Big East needs to expand...

[GarySJ]

I don't see any of the "traditional" 8 ACC schools leaving. However, now that the ACC's Championship Game and other pretensions to football glory have fallen somewhat short of what was promised, you've got to wonder if Boston College is rethinking its move. Especially since it keeps getting screwed in the ACC bowl hierarchy.

BC returning to the Big East would improve the Big East, give it it the BE a 9-team league, and 8-game schedule, and embarrass the hell out of the Asti & Cheese Conference. If the BE would even take them back. BC leaving was an ugly divorce, lots of lawsuit threats and whatnot.

I think the idea of an ACC team leaving for the BE is totally unrealistic, but if it were to happen my money would be on BC.

[Guest]

The easiest way to expand would be like this:

1) Give Notre Dame the ultimatum: bring in your football team or find another conference.  (This would take some serious cajones... probably would require NBC to cancel it's exclusive contract with ND, giving the Irish a reason to move into a conference - TV revenue.)  My guess is Notre Dame would probably leave for the Big Ten before any of this happens, though.

2) Provide financial incentive to existing Big East schools.

Georgetown and Villanova currently play in the FCS.

St. John's University stopped playing football in 2002 because of Title IX issues, but were also an FCS team at the time.

Seton Hall stopped in 1981 because of financial issues.

Providence cut football in the 1970's because of funding and attendance.

Marquette stopped playing football in the 1960s, but has a club level program.

Depaul hasn't played since 1939, when it cut football because of funding.

3) Now comes the hard part.

If we can't get existing Big East teams to play football, then the Big East would then look for teams that are decent in football, good in basketball and/or other sports, and has a decent TV market.

The Big East would really have two options: find "football only" members, or expand the whole conference.

First we can be fairly certain that Marshall and UCF would be off the list.  The Big East would need to find new markets, and already have the states of Florida and West Virginia covered.  (Probably the same for teams like Western Kentucky, Buffalo, and U Mass.)

Moreover, I would say no SEC or ACC school could be coaxed to leave.  They would lose money in the process.

So we're really looking at mid-major teams or FCS programs in the northeast.  Here are some teams that could add new markets:

Memphis.  (Memphis would also bring the Liberty Bowl with it.)

Tulane.  (Tulane might also bring the New Orleans Bowl.)

Florida Atlantic (although I think they might have the same issues as UCF)

Toledo or Bowling Green or Central Michigan

Alabama-Birmingham

Southern Mississippi

East Carolina

Richmond (FCS)

Chattanooga (FCS)

Charleston Southern (FCS)

---

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with an 8-team conference... it gives teams the chance to schedule an Auburn, Miami, Florida etc OOC and still also have the FIUs, UCFs, and FCS teams at the same time.

[Bull Dozer]

The easiest way to expand would be like this:

1) Give Notre Dame the ultimatum: bring in your football team or find another conference.  (This would take some serious cajones... probably would require NBC to cancel it's exclusive contract with ND, giving the Irish a reason to move into a conference - TV revenue.)  My guess is Notre Dame would probably leave for the Big Ten before any of this happens, though.

2) Provide financial incentive to existing Big East schools.

Georgetown and Villanova currently play in the FCS.

St. John's University stopped playing football in 2002 because of Title IX issues, but were also an FCS team at the time.

Seton Hall stopped in 1981 because of financial issues.

Providence cut football in the 1970's because of funding and attendance.

Marquette stopped playing football in the 1960s, but has a club level program.

Depaul hasn't played since 1939, when it cut football because of funding.

3) Now comes the hard part.

If we can't get existing Big East teams to play football, then the Big East would then look for teams that are decent in football, good in basketball and/or other sports, and has a decent TV market.

The Big East would really have two options: find "football only" members, or expand the whole conference.

First we can be fairly certain that Marshall and UCF would be off the list.  The Big East would need to find new markets, and already have the states of Florida and West Virginia covered.  (Probably the same for teams like Western Kentucky, Buffalo, and U Mass.)

Moreover, I would say no SEC or ACC school could be coaxed to leave.  They would lose money in the process.

So we're really looking at mid-major teams or FCS programs in the northeast.  Here are some teams that could add new markets:

Memphis.  (Memphis would also bring the Liberty Bowl with it.)

Tulane.  (Tulane might also bring the New Orleans Bowl.)

Florida Atlantic (although I think they might have the same issues as UCF)

Toledo or Bowling Green or Central Michigan

Alabama-Birmingham

Southern Mississippi

East Carolina

Richmond (FCS)

Chattanooga (FCS)

Charleston Southern (FCS)

---

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with an 8-team conference... it gives teams the chance to schedule an Auburn, Miami, Florida etc OOC and still also have the FIUs, UCFs, and FCS teams at the same time.

Jim as someone here who's opinions i really respect when it comes to stuff like this what do you think about TCU?  Big market (dallas ft worth) usually a very competitive football team and pretty good baseball team  and would give the BE great exposure in a high school football and baseball hot bed.  Only beef i can see is that the BE might see them as out of the area for geographical consideration. 

[Apis Bull]

The real problem I see is that if the Big East can't lure a GaTech, BC, or Maryland into the fold, there are no mid-majors in our geographical area that really excite anyone.  UCF has had one good year in football and baseball is good, but the other sports, not so much.

Memphis is good in basketball and not really anything else.  They might bring the Liberty Bowl with them.  Tulane is an interesting proposition because of their location and if they could bring the New Orleans bowl with them.

The only really interesting mid-majors are too far west.  TCU and Boise State to name a couple, are far better than what's available in the east.

[Bova Fett]

Well geographically speaking TCU is not that far from Tulane, Louisiana and Texas share a border. I think the only way the Big East could add a TCU is if they added Tulane, also a Mississippi / Alabama team would not hurt either, its a big college football market.

The Big East needs to make a Big North & a Big South division, this is the only logical way to add more teams to the fold. Also I think if the Conference hopes to remain in the BCS then it needs 10 or 12 teams, I designed the following for 10 teams. It would be easy to expand to the 10 team mark, the North is already full and if they decided to go to 12 teams then they would only need to move WV into the North since they are not a Southern State.

The problem is finding good Southern football programs...

BIG EAST

BIG NORTH:

1.) Cincinnati Bear Cats

2.) Connecticut Huskies

3.) Pittsburgh Panthers

4.) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

5.) Syracuse Orangemen

BIG SOUTH:

1.) Louisville Cardinals

2.) South Florida Bulls

3.) West Virginia Mountaineers

4.)

5.)

[WPHChris]

I like the idea of Notre Dame, but is there a possibility of getting NBC to expand their college football with Big East only games (as in BE teams can play on other networks, but NBC must always feature one of our teams similar to CBS and the SEC)?  This would dramatically increase the nationwide exposure of the conference as an alternative to ABC's regional games and could provide an extra incentive for Notre Dame to join with the increased TV revenue and the potential for weeknight national coverage on a network.

[Apis Bull]

TCU is another 500 miles west of Tulane.

[T-Man]

Somehow I think in the end we may eventually get to 8 BCS conferences with 9 teams each... The winners of each will eventually wind up in some type of playoff in respect to bowls and we will finally be in a playoff system..  What are there now 66 bcs teams?  Add 6 have 8 BCS conferences and be done with it!  In which case maybe FSU looks for a home with us and UM stays in acc?

[Apis Bull]

I like the 8, 9-team bcs conferences.

[EduBull]

I say no expansion for the forseeable future.  The existing teams need to better establish themselves as BCS powers - taking on football "upgrades" such as ECU, etc. would weaken the conference - not something the Big East needs right now. 

When say 5 of the 8 Big East teams are consistently ranked, and at least one is consistently a national title contender, the conference will be as strong as any.  Adding teams now would dilute the mix.