Report: C7 to split in July, take Big East name with it

[Abode4life]

Agreed.
If UNC and/or Virginia leaves (and there still remain multiple stumbling blocks to that happening), the ACC grabs UConn and Cincy, and life goes on.

I agree with the UNC/Virginia/GT replacements, but what if FSU and Clemson also leaves for the SEC?  There aren't that many other good options besides UConn and Cinci.  Not that I am saying Duke will leave for the C7.  The ACC could "implode" but then it would just replace with more mid major teams and become similar to what the Big East is becoming.

[Benny B]

Agreed.
If UNC and/or Virginia leaves (and there still remain multiple stumbling blocks to that happening), the ACC grabs UConn and Cincy, and life goes on.

Life will go on, but it will be a much more frugal lifestyle for the members.  In fact, they'll probably be lucky to get even the original TV contract offered to the Big East, which given their new membership, would be ironic on so many levels.

[chapman]

Seems as if we have two mysteries left.  MSG?  #10 for '13-14?

Funny how the discussion can end on everything quickly when the Fox boys make it pretty clear they'd like programming next winter, checkbook in hand.

+1.  Definitely why the reports from a day or two ago were very believable.  It's not the conference calling the shots, it's Fox.  And we are willing to go along with it because they will pay us to.

[Chili]

Yep, it's just a matter of who #10 is after Butler and Xavier you'd assume.

It will be Creighton...

[Tugg Speedman]

Your point is certainly well taken but this is not about football money because UND gets that regardless of conference affiliation for other sports. This is about brand and the good fathers at UND much prefer the warm, rich burled walnut of UNC, UVA, and Duke than the Corinthian Leather of this upstart conference.

Which is why I so fervently wish for the cream of the ACC to leave for better addresses, thereby leaving the sons of Fr Hesburgh with little more than a toned down Big East.

But if UVA and UNC leave and they are replaced by Uconn and Cincy, to go with Lousville, Pitt and Syracuse ... congratulations to ND, they just joined the BE football conference!  That is why they might change (again, if it implodes, if no implosion then ND is happy with the status quo).

Also chances of Duke to the C7 ... 0.000%  They will need a Football conference.  What will Duke do?  Nothing.  They will stay in the ACC no matter what, even if it becomes Conference USA.

[ATWizJr]

This would be a big win on a LOT of fronts.

What is the dollar cost and is is worth it?

[keefe]

Agreed.
If UNC and/or Virginia leaves (and there still remain multiple stumbling blocks to that happening), the ACC grabs UConn and Cincy, and life goes on.

And when Clemson and FSU bolt for the Big 12? To be joined, possibly, by NCSU, Miami, VPI? Life will be very different.

[Pakuni]

But if UVA and UNC leave and they are replaced by Uconn and Cincy, to go with Lousville, Pitt and Syracuse ... congratulations to ND, they just joined the BE football conference!  That is why they might change (again, if it implodes, if no implosion then ND is happy with the status quo).

Notre Dame didn't join any football conference.
And while I like the spot MU is carving out for itself with the C7, given the circumstances, I don't think ND will flee to it from a hoops conference featuring Duke, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse, UConn, Wake, Cincy, etc.

[Benny B]

Notre Dame didn't join any football conference.
And while I like the spot MU is carving out for itself with the C7, given the circumstances, I don't think ND will flee to it from a hoops conference featuring Duke, Pitt, Louisville, Syracuse, UConn, Wake, Cincy, etc.

How can you even say that considering that's exactly what they just did by leaving the Big East?

To which you respond: The demise of the Big East was imminent.  ND did what they had to do to find a stable home for their O-sports.

To which I respond: And once the demise of the ACC is imminent, again I ask why wouldn't they do the exact same thing all over again?

[Aughnanure]

[tominsalem]

This is awesome, awesome news!  Since I feel as though we got the best possible deal and a way to solidify the short-medium term stability of the conference, I might as well ask the genie in the bottle for one more thing.  My one last wish would be to have Notre Dame back out of their ACC agreement and rejoin us. 

Very reliable PC poster confirms C-7 reached out to nd and were declined.

[🏀]

My emotions summed nicely.

Now if they announce Creighton or any school other than Dayton....

[Aughnanure]

Very reliable PC poster confirms C-7 reached out to nd and were declined.

Well, I bet the $50 million exit fee is holding them up #1. If the Maryland exit fee gets reduced to under $35 and there's a mass exit I bet they could get out much more reasonably (and Fox may help) and without trouble considering they can use the "this isn't the conference we committed to, and are not committing 5 games a year to UCF, USF, Louisville, Cincy, etc).

Still, I won't get my hopes up. We can always just expand from 12 teams to 13 if they want in, no questions asked.

[Pakuni]

How can you even say that considering that's exactly what they just did by leaving the Big East?

To which you respond: The demise of the Big East was imminent.  ND did what they had to do to find a stable home for their O-sports.

To which I respond: And once the demise of the ACC is imminent, again I ask why wouldn't they do the exact same thing all over again?

Even if the worst case scenario plays out for the ACC (not the foregone conclusion some here think) and the conference loses UNC, Clemson, Florida State and Virginia - maybe even NC State and Va Tech - that still leaves a conference with Duke, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, Cincy, Wake, BC, Ga. Tech and Miami, perhaps more (Va. Commonwealth as hoops only, for example. Maybe WVU gets tired of the Big 12 travel? USF probably comes aboard for football).

Why does Notre Dame leave that? That's at least as good, and probably better, as a hoops conference as the C7. That's better for Olympic sports than the C7. It's better for soccer, baseball, etc.
Other than some make-believe wish that Notre Dame cares about being among other Catholic schools (they obviously don't), why would they leave that?

[MU82]

If this news ends up being true, that would fan-freakin'-tastic.

As for ND joining us, I'd love it. But I'd also love a night with Scarlett Johansson ... and that ain't happenin' either!

[Eldon]

Keeping the name is awesome!  I hope we keep the conference tourney at MSG as well (or maybe, hopefully they keep us).

[Warriors10]

If unable to join the ACC in 2013-14, the Fighting Irish would consider spending one season in the Catholic 7 league before moving to the ACC in 2014, a source said.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9000502/catholic-7-schools-keep-big-east-name-new-league-next-season-according-sources

[Benny B]

Even if the worst case scenario plays out for the ACC (not the foregone conclusion some here think) and the conference loses UNC, Clemson, Florida State and Virginia - maybe even NC State and Va Tech - that still leaves a conference with Duke, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, Cincy, Wake, BC, Ga. Tech and Miami, perhaps more (Va. Commonwealth as hoops only, for example. Maybe WVU gets tired of the Big 12 travel? USF probably comes aboard for football).

Why does Notre Dame leave that? That's at least as good, and probably better, as a hoops conference as the C7. That's better for Olympic sports than the C7. It's better for soccer, baseball, etc.
Other than some make-believe wish that Notre Dame cares about being among other Catholic schools (they obviously don't), why would they leave that?

The quality may be better, I don't dispute that... but that's not why ND made the jump to the ACC;  the primary reason ND went to the ACC was for stability.  Now, all these months later, the ACC is on the verge of the same instability they were facing as a member of the Big East.  So they haven't solved their main concern.

Sure they got the bowl tie-ins they also wanted (read: not needed), and which, at the time, the ACC members were willing to concede... but the landscape is changing, and there are at least two ACC members who aren't very happy about ND having a "bowl preference" in certain scenarios, ND will be playing a flock of ACC teams that isn't what it was a year ago, the ACC is on the verge of having its billion-dollar contract thwacked, and the bowl system is being overhauled.

This Maryland lawsuit has some far-reaching consequences that most people don't realize... does all of this mean that ND ends up in the C7?  Of course not, but those dismissing the possibility of ND being in the C7 as wild fantasy are much further off the mark than the optimistic ones of the bunch.

[MU82]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9000502/catholic-7-schools-keep-big-east-name-new-league-next-season-according-sources

Very, very interesting. The ND thing. The fact that they're naming names: Creighton, Dayton and SLU (because there is no other school that rhymes with Payton, I guess).

This is happening crazy-fast, and I think it's great. Say what you want about Katz, but he is a good reporter with good sources, so this lends a lot of credence to the whole shebang.

As a N.C. resident, my biggest concern continues to be this: Will I be able to watch virtually every Marquette game, as has been the case the last couple of seasons (thanks to ESPN3)? Here's hoping Fox knows what it's doing. I have my doubts.

[Pakuni]

The quality may be better, I don't dispute that... but that's not why ND made the jump to the ACC;  the primary reason ND went to the ACC was for stability.  Now, all these months later, the ACC is on the verge of the same instability they were facing as a member of the Big East.  So they haven't solved their main concern.

I'm not sure why you're convinced ND's primary interest here was stability. I think they simply wanted to get into the best conference possible and they knew the disintegrating (Old) Big East wasn't it.
Go read what Mike Brey said this week about the C7. Notre Dame had every opportunity to hop on board, and instead chose the ACC. and they made that decision knowing the ACC faced the kind of volatility the C7 would not.
So if stability was their primary concern, they sure had a funny way of showing it.

the ACC is on the verge of having its billion-dollar contract thwacked,

Citation needed.

This Maryland lawsuit has some far-reaching consequences that most people don't realize... does all of this mean that ND ends up in the C7?  Of course not, but those dismissing the possibility of ND being in the C7 as wild fantasy are much further off the mark than the optimistic ones of the bunch.

It does have some far-reaching consequences, but not why you think.
The only important consequence comes from a Maryland loss. That would slow - if not outright slam - the brakes on teams leaving the ACC, as taxpayers and lawmakers in those states aren't going to be eager to shell out $50 million in meager resources to help college football.
A Maryland win merely upholds the status quo.

Your final statement is your opinion. All evidence - including Brey's most recent comments - indicate ND has no interest in the C7.

[tower912]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9000502/catholic-7-schools-keep-big-east-name-new-league-next-season-according-sources

[brewcity77]

According to John Anderson on SportsCenter, we will keep the Big East name and start with a 9-team league in 2013 on Fox. We will expand to 12 teams in 2014, the three additional teams will be Creighton, Dayton, and St. Louis.

[Avenue Commons]

Love it. So happy to be wrong about the departure date.

Most of all I'm so proud of MU and the C7 for taking control of their destiny. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!

[brewcity77]

Not at all surprised this is being announced today (or rather...Tuesday). Makes sure everyone is talking about our breakaway league throughout March. Something tells me this timing was not at all an accident.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

This may be how they are working out how the C7 gets their money back by leaving a year early.  Fox pays the same and it gets split 9 ways for one year then up to the planned 12.