Interesting Article out of Tulsa (BE Expansion)

[TyBull]

Quote:

C-USA rumored to lose Memphis, ECU

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

6/3/2008

Last Modified: 6/3/2008 2:12 AM

Tulsa officials are thrilled to be close to a formal announcement on the 2010 Conference USA Basketball Tournament for the BOK Center.

However, the possibility of the tourney in Tulsa came the same week that more reports surfaced about the shaky future of the league.

Memphis and East Carolina were rumored to be flirting with the Big East Conference.

That is certainly not stunning news. It has been rumored for several years that Memphis, with its powerhouse basketball program, is perhaps interested in a move to the Big East.

East Carolina may be willing to make a series of financial commitments if the Big East would add the Pirates.

For what it is worth, the Big East seems to be telling folks that there is absolutely no truth to the rumors that a move will shake up the landscape of college athletics.

However, C-USA officials would be foolish not to pay close attention to what is going on and be ready in case there is a sudden shift in league alliances.

Tulsa knows well how suddenly things can change.

In a little over a decade, TU left the Missouri Valley Conference for the Western Athletic Conference, stayed with the WAC when half the league defected to form the Mountain West, and then bolted for C-USA when the Big East raided C-USA.

To think there is no way there won't be additional shifts would be both naive and dumb.

Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who wasn't around for all of the ups and downs as TU tried to find a stable conference home, understands the apprehension.

He knows it would be wise to keep your eyes and ears on all rumors of conference shifts.

"Absolutely," Cunningham said. "We will stay very alert."

When the WAC lost eight of its 16 members, Tulsa was among the eight left behind. It came as a complete surprise to the eight schools left out of the Mountain West formation.

Tulsa, SMU and Rice were among the relatively new WAC members that suddenly found themselves on their own. Gone were the real attractions to the league like BYU, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado State. UNLV and San Diego State were beautiful trips.

Now, the WAC found itself stretched thin from Tulsa to Honolulu.

As a matter of convenience, TU along with Texas schools like SMU, Rice and UTEP hung with the WAC until C-USA came calling.

To be honest, C-USA wasn't a perfect solution, especially with such isolated eastern schools like Marshall, East Carolina and Central Florida.

That's why there remains speculation that the Big East and C-USA could be the most likely places a shift would come when league affiliation became a factor.

It will happen. When and who it will impact is the debate.

Memphis would appear to be the most likely target of any expansion. The Tigers have a powerhouse basketball program with huge fan support. It has two longtime rivals, Louisville and Cincinnati, that defected from C-USA to the Big East three years ago.

Plus, Conference USA basketball has been a drag on Memphis. The league hasn't been very good.

Plus, football is huge. Football is always the overwhelming factor in college league alignment. That's where thee real money lies in college athletics.

From that respect, the Big East is a huge step up. For starters, it is a BCS league (its champion gets a BCS bowl slot). In the past two years, West Virginia has won the Sugar Bowl (over Georgia) and the Fiest Bowl (over OU).

In addition, the Big East has gotten a record eight of the its 16 teams invited to the NCAA Tournament. Big East teams have won three of the last nine NCAA men's basketball titles and five of the last eight NCAA women's championships.

Yet, that power in numbers is the same thing that can work against the Big East. The WAC found that 16 teams were too many. That's too many teams sharing in a limited amount of income.

Of course, the Big East does have numbers to sell with its 16 teams. It has teams in nine of the 35 largest markets in the country. It reaches one-fourth of the nation's television households including top 10 markets like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

So, yes, it is understandable why Memphis would be interested.

It also makes sense for Central Florida, one of the largest schools in the country and a rival for the Big East's South Florida.

East Carolina and Marshall fit in geographically much better in the Big East.

Of course, it would take a considerable amount of courage for the current Big East to risk another expansion beyond its current size (eight football schools, 16 basketball schools).

Perhaps, there will come a split and Big East football teams like West Virgnia, Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville and South Florida will move to form a football league with others in the region.

All of those things are possible.

It is imperative that Tulsa not get caught by surprise.

The Golden Hurricane must be ready to move and shore up its league affiliation when the time comes.

The new Southwest Conference? Perhaps. It is an idea for TU's future that may be more than wishful thinking.

[cygnus34]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=20080603_203_B1_pncase202533