ESPN: Pitt and Cuse in discussions with ACC

[Warrior1]

This is the league we need for Marquette to remain in the majors. Pray.

Big East 16 teams - 12 football / 4 basketball only:

Louisville
Cincinnati
UConn
Rutgers
South Florida
TCU
Kansas
Kansas State
Iowa State
Missouri
Baylor
Texas Tech

St. John's
Georgetown
Villanova
Marquette

Pitt - ACC
Syracuse - ACC
ND - B10
West Virginia - SEC
Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul - all gone, or keep and have a 19 team basketball league, play each other once.

Other possibilities for italicized teams - West Virginia if they would stay, Central Florida, Temple, Rice, Tulsa, Marshall, Houston, UTEP, East Carolina.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The soap opera continues.  The BE needs to band together right now.  Obviously Pitt and Cuse didn't like the move out west with the B12 and did their own backroom deal.  I still don't get the Syracuse appeal for football/tv market...but I don't get a lot of this craziness.

Big East folks/schools are STEAMED at Pitt, which led the charge (with Rutgers) to reject a lucrative long-term TV deal a few months ago.

http://twitter.com/#!/PeteThamelNYT

[GGGG]

Why is everybody so high on a ball only conference?

Because you want to be in a conference where you are relevant...where you have schools that are similar to you.  As long as MU is in a conference with a majority of football schools, its needs will be secondary.  If MU is in a conference with traditional basketball powers...Nova, Georgetown, St. Johns, etc. they will be fine.  Those are our peers.  Kansas is not.  KSU is not.

Adding football schools does not make MU more relevant.  We went to the Final Four as a member of CUSA.  We will be fine.

[GGGG]

monkeyman, KU, KSU and Texas Tech are *already* in another conference.  Why would they jump on board the sinking ship that is the BE???

[Marqus Howard]

If Marquette and the other basketball only schools form a conference based on basketball, would we be able to attract a school like Gonzaga?

[muhs03]

Duke, Wake, Miami and BC are all private schools that play football. I'm sure That appeals to Cuse and vice versa.

[Aughnanure]

If Marquette and the other basketball only schools form a conference based on basketball, would we be able to attract a school like Gonzaga?

Ideally it would be great for them and the bball-only conference. The problem is how far away they are. Its hard to see a scenario where this conference can extend far enough that it doesn't force them to travel 3+ hours in a plane to get to every game. Would BYU, UNLV, Air Force, Wichita St, Creighton, Memphis, UTEP help?  Possibly, just depends on what schools end up getting left out of the major 4-5 conferences and would still want a legitimate conference to house their basketball program.

[forgetful]

If Pitt was leading the charge against signing the $3 billion dollar deal, could they have been scamming for this all along.  Apparently they have been talking to the Big 12 for awhile about replacing A&M.

If this is true and with Pitt leading the Big East Executive committee, could there be a lawsuit on hand for breach of fiduciary duties.

[texaswarrior74]

ESPN now reporting that ACC powers to be have already accepted Pitt and Cuse announcement to come sometime Sunday.....WOW....that was really fast!

[Ellenson Guerrero]

I don't really know much about agency law or the BEast's Exec Committee, but can you imagine the damages on a lawsuit like that. The potential in lost revenue for the BEast tournament, the Big Dance, advertising value, admission and tuition numbers, and ticket sales. Across the league you could easily be looking at billions.

That said, if we can get Kansas and Kansas State, I say we take it and try to play out the next five years when there will be a totally new landscape. If not, the current BEast schools should consider the BBall only route. Gonzaga is a pipe dream. Schools like West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinatti should perhaps be the most concerned. Yes they have football programs but currently they are completely on the outside looking in with the most to lose. MU can't lose football because it doesn't have it, WV could be stuck pairing with a bunch of BBall schools and going independent for football.

[GGGG]

And its....official...

http://www.theacc.com/genrel/091811aaa.html

[nyg]

And its....official...

http://www.theacc.com/genrel/091811aaa.html

Yes, and two more invites to go.  They want a 16 team conference with two eight team divisions.  UCONN will probably be one and ?????.

[brewcity77]

Not having an AD right now could end up potentially disastrous. This is really not the time to be in a rudderless ship.

[nathanziarek]

Well...if nothing else, this will be interesting to watch. I wasn't really aware of the realignment when we moved from CUSA to the Big East. Was it a similar country-wide shakeup?

[BME to MD]

Great post about how the Big 12 leftovers are just going to stick it out in a crippled league because they will have fewer teams to split 155 million per year with: http://outkickthecoverage.com/big-12-television-contract-likely-to-protect-league.php

"In the next few days or weeks stories will start trickling out about how Dan Beebe is a miracle worker. Columnists and prognosticators will herald his genius. But the simple fact will be this: ESPN and Fox are so conflicted over realignment that they aren't going to be willing to cancel existing league contracts for fear of massive liabilities via lawsuit.

Voila, the Big 12, a dead conference walking, just got a reprieve on execution's eve."

[jsglow]

I wonder how long this will take to settle out?  Wouldn't surprise me to see a 'new' BEast formed by Friday.  Bet all the football programs are gone and an approximate 10 team league is formed.  Funny, maybe we played two conference opponents in last year's big dance.  Frankly, if this happens I'd prefer the new conference to kick off in 12-13, not wait another year. 

[Clam Crowder]

Not having an AD right now could end up potentially disastrous. This is really not the time to be in a rudderless ship.

Cottingham had absolutely zero experience as a an athletic director before he came. Father Wild's efforts were much of the reason we are where we are. There is still a rudder to out Athletic Program...If you think one man ran the show you are very confused about how athletic programs work.

[monkeyman34]

monkeyman, KU, KSU and Texas Tech are *already* in another conference.  Why would they jump on board the sinking ship that is the BE???

Sultan, what conference are they apart of?  A conference whose ship is further sunk than the BE right now. With no Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and possibly no Oklahoma St, they really don't have a conference any more.  I think that would work out really well to put together the remaining teams of the B12 and the remaining teams of the BE, even if Rutgers and UConn both leave now as well, that's a pretty solid conference for football (not superstar power, but still solid) and the basketball would be amazing.

[BME to MD]

Sultan, what conference are they apart of?

A conference that has a 1.2 billion dollar TV contract through 2025 regardless of how many teams leave.  Read the article I linked above.

[brewcity77]

Cottingham had absolutely zero experience as a an athletic director before he came. Father Wild's efforts were much of the reason we are where we are. There is still a rudder to out Athletic Program...If you think one man ran the show you are very confused about how athletic programs work.

It's not a one-man show, but I have little doubt that we'd be better off with a strong, clear leader.

[Golden Avalanche]

Cottingham had absolutely zero experience as a an athletic director before he came. Father Wild's efforts were much of the reason we are where we are. There is still a rudder to out Athletic Program...If you think one man ran the show you are very confused about how athletic programs work.

You write this Father Wild's efforts were much of the reason we are where we are and then write this If you think one man ran the show you are very confused about how athletic programs work.

One man show or not? If former, he's gone. If latter, Groupthink here we come. Sounds like a secure position to me.

[MUMac]

It's not a one-man show, but I have little doubt that we'd be better off with a strong, clear leader.

Or looking at it differently, this is the opportunity for Broeker to shine and take the reigns permanently.  I am not advocating for Broeker - I truly do not know if he is the guy or has the potential to be, but it is the opportunity. 

[Hoopaloop]

monkeyman, KU, KSU and Texas Tech are *already* in another conference.  Why would they jump on board the sinking ship that is the BE???

Completely agree

[GGGG]

Sultan, what conference are they apart of?  A conference whose ship is further sunk than the BE right now. With no Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and possibly no Oklahoma St, they really don't have a conference any more.  I think that would work out really well to put together the remaining teams of the B12 and the remaining teams of the BE, even if Rutgers and UConn both leave now as well, that's a pretty solid conference for football (not superstar power, but still solid) and the basketball would be amazing.

I think a far more likely scenario is that the BE football teams head to the B12 and leave the bball schools behind.

[Clam Crowder]

You write this Father Wild's efforts were much of the reason we are where we are and then write this If you think one man ran the show you are very confused about how athletic programs work.

One man show or not? If former, he's gone. If latter, Groupthink here we come. Sounds like a secure position to me.

There is a large distinction between saying Father Wild is the only reason, and saying he is much of the reason. If you are going to attack an argument on verbiage alone you should realize that I did not say he was the ONLY reason. It does sound like a secure position due to the fact that I said much. The team in 2003 had much to do with it as well, as did Crean, and Wade. That was the reason I didn't say ONLY