UCONN to the Big Televen?

[VegasWarrior77]

Whether accurate or not Cowherd is a turd.

+1

I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I heard him talking about it.  When one thinks about it logically though, someone's going to make a move soon... Ugh!

[LAZER]

Does the NCAA have any say in this?

[ErickJD08]

Who cares?  Yes, UConn has a lot of great history but Calhoun built that program and he will probably die in that program.  If they don't hand the program off to a good coach, that program could take a dive.  If this move happens, BEast should look into getting some up and coming program like a Dayton, Butler, Temple, so something like that.  I am not saying UConn = these other teams but its not the end of the Big East if UConn moves.  UConn was garbage last season and sadly, Calhoun is a ticking time bomb.  If he has more health issues, the team will hit the same speed bump it hit this last season.  

[goodgreatgrand]

Who cares?  Yes, UConn has a lot of great history but Calhoun built that program and he will probably die in that program.  If they don't hand the program off to a good coach, that program could take a dive.  If this move happens, BEast should look into getting some up and coming program like a Dayton, Butler, Temple, so something like that.  I am not saying UConn = these other teams but its not the end of the Big East if UConn moves.  UConn was garbage last season and sadly, Calhoun is a ticking time bomb.  If he has more health issues, the team will hit the same speed bump it hit this last season.  

Who cares about UConn? Really? Yeah, they had a bad season last year so they are obviously expendable. Didnt Lute Olson essentially build UofA? Health problems? Check. Stayed too long? Check. Program on shaky ground for 3 or so years? Check. In comes Sean Miller. UofA now right back in the mix of top 20-type recruits from all over the country. In another year or two, they will be right where Olson had them prior to his health issues.

And it is the end of the BE if UConn goes (at least as we know it). If UConn goes, it means other programs are leaving as well because there is no doubt in my mind that UConn is not the B10's No.1 target - not when they can add Pitt and instantly create a natural rivalry with Penn St. If they are serious about taking UConn then Im sure there are two others going with them. The rest of the fball schools will scramble for the ACC. The ones that are left without a home join a patched-up fball conference that blows (more than it does even now). I would much rather see Rutgers, Pitt and WV go than UConn and two others.

[SaveOD238]

so it seems as if we scoopers believe the only option if the BEast falls apart is for MU and the other bball only schools to create their own basketball conference...

however, couldnt Marquette or GTown or any of the other bball-only schools just latch onto an expanded Big Ten or ACC as a basketball only school?  in 2004 the BEast seemed pretty interested in adding a basketball-only wing to the conference...whats to say one of the new mega-conferences wont do the same?

[ErickJD08]

Who cares about UConn? Really? Yeah, they had a bad season last year so they are obviously expendable. Didnt Lute Olson essentially build UofA? Health problems? Check. Stayed too long? Check. Program on shaky ground for 3 or so years? Check. In comes Sean Miller. UofA now right back in the mix of top 20-type recruits from all over the country. In another year or two, they will be right where Olson had them prior to his health issues.

And it is the end of the BE if UConn goes (at least as we know it). If UConn goes, it means other programs are leaving as well because there is no doubt in my mind that UConn is not the B10's No.1 target - not when they can add Pitt and instantly create a natural rivalry with Penn St. If they are serious about taking UConn then Im sure there are two others going with them. The rest of the fball schools will scramble for the ACC. The ones that are left without a home join a patched-up fball conference that blows (more than it does even now). I would much rather see Rutgers, Pitt and WV go than UConn and two others.

I think there is some over reaction here.  Three BEast teams are not moving.  If so, then the opening can appeal to some of the solid teams in other conferences.  Big East will not become C-USA, which is what you guys are making this to be.  Plus, if a team leaves, it will most likely be Pitt.  UConn doesn't make geographic sense at all.

[Litehouse]

I think there is some over reaction here.  Three BEast teams are not moving.  If so, then the opening can appeal to some of the solid teams in other conferences.  Big East will not become C-USA, which is what you guys are making this to be.  Plus, if a team leaves, it will most likely be Pitt.  UConn doesn't make geographic sense at all.

As many as 5 Big East teams could possibly leave for the Big Televen.  Even if it's just 1 team, who is going to fill that spot?  Replacing ND, Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, or Rutgers with Central Florida isn't exactly moving in the right direction?

Our best case scenario is that only ND goes to the Big Televen and that's it, then we bring in Xavier for basketball, and football remains unchanged.

[DawsonCreekFillanderer]

UCONN does NOT get invited into the Big Ten. They lack the requisite academic heft. Storrs is a quaint after thought in a sea of academic excellence.

[GOO]

Litehouse.  I can't see ND going to the Big 10 without bringing some east coast teams in as well.  ND joining the big 10 alone, I just don't see it.  My guess is ND says no, unless a Maryland, BC, Rutgers, VA, or some combination join the big 10 as well.  If it is only about football, then join the big 10.  If it is also about the school, alumni, where students come from, where the money is/donors, etc, they need the east coast connection. 

[Brewtown Andy]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/sports/20colleges.html?ref=sports

I love how any discussion of conference expansion has apparently failed to mention the Big East's 27 month waiting period since I hadn't heard about it until reading that.

[DawsonCreekFillanderer]

I love how any discussion of conference expansion has apparently failed to mention the Big East's 27 month waiting period since I hadn't heard about it until reading that.

I fail to see how this is in any way a barrier or deterrent to defecting.

[Brewtown Andy]

I fail to see how this is in any way a barrier or deterrent to defecting.

It means a team leaving the Big East has to be official by 3 months before the start of football season for any changes to happen as fast as possible.

For example, if UConn announced their move to the B10 today, they would be eligible to officially leave the Big East on July 20, 2012.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Honestly, if a major shakeup happens, what can Cottingham do? Other than working with ADs at other institutions to create a new conference, what sort of plan can be realistically undertaken?

That would be part of the plan....to create those alliances with other programs as a fallback.  Putting it another way, I hope we are proactively looking for backup plans that we can insert ourselves into rather than waiting for the chips to fall and see where we land.  I have to assume there are conversations in the background, I sure as hell hope so.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Does the NCAA have any say in this?

Not really.  The NCAA doesn't make up conferences or decide the structure.  Let's not forget that the NCAA is a voluntary organization.  A school can decide to not belong any governing body, or can join the NAIA or the NCAA. 

At the end of the day, the NCAA has standards, rules, policies, etc, like any governing body has, but they don't have the power to prevent this. 

[79Warrior]

Cowherd was speculating, nothing official. It would not surprise me because they have the football and basketball, plus the New York market is what the Big Ten wants.


I hope Cottingham has a plan.

Pretty tough to have a plan when he really does not know how many teams leave. This is out of anything he can control.

[ChicosBailBonds]

UCONN does NOT get invited into the Big Ten. They lack the requisite academic heft. Storrs is a quaint after thought in a sea of academic excellence.

Currently, that is correct.  That doesn't mean the Big Ten can't change their standards. They have many times over the years in many areas.  There was a point in time where Michigan State was never going to be a member, but they changed their tune.  Michigan at one point was in the conference and left only to come back again.  They were the Big 9 then the Big 10, now the Big Eleven but without the name change.

Things can change, they always do.  They've changed standards over the years on transfers, on eligibility, etc.  No reason they couldn't change this policy as well.  Certainly the university presidents, etc would raise holy hell but we're talking about a ton of money that could sway those presidents.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I love how any discussion of conference expansion has apparently failed to mention the Big East's 27 month waiting period since I hadn't heard about it until reading that.

The $5 million buyout is peanuts.  The 27 month out-clause I would imagine has no real teeth in it.  Besides, that's only a little more than 2 years.  If the Big Ten said today they were going to expand, it would take at LEAST 2 years for it to be worked out anyway, so that 27 months is nothing in reality.  Football schedules are set years in advance. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pretty tough to have a plan when he really does not know how many teams leave. This is out of anything he can control.

Maybe plan is a poor word....in my world you we view it possible scenarios (which we call plans).  If A, then B.  If AB, then C.  Etc, etc.

I hope that if the Big East were to lose more than 1 team and it means a destruction of the league, we are going through multiple scenarios (planning) on where we plan to be, or how we can best position ourselves to be in a position of desire.

I believe in proactive preparation as much as possible.  HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY, thus hoping it all works out would not be a good deal.  If the Big Ten only takes one, it's minor tremble.  If they take 3 or more, the world is going to change dramatically and we should have a lot of potential scenarios worked out in terms of what that means for Marquette.

1) Stay in the Big East (what's left of it)
2) Align with other basketball only schools to form a new conference

Etc, etc

My guess is due to the financial situation, we're going to stay in the Big East because that's where the money is, but that is only a short term solution because if the Big East becomes a shadow of what they were, the television money runs dry when the new contract comes up (if not sooner due to the radical changes which the networks will surely try to exploit as a breach in the contract).

[Litehouse]

If as many as 5 Big East teams leave for the Big Ten, at least the $25M would help buy some time for the remaining members.  I assume the remaining members would also retain the NCAA tournament units and payouts left behind by the departing members.

[4everwarriors]

So, you're saying hope and change don't work out.

[ChicosBailBonds]

So, you're saying hope and change don't work out.

Sure as hell hasn't out here...... 

[Litehouse]

the television money runs dry when the new contract comes up (if not sooner due to the radical changes which the networks will surely try to exploit as a breach in the contract).

Do the remaining schools then sue the departing schools to make up the difference in TV contract revenue?  This would all get really ugly.

[Hards Alumni]

MU could always go back to being an independant with ND :-P

oh, and hope and change dont work out west because your state tax system is a disaster, and unrealistic. ... but that topic is verboten.

[Dawson Rental]

I love how any discussion of conference expansion has apparently failed to mention the Big East's 27 month waiting period since I hadn't heard about it until reading that.

Actually, the Big Ten requires a 36 month waiting period for teams to join after they have been offered and accepted.  So the Big East's 27 month wait wouldn't be a factor with them.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Let's not forget that Notre Dame was formerly invited 2 decades ago and declined.  They are NOT a member of the AAU either.  Yes, it's true that the AAU has all 11 of the Big Ten schools plus the University of Chicago (an original Big Ten member) as belonging to the club, but that does not mean that they can't invite a non-AAU member to play.

http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476