiting purposes (which turned out to be a USF).  So unless the current Big East is heading for a football and basketball split (which I see as unlikely), Memphis is staying put in CUSA.

[avid1010]

Big East already has 16 teams.......no room for anyone else.

I understand that, but I also understand that FedEx is extremely determined to see Memphis in a BCS conference.  I still say $$$ trumps all...

[T-Bone]

They were rejected the first time because of their academics (Georgetown and a few others were very concerned)...

I didn't realize that.  I had always assumed they stayed behind because they knew they would dominate C-USA.  Academically, is it really that much worse than one of the large state schools - USF or Rutgers? 

[ecompt]

I know at one point their graduation rate for basketball players was near zero over a 10-year period. They were constantly fighting with Huggy for the worst mark in the country. I'm sure it has gone up since then, but Calipari has never been known for stressing academics.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I understand that, but I also understand that FedEx is extremely determined to see Memphis in a BCS conference.  I still say $$$ trumps all...

I would be dumbfounded if the Big East expanded any more.  Don't see it happening at all. 

The ACC's expansion has been a total bust for them.  Their football is as bad as before the expansion while basketball in the ACC is a shadow of what it used to be.  The Big East hopefully will not make that mistake.  16 teams is already probably too big, but we've made a go of it.  Unless a school leaves the conference (why would they) then it won't happen.  Or if they are going to add football only, that might happen, but basketball is not going to go beyond 16.

[bma725]

I would be dumbfounded if the Big East expanded any more.  Don't see it happening at all. 

The ACC's expansion has been a total bust for them.  Their football is as bad as before the expansion while basketball in the ACC is a shadow of what it used to be.  The Big East hopefully will not make that mistake.  16 teams is already probably too big, but we've made a go of it.  Unless a school leaves the conference (why would they) then it won't happen.  Or if they are going to add football only, that might happen, but basketball is not going to go beyond 16.

That's probably true for those two conferences, but there's other dominoes in play here.   The Big 10 wants to add another team and right now Notre Dame is the first choice, but ND wants nothing to do with that.  The Big 10 is willing to wait but eventually they will get impatient, and they'd probably go for Mizzou, who has lobbied in the past to join the Big 10.  That means either the Big 12 has to add someone or lose someone.  While Memphis isn't a likely choice, trying to pull in someone like Arkansas that has a natural rivalry with the old SWC schools might be, which would allow Memphis to go to the SEC where they are a more natural fit(what with the "cheating" and all). 

There was even a crazy rumor going around on one of the Memphis boards awhile back that someone in the AD's office at Memphis told them about realignment coming to a lot of conferences in the next few years.  They were claiming things like the Big East dumping South Florida for Penn State, which would allow USF and Memphis to go to the SEC, and the PAC-10 was going to pull in Colorado and Colorado State, and the Big 12 would lose Iowa State to the Big 10.

I'm not saying any of these are going to happen, or even are likely to happen.  But I don't think we're done with conference realignment yet.

[Tom Crean's Tanning Bed]

That's probably true for those two conferences, but there's other dominoes in play here.   The Big 10 wants to add another team and right now Notre Dame is the first choice, but ND wants nothing to do with that.  The Big 10 is willing to wait but eventually they will get impatient, and they'd probably go for Mizzou, who has lobbied in the past to join the Big 10.  That means either the Big 12 has to add someone or lose someone.  While Memphis isn't a likely choice, trying to pull in someone like Arkansas that has a natural rivalry with the old SWC schools might be, which would allow Memphis to go to the SEC where they are a more natural fit(what with the "cheating" and all). 

There was even a crazy rumor going around on one of the Memphis boards awhile back that someone in the AD's office at Memphis told them about realignment coming to a lot of conferences in the next few years.  They were claiming things like the Big East dumping South Florida for Penn State, which would allow USF and Memphis to go to the SEC, and the PAC-10 was going to pull in Colorado and Colorado State, and the Big 12 would lose Iowa State to the Big 10.

I'm not saying any of these are going to happen, or even are likely to happen.  But I don't think we're done with conference realignment yet.

The Big East had a couple of opportunities to invite Penn State, but I believe Penn State turned them down in the early 80s and in 1991 before accepting the Big 10.  If you look back at the Big East meeting minutes from mid-2003, though, they were doing due dilligence on Penn State again, as well as ND. 

I've seen the rumblings you've alluded to, and also scenarios with the Boise State/Fresno State/Hawaii/Utah/BYU joining the Pac-10 too.  With a new commish coming on for the Pac-10, I wouldn't be shocked to see them revisit expansion again. 

The Big 10 is due for an expansion, considering the Big 10 Network and the unbalanced conference schedule.  Odds are they'll grab a university from the midwestern Big 12 schools (Iowa State, Nebraska, or Mizzou) or ND when the time comes. Besides being a geographic fit, they're going to look for a strong academic institution as well.   

Memphis' opportunity will come sooner than later to move up into another league.  It likely won't be the Big East.

[ChicosBailBonds]

It's always out there as a possibility.  Dominoes fall and of course they chase the $$$$.  All I'm saying is Memphis will not be joining the Big East in it's current state of 16 teams, it just isn't going to happen.  Some of my dearest friends are AD's, several at BCS schools and it just isn't on the table right now (doesn't mean it can't change).

There's still the push by some to make a super BCS where they would basically eliminate anyone outside the Big 6 conferences for football (meaning MU is out).  That could happen, we'll see what happens with Congress' diving into the BCS football playoff.

Penn State should be in the Big East, no question.  It's unfortunate because PSU was a natural rival for decades with many of those schools. 

The PAC Ten will NEVER take Fresno State, Boise State....never, ever, ever, never.  So much clout academically with the conference (you're talking 5 schools in the top 30 academically in the country mixed with 5 not so great schools....I think there is no intention to add schools of that ilk.  Colorado....perhaps....Utah...perhaps, but Fresno and Boise, no way). 

The Big Ten does continue to covet Notre Dame but ND has it's own reasons why it doesn't want to join.  If the NBC deal ever dries up, that's when you could see some movement.  Missouri has been rumored also as a 12th for many years.

[willie warrior]

ND's reasons are all about the $$$. As Joe Pesci said in Casino, "It's always about the f!@!#@ing dollars."

ND is a prima donna school. NBC is washed up and someday will have to think about that stupid contract with ND. ND thinks their football program is the greatest in the world. They should take a look at how it has done the past few years.

[Tugg Speedman]

What about the constant talk that the football schools of the BE bolt and realign with other football schools?  In this scenario, Memphis could join a new Football only BE.


---

Non-football BE schools are ... MU, Depaul, G-Town, 'Nova (I believe they are D2 in football but not BE football), ND (not BE football and will never join), Seton Hall, St. Johns and Providence.

Football schools are ... Uconn, 'Ville, Pitt, Cincy, Rutgers, 'Cuse, USF and WVU

[GGGG]

The Big Ten is not going to expand unless a school is going to bring in more money...enough to divide 12 ways instead of 11.  And I think that the bloom is off the football championship game rose making that difficult to draw the $$$ it did 10 years ago.

Notre Dame can do that...maybe even Nebraska...but not Mizzou.

The BE isn't going to add Memphis either.  Especially if Calipari leaves, I think you will find that their hoops program will drop off significantly.

[Nukem2]

The Big Ten is not going to expand unless a school is going to bring in more money...enough to divide 12 ways instead of 11.  And I think that the bloom is off the football championship game rose making that difficult to draw the $$$ it did 10 years ago.

Notre Dame can do that...maybe even Nebraska...but not Mizzou.

The BE isn't going to add Memphis either.  Especially if Calipari leaves, I think you will find that their hoops program will drop off significantly.

I think the rest of C-USA is salivating for that day.  The Calipari regime is absolutely killing the rest of that league.

[ChicosBailBonds]

What about the constant talk that the football schools of the BE bolt and realign with other football schools?  In this scenario, Memphis could join a new Football only BE.


---

Non-football BE schools are ... MU, Depaul, G-Town, 'Nova (I believe they are D2 in football but not BE football), ND (not BE football and will never join), Seton Hall, St. Johns and Providence.

Football schools are ... Uconn, 'Ville, Pitt, Cincy, Rutgers, 'Cuse, USF and WVU

Yes,  a lot of talk but look at the reality.  If they break away for football, will their football get any better?  No.  Will their new basketball conference  become worse?  Absolutely.

So where are they going to go?  There isn't this void of schools in the NE corridor that are without a conference that make that scenario look good.

And as the ACC has shown with their football expansion, it has actually done very little to anything to bolster their football prospects (competitively anyway) while taking a huge hit in basketball.

As long at the Big East has 16 teams, there will be talk of the conference breaking up into football and basketball schools.  But I just don't see a slam dunk scenario where football gets better as a result (financially and competitively) where it makes enough sense to go through with it.  I might be missing something.

[Dish]

Everyone's missing on the domino that would kick everything into motion, Rutgers joining the Big 11. I don't know many people in the collegiate business side, but one of my colleagues who I used to work with at the Bulls now does legal work for the Big 11 Network. If Rutgers can sustain any type of football success, the Big 11 and ACC are going to be clamoring for Rutgers, or so I've heard.

[GGGG]

The Big Ten will never take Rutgers. 

[VegasWarrior77]

They were rejected the first time because of their academics (Georgetown and a few others were very concerned)

Is Cincinnati the "Harvard of Ohio"?

[ChicosBailBonds]

The Big Ten will never take Rutgers. 

Penn State would love it if Rutgers were added.  It would give them an Eastern school to pair with.