Memphis wants into the Big East?

[Aughnanure]

Hopefully this hasnt been posted.

http://web.sny.tv/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090916&content_id=6998564&oid=30069.2&vkey=52

Memphis wants to join the Big East Conference and has hired former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese to help accomplish that goal.
Yet, Tranghese says he cannot single-handedly get Memphis into the Big East or any other Bowl Championship Series conference.

"I've been hired to help them evaluate their athletic program, not to get them in a conference," Tranghese, who was hired Aug. 1, said Wednesday in a phone interview. "I can't get people into conferences. That's not what I do."

Tranghese spent 19 years as the Big East commissioner before stepping down at the end of June.

Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson was not immediately available for comment, but he told the Memphis Commercial Appeal Tranghese is being paid $5,000 a month from privately donated funds.

"His role is to help us and advise us," Johnson told the newspaper in Tuesday's editions. "He asked me, 'What's my charge?' I said, 'There are six BCS conferences. Just get us in one.'"

[bma725]

Big Eeast is a second option.  Really they want in the SEC.

http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/09/17/memphis-ad-says-sec-is-first-choice/

[nyg]

Trade them for USF.

[dsfire]

"His role is to help us and advise us," Johnson told the newspaper in Tuesday's editions. "He asked me, 'What's my charge?' I said, 'There are six BCS conferences. Just get us in one.'"

Memphis in the Pac-10 would be awesome.

[groove]

Memphis is a community college, right?

[GOMU1104]

They actually want in the SEC, not the Big East.

[ChicosBailBonds]

They actually want in the SEC, not the Big East.

I have a feeling Vanderbilt and Tennessee will tell them to pound monkeys

[GOMU1104]

I have a feeling Vanderbilt and Tennessee will tell them to pound monkeys

Not disagreeing with you...just saying that there preference is the SEC, with the Big East second.

Hey, they can "want" anything, doesnt mean its going to happen.

[Aughnanure]

They actually want in the SEC, not the Big East.

I was just quoting the article when starting the thread. Thats probably true, I had never heard that before, but they'd want into any BCS conference that will let them anyways.

[Marquette65]

A couple of things to keep in mind.  A couple of years ago when all the team/conference switching was going on, there was some thought of Memphis trying to get in the SEC.  Vandy and UT would have nothing to do w/it. they, along w/ other SEC schools, were concerned w/ Memphis rep re: recruiting etc. remember a number of SEC schools have run into problems w/ the NCAA.  When Mike Slive( a name we all know) was hired, one of his mandates was to clean up the image of the SEC. Memphis, especially in view of their present NCAA problems does not fit the bill.

As to the BE, no one wanted any part of the chief sleez Coach Cal.  Remember, b/4 the recent additions ,the BE was really an East Coast league.  The old timers remember Cal's time at U Mass and wanted no part of him.

The present BE does not need Memphis.

[lurch91]

I see Memphis in the Big 12 eventually (would need someone else to make it the Big 14), but Memphis joining the WAC would be hilarious!

[hdog1017]

I would bet that conferences would tell Memphis to go fly a kite until they regain some "instituitonal control" regarding some of its basketball operations.  Have kids take their own SATs/ACTs would be a good place to start. 

[PBRme]

Aren't they pretty close to the MVC?

[GGGG]

Memphis isn't going anywhere.  They bring nothing to the table football wise and that is what drives everything.  The SEC?  Cmon...Southern Miss is a better option.  Hell, Central Florida is a better option.

The BE would be stupid to even consider this.

[Avenue Commons]

$5K a month for Tranghese's services?

The Pinneapple Growers of Greater Alaska pay more in lobbying fees than that. It definitely sounds like he really is more of a "consultant" than a straight up lobbyist or "fixer."

[The Man in Gold]

Memphis to the Big Televen.  Bucky doesn't want to lead the league in arrests next year.   

[damuts222]

So all of a sudden after Calipari leaving, the Rose situation, and everything else at Memphis they want out of Conference USA. Since they won't have any exposure any more because they beat the crap out of the Billikens or what remains in CUSA.

  As much as I've never liked Memphis the thought of them even bringing this up makes me feel sorry for them, they had their chance years ago to move to the Big East and chose not to. The Big East is exactly that Big if anything its too big, sorry Memphis

[bilsu]

So all of a sudden after Calipari leaving, the Rose situation, and everything else at Memphis they want out of Conference USA. Since they won't have any exposure any more because they beat the crap out of the Billikens or what remains in CUSA.

  As much as I've never liked Memphis the thought of them even bringing this up makes me feel sorry for them, they had their chance years ago to move to the Big East and chose not to. The Big East is exactly that Big if anything its too big, sorry Memphis

They lobbied hard to come to Big East with the 5 other Conference USA teams. They were rejected, partly because of Calipari and partly because of their low admission standards. I would add them now, because with 17 teams we can go to a 16 game schedule and play everyone once. While they might not be as good as in the recent past, they will still be good enough to make our conference better and end any arguments about which conference is the toughest.

[Hards Alumni]

Memphis will be a joke in 3 years.

they do not deserve to be in the BEAST.

[GOMU1104]

Memphis will be a joke in 3 years.

I doubt it. Pastner is recruiting at a very high level. They are still going to get the players.

They will likely have a rough year this year...only 8 healthy scholarship players...but they will be right back at it in 2010.

[77ncaachamps]

Memphis to the Big Televen.  Bucky doesn't want to lead the league in arrests next year.   

That would make sense for recruiting purposes for other BIG 10 teams.

SEC would make more sense geographically.

Why not bolster the MAC?

[GGGG]

That would make sense for recruiting purposes for other BIG 10 teams.

SEC would make more sense geographically.

Why not bolster the MAC?

The SEC makes no sense because they'd be the third (maybe even fourth) most popular team in their own city.

They are just fine in the CUSA.  The only way the BE would take them would be for football only and only to balance out the schedules.  But even then, they would have to divide their BCS revenue nine ways instead of eight.  Memphis doesn't bring in the $$$ to justify that.  Really, I doubt you will see BE expansion anytime soon.  They are a borderline BCS conference as it stands, and outside of Notre Dame, there is no real program out there that adds to the value of the conference.

[AZWarrior]

Memphis is a community college, right?

Its referred to by the locals as "Tiger High", a reference to "just a little better than high school".  Not a well thought of school from an academic stand point.  Hopefully, academics is an important consideration regarding BEAST membership.

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

So all of a sudden after Calipari leaving, the Rose situation, and everything else at Memphis they want out of Conference USA. Since they won't have any exposure any more because they beat the crap out of the Billikens or what remains in CUSA.

  As much as I've never liked Memphis the thought of them even bringing this up makes me feel sorry for them, they had their chance years ago to move to the Big East and chose not to. The Big East is exactly that Big if anything its too big, sorry Memphis

SLU is in the A-10 now, and that's too bad for them. I went to the SLU-Dayton game at their new arena last year, and if SLU played in the Big East (Hey, it's just as ridiculous as Memphis in the Big East), that arena would be one of the three or four scariest places to play.

[TallTitan34]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32960377/ns/sports-college_basketball/

You wrote earlier this week about Mike Tranghese becoming a consultant for Memphis. How much has Memphis been hurt -- if any at all -- by staying in C-USA during all the conference shuffling a few years back?

DeCourcy: You're asking the basketball guy, so my answer is that Memphis has not been hurt in the least. Staying in Conference USA has been like hitting the PowerBall for one of those nine-figure paydays.

You think I'm kidding? In the four seasons since C-USA's other heavyweights hit the road, Memphis basketball has gone 137-14. Which means the Tigers won nearly a third as many games as the seven evacuees combined. That's a staggering statistic.

Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, South Florida and DePaul left for the Big East in 2005. Charlotte and Saint Louis bolted to the Atlantic 10. Their combined record in four seasons since: 446-414.

The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament's second weekend all four years and compiled a 13-4 tournament record. The seven C-USA alumni made a combined seven NCAA appearances and compiled a 9-7 tournament record.

Moving into the Big East has been a windfall for the football programs at Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida, and maybe a new league would help Tigers football, as well. But Memphis fans should be careful with their obsessions. They've got a pretty good deal in basketball now. Even with a rookie head coach, they landed two top-15 basketball recruits (wing Will Barton and point Joe Jackson) for 2010. Would life really be so much better in a brand-name league?