Why expand?

[Westbrook36]

Since when is saying there's nothing mythical about a FCS football championship, saying Villanova = Alabama in football.

Do you understand the concept of classifications?

[cm5yz6]

Bill Marsh and another poster got it right.....Villanova is the only school that has won an NCAA Div.1 championship in both football and basketball.....The FBS schools vie for a "mythical" national championship, which is based on opinion. There is no NCAA national champion at that level, until next year when the playoff system arrives. You can win a couple of bucks with that discussion in your local gin mill.

PS--Villanova has won a total of 19 NCAA championships (the majority in track and cross country). I don't think the rest of the "old" Big East added together, can match that total.

Nothing can be more mythical than a 1AA championship.

Is a FCS football championship a big deal?

No.

But, there is absolutely positively nothing mythical about it. They actually have a national 16 team playoff, no one is awarded or voted champion. It is actually settled on the field. Again it's not the highest level of college football, so it's not a huge deal, but it's definitely not mythical.

And why the hell is football being discussed here? Out of all the basketball conferences out there, you'd think we'd be the last to have a discussion of college football. Unless that discussion was along the lines of, "how college football destroyed old traditions and rivalries".

24 teams this year

[Bill Marsh]

After this discussion, I wonder if we can agree on the following:

1. The Big East should not add teams just for the sake of adding
2. The only schools who should be added are basketball programs who are consistent winners with a proven track record.
3. If it takes 5 years to find such programs, then the league should take 5 years.
4. Programs like that are hard to find.

[billyjack]

After this discussion, I wonder if we can agree on the following:

1. The Big East should not add teams just for the sake of adding
2. The only schools who should be added are basketball programs who are consistent winners with a proven track record.
3. If it takes 5 years to find such programs, then the league should take 5 years.
4. Programs like that are hard to find.

I agree with all four.

[Xudash]

After this discussion, I wonder if we can agree on the following:

1. The Big East should not add teams just for the sake of adding
2. The only schools who should be added are basketball programs who are consistent winners with a proven track record.
3. If it takes 5 years to find such programs, then the league should take 5 years.
4. Programs like that are hard to find.

1. Agree. In fact, the Big East should carefully monitor the round robin dynamic, assuming they allow themselves enough time for that (probably at least 3 full seasons). If there aren't other compelling financial reasons to grow the conference and the rivalries really do start to pop and sizzle, leave it alone.

2. Agree. I agree, simply for no other reason than I can only identify UCONN, Temple and Memphis as current football/strong hoops programs that could bring value to the Big East. UCONN isn't going to step away from all they've invested in football, even if they have to continue to sit and rot in the AAC, looking for some way out to a bigger party. Temple's problem is its redundant (to Nova) location. Memphis just scares me due to a lack of institutional fit.

3. Absolutely agree.

4. Agree. St. Louis is closest to meeting the target, especially given their private/Jesuit status.

[booyah]

There is actually one, and arguably two schools I can think off with horrible/non-existent programs we should welcome in a heartbeat. Nyu and university of Chicago. Say we gave nyu and possibly university of Chicago open invites to join the big east if they'd upgrade their programs to D 1 by say 2018. With the big east money, and their very wealthy alumni based, they should b able to hire a top line coach and have a program that is not embarrassing by say 2020? Meanwhile we strengthen our holds on the two biggest markets in America, fill MSG for the tourney, raise the academic profile of the league. The big ten added Rutgers, but if nyu had a div 1 program, anyone wanna bet who they would have preferred?

The big east is the first conference that has a big money tv contract without football. That could open up some out of the box options.

[ElDonBDon]

There is actually one, and arguably two schools I can think off with horrible/non-existent programs we should welcome in a heartbeat. Nyu and university of Chicago. Say we gave nyu and possibly university of Chicago open invites to join the big east if they'd upgrade their programs to D 1 by say 2018. With the big east money, and their very wealthy alumni based, they should b able to hire a top line coach and have a program that is not embarrassing by say 2020? Meanwhile we strengthen our holds on the two biggest markets in America, fill MSG for the tourney, raise the academic profile of the league. The big ten added Rutgers, but if nyu had a div 1 program, anyone wanna bet who they would have preferred?

The big east is the first conference that has a big money tv contract without football. That could open up some out of the box options.

Props for thinking outside the box, but there's no way in hell that Chicago joins any DI conference. I don't know this for certain, but I believe they bumped their sports programs down from DI because they want to be seen as a super-academically elite school. Having sports tarnishes that brand. IMO, I have to say it has kind of worked. Though Chicago and Northwestern are pretty comparable along any measure, Chicago seems much more academic in my eyes and I bet that stems from a lack of DI sports.

If anything, Fordham would be more likely than either of those two. However, Fordham may be like Holy Cross--keep DI sports, but don't invest all that much resources into them.

[booyah]

If Fordham had richmonds profile, they woulda been in the big east in the first wave. I agree with ur thoughts on Chicago- the big problem there is also that it's just a small undergrad. Nyu makes much more sense though to me. Part of the mid major taint is about national recognition. Nyu has that- I can't believe anybody would associate them being a mid major if they had D1 bball. Unfair but mid major is just as much about the school profile as it is about the bball program.

[Bill Marsh]

There is actually one, and arguably two schools I can think off with horrible/non-existent programs we should welcome in a heartbeat. Nyu and university of Chicago. Say we gave nyu and possibly university of Chicago open invites to join the big east if they'd upgrade their programs to D 1 by say 2018. With the big east money, and their very wealthy alumni based, they should b able to hire a top line coach and have a program that is not embarrassing by say 2020? Meanwhile we strengthen our holds on the two biggest markets in America, fill MSG for the tourney, raise the academic profile of the league. The big ten added Rutgers, but if nyu had a div 1 program, anyone wanna bet who they would have preferred?

The big east is the first conference that has a big money tv contract without football. That could open up some out of the box options.

I actually agree with this sentiment. I remember the days when NYU used to pack the Garden. They got to a couple ofnFinal Fours and were once runner up. University of Chicago was recognized as national champions by the Helms Foundation way back when. When universities of this caliber and this level of resources make a commitment to something, they usually achieve excellence. Very similar to Duke, Stanford, etc.

The problem is that neither has shown any interest in making this kind of commitment to athletics in many decades. However, the school that is making noise is Buffalo. I heard an ad this morning on WFAN that was a blatant announcement of their intention to go big time. It stressed their AAU credentials, their flagship status, and the importance of athletics among their peer institutions. Ads on 50,000 watt radio don't come cheap, so they appear to be serious about this.

I don't know where they stand on a balance between football and basketball, but I'd keep an eye on them.

[Bulldog_Muskie]

There is actually one, and arguably two schools I can think off with horrible/non-existent programs we should welcome in a heartbeat. Nyu and university of Chicago. Say we gave nyu and possibly university of Chicago open invites to join the big east if they'd upgrade their programs to D 1 by say 2018. With the big east money, and their very wealthy alumni based, they should b able to hire a top line coach and have a program that is not embarrassing by say 2020? Meanwhile we strengthen our holds on the two biggest markets in America, fill MSG for the tourney, raise the academic profile of the league. The big ten added Rutgers, but if nyu had a div 1 program, anyone wanna bet who they would have preferred?

The big east is the first conference that has a big money tv contract without football. That could open up some out of the box options.

I actually agree with this sentiment. I remember the days when NYU used to pack the Garden. They got to a couple ofnFinal Fours and were once runner up. University of Chicago was recognized as national champions by the Helms Foundation way back when. When universities of this caliber and this level of resources make a commitment to something, they usually achieve excellence. Very similar to Duke, Stanford, etc.

The problem is that neither has shown any interest in making this kind of commitment to athletics in many decades. However, the school that is making noise is Buffalo. I heard an ad this morning on WFAN that was a blatant announcement of their intention to go big time. It stressed their AAU credentials, their flagship status, and the importance of athletics among their peer institutions. Ads on 50,000 watt radio don't come cheap, so they appear to be serious about this.

I don't know where they stand on a balance between football and basketball, but I'd keep an eye on them.

While these are fun little scenarios and I don't think anyone actually thinks they'll happen, but if they were to try I don't think chicago would go big east. They were a founding member of the B1G and still maintain a close academic relationship with the conference.