Reallignment Update from New York Times

[GGGG]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/sports/ncaafootball/after-realignment-jitters-calm-returns-to-college-football.html?_r=2&ref=sports

Pretty much says everyone stays where they are now with the exception of A&M, Syracuse and Pitt.  The ACC will not be expanding any further any time soon.

Syracuse and Pitt will likely be part of the BE through the end of the 2013 seasons.  They will be talking soon with Navy and Air Force about being replacements.  Army is happy as an independent.  Although other options are Temple and Nova.  And then schools like UCF and East Carolina.

I personally don't like any of those options. 

[groove]

Army and Navy are football only and East Carolina has applied for admission to Big East

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/09/21/big-east-navy-airforce.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a16&eref=sihp

[mugrad2006]

I know TCU is already coming to the conference and is far away, but why add another geographically difficult school like Air Force?  That would put 3 schools over 1,000 miles from New York, and would add another time zone.  Seems foolish to me.

[Aughnanure]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/sports/ncaafootball/after-realignment-jitters-calm-returns-to-college-football.html?_r=2&ref=sports

Pretty much says everyone stays where they are now with the exception of A&M, Syracuse and Pitt.  The ACC will not be expanding any further any time soon.

Syracuse and Pitt will likely be part of the BE through the end of the 2013 seasons.  They will be talking soon with Navy and Air Force about being replacements.  Army is happy as an independent.  Although other options are Temple and Nova.  And then schools like UCF and East Carolina.

I personally don't like any of those options. 

UCF is the only one with any promise. Nova would be a joke to the football schools. Its pretty clear everyone will now wait until 2013 to make the full split b/t the basketball schools and football schools.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

"UConn's best option to the MAC."  Should The Times have printed that in teal?

[brewcity77]

I know TCU is already coming to the conference and is far away, but why add another geographically difficult school like Air Force?  That would put 3 schools over 1,000 miles from New York, and would add another time zone.  Seems foolish to me.

Now that's not sounding so certain. I'm hearing TCU being floated more and more as possibly skipping the Big East and joining the Big 12 instead.

[GGGG]

If I am TCU, I may just decide to stay in the MWC and hope that they take the BCS AQ status from the BE. 

[Aughnanure]

If I am TCU, I may just decide to stay in the MWC and hope that they take the BCS AQ status from the BE. 

And that's exactly what they're doing -  http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6995058/mwc-looking-keep-tcu-conferences-shift

On Twitter last night, saw people reporting that TCU was looking at how they could go back.

[muwarrior69]

And that's exactly what they're doing -  http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6995058/mwc-looking-keep-tcu-conferences-shift

On Twitter last night, saw people reporting that TCU was looking at how they could go back.

That is exactly what the Big East basketball schools should do. Join with the WCC (which now has better basketball than the PAC 10/12) as separate leagues and then have a championship.

[Pakuni]

If I am TCU, I may just decide to stay in the MWC and hope that they take the BCS AQ status from the BE. 

That makes sense for TCU. I'm surprised the Big 12 doesn't invite them now, unless of course Texas doesn't want it. but TCU heading back to the MWC isn't going to get that conference the BE's BCS spot, especially if the BE adds a pair of decent programs (Navy, UCF) to replace Pitt and Syracuse. Outside of TCU and Boise State, the Mountain West is pretty bad.

[MUMac]

That makes sense for TCU. I'm surprised the Big 12 doesn't invite them now, unless of course Texas doesn't want it. but TCU heading back to the MWC isn't going to get that conference the BE's BCS spot, especially if the BE adds a pair of decent programs (Navy, UCF) to replace Pitt and Syracuse. Outside of TCU and Boise State, the Mountain West is pretty bad.

Plus, would the MWC want them back?  I am not sure I would take TCU back under these circumstances if I were the MWC.

[Aughnanure]

That is exactly what the Big East basketball schools should do. Join with the WCC (which now has better basketball than the PAC 10/12) as separate leagues and then have a championship.

I agree, I just want this to be whatever its going to be - its inevitable the split will happen, Nova needs to stop dreaming.

[bamamarquettefan]

That makes sense for TCU. I'm surprised the Big 12 doesn't invite them now, unless of course Texas doesn't want it. but TCU heading back to the MWC isn't going to get that conference the BE's BCS spot, especially if the BE adds a pair of decent programs (Navy, UCF) to replace Pitt and Syracuse. Outside of TCU and Boise State, the Mountain West is pretty bad.

Agreed, if MWC could have held together Utah, BYU for a couple of more years they could have now really pressed the issue on replacing the Big East as an AQ, but now would be tough.

[GGGG]

The MWC now has Boise though...and may decide to look at a school like Houston.

[Pakuni]

The MWC now has Boise though...and may decide to look at a school like Houston.

Utah, BYU > Boise, Houston
TCU, Utah, BYU >>>> Boise, Houston

Boise is the best team of the bunch, but TCU is close and BYU has the largest following/national profile.

[Canadian Dimes]

I believe the BE should immediately

1. add Nova as a football team
2. Add UCF and Memphis and Umass as all sports
3. Add Navy as Football only.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I believe the BE should immediately

1. add Nova as a football team
2. Add UCF and Memphis and Umass as all sports
3. Add Navy as Football only.

I totally agree on 2 & 3.  I'm still flipping a coin on #1. 
Just think Memphis & UMass could be a John Calipari trivia question answer.

[Aughnanure]

I believe the BE should immediately

1. add Nova as a football team
2. Add UCF and Memphis and Umass as all sports
3. Add Navy as Football only.

No to #1. That does not do anything to help the other basketball schools, since it will split ANYWAYS. Why would we ever want Nova to actually bring their football program up to FBS?

[Canadian Dimes]

memphis can help keep the BE basketball swagger.  Pastner is doing a great job and the way he is recruiting they will remainin a top 15 team for a while.  memphis has always been good, had some shady times,  but really any shadier than UConn for example?

UMass had a great team when Calipari was there, if nothing else showing that it can be done. i think adding them to the BE could help get them back up at a high level and get the Massachusett fans a BE venue after BC left.  People that dont think UMass can be a viable BE bball team dont remember where Seton Hall, UConn, Pitt and anumber of other schools were back in 1979.  They were no bodies.  Also, Dana Dingle, former Umass BBall stud runs a very succesfull AU program in NY. 

Those two seem like no brainers to me.

I will let Brewcity elaborate on UCF   

[Aughnanure]

memphis can help keep the BE basketball swagger.  Pastner is doing a great job and the way he is recruiting they will remainin a top 15 team for a while.  memphis has always been good, had some shady times,  but really any shadier than UConn for example?

UMass had a great team when Calipari was there, if nothing else showing that it can be done. i think adding them to the BE could help get them back up at a high level and get the Massachusett fans a BE venue after BC left.  People that dont think UMass can be a viable BE bball team dont remember where Seton Hall, UConn, Pitt and anumber of other schools were back in 1979.  They were no bodies.  Also, Dana Dingle, former Umass BBall stud runs a very succesfull AU program in NY. 

Those two seem like no brainers to me.

I will let Brewcity elaborate on UCF   

Agree, I would go out and add UMass, Memphis, UCF and Houston and figure out the 12th team later. But this does nothing to help MU and the bball schools in the long run - its a 2-3 year fix max.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

its a 2-3 year fix max.

Isn't that the idea to extend the Big East basketball/football hybrid for as long as possible?  It lasted 8 years the first time.  Who's to say it won't last as long this time if not longer especially if there are 12 FB members and a title game.  Didn't the PAC-12 and ACC just sign long term TV deals?  Any new members just dilutes the earnings.  (Yes, adding SU&PU to the ACC dilutes that deal which makes no sense as already discussed multiple times here.)  Big10?11?12? dilutes their own network earnings with new additions. And might the cast of B-teams for 12FB members just might make it stable since they may less likely to be "taken"?

A basketball only conference just says mid-major to me.  CUSA redux with a Big East logo is still way preferable than that.

[ATWizJr]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/sports/ncaafootball/after-realignment-jitters-calm-returns-to-college-football.html?_r=2&ref=sports

Pretty much says everyone stays where they are now with the exception of A&M, Syracuse and Pitt.  The ACC will not be expanding any further any time soon.

Syracuse and Pitt will likely be part of the BE through the end of the 2013 seasons.  They will be talking soon with Navy and Air Force about being replacements.  Army is happy as an independent.  Although other options are Temple and Nova.  And then schools like UCF and East Carolina.

What would you suggest?

I personally don't like any of those options. 

[GGGG]

Well...there is the rub I guess.  I don't like any of the options, but I certainly can't come up with anything better.

[Aughnanure]

Isn't that the idea to extend the Big East basketball/football hybrid for as long as possible?  It lasted 8 years the first time.  Who's to say it won't last as long this time if not longer especially if there are 12 FB members and a title game.  Didn't the PAC-12 and ACC just sign long term TV deals?  Any new members just dilutes the earnings.  (Yes, adding SU&PU to the ACC dilutes that deal which makes no sense as already discussed multiple times here.)  Big10?11?12? dilutes their own network earnings with new additions. And might the cast of B-teams for 12FB members just might make it stable since they may less likely to be "taken"?

A basketball only conference just says mid-major to me.  CUSA redux with a Big East logo is still way preferable than that.

Playing devil's advocate, adding too many football schools with no basketball identity damages the Big East brand and the basketball-only schools. Really ECU, South Florida, Temple, Army, Navy Central Florida? Those are going to help us in the long run?

At a certain point, it becomes less valuable to stay in a conference with schools like that, since its not like they are bringing a lot to the table that will raise our tv contracts.

I do not think a Basketball-only Big East is a bad thing, that is how the Big East got its name.

[dwaderoy2004]

I agree.  This is why I have been pushing - and hopefully MU and the other Bball schools are too - for the addition of Xavier and Butler if the Big East adds any football schools.  It keeps the Big East in the discussion as best basketball conference (if uconn actually stays) which is what makes the big east a national draw in the first place, and creates a ready made, 10 team conference that can split off immediately if doomsday ever comes.  The Bball schools have a voice at the table, and they should be pushing hard for this.