The Ball talks Big East basketball

[Bill Marsh]

I've looked all afternoon for anything that confirms that they were offered a spot in the Big 12 and I couldn't find anything credible either way. I guess I'll keep my opinion on this and let you keep yours if you so desire.

Chip Brown of Orangeblood.com had a series of reports back in 2011 when TCU was added that there was an offer on the table to BYU but they turned it down. Since then, West Virginia has been added and tHe Big XII has toyed at various ties with the idea of going from 10-12. It's likely that they again touched base with BYU again as each of these decisions was contemplated. Supporting this has been repeated speculation that both BYU's Sunday sports prohibition as well as their interest in their own network have been stumbling blocks to the two sides getting together. No need for such speculation if there weren't at least exploratory talks on the matter.

Okay with me that we hold different opinions on this. Behind-the-scenes expansion decisions are not exactly the kind of thing about which schools issue press releases. So, there's no way to know really. There's been enough smoke around this to convince me that talks went pretty deep. But I'm a gullible sort of guy.

How would a BYU network be a stumbling block? The Big XII doesn't have a network, yet Texas has their own. I'm sure there was talk about a possible invite, but one never came and certainly a decline never came. Schools only get invited if the conference knows it will be accepted and rarely does a second invite go out if the conference gets turned down once, the only instance I know of when that happened was with Utah St and the MWC. BYU's rivals Utah got an invite to the big boy table. They want to also want to be included so badly that they were seriously considering joining the Big East in its FB dying days. Also right now they don't get a full cut of the playoff money that everyone else gets and to the F5 they count as a G5 school when it comes to scheduling.

None of this matters because the presidents of the BE will NEVER invite a FBS FB school ever again so it's a moot point.

As you said, you have no proof.

I'm not going to quibble with you over what an "invite" is. I think there's little doubt that the Big XII wanted BYU and equally little doubt that BYU would not agree to their terms. TheBig XII has been in a unique position among P5 conferences, getting picked over multiple times in stages. It's only my opinion, but I suspect that the Big XII did go back to them more than once, hoping they had seen the light. Just last week both the Oklahoma U president and it's former AD were both quoted as saying that BYU is the best candidate for Big XII expansion. Statements like these don't get out into the media by accident. It's clear that the Big XII is seriously considering expansion. Again. It's equally clear that BYU is their #1 target. Again. It's BYU's slot to take if they want it. We'll see if they do.

The network itself isn't a stumbling block, bit I believe that BYU became enamored of a Notre Dame-like independence anddecidedthey wanted to go their own way. Being able to call their own shots certainly is a stumbling block in a conference run by Texas. BYU is unique among American universities. It isn't so much an institution of higher learning as it is an extension of the LDS and sports is part of their PR wing. The rules that apply to other colleges in conference realignment don't apply to them.

If you have first hand knowledge of what the BE presidents are thinking, pray tell . . .

If it's 2nd hand, please offer some kind of source for such blanket statements.

[trephin]

I definitely remember reading an interview with the Gonzaga AD who said they would be one with travel if they were to be invited. I can't find it but it was in a Spokane paper or other local coverage. I have never read anything from a BE president saying they had an issue with Gonzaga or anything to imply they were against inviting them. Of course I wouldn't expect anything other when a school would accept.

Question re: BET. Last year, it was the same system whereby all tickets were purchased by the schools and the schools then sold them? How that's reported can differ, but, If that's the case then MSG gets their money and I doubt they're worried beyond that. MSG network has only a handful of BE games mainly with St John's so I don think ratings are a concern. The BE is a sure thing for MSG every year. I believe that's what thy want. I'm not concerned with MSG after 2026. And of course, Winning Solves Everything and will sure any ill.

[Bill Marsh]

I definitely remember reading an interview with the Gonzaga AD who said they would be one with travel if they were to be invited. I can't find it but it was in a Spokane paper or other local coverage. I have never read anything from a BE president saying they had an issue with Gonzaga or anything to imply they were against inviting them. Of course I wouldn't expect anything other when a school would accept.

Question re: BET. Last year, it was the same system whereby all tickets were purchased by the schools and the schools then sold them? How that's reported can differ, but, If that's the case then MSG gets their money and I doubt they're worried beyond that. MSG network has only a handful of BE games mainly with St John's so I don think ratings are a concern. The BE is a sure thing for MSG every year. I believe that's what thy want. I'm not concerned with MSG after 2026. And of course, Winning Solves Everything and will sure any ill.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-1 ... arden.html

[NJRedman]

Chip Brown of Orangeblood.com had a series of reports back in 2011 when TCU was added that there was an offer on the table to BYU but they turned it down. Since then, West Virginia has been added and tHe Big XII has toyed at various ties with the idea of going from 10-12. It's likely that they again touched base with BYU again as each of these decisions was contemplated. Supporting this has been repeated speculation that both BYU's Sunday sports prohibition as well as their interest in their own network have been stumbling blocks to the two sides getting together. No need for such speculation if there weren't at least exploratory talks on the matter.

Okay with me that we hold different opinions on this. Behind-the-scenes expansion decisions are not exactly the kind of thing about which schools issue press releases. So, there's no way to know really. There's been enough smoke around this to convince me that talks went pretty deep. But I'm a gullible sort of guy.

How would a BYU network be a stumbling block? The Big XII doesn't have a network, yet Texas has their own. I'm sure there was talk about a possible invite, but one never came and certainly a decline never came. Schools only get invited if the conference knows it will be accepted and rarely does a second invite go out if the conference gets turned down once, the only instance I know of when that happened was with Utah St and the MWC. BYU's rivals Utah got an invite to the big boy table. They want to also want to be included so badly that they were seriously considering joining the Big East in its FB dying days. Also right now they don't get a full cut of the playoff money that everyone else gets and to the F5 they count as a G5 school when it comes to scheduling.

None of this matters because the presidents of the BE will NEVER invite a FBS FB school ever again so it's a moot point.

As you said, you have no proof.

I'm not going to quibble with you over what an "invite" is. I think there's little doubt that the Big XII wanted BYU and equally little doubt that BYU would not agree to their terms. TheBig XII has been in a unique position among P5 conferences, getting picked over multiple times in stages. It's only my opinion, but I suspect that the Big XII did go back to them more than once, hoping they had seen the light. Just last week both the Oklahoma U president and it's former AD were both quoted as saying that BYU is the best candidate for Big XII expansion. Statements like these don't get out into the media by accident. It's clear that the Big XII is seriously considering expansion. Again. It's equally clear that BYU is their #1 target. Again. It's BYU's slot to take if they want it. We'll see if they do.

The network itself isn't a stumbling block, bit I believe that BYU became enamored of a Notre Dame-like independence anddecidedthey wanted to go their own way. Being able to call their own shots certainly is a stumbling block in a conference run by Texas. BYU is unique among American universities. It isn't so much an institution of higher learning as it is an extension of the LDS and sports is part of their PR wing. The rules that apply to other colleges in conference realignment don't apply to them.

If you have first hand knowledge of what the BE presidents are thinking, pray tell . . .

If it's 2nd hand, please offer some kind of source for such blanket statements.

You want a source?!?!?

Do you have a source for any of this nonsense you've been rambling about for the last few days? No? Okay then, lets stop acting like you're an insider at BYU and the Big XII. If the BE wanted FBS schools they would look a lot closer to home like UConn or Memphis rather than BYU who isn't even that historically great of a program. BYU is never coming, if the Big XII calls BYU would accept in a NY minute and for the record, that conference has said it would look east not west for expansion candidates when it decides it wants to expand.

“We have one member in West Virginia that’s on the East Coast,” Bowlsby said. “We have to be mindful of their situation. If we took somebody in that was on the far West Coast it would certainly do a disservice to our member in West Virginia. As I mentioned earlier, it may be a different set of criteria to some of our members than it is to other members. As the commissioner, I certainly have to take all 10 institutions and their sensitivities into play.”

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... to-expand/

Thats from 10 days ago and from the commissioner of the conference.

[Demon22]

UConn is not going to the ACC. They tried to sue BC when the Eagles left the Big East.

BC will pitch a fit if the ACC offers UConn a spot, and other schools will listen to them.

[Bill Marsh]

Chip Brown of Orangeblood.com had a series of reports back in 2011 when TCU was added that there was an offer on the table to BYU but they turned it down. Since then, West Virginia has been added and tHe Big XII has toyed at various ties with the idea of going from 10-12. It's likely that they again touched base with BYU again as each of these decisions was contemplated. Supporting this has been repeated speculation that both BYU's Sunday sports prohibition as well as their interest in their own network have been stumbling blocks to the two sides getting together. No need for such speculation if there weren't at least exploratory talks on the matter.

Okay with me that we hold different opinions on this. Behind-the-scenes expansion decisions are not exactly the kind of thing about which schools issue press releases. So, there's no way to know really. There's been enough smoke around this to convince me that talks went pretty deep. But I'm a gullible sort of guy.
________________________________________________________________

How would a BYU network be a stumbling block? The Big XII doesn't have a network, yet Texas has their own. I'm sure there was talk about a possible invite, but one never came and certainly a decline never came. Schools only get invited if the conference knows it will be accepted and rarely does a second invite go out if the conference gets turned down once, the only instance I know of when that happened was with Utah St and the MWC. BYU's rivals Utah got an invite to the big boy table. They want to also want to be included so badly that they were seriously considering joining the Big East in its FB dying days. Also right now they don't get a full cut of the playoff money that everyone else gets and to the F5 they count as a G5 school when it comes to scheduling.

None of this matters because the presidents of the BE will NEVER invite a FBS FB school ever again so it's a moot point.

As you said, you have no proof.

I'm not going to quibble with you over what an "invite" is. I think there's little doubt that the Big XII wanted BYU and equally little doubt that BYU would not agree to their terms. TheBig XII has been in a unique position among P5 conferences, getting picked over multiple times in stages. It's only my opinion, but I suspect that the Big XII did go back to them more than once, hoping they had seen the light. Just last week both the Oklahoma U president and it's former AD were both quoted as saying that BYU is the best candidate for Big XII expansion. Statements like these don't get out into the media by accident. It's clear that the Big XII is seriously considering expansion. Again. It's equally clear that BYU is their #1 target. Again. It's BYU's slot to take if they want it. We'll see if they do.

The network itself isn't a stumbling block, bit I believe that BYU became enamored of a Notre Dame-like independence anddecidedthey wanted to go their own way. Being able to call their own shots certainly is a stumbling block in a conference run by Texas. BYU is unique among American universities. It isn't so much an institution of higher learning as it is an extension of the LDS and sports is part of their PR wing. The rules that apply to other colleges in conference realignment don't apply to them.

If you have first hand knowledge of what the BE presidents are thinking, pray tell . . .

If it's 2nd hand, please offer some kind of source for such blanket statements.

You want a source?!?!?

Do you have a source for any of this nonsense you've been rambling about for the last few days? No? Okay then, lets stop acting like you're an insider at BYU and the Big XII. If the BE wanted FBS schools they would look a lot closer to home like UConn or Memphis rather than BYU who isn't even that historically great of a program. BYU is never coming, if the Big XII calls BYU would accept in a NY minute and for the record, that conference has said it would look east not west for expansion candidates when it decides it wants to expand.

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball." - Han Solo

I've provided a source. Like it or not, I've told you what I'm going on. You've provided squat to back up all your claims about what the BE presidents are thinking. You're making a lot of assumptions. Just sayin' . . .

[NJRedman]

As you said, you have no proof.

I'm not going to quibble with you over what an "invite" is. I think there's little doubt that the Big XII wanted BYU and equally little doubt that BYU would not agree to their terms. TheBig XII has been in a unique position among P5 conferences, getting picked over multiple times in stages. It's only my opinion, but I suspect that the Big XII did go back to them more than once, hoping they had seen the light. Just last week both the Oklahoma U president and it's former AD were both quoted as saying that BYU is the best candidate for Big XII expansion. Statements like these don't get out into the media by accident. It's clear that the Big XII is seriously considering expansion. Again. It's equally clear that BYU is their #1 target. Again. It's BYU's slot to take if they want it. We'll see if they do.

The network itself isn't a stumbling block, bit I believe that BYU became enamored of a Notre Dame-like independence anddecidedthey wanted to go their own way. Being able to call their own shots certainly is a stumbling block in a conference run by Texas. BYU is unique among American universities. It isn't so much an institution of higher learning as it is an extension of the LDS and sports is part of their PR wing. The rules that apply to other colleges in conference realignment don't apply to them.

If you have first hand knowledge of what the BE presidents are thinking, pray tell . . .

If it's 2nd hand, please offer some kind of source for such blanket statements.

You want a source?!?!?

Do you have a source for any of this nonsense you've been rambling about for the last few days? No? Okay then, lets stop acting like you're an insider at BYU and the Big XII. If the BE wanted FBS schools they would look a lot closer to home like UConn or Memphis rather than BYU who isn't even that historically great of a program. BYU is never coming, if the Big XII calls BYU would accept in a NY minute and for the record, that conference has said it would look east not west for expansion candidates when it decides it wants to expand.

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball." - Han Solo

I've provided a source. Like it or not, I've told you what I'm going on. You've provided squat to back up all your claims about what the BE presidents are thinking. You're making a lot of assumptions. Just sayin' . . .

No, you just said that orangebloods ran some article back in 2011. You didn't post a link or anything. Thats not providing a source. A source is actually showing what people have said like I did. I don't need a source to know that the presidents aren't going to the hybrid split again. It's common sense to anyone who follows sports just like it's common sense that anyone on the outside of the F5/ND would accept an invite in a nanosecond. I don't need a source for that, it's common sense. Do I need a source when I say that Tulane would accept a SEC invite the second offered? No, because everyone just thinks. "Well yeah, of course they would." Same goes for any G5 school, which according to the F5 conferences BYU is a part of.

Here is what a source actually looks like.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... layoff-era

… because of its geography. One reason BYU wasn't snapped up by the Big 12 in conference realignment was its location. The Pac-12 apparently wasn't interested and BYU finally made the decision to go independent.

Thats CBSSports not Orange Bloods, with a legit sports writer attached to it. Oh and at the beginning of the article.

The ACC and SEC essentially are going to have a scheduling prejudice against BYU. Both conferences -- the ACC this week -- decided that in the future the Cougars won't count as a BCS-level opponent in their new scheduling philosophies.

That doesn't mean those leagues won't play BYU, it means the Cougars have been branded -- somewhat formally by a couple of Big Five conferences -- as something less than worthy. The two leagues came to this conclusion independently and, if nothing else, reminded BYU of its place in the playoff era. The program kind of falls between the cracks as an independent.

[Hall2012]

Question re: BET. Last year, it was the same system whereby all tickets were purchased by the schools and the schools then sold them? How that's reported can differ, but, If that's the case then MSG gets their money and I doubt they're worried beyond that. MSG network has only a handful of BE games mainly with St John's so I don think ratings are a concern. The BE is a sure thing for MSG every year. I believe that's what thy want. I'm not concerned with MSG after 2026. And of course, Winning Solves Everything and will sure any ill.

Sort of. They did use the same allotment system, but this time they didn't distribute all of the tickets like they had with the 16 team conference. Instead, the BE kept a good size chunk of tickets to sell itself to the general public on a per game basis (the individual schools only sold full tournament passes, not individual games, and typically only sold to donors and season ticket holders).

[ChestRockwell85]

TheBall, some of these guys were talking about adding UAB....F'ing UAB, so there is a little bit of a mid-major mentality here that needs to be addressed with some of these new guys, not all. You wanna play in the big boy league, you gotta wear the big boy pants. UAB basketball doesn't wear big boy pants.

[redmen9194]

First of all, MSG gets it's money from the tourney up front. The Big East rents the Garden for the Big East Tourny. Attendance does not affect the Garden at all except for possibly concessions. The Big East keeps it's ticket revenue. If it doesn't sell out, the conference loses that money, not the Garden.