Would we accept Uconn if their football was in MAC?

[Dave]

I think you may overestimate the ease of finding good teams to play OOC games in the middle of their conference seasons.

May be true for the bottom half of the league. Another option would be to take one of the cupcakes in the schedule, all schedules have them, and move it to the later OOC game. Like the SEC does with football. These are institutions of higher learning, the scheduling is not that complicated to solve.

My point is it's manageable for the right addition. And UConn is worthy of the exception, imho, that would strengthen the conference in many ways. No other programs that are even remotely possible are worth it.

And I also know the thread question is only hypothetical and it won't happen. The new BE could have included UConn from the start - that would have been a really smart move. It's probably too late for them to act, and too late for UConn to accept. The AAC for both FB and BB isn't a bad spot for them for now. No way the MAC is in play.

The new Big East is really more of a default path of least resistance, made possible by Fox Sports' proactive positioning, than a grand plan by C7 ADs and presidents.

[BillEsq]

As far as 11 teams, one team playing a good OOC per week (it could be a TV game), or sitting a game out in the schedule (playing only one game that week) is no big deal for TV.

I think you may overestimate the ease of finding good teams to play OOC games in the middle of their conference seasons. Most teams are not going to want to interrupt their conference seasons to play a noncon game. further, I doubt many of the BE teams are going to have much interest in playing a noncon game in the middle of the conference season either -- they certainly aren't going to want to play on the road. My fear is that you'd end up with 11 games against SWAC-like teams that don't so anything for anybody and have zero TV appeal.

That sums it up. In the middle of conference basketball there will be no teams available from the ACC, BIG, BIg 12, SEC, PAC, or really any other real conference. Heck even the Ivy League its booked solid with their odd scheduling. Nope instead you get 11 plus games against RPI anchors as you make your run to the post season.... While I agree that it is logistically possible to set up a 11 team conference the realities of modern college basketball make it a disaster scenario unless you are going with an unbalanced schedule. Another example is this years A-10 with 13 teams. Odd team leagues make for interesting scheduling scenarios and round robins are virtually impossible.

[MUSeashells&Balloons]

UCONN has said that they will only consider conferences that have both they don't want their teams in different conferences. So it is what it is. If they were to drop down to FCS I think we would gladly take them and I believe they would have loved to join, but I don't see that happening.

[BillEsq]

My point is it's manageable for the right addition. And UConn is worthy of the exception, imho, that would strengthen the conference in many ways. No other programs that are even remotely possible are worth it.

And I also know the thread question is only hypothetical and it won't happen. The new BE could have included UConn from the start - that would have been a really smart move. It's probably too late for them to act, and too late for UConn to accept. The AAC for both FB and BB isn't a bad spot for them for now. No way the MAC is in play.

The new Big East is really more of a default path of least resistance, made possible by Fox Sports' proactive positioning, than a grand plan by C7 ADs and presidents.

UCONN is not worth it.... and there are other programs that are... time to move on


Your bolded comment about the default path is unfortunately completely true.... My only hope is once the school presidents get out of the picture and you get a commissioner with some experience and focus on running a league the BE builds itself correctly. My guess its commissioner first, fires second, expansion to 12 third. probably all sooner than later.

[BillEsq]

UCONN has said that they will only consider conferences that have both they don't want their teams in different conferences. So it is what it is. If they were to drop down to FCS I think we would gladly take them and I believe they would have loved to join, but I don't see that happening.

I agree but they won't drop to FCS already too much money invested. Sides if they do that why not let them go play in the America East where they belong

[MUSeashells&Balloons]

Yeah we don't want uconn right now their kind of a mess. I think notre dame is the only football school worth us having a weird arrangement for. And that doesn't look like it would happen anytime soon.

[billyjack]

...The new Big East is really more of a default path of least resistance, made possible by Fox Sports' proactive positioning, than a grand plan by C7 ADs and presidents.

ESPN, our rival leagues, and their flying-monkey talking heads in football land all want everyone to think this.

[BillEsq]

...The new Big East is really more of a default path of least resistance, made possible by Fox Sports' proactive positioning, than a grand plan by C7 ADs and presidents.

ESPN, our rival leagues, and their flying-monkey talking heads in football land all want everyone to think this.

I dunno i argued that the C7 had a plan from the get go till i was blue in my face... unfortunately the facts have not backed up my early opinions. I said before that i would be shocked if they C7 presidents would just simply jump into this, but unfortunately i have to admit that i am shocked. I could be wrong but this looks pretty much like it was haphazardly done.

Jack if you can prove to me that the C7 had this all planed out... I be happy as it would mean that both I and my oatmeal would have been right. Unfortunately i think we are both eating crow....

[bostonfriar]

I do not think everything was all planned out but I do know that the current thinking is that a commissioner is not all that important right now as this position is seem more as a marketing position with an assistant commissioner doing much of the day to day work.

Once a decision was made to stay at 10 it became less important to hire a leader and the thinking is to avoid "another" mistake - which one could argue Aresco was.

With the Fox agreement in place there is no urgency to sign up other schools or to sign other contracts.

The current administrative staffs at the 10 schools are working on fall scheduling and that seems to be going OK. The big money is in men's basketball, the garden is signed up for this coming season and scheduling can be handled amoung the 10 schools.

My understanding is that some former BE staff have joined etc.

Aresco made lots of decisions on his own and that led to the split - or at least sealed the deal.The Presidents are not likely to make that mistake again.

Of course if Fox had not come along the financials would have been bad for all former BE schools so a split would have made little business sense.

So, all planned out, no. Big problem, no.

[redmen9194]

There was a plan in place for a split scenario for years. The reason it seems so haphazard is because it is being set up for the upcoming season rather than waiting a year to get it running. it will be fine. We don't need UConn at all. We should not be a stop over for a school to use until it gets an offer to a power football league. We are not a mid major, we'll make more money an we ever did or would in the Big East. And we will get tourney bids and be successful. No one said we would get more money and we did. No one said we would get a tv deal andvwe did. No one said we could keep the garden and we did. We have good programs in major cities. We will be fine. We are better off than UConn is. If they dropped football, bring them in. If not, see ya.