"Coaches fear Power 5 Separation" - ESPN

[robinreed]

Good luck scheduling a non-conference schedule in the P5 realty. All non P5 schools would unify in not scheduling those schools, and let multiple sub .500 P5 schools get into their tournament, making a a mockery of inclusion. Also it will be extremely hard to avoid matching up conferences and regular season matchup in the bracketing.

Bottom line they need us more than they realize.

I doubt they need us as much as you think. First the basketball (non-football) schools have little success joining together now doing it in future would be more difficult. Second this is exactly what happened with P5 football. The Div 1 FCS schools are in the process of being shut out of football games with the P5 schools. The B10 has adopted and the PAC12 is considering adopting policy that they will not play Div 1 FCS schools in football. FCS schools have relied on so called Body Bag games for years to help pay for their financial deficit and soon that will not be possible. There seems no way the FCS will be able to compensate for this financial deficiency. Next the so called G5 schools have been shut out (with one exception) from the major new years eve/day games by the P5. These are the bowls which pay by far the most money. There is only 1 of the 64 G5 teams that can make those high paying bowls under the new rules (access bowl.) Third many of these same colleges, hopefully not Big East schools but many others, schedule several one and done basketball games at the P5 home arena for amounts of up to $450K. Indeed there was a Div 1 school in Maryland which in 2011 scheduled 11 such away paid games.
I am not suggesting we live in fear. The Big East will continue to exist and to prosper even if the P5 establish their own tournament. We simply will have more difficulty in doing so.

[stever20]

Good luck scheduling a non-conference schedule in the P5 realty. All non P5 schools would unify in not scheduling those schools, and let multiple sub .500 P5 schools get into their tournament, making a a mockery of inclusion. Also it will be extremely hard to avoid matching up conferences and regular season matchup in the bracketing.

Bottom line they need us more than they realize.

Sorry but I laugh when I hear saying that all the non p5 schools would unify in not scheduling those schools. There would be schools that would budge and absolutely would schedule them.

[billyjack]

Robin,
So, i don't think it's likely your scenario plays out. But, if it did, I think the Big East is safe. The media in our largest cities won't let it happen, or will delegitimize and laugh at a P5-only tourney. Like, NY, Phila, DC and Chicago won't have local hometown teams, but Penn State, Nebraska, TCU and Virginia Tech will be included? Very unlikely that we loudmouth northeasterners would let it happen.

[Jet915]

Even if the P5 went to 16 teams each, that would make for 80 teams. Currently, the NCAA tournament has 68 teams, are you really telling me that 68 of 80 P5 teams will make the tourney? That would make the regular season pointless so unless they reduce the amount of teams to like 32 (which they won't), I don't see how the P5 can run the tournament.