Temple to drop 7 sports, including baseball

[TheHall]

Here's another story from Philly.com about the open promises of realignment:

As for the decision itself, Theobald said the excised programs were "casualties of Temple University's overreach in trying to operate an athletic program beyond its facilities and resources." In fact, what it gets back to, and what it always gets back to, is the school's trying to operate a football program that can barely sustain itself, let alone be the breadwinner for the entire athletic department, as is the case with more successful programs.

We're not talking about a football program headed in the right direction, either. Football revenue at Temple fell nearly $4 million from the 2011-12 school year to the 2012-2013 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Now the Owls find themselves wedged into the moribund husk of the old Big East football conference, rechristened the American Athletic Conference, without a single natural rival and - as of next season - in a league that no longer has a guaranteed seat at the BCS feast.

Meanwhile, the other Temple sports teams have to leave school and travel all over the country for conference games against Cincinnati and Southern Methodist and South Florida and all the rest, none of which makes any damn sense. No kidding they had to cut sports to save money. They just didn't cut the one they should have. Nothing makes Temple administrators scream more than that, of course. They wring their hands and talk about school pride and the corporate sponsors and alumni donations that would dry up if the Owls didn't field another 2-10 team to rattle around Lincoln Financial Field among 20,000 truly lost souls (on a very good day).

thttp://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/temple/20131212_Temple_s_trustees_fumbled__big-time.html#lhDUdvuurCQHKpQm.99"

@BrendanPrunty: Any program thinking the grass is greener now has two cautionary tales: West Virginia and Temple.

Still looking at you Uconn...it's only a matter of time.

[Omaha1]

Here's another story from Philly.com about the open promises of realignment:

As for the decision itself, Theobald said the excised programs were "casualties of Temple University's overreach in trying to operate an athletic program beyond its facilities and resources." In fact, what it gets back to, and what it always gets back to, is the school's trying to operate a football program that can barely sustain itself, let alone be the breadwinner for the entire athletic department, as is the case with more successful programs.

We're not talking about a football program headed in the right direction, either. Football revenue at Temple fell nearly $4 million from the 2011-12 school year to the 2012-2013 school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Now the Owls find themselves wedged into the moribund husk of the old Big East football conference, rechristened the American Athletic Conference, without a single natural rival and - as of next season - in a league that no longer has a guaranteed seat at the BCS feast.

Meanwhile, the other Temple sports teams have to leave school and travel all over the country for conference games against Cincinnati and Southern Methodist and South Florida and all the rest, none of which makes any damn sense. No kidding they had to cut sports to save money. They just didn't cut the one they should have. Nothing makes Temple administrators scream more than that, of course. They wring their hands and talk about school pride and the corporate sponsors and alumni donations that would dry up if the Owls didn't field another 2-10 team to rattle around Lincoln Financial Field among 20,000 truly lost souls (on a very good day).

thttp://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/temple/20131212_Temple_s_trustees_fumbled__big-time.html#lhDUdvuurCQHKpQm.99"

@BrendanPrunty: Any program thinking the grass is greener now has two cautionary tales: West Virginia and Temple.

Still looking at you Uconn...it's only a matter of time.

I hope we don't expand, but if we did UConn and VCU would be an interesting pair to add.

[TheHall]

I hope we don't expand, but if we did UConn and VCU would be an interesting pair to add.

I agree, I just think 12 is a done deal though. I even think they know when they want to expand, just not the right time to discuss. I do believe expansion talk will be quiet at least until the Maryland v. ACC suit is resolved.