Conference Expansion: Big East Is Falling Apart Right Before Our Eyes

Here’s what Memphis to Big East tells me: Louisville to B12 is happening. Big East moves to Memphis to secure that secondary area.

I’ll point to the BE trying to get them to join for next season. Not only was there too much pressure to do so, but you have to be looking at what everyone was thinking for that situation.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/13/big-east-sdsu-outline-agreement/

If for some reason Boise State changes its mind about joining the Big East in July 2013 as planned, the contract could be voided. It says neither SDSU nor the Big East will be obligated to the contract if the Big East does not have at least one other football-playing member west of the Rocky Mountains.

at least at this level, they won’t leave unless they get a big six offer, CUSA has a nice little core with Rice/Tulsa/So Miss/UAB that could easily attract others like UNT, LA Tech, Troy, ect…rather than join the MWC. The only reason Houston and SMU would have considered the MWC was because it was a fb powerhouse and because they also had TCU, now that both of those are gone I think Rice will stay put, and Southern Miss isn’t worth the hassle…not sure about Tulsa, that could have legs, but if UNT joins CUSA then I think they’ll stay…

Anyways, I say, WAC the WAC. Look, if you want 12 right away for the CCG to be included in the upcoming TV deal this makes the most sense, plus it kills the WAC as a fb conference which makes the deal even more important for ESPN/Fox/NBC to land, and leaves room for future upgrades or the turncoats…(Utah St/Idaho can be on which ever side they need to balance the divisions)

West- Hawaii, SJSU, Fresno St, UNLV, Nevada, & Idaho (possibly UC Davis/Cal Poly) (or SD St/Boise St if the BE falls apart)
East -Utah St, Wyoming, Colorado St, New Mexico, NMSU (if AFA leaves), & UTEP (possibly Montana/Montana St) (or BYU/Air Force)

I know everyone hates this idea, but come on, as much as yall rip on the Big East for sucking in 4 time zones, the MWCUSA could end up being the same thing if the merger goes through, if not worse sense they took all the best teams and the alliance will be in 5 time zones (thanks Hawaii :) The CCG gives the MWC some much needed extra cash, and the new schools add easy travel in the existing footprint. CUSA could also expand to 12 and then with NCAA approval, (which I doubt will be a problem especially if the plus one goes through) the alliance could still exists by simply having a 2nd championship game between the two conference winners.

New CUSA-
West- Tulsa, UNT, Rice, LA Tech, Tulane, & MTSU
East- So Miss, UAB, ECU, Marshall, FAU, & FIU (or Troy/Temple)

Bring DU in for other sports as a filler for Hawaii. Look at their academic endowment as well as their national championship in Hockey. None of the others, outside of Seattle, really have that kind of academics, endowment and good sports.

And what about Hawaii’s football team?

Overall it sounds like a sensible conference geographically.

If the ACC and SEC are at 14 teams, then there is a reason for it: $$$. In an article on CSB sports, the ACC has received $1-2 Million more for each team in the league by adding Syracuse and Pitt.

http://eye-on-college-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/34740472

That bumps them almost to Big XII money. Once the others see this, how long do you think it will be until they follow suit? At 8, we will get nothing. At 12, we gain a championship game, which will bring in some extra money, but we need more. The SEC and ACC have figured out, that they can get more games on TV and have more people in more stadiums, if they expand to 14 – 16. The internet is rampant with ACC expansion rumors. The bets are even right now, whether the ACC will get ND and then UCONN/Rutgers.

What is becoming clear is that regional rivalries sell. They sell to the public, so the ad execs from ESPN, CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX are tripping over themselves to get a big enough share of the market. Therefore, we need teams in every state that is in our geographical footprint and we need to revive or keep any old rivalries we can. This is the only way to get a bigger slice of the pie. We lost Utah and are losing Texas and Idaho. We are exchanging one California team for another. We MUST have bigger presences in Texas and California because the TV companies want those TV sets. Together, they outnumber the rest of the states combined. They might not get everyone in the areas, but the potential is there:

MW North:
AFA, Wyoming, CSU, Idaho, Fresno State, SJSU, USU, Nevada

MW South:
North Texas, UTSA, UTEP?, Texas State, Hawaii/DU, UNLV, New Mexico, New Mexico State

7 Game regular season conference schedule with 1-2 crossover, rivalry games. The WAC has four bowl tie ins and a $400,000 a year, per team deal. Take them over and add $$$. We would have 9 bowl tie ins, which increases the potential payouts. Offer to play during the week for more leverage on payout and exposure. We can’t demand the money the AQ conferences get, so we need to offer something they won’t: Tuesday – Friday night games. Our teams will get $1.6 million payout this year. By taking these outlined steps, following what made BSU big, what got CSU into the top 25 in the late 90’s, we can do it again and ESPN (other?) will pay for it. We need a base, minimum package of $32 million annually. This would be $2 million for each team guaranteed. This would include regular season games, championship games and basketball tourney mens’ and womens’.

In the big population centers of the northeast, the Big East is really the only game in town for football. And although I don’t believe there is a tie between the basketball and football TV contracts, you have to know that ESPN might have to give over good dollars for football to keep their very popular Big East basketball games.

You forget about some other issues. NBCSports has now a 24 hour cable network whose content seems to be late night infomercials and hockey. I’m a hockey fan, so that’s good. And I can only watch that Sham-wow guy 400 times before I become homicidal.

Without any evidence whatsoever, what if NBC says, “OK we’ll take your crap football, but give us the basketball.” Even without WVU, Pitt, the Cuse, and Louisville (I just think that’s a done deal once WVU leaves), Big East Basketball is one of the top 3 conferences. (If UConn and Cinci leave, then stick a fork in it). Memphis upgrades basketball. And the Big East might pick up some basketball only members like Xavier.

I think the Big East is a mess. They really screwed up when they didn’t take that ESPN money, because you know Cuse and Pitt would not have left the building. WVU would stay. TCU, maybe maybe not. And they could have picked up Memphis, SMU and/or Houston. Marinato is a putz.

Unless ESPN over pays for hoops, which could be a possibility. And if they do that does Boise State and SDSU get a cut of the basketball money? That is where I was coming from.

leave the outlier Tulsa and weakest addition NMSU for now then when AFA leaves add NMSU.