Mike Tranghese on Big East Expansion

[TyBull]

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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The ninth member

My colleague Donnie Webb does a fantastic job covering the daily happenings of the SU football team on his blog at syracuse.com. My job for The Post-Standard has been more of an analyst, trying to get inside the X's and O's. I also spend a lot of time writing about SU's opponents, as I am in the opposing locker room on game days. This new blog will bring some of the analyses I write for the paper onto the website. I will also ask for the opinions of fellow Monday morning quarterbacks and share them here.

As SU's season is still more than two weeks away and there will be plenty to discuss as it gets closer, let's open with a broader topic, the Big East football conference.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese told me emphatically last month that there are no plans to add a ninth football-playing team to the conference. The current eight-team setup is a scheduling nightmare because it forces members to play three home conference games one season and four the next, meaning another home game must be found every other year to balance the schedule. It is why many deals call for a team to play somebody at home or away and then often not complete the series for four or five years with the return game. Tranghese said he understands the problem but is not prepared to address it yet.

"We have this scheduling issue that our members really want us to solve," he told me. "But we're not going to solve it by just making a ninth team. We said to our people, 'Let's talk about what a ninth team would have to be.' It would have to be somebody our presidents are comfortable with academically, from a geographic standpoint it would have to provide more television opportunities and more bowl opportunities for our conference. Are we going to take a ninth team just to solve schedules and then just give that ninth team our money?

"It's just too soon for us. We haven't even had a chance to rebuild. The last thing we need to be doing . . . we've been raided. The last thing I need to be doing right now is going other places."

Fair enough, although in fact Tranghese did turn around and raid Conference USA after the ACC threatened his league with destruction by recruiting Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College. The league does have wounds to bind and rivalries to build, but the scheduling dilemma can't be ignored for long.

With that in mind, and considering Tranghese's criteria, what team would be the best fit as a ninth member for the league? And let's be realistic (forget Notre Dame and Penn State, please). I used to think East Carolina would be a perfect fit, considering the way the Pirates and their charismatic coach, Steve Logan, loved to give Big East teams, SU among them, fits. But my vision was too focused on football only, and that team offers little when considering Tranghese's criteria. Now, with Logan gone the football hasn't even been that good. So who is it? Memphis? Navy? Central Florida?

Send me your suggestions and why, and I'll share them here with other SU football fans.

- Dave Rahme

drahme@syracuse.com

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[Joe]

I think there will be a 9th team added, but not for awhile. Realisitically scheduling 5 games a year is going to become a heavy burden on ADs and coaches that they won't want to deal with. It is the reason you join a conference in the 1st place.

Top those who start shouting "NAVY" keep dreaming, they have said they aren't interested in joing a conference as had Army.

I know conferences are supossed to be regional, but would anyone object to a Utah or BYU. I seriously doubt it would happen because of cost, but they both are solid programs..

[Bullpride08]

There will be NO NINTH TEAM ADDED.  I know this for a fact, and I've told people for years since the conference was re-born.

The non-football schools will NOT ALLOW IT.  This is universal and their resolve is sound.  Furthermore, they do not want a 'football only' member under reasoning.   They are the leaders in this discussion because the "BIG EAST" name, all the hoops units, and the tv contracts, and bowl tie-ins are set-up with THE BIG EAST.  The original BE members are made up primarily of the hoops schools, and they would/could take their party and move it elsewhere.

If any of  you want something to happen where we're affiliated with a conference that has 9 or more members then you'll have to wait and hope for a split in five or so years.  Until then it isn't going to happen!

[South_Florida_Flip]

Exactly Steve. I mentioned this on a few threads. There is no way the non Football playing Presidents are going to invite a football only member. The other thing that should come to light soon is the specifics of the Big East TV deal, which should keep the current setup in place for quite a while.

[Joe]

I don't think there will be a 9th team under the current structure. The thing I don't see happening or sticking together is the basketball league. I really think it will get to the point where some schools are sick of being left out of the tourny because the conference has too many teams and that dream will die.

[Guest]

It's fun to speculate... I mean, what else are Message Boards for... ;-) ;-) ;-)

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Given the parameters Rahme have set forth (being realistic) and that Tranghese has said (new markets and new bowls) then I would have to say there are some interesting picks.  Here are my "Top Ten"

1) Army & Navy in a 'shared' slot. Neither would get to vote on anything but football issues, and each would play 4 Big East games per year.  The Army/Navy game would not be a conference game.  Army left C-USA because they were having trouble playing everyone that wanted to play them.  Navy has said they would not play in a conference, but this gives them some partial cover and gives the Big East some non-geographic markets.  Heck, it gives the Big East great markets in San Diego, Norfolk, and Jacksonville -- all big Navy cities -- as well as the DC-Baltimore area.  Since both schools are independents in football, there would not be a problem moving them in as a football only 'team'.

2) Vanderbilt or Duke. The Presidents would love the academic side.  The Commodores and Blue Devils would be a little more competitive in the Big East than the SEC or ACC.  Memphis could take the place of the SEC/ACC whipping boy - in football.  

Vandy could remain an SEC team for other sports, and Memphis' other sports could move to the A-12 (their basketball program would make this an attractive move for the A-12 conference).  Nashville isn't a bad TV market, and the Music City Bowl could be an attractive addition to the Big East lineup.

I can't see the Big East basketball teams not wanting to bring Duke in as a full member.  Imagine having Coach K in the Big East!  It would clearly make Big East basketball that much harder.

3) Memphis. Memphis is a little smaller than Nashville, but still a decent sized market.  The Liberty Bowl, which snubbed the Big East last year, would be more excited about a Big East with Memphis - and the chance to have the home town team play there could sway them to change back.  As noted above, Memphis could send the rest of their teams to the A-12.

4) Central Florida.  Orlando is another large market and it would give the Big East more exposure in talent-rich Florida.  In addition, Orlando hosts two bowl games each year.  Their non-football sports could go to the A-12, but they are not up to that quality yet - the Sun Belt could take the other sports, or UCF could go back to the Atlantic Sun conference.

5) Marshall.  They were the 'hot' team for a while, but West Virginia had to be compelled to play them by the state.  WVU would likely not be interested in allowing the Herd into the Big East.  Not to mention that Marshall's academic side would be a challenge.  C-USA would also have a problem because they don't want partial members, so Marshall would look to A-12 or maybe a smaller conference like Ohio Valley.

6) Georgetown or Villanova.  Both Big East teams are I-AA programs in football, but bringing one of them to I-A might be more attractive than bringing in a new team.  Philadelphia and DC don't have bowl games but are great TV markets.  The problem would be the need for these teams to make significant investments to raise the level of their football programs.

7) Tulane.  The Green Wave would make an interesting addition - with two bowl games in New Orleans, and a solid TV market.  C-USA doesn't want partial members, so Tulane could move their other sports to the Sun Belt, Atlantic Sun, or maybe A-12.

8) New Hampshire, Maine, or Massachusetts.  All of thes I-AA programs are similar to Georgetown or Villanova, in that they would need to invest more in their programs to make the move up.  They could help with New England TV markets - especially U Mass in Boston and would be great rivals for U-Conn.

9) Temple.  Yes, the Big East kicked them out.  But they are still a I-A independent and their other sports already have a home.  Like Villanova, adding Temple would bring the Philadelphia TV market back into the Big East football fold.  Plus, the other seven teams need a good homecoming opponent.

10) Buffalo.  Okay, so this may be a BIG stretch.  Some people would point out that UB is barely a I-A program and might need to actually revert back to I-AA.  However, playing in the same town as an NFL team could be a benefit (see Pittsburgh, South Florida, Cincinnati...).  Not to mention that these Bulls would be a decent rival for the Orange - at least SU would not be shut out for homecoming!

Just some quick thoughts...

[smazza]

it has to be a team that will be in big east for all sports

penn st

move villanova and georgetown up

memphis

i dont like having teams just for certain sports.it hurts rivalry development

[BULLfreak]

Here is my five in no order

Memphis

Duke (would make basket ball really really good)

Troy

Wake Forest (would make basketball really really good)

North Carolina State

The big East should take two of the five

[Jake_Ryan]

Very interesting.  I think having Villanova move up might be the most realistic of all the possibilities.  They are already in the conference, have a decent football program, and have UConn to look at as an example of making a successful move from 1AA to 1A.

[BullDoug]

Just for the sake of rhetoric/food for thought, the 9th member must come from within if it happens.  Look to Villanova (my pref. which is currently competing in D1AA and Phillie), G'town (currently competing in D3 plus minimal DC viewing market.  I know DC is a MD, VA, & Navy city), Marquette (alums have expressed some interest so I have read on a few MBs) or Depaul (b/c of the minimal Chicago viewers.  I know Chicago is a Pro/B10/ND city).   A USF-Villanova FB game could also be enhanced by the Tampa/Phillie hatred out of the pro sports rivalries - Bucs/Eagles & Lightning/Flyers.