Tranghese leaving Big East in fine football shape

[achiever1911]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigeast/2008-07-29-tranghese_N.htm

NEWPORT, R.I.  As Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese embarks upon his last year overseeing the league that started almost three decades ago as an upstart basketball grouping, its football future is no longer under a cloud of uncertainty.

Tranghese, who has worked for the conference since it started in 1979 and has been commissioner for 18 years, announced this spring that he will step down next June.

A successor has not been named, but the next commissioner will find a football conference that has solidified itself among the six leagues that get automatic bids to Bowl Championship Series games and has bounced back strongly from the dark time five years ago when Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech and Boston College bolted for the Atlantic Coast Conference and left the Big East's viability in question.

The ACC raid prompted the Big East in 2005 to bring in South Florida, Louisville and Cincinnati. The ascendance of those programs, and improved performances by West Virginia, Rutgers and Connecticut have given the league a quick boost.

"I think we've proven ourselves," said Tranghese, addressing media members Tuesday at the league's annual Summer Kickoff.

The Big East has won all three of its Bowl Championship Series games since 2005, earning victories in postseason contests against champions of the Southeastern Conference, ACC and Big 12.

"Obviously it demonstrates we can play," said Tranghese, whose teams are 9-2 in their last 11 bowls overall.

Just about as important to the commisisoner, however, is the depth the restructured league has shown.

"When we began reorganizing, one of the things I talked about was that I thought our strength was going to be balance and competitveness," said Tranghese. "Over the last three years, we have yet to have a team get through this league undefeated. Last year, six of our eight teams were, at one point, ranked in the top 25 in the country, and five went to bowl games.

"We've got more people playing at a high level now. I think when Miami left, after such an incredible run, I said there are no Miamis here, but there weren't many Miamis anywhere, talking about the old Miami. But you don't need to have that to be successful. I think it's more about being on the national scene and having a number of teams be competitive."

One issue still facing the league can't immediately be addressed. With eight teams, it's the smallest BCS conference, and with teams playing only seven league games, five non-conference contests are needed for each club.

The larger BCS leagues don't need as many non-conference games, meaning Big East clubs are sometimes scrambling to find non-league opponents. Rutgers, for example, did not complete its 2008 schedule until this April.

Big East teams are also faced with playing only three league home games every other year.

But immediate expansion is likely not happening, Tranghese said. "I just don't think there's anybody out there who can make us better," said Tranghese, whose league already has 16 basketball-playing members. "If there was, I think our people would react to it very quickly."

So for now, the league will soldier on as is, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"We just think we're pretty good," said Tranghese. "And that's what I always (wanted), that we would be among the six (power conferences), and people would stop asking if we belong there. And people aren't saying that anymore.

"Go back 20 years ago, and look at where we were. If I had predicted where we are now, you would have laughed at me."

[Costa]

Very good article. Although I would like to see the BE add at least one more team, I agree with him that there is no one out there at this moment that would make the BE better than it is now. Suck it ACC