UConn Edsall wants BigEast to expand

[Rizman]

Randy, upset he had so many home games last year and this year he gets the bone I guess

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=AtprAoRHTy6UzYuAIr17vO0cvrYF?slug=ap-uconnfootball&prov=ap&type=lgns

STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Connecticut coach Randy Edsall wants to see another football school join the Big East Conference.

The league has just eight teams playing football. Each season, some schools play four conference home games and some get only three.

UConn plays West Virginia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at home next season.

"It would be just so much more viable and more equitable to everybody in the conference if we all had four home games each year," Edsall said Thursday. "So that's why it's our hope as football coaches, to get to where we have at least another team in the league."

Edsall declined to say what schools he believes might make good candidates for Big East football. Central Florida, Memphis, East Carolina and others have been mentioned in the past as possible fits.

Notre Dame is already a Big East member in other sports, but not football, where it has its own television contract and does not have to share its revenues.

League commissioner Michael Tranghese has said if the Irish would like to talk about becoming a football member, he'd certainly take the phone call. But otherwise, the league is not pursuing expansion, spokesman John Paquette said Thursday.

UConn is negotiating with Notre Dame for a football series. According to an internal memo from Notre Dame that found its way to the Internet last week, the schools plan a 10-game series starting in 2009, with five games in South Bend, Ind., three at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. and two at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Edsall would not say whether he favors such a series, which would not include a home game in Connecticut.

"If we get a signed contract and things, I'll be happy to discuss it," Edsall said. "I don't want to be saying anything until the ink would be dry on the contract. Because if I say something, I could screw the whole thing up and nobody might sign it."

Connecticut will play Virginia, Baylor and Hofstra in nonconference home games next season. The Huskies have just two open nonconference dates in the next few years, one in 2010 and one 2012, Edsall said.

The school is talking to a lot of other programs about future games, and Edsall said he has his own wish list.

"Ideally, as I've mentioned, I'd like to play Army, I'd like to play BC each year, and then a MAC school, a I-AA," he said. "Then you have another one that you can get, a top team from a BCS or however you think your schedule is going to work out."

[smazza]

the 3 teams he suggests are jokes and would only hurt the conference

i would explore luring bc or miami back to big east

[USF-PMR]

I'll stick to my pics here - Army, Navy, and/or Marshall.  Not in that order.  If ordered then:

Marshall/Navy - tie

Army

[nobull.Bulls]

Maybe Memphis because of their basketball program, but definitley not ECU or UCF

[USF-PMR]

Agreed - definitely not ECU or UCF

[Costa]

I agree with none of the 3 teams that are suggested. They would not improve the conference, and with the Big East being criticized as much as it is, those teams would only hurt the conference. I'd go with trying to get BC or UM back or Notre Dame since they do play in the BE in pretty much all other sports besides football.

[USF-PMR]

BC or UM coming back is not realistic.  ND comming in fully has a greater potential than BC or UM coming back.  both these are very slim chances.

Best bet is to steal Marshall and sign Navy.  These are mid-major schools that are upper echelon in this category.  With additions of these two schools to the BE they would develop quickly into lower BCS conference teams and do well each year with wins/losses.

Peace.

[SoFlaEer]

Navy has already made it clear they have no desire to be a member of the BE football conference. 

and you cant just say lets add a team for the sake of adding a team for 4 home and 4 away games.  you have to split the money with one more team too - there is not a  school currently not in a BCS conference that would generate enough additional revenues for the BE that their addition would not dilute/reduce the per team revenues now.  Marshall brings absolutley nothing to the table, and struggles to fund its current athletic dept as it is.  they would not increase revenues one iota, and the would reduce your and my schools share of revenues.  this is totally counter productive.  if you are going to suggest marshall, might as well just ad FAU or Troy. they bring just as much "benefit" as a marshall would.

there is zero chance of ND joining the conference for football.  Ever.  They are not going to give up an exclusive tv contract with nbc, and if they ever do decide to join a conference for football, it would never be the BE, as ND would only join a conference whom they see as peer institution both academically and in athletics (currently that would be the ACC or big ten).  The current BE schools do not fit the bill academically. 

status quo is the only realistic option.

[I_Bleed_Green&Gold]

Navy has already made it clear they have no desire to be a member of the BE football conference. 

and you cant just say lets add a team for the sake of adding a team for 4 home and 4 away games.  you have to split the money with one more team too - there is not a  school currently not in a BCS conference that would generate enough additional revenues for the BE that their addition would not dilute/reduce the per team revenues now.  Marshall brings absolutley nothing to the table, and struggles to fund its current athletic dept as it is.  they would not increase revenues one iota, and the would reduce your and my schools share of revenues.  this is totally counter productive.  if you are going to suggest marshall, might as well just ad FAU or Troy. they bring just as much "benefit" as a marshall would.

there is zero chance of ND joining the conference for football.  Ever.  They are not going to give up an exclusive tv contract with nbc, and if they ever do decide to join a conference for football, it would never be the BE, as ND would only join a conference whom they see as peer institution both academically and in athletics (currently that would be the ACC or big ten).  The current BE schools do not fit the bill academically. 

status quo is the only realistic option.

You make some very good points but I find holes in some of your arguments. 

First off, any school would dilute our share now ,however, long term that school could build its fan base and marketability just as USF has. 

Also, every team would get an additional home game every other year which means more $$$.

Lastly, I have a major problem with your description of the academic programs in the BE.  You MUST not know that we have one of the toughest schools in the country to get into, its called VILLANOVA.  Just check their admissions requirements and tuition fees.  Besides Nova, we have other great academic schools like Marquette, Syracuse, Pitt, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Depaul, UConn, Rutgers....ALL of them are great schools too. 

[SoFlaEer]

Navy has already made it clear they have no desire to be a member of the BE football conference. 

and you cant just say lets add a team for the sake of adding a team for 4 home and 4 away games.  you have to split the money with one more team too - there is not a  school currently not in a BCS conference that would generate enough additional revenues for the BE that their addition would not dilute/reduce the per team revenues now.  Marshall brings absolutley nothing to the table, and struggles to fund its current athletic dept as it is.  they would not increase revenues one iota, and the would reduce your and my schools share of revenues.  this is totally counter productive.  if you are going to suggest marshall, might as well just ad FAU or Troy. they bring just as much "benefit" as a marshall would.

there is zero chance of ND joining the conference for football.  Ever.  They are not going to give up an exclusive tv contract with nbc, and if they ever do decide to join a conference for football, it would never be the BE, as ND would only join a conference whom they see as peer institution both academically and in athletics (currently that would be the ACC or big ten).  The current BE schools do not fit the bill academically. 

status quo is the only realistic option.

You make some very good points but I find holes in some of your arguments. 

First off, any school would dilute our share now ,however, long term that school could build its fan base and marketability just as USF has. 

Also, every team would get an additional home game every other year which means more $$$.

Lastly, I have a major problem with your description of the academic programs in the BE.  You MUST not know that we have one of the toughest schools in the country to get into, its called VILLANOVA.  Just check their admissions requirements and tuition fees.  Besides Nova, we have other great academic schools like Marquette, Syracuse, Pitt, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Depaul, UConn, Rutgers....ALL of them are great schools too. 

my point was a marshall or memphis etc is not going to build that type of a fanbase or marketability, at least not in a timely enough fashion to justify the economic hit the other schools will take while they develop.  Marshall is peaked out.  There is no more fanbase to develop.  they are a mid size school with mid major facilities and budgets.  They have a paultry sized 38K stadium, which they have had for 8-9  years at that capacity.  They have had one (1) game sell out since the capacity increased, and that was WVU this past year, with WVU fans buying roughly 12K tickets) .  I realisitcally dont see memphis near term (5- 10 year time frame) being able to generate significant fan interest either - they are a commuter school and these type of institutions just dont develop the same type of alumni loyalty that traditional schools do.  Tennessee is and will be the team of choice for most tennesseans, just as Ohio state is the team of choice even though Ohio has approx 10 division 1A schools.

every year we get an additional home game EVERY YEAR rather than having to return trip for a conference game every other year.  I'd rather have 7-8 home games with one of them being a MAC school than only 6-7 home games and an additional conference game.  a home game at wvu generates about $1.5 - $2 million for the school.

lastly - your "lastly" comment makes no sense - the schools you list as academic equals to ND are all in the BE to the same level of participation as ND thus there is no disparity - none of those school play football. 

secondly - i tried to make a distinction in my comment which apparently you missed - i am talking about ND's perception/position, not reality as it exists.: quote - "...as ND would only join a conference whom they see as peer institution both academically and in athletics" 

I have had discussions with ND alumni (friends from HS) who have/had administrative connections to ND (one who worked for ND for a few years after graduating and is still a big wig in the alumni affairs) and their internal view is as i have stated - they are the elite of the elite academically, and would never consider membership in an all sports  conference that had schools as members which it saw as significantly inferior to it.

ND considers itself elite to schools such as U of L, WVU, USF, Cincy, UConn and to lesser degrees even Syracuse & Rutgers & Pitt.  ND will NEVER join a conference for football with WVU USF or UofL - as i stated - it is more than just sports - it is the reputation of the peer institutions that will drive any decision by ND if and when that happens.