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

[keefe]

NEW YORK (AP) -- The breakup of the Big East's football and basketball schools appears to be on the fast track.
The major college football members will meet in Atlanta on Friday to discuss the departure of the seven basketball schools that are planning to leave the conference and create a new league.
According to media reports, the basketball schools plan to have their new conference up and running for the 2013-14 school year and will pay the football schools to keep the Big East name and play its conference tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco says no deal has been completed between the two groups but ''some of this stuff is clearly coming down to the wire.''

Keeping the name and MSG game is vital. Great win for us.

As a TV Director, can you shed light on the veracity of the various reports?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Can someone educate me on why teams like UConn and Cincy especially don't drop football?  I don't really understand, do they hold out and pray they make it to a bigger conference?  I heard on stubhub they're tickets are pretty cheap next year.

What's the breaking point for them before they just say "Fk it" and drop football, or is that just dumb thinking on my part?

Pride.  Money.  Exposure.  Etc.

All the money UCONN spent on going up to their level in football now in the last 10 years...they aren't going to go backward....even if they are losing money. The politicos in CT want the prestige.

http://www.ct.com/news/advocates/latest-news/brief-20111208,0,54104.story

Same for UC

[NavinRJohnson]

Short of everything remaining as it was a year ago, assuming all of this comes to fruition, could this have worked out any better for MU? Solid, old school conference, Big East, MSG...and moving to Fox who easily delivers the highest quality sports production is an added bonus.

[WayOfTheWarrior]

I don't know if anyone has posted this link yet but ESPN has an article on it too. As long as we have the Garden and the name we will be just fine. Xavier, Butler, and/or Creighton are definitely a bonus.

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

[Dawson Rental]

Short of everything remaining as it was a year ago, assuming all of this comes to fruition, could this have worked out any better for MU? Solid, old school conference, Big East, MSG...and moving to Fox who easily produces the highest quality sports production is an added bonus.

No, not really, it does seem ideal.  Well, maybe if Gonzaga moved its campus to Cleveland.

[Dawson Rental]

ESPN updated their article and it now says this:

Creighton has emerged as the favorite to become the 10th team, and would also join next season, according to sources.

Hopefully we can join you guys next year in the Big East!

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

No MVC exit fee has to give you guys a definite edge.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Short of everything remaining as it was a year ago, assuming all of this comes to fruition, could this have worked out any better for MU? Solid, old school conference, Big East, MSG...and moving to Fox who easily delivers the highest quality sports production is an added bonus.

I blame Larry Williams for this debacle

[keefe]

Pride.  Money.  Exposure.  Etc.

All the money UCONN spent on going up to their level in football now in the last 10 years...they aren't going to go backward....even if they are losing money. The politicos in CT want the prestige.

http://www.ct.com/news/advocates/latest-news/brief-20111208,0,54104.story

Same for UC

Pride goeth before the fall

Proverbs 16:18

[Coleman]

Thoughts on keeping the logo? I'm not a huge fan of how it looks currently and I don't think it has as much brand importance as the name itself.

Easy answer. Go back to the original Big East logo when it was a basketball only conference.

Shows continuity and reestablishes the brand as a strong bball conference.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Easy answer. Go back to the original Big East logo when it was a basketball only conference.

Shows continuity and reestablishes the brand as a strong bball conference.

This one?




I have a feeling that they'll do what most marketers do, put their stamp on it and create a new one.

[Coleman]

Yup Chicos, thats the one.

Youre probably right, theyll make a new one. But I think this would be better.

[GGGG]

That looks a little too 80s-ish for my taste.

[Tugg Speedman]

The ACC isn't going anywhere.  Please stop believing this is the case.  It may lose no one...it may lose two, three or up to five schools, but it isn't going away.

Of course it is not going away.

Remember ND football agreed to play 5 acc games a year.  If the conference implodes and the new ACC becomes a BE CUSA, Duke/Wake/NS ST hybrid, ND may want 40% of their football schedule to be these schools.  

It would leave to free football.

[Warrior_2002]

Of course it is not going away.

Remember ND football agreed to play 5 acc games a year.  If the conference implodes and the new ACC becomes a BE CUSA, Duke/Wake/NS ST hybrid, ND may want 40% of their football schedule to be these schools.  

It would leave to free football.

I've been reading this whole post and finally someone brings up the 5 ACC games the ND football team has agreed to in its schedule.  Contrary to AnotherMU84, I believe this holds ND to the ACC.  With all the other big football conferences like the Big Ten adding more conference games it becomes harder for ND to schedule with other teams.  They've already halted series with Michigan among others to accommodate the ACC deal.  Just not seeing ND leaving the ACC.  Not sure I see the ACC blowing up like everyone else thinks it will either.

[Tugg Speedman]

I've been reading this whole post and finally someone brings up the 5 ACC games the ND football team has agreed to in its schedule.  Contrary to AnotherMU84, I believe this holds ND to the ACC.  With all the other big football conferences like the Big Ten adding more conference games it becomes harder for ND to schedule with other teams.  They've already halted series with Michigan among others to accommodate the ACC deal.  Just not seeing ND leaving the ACC.  Not sure I see the ACC blowing up like everyone else thinks it will either.

In a future years this is ND schedule

* 5 ACC games against schools like BC/Wake/Uconn/Duke/Cuse
* Navy (they said they will schedule them every year forever)
* Purdue (who they have play more than any other schools and will not drop)
* The two west coast schools of Stanford and USC of alternating home/away schedules

That leaves them three at-large games to schedule.  Unless those final three games are with the top of the SEC (which it will not be), this might not be a good enough schedule to get them into the National Championship game with a 12 - 0 or 11 - 1 record (since they made the NC game last year and have the #2 or #1 recruiting class coming in, that is now a realistic goal every year).  This is why they may have to exit, to free the football schedule.

And again, if the ACC stays intact (which may of you say and you could be right) then that 5 game ACC schedule can be UNC/Miami/UVA/Clemson and GT which fits ND's NC goal.  That is a world different than what the ACC might be if their is a mass exodus.

[muguru]

No, not really, it does seem ideal.  Well, maybe if Gonzaga moved its campus to Cleveland.

My biggest reservation about this new conference is the competition. Let's be honest here...it's not all that strong. Specifically with the lower end schools...SH, DePaul, Providence etc. In the Big East, there were enough top level teams, that no one really noticed the bad teams per say. In this league, there's not that luxury. The bottom echelon teams will stand out more because there aren't any UL's or Syracuse's to cover those warts. I wouldn't mind it as much of they added Creighton, Xavier and Butler and stayed at 10, but when you start going to 12 and the conversations involve SLU,, Dayton etc..you're starting to walk a slippery slope and perception may be that of a "mid major" conference.

[Pakuni]

I blame Larry Williams for this debacle

Well, sure, he's done a great job steering MU through this, but did you see his hat?!?!?

More seriously, those who ripped LW as a small-timer incapable of handling this situation ought to be dining on crow tonight.

[Dawson Rental]

I've been reading this whole post and finally someone brings up the 5 ACC games the ND football team has agreed to in its schedule.  Contrary to AnotherMU84, I believe this holds ND to the ACC.  With all the other big football conferences like the Big Ten adding more conference games it becomes harder for ND to schedule with other teams.  They've already halted series with Michigan among others to accommodate the ACC deal.  Just not seeing ND leaving the ACC.  Not sure I see the ACC blowing up like everyone else thinks it will either.

I tried to make this argument once and Bennie jumped all over me.

[Tugg Speedman]

My biggest reservation about this new conference is the competition. Let's be honest here...it's not all that strong. Specifically with the lower end schools...SH, DePaul, Providence etc.

Add St. Johns to this list and bingo!  This is the key to the new conference.  If any three of these four can be "bubble teams" yearly, this can be a great conference.  Otherwise half our new schedule is against schools that would be the middle of the Horizon league and the entire operation starts smelling like a mid-major.

The key is raising the bottom, not expanding the top.

[buckchuckler]

My biggest reservation about this new conference is the competition. Let's be honest here...it's not all that strong. Specifically with the lower end schools...SH, DePaul, Providence etc. In the Big East, there were enough top level teams, that no one really noticed the bad teams per say. In this league, there's not that luxury. The bottom echelon teams will stand out more because there aren't any UL's or Syracuse's to cover those warts. I wouldn't mind it as much of they added Creighton, Xavier and Butler and stayed at 10, but when you start going to 12 and the conversations involve SLU,, Dayton etc..you're starting to walk a slippery slope and perception may be that of a "mid major" conference.

Completely get what you are saying.  Though I don't think any conference that includes Georgetown will be considered a mid major.  They are one of the biggest national brands in NCAA hoops.

This does put a premium on the non conference schedule.  We are losing 5 top 50 RPI teams off the schedule, and two of those are in the top 15.  It would be great to see some long term home and homes announced with some big time programs.  UL and ND would be a good start.  The Zags would be fun,another Big 10 school (MSU?), maybe a premium PAC 12 team (Arizona? UCLA?).  I don't know how realistic any of those teams are, and obviously I'm just making stuff up, but MU needs to add some big time pop to the non conference schedule.  

[Tugg Speedman]

With all the other big football conferences like the Big Ten adding more conference games it becomes harder for ND to schedule with other teams.  They've already halted series with Michigan among others to accommodate the ACC deal.

I realize their is irrational hatred for ND on this board so this will fall on deaf ears.

Yes scheduling will get harder, but not for ND.  Everyone wants them.  Other top football schools will throw schools off their schedule to make room for them.  Michigan is upset that ND dropped them (not the other way around).

ND is the exception to every rule which is why everyone hates them.  And that is why football made $42 million last year versus $25 million for the typical B1G schools (and $15 to $17 for the typical ACC school).

[Dawson Rental]

Well, sure, he's done a great job steering MU through this, but did you see his hat?!?!?

More seriously, those who ripped LW as a small-timer incapable of handling this situation ought to be dining on crow tonight.

Hell, yeah!  What kind of a rube wears a sweat stained cap to his school's big exposure game?

Oh, wait, it actually was a camo hat designed to match the team's camo uniforms.  Never mind.

[jsglow]

Add St. Johns to this list and bingo!  This is the key to the new conference.  If any three of these four can be "bubble teams" yearly, this can be a great conference.  Otherwise half our new schedule is against schools that would be the middle of the Horizon league and the entire operation starts smelling like a mid-major.

The key is raising the bottom, not expanding the top.

Agree with raising the bottom but let's recall that the new BEast would be sending 50% of its teams to the NCAA if the invitations hit the mail today in either the 10 or 12 team configuration.  That's pretty darn good.

[buckchuckler]

Add St. Johns to this list and bingo!  This is the key to the new conference.  If any three of these four can be "bubble teams" yearly, this can be a great conference.  Otherwise half our new schedule is against schools that would be the middle of the Horizon league and the entire operation starts smelling like a mid-major.

The key is raising the bottom, not expanding the top.

St. John's could be dynamite the next couple of seasons.  Their roster has no seniors and only one junior.  If they continue to mature and improve, they could be very dangerous.  

[Pakuni]

My biggest reservation about this new conference is the competition. Let's be honest here...it's not all that strong. Specifically with the lower end schools...SH, DePaul, Providence etc. In the Big East, there were enough top level teams, that no one really noticed the bad teams per say. In this league, there's not that luxury. The bottom echelon teams will stand out more because there aren't any UL's or Syracuse's to cover those warts. I wouldn't mind it as much of they added Creighton, Xavier and Butler and stayed at 10, but when you start going to 12 and the conversations involve SLU,, Dayton etc..you're starting to walk a slippery slope and perception may be that of a "mid major" conference.

I don't think many will judge a conference on its three worst teams, but since that's what you want to do here let's see how the new BE's bottom three stack up in terms of  current RPI:

Big East - Providence (85), Seton Hall (115), DePaul (183)

ACC - Wake Forest (151), Clemson (154), VaTech (166)
Big 10 - Purdue (131), Northwestern (144), Penn State (184)
Big 12 - Texas (126), Texas Tech (222), TCU (228)
PAC 10 - Utah (179), Oregon State (188), Washington St. (190)
SEC - S. Carolina (201), Auburn (219), Miss. State (237)

In perspective, our dregs aren't all that bad, are they?