Big East Expansion?

[GoldenWarrior11]

Since it is summer, and news is few and far between, what are your thoughts on the Big East possibly expanding down the road (next year/5 years from now/10 years from now)?  The Big 12 is a hot topic today for only having 10 members (purely from a football standpoint), and our conference is (I believe) the only other major conference with just 10 members. 

I think that, in today's ever changing collegiate landscape, it was very wise for the Presidents, the conference and Val Ackerman to resist expanding for the sake of expansion when the league was reconfigured in 2013.  10 is a perfect number for basketball, as we are able to use the Round Robin format and it currently helps further promote and strengthen rivalries within our young (yet old) conference. 

With that said, I think that expansion is inevitable for our conference.  As of today, there are no "perfect-fit" expansion schools for the Big East (basketball-driven school, big city, Private/Catholic).  I do think that Saint Louis and Dayton are, realistically, the top two targets if expansion is confirmed - despite whatever feelings you may have for either school.  Saint Louis brings in a Jesuit school in a big market and Dayton brings one of the top followings in all of college basketball and a recent spike in success.  SLU, however, is really down after the passing of Rick and Dayton doesn't bring a new market.

So, have at it.  Should the Big East expand and, if so, what schools should be considered?

[keefe]

No Dayton.

No SLU.

Yes Zags.

[4everwarriors]

The conference needs to get its chit together before there is any thought given to expansion, hey?

[chapman]

Go with the dough.  BU and Richmond. 

[Herman Cain]

This idea has been discussed on this site many times. My view is that the Big East as presently configured is optimal. The double round robin schedule is very conducive to building rivalries. Our TV contract is excellent and over time there will be more viewers. Last season the conference was very competitive in the non conference schedule and we got six out of ten teams in the conference into the tournament .  Lots of money for everyone.

Over time the conference will build a very good identity both athletically and academically.

[DFW HOYA]

1. UConn
2. Massachusetts

But realistically, it's...

1. Whomever Fox wants
2. Whomever Fox wants

[CoachRaymondsClass]

No Dayton.

No SLU.

Yes Zags.

Sorry KEEFE, but while I respect Gonzaga and you, this is a BAD IDEA because:

1. league expansion is about more than Mens BB; it is about all team sports and the travel costs and time in transit {for all these BE schools and Gonzaga} is prohibitive; and

2. Gonzaga is in Wash.State, which the last time I looked, is a Pacific Coast state which is not a good BE "brand fit." There is enough press negativity toward our league now due to NBE's lack of NCAA success and this would just fuel the pundits making "fun" of the NBE.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Not exactly BE Expansion related, but I occasionally comb The Boneyard, the UConn boards.  They have a Conference Realignment section.  Apparently and interestingly, the president of the University of Oklahoma has been squawking an awful lot lately that either the Big 12 expand now, start a Big 12 Network and for Texas to the drop the disastrous Longhorn Network or else they will be gone.  Apparently the Texas AD said if you don't like it then leave.  The speculation is they are quietly talking with the SEC or Big10.  Apparently several B12 schools are in agreement with Oklahoma.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

1. UConn
2. Massachusetts

But realistically, it's...

1. Whomever Fox wants
2. Whomever Fox wants

I like it, but UConn's not dropping football anytime soon and they won't go independent because the AAC football schedule will still be better than they could put together independently.

[WarriorFan]

My 10 cents.  Not caring one iota about practicality... but more about what I want to see to make a good hoops conference.
- Get ND back for everything but football
- Uconn
- St Louis
- Dayton

For me ND is the priority to build back the rivalry.

[79Warrior]

My 10 cents.  Not caring one iota about practicality... but more about what I want to see to make a good hoops conference.
- Get ND back for everything but football
- Uconn
- St Louis
- Dayton

For me ND is the priority to build back the rivalry.

ND is NOT leaving the ACC for the BE.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

The configuration is fine for now, but if they decide to expand then:
1) anyone but Dayton
2) I've come round to BU for market & school size & popularity and potential BB growth
3) I lean for a more East Coast presence so Richmond or VCU
4) I could live with St. Louis
5) I don't know who realistically else?  Belmont is in Nashville and not too south.  Davidson is maybe too small and too far outside Charlotte and too South?  Any interesting schools in Florida?

[tower912]

I want Dayton and SLU.   But DF has the right of it.   Whoever Fox wants. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

There are a lot of candidates, but there seems to be issues with almost all of them. I would rank the candidates:

1. UConn
2. Gonzaga
3. Memphis
4. VCU
5. Cincinnati
6. BYU
7. UMass
8. Wichita State
9. Temple
10. Dayton
11. Boston University
12. St. Louis
13. Richmond

I know people care about things like schools being private, being basketball only, and being geographically close. I don't. At all. There are really only 2 things that matter:

How many eyeballs do they bring?
How good are they at basketball?

As long as a team does those two things, everything else will fall into place.

St Louis, Richmond, and Boston U bring a lot of eyeballs (new media markets) but are really bad at basketball.

Temple and Dayton are decent at basketball but don't bring new media markets (X and NOVA).

Wichita State is good at basketball and brings a new media market but its a tiny one.

The top 7 are the ones you want to look at IMHO. The top 6 are very good at basketball and UMass is decent. All of them bring new large media markets (except Cincy but their fanbase and basketball chops make them worth it).

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Not exactly BE Expansion related, but I occasionally comb The Boneyard, the UConn boards.  They have a Conference Realignment section.  Apparently and interestingly, the president of the University of Oklahoma has been squawking an awful lot lately that either the Big 12 expand now, start a Big 12 Network and for Texas to the drop the disastrous Longhorn Network or else they will be gone.  Apparently the Texas AD said if you don't like it then leave.  The speculation is they are quietly talking with the SEC or Big10.  Apparently several B12 schools are in agreement with Oklahoma.

I've heard some rumblings of that. But Oklahoma has been muttering about this for the past decade. I'm not sure if they will ever have the stones to pull the trigger. They should, my Aggies are doing just fine over here in the SEC  . The grass is really greener sometimes.

If they do, the fallout would be very interesting. Open season on either the B12 or AAC.

[ChicosBailBonds]

No thanks, no thanks, no thanks.

We have the Big East television money for the next decade.  Fox overpaid quite frankly.  If anyone thinks adding a few more schools is going to cause Fox to come running to throw more money, it isn't happening most likely.

Gonzaga is silly.  Relocate the school to Iowa and we can talk, otherwise not happening.

Keep it at 10, keep the revenues to 10 schools. 

[bilsu]

I think you try to pick teams from states that you do not have a team in and that are connected to the foot print. St. Louis fills a gap between Illinois and Nebraska. Northern Iowa and Wichita St touch states that are already in the Big East. Same goes for Richmond or VCU. I would take Uconn even if they kept football. One or two football schools are not going to wreck the conference.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Any school with a FBS program program should immediately be disregarded (UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, BYU, Temple, UMass).  The schools already went down that path with schools like Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Louisville, and Notre Dame.  They are not threatening the consistency, stability and strength of the reconfigured league with any football schools, period.  Schools like Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, and St. Johns would have an even bigger issue with it - because they went through huge realignment phases three separate times (2003, 2005 and 2013).

UConn could, potentially, be made as an exception.  They have history with the C7 schools, but they immediately jump ship once an invite from the B1G or ACC came.  They wouldn't care about being in the Big East long term.  That's not stability, that's convenience.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why are people advocating for expansion when Fox Sports isn't going to throw more money into the coffers?

[🏀]

ABD

[Tugg Speedman]

No thanks, no thanks, no thanks.

We have the Big East television money for the next decade.  Fox overpaid quite frankly.  If anyone thinks adding a few more schools is going to cause Fox to come running to throw more money, it isn't happening most likely.

Gonzaga is silly.  Relocate the school to Iowa and we can talk, otherwise not happening.

Keep it at 10, keep the revenues to 10 schools.

Bail Bonds is 100% correct on this one.  Expansion does nothing for the BE but it does guarantee we get less money.  None of these schools will generate enough revenues for us to go from 1/10th split of the current Fox contract to 1/11th or 1/12th.

There are a lot of candidates, but there seems to be issues with almost all of them. I would rank the candidates:

1. UConn
2. Gonzaga
3. Memphis
4. VCU
5. Cincinnati
6. BYU
7. UMass
8. Wichita State
9. Temple
10. Dayton
11. Boston University
12. St. Louis
13. Richmond

[frozena pizza]

I'm all for expanding if there is a school that can add something to the conference and is interested in joining.  Right now there just isn't one and I can't see Fox getting excited about any of the schools that have been listed (sorry, ND and UConn are not joining the BE any time soon).  I'm happy with 10 teams and like the double round robin schedule.

[bilsu]

Any school with a FBS program program should immediately be disregarded (UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, BYU, Temple, UMass).  The schools already went down that path with schools like Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Louisville, and Notre Dame.  They are not threatening the consistency, stability and strength of the reconfigured league with any football schools, period.  Schools like Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, and St. Johns would have an even bigger issue with it - because they went through huge realignment phases three separate times (2003, 2005 and 2013).

UConn could, potentially, be made as an exception.  They have history with the C7 schools, but they immediately jump ship once an invite from the B1G or ACC came.  They wouldn't care about being in the Big East long term.  That's not stability, that's convenience.

The football schools left are the ones the big football conferences did not want and that is not likely to change. Since they will not be playing football in the Big East the only thing you would need to worry about is them leaving. You control that with a buyout clause. The conference would have a huge upgrade if the Big East would just accept UConn & Cincy.

[mu03eng]

Only reason you expand is if Notre Dame is willing to come to the Big East.  That ain't happening, so there is no reason to expand.

The Big East is safe (relatively speaking) from the spinning carousel that is conference realignment.  Just enjoy the overpaid bounty that is Fox television revenue.  Enjoy being able to watch Marquette on FS1 trounce Grambling because you will be one of 77 people who will do so.

Seriously though, conference expansion is the last thing we should be thinking/worrying about.

[Eldon]

*I would love ND and UCONN to come back.  Love it.  But that seems highly unrealistic
*Xavier would throw a fit if Cincinnati were considered so I don't think that would happen either.  Same for Nova/Temple
*Gonzaga strikes me as waaaaay too far as to be a logistical nightmare.

*So having ruled out ND, UCONN, Cincy, Temple, and Gonzaga, no other school strikes me as worth it.  We would have to, what, split revenues with the 11th and 12th members?  The abovementioned schools would possibly make it worthwhile, but I don't see Shaka-less VCU, Richmond, BU, or even SLU making up that 2/12 difference.  This is nothing more than an initial hunch.

*That said, I would much rather keep the 10 members for two main reasons.  First, of course, we keep more of the money.  Second, we keep the round-robin schedule, which helps budding rivalries, which somewhat in turn helps sell tickets.  This latter effect is somewhat diminished with 11th and 12th members, especially if those 11th and 12th members are watered-down programs