Big East Football: Ripe to be picked again?

[TyBull]

Big East Football: Ripe to be picked again?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/44275...cked-again

Has the Big East learned its lesson since it was raided by the ACC and Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College defected? The lesson was, "Don't sit on your hands while your neighbor picks your pocket."

If the Big East had the foresight and expanded first, they probably would have held on to the three schools. Instead, the ACC acted, and the Big East scrambled to survive.

Though it has done a formidable job of creating a top football conference, it has not done enough to remain strong in what has become the "survival of the fittest" world of NCAA football.

It will take the Big East decades to even possibly attain the tradition and stability of longstanding conferences like the SEC, Pac-10, and the Big Ten, so Big East decision makers must never again assume that all they have to do is just show up to succeed.

As the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 have hailed the benefits that a 12-team conference bringsâ€â€one being the dollars created by a championship gameâ€â€the Big Ten could soon follow suit. If this happens, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, or West Virginia could be the school most likely offered the 12th spot in their league.

One would think the Big Ten had gotten the message from Notre Dame by now: "No thanks, we don't have to join a conference. NBC loves us and the BCS loves us. The BCS loves us so much they've made exceptions just for us when it comes time to hand out BCS bids."

Rutgers brings the Big Ten something any conference would covet: the New York marketing area. It's a huge reason why Rutgers makes the most sense.

Pittsburgh is a natural rival for Penn State and has a top-notch basketball program. West Virginia would give the Big Ten a solid basketball program and an elite football program which has proved it can play with the big boys.

All three would enhance the Big Ten conference. If any of these three schools bolts, the Big East would panic and pray for a way to keep its automatic BCS bid.

Although such a scenario has not played out, the Big East is still getting raided. Within the last two years, Michigan, Michigan State, and the Atlanta Falcons have dipped into the Big East coaching barrel and picked out the one they wanted.

While Greg Schiano's name comes up every time Penn State mentions the possibility of Joe Paterno retiring, Jim Leavitt of USF, Randy Edsall of UConn, and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly have done such remarkable jobs that they've become candidates for 90 percent of the coaching vacancies in the country.

The Big East just hasn't done enough to hold on to its great coaches and to sustain itself for the long run. It's ripe for the picking!

It seems the answer for the Big East just might be to go to 12 teams....NOW! Increase its prowess and have its own championship game. Don't wait like last time. Make clear that its goal is to become a truly great football conferenceâ€â€NOW.

Two teams that come to mind for expansion are UCF and FAU. They've shown they are serious about football and are located in big markets. Their football programs remind me of USF because they've made great progress in a very short time. UCF moved into a new on-campus stadium last year, and it looks like FAU will be getting their own stadium soon.

These two universities would increase the Big East's presence in the Sunshine State, provide great rivalries for USF, and make it easier for everyone to recruit more of the blue chip Florida players.

Two more teams...I don't know and would be foolish to speculate. Memphis, Marshall, East Carolina, and possibly a good MAC school will always be candidates. There's also a possibilityâ€â€a slim oneâ€â€that Boston College decides that the ACC wasn't what they really wanted.

Whichever schools the Big East adds would have immediate interest in upgrading their sports programs and becoming competitive. Army and Navy are NOT on my list.

Some people in the Big East are going to say, "How do we function with 20 teams in a basketball conference?" Two 10-team divisions with the top eight in each going to the conference tournament would be one answer.

However, if you think a 20-team basketball conference is problematic, think about the Big East football conference struggling to replace an eighth team, constantly losing quality coaches, and barely holding on to an automatic BCS bid.

It could happen sooner than most Big East fans would like to think.

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[Sunil]

Could Pitt, WVU, or Rutgers leave? Sure... but it's just not that simple anymore. The article has some good points...but it overlooks a major fact. Unlike the time of the last shakeup...today's BCS structure really has an impact on switching conferences. Football is king in revenue production...and so long as the Big East has a BCS affiliation...its members have the easiest path to a BCS bowl and national title. Moving to the Big Ten would make the $$$ harder to get in football...and be a step down for basketball.

As far as expansion goes...currently fewer teams mean less ways to split conference revenue. And while UCF certainly has favorable demographics and facilities...the recruiting argument is a little weak since the central florida territory is already open through USF's natural overlap. FAU has a long way to go...but at least they would be a way to tap into some of the most fertile recruiting territory in the nation.

The idea of picking up a handful of non-BCS schools risks turning the BE into CUSA part 2, which is not the reputation any of the current schools want. (Esp UL, Cinci and USF since they left that same conf) If there is another shakeup...perhaps a single school "bumps up"...but I think it will more likely be teams leaving the ACC...

[SoFlaEer]

i dont see how expanding would prevent another raid, especially with the lackluster list of potential new members.  if the BE expanded to 12 for football, and the Big 10 came and offered Rutgers Pitt or WVU a membership, i dont think any of the three would turn it down.  The money and stability are still leaps and bounds better than BE.

And if teams leave the ACC, it will just leave a void in the ACC that will probably get filled by a current BE member.  If the ACC needs an additional team, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt, UConn (and slim chance even for WVU) would get looked at and probably one of them invited.  Again, the money would talk, and the ACC revenue sharing per school is more than what the BE currently has.

[Apis Bull]

I really can't see how the Big 10 would take any of those schools.  They don't fit the academic profile.  I think Missouri would be the best fit (excluding Notre Dame).

[SoFlaEer]

I really can't see how the Big 10 would take any of those schools.  They don't fit the academic profile.  I think Missouri would be the best fit (excluding Notre Dame).

actually pitt & rutgers fit the academic profile - but missouri is an untapped market for the big 10 and i agree with you they would make a lot of sense. 

[smazza]

big east better worry SEC doesnt take usf

[Bull Martin]

big east better worry SEC doesnt take usf

Yeah...

I don't think that'll happen.  Who would the SEC drop?

[Apis Bull]

big east better worry SEC doesnt take usf

Yeah...

I don't think that'll happen.  Who would the SEC drop?

I don't think it will happen, but if Missouri goes to the Big Ten, Arkansas would be a logical fit for the Big 12.  Even if that ocurred I'd still be suprised if the SEC took USF.

[Costa]

The SEC would drop Mississippi State...they dont really fit the mold like other SEC teams do. Another one could be Vandy, but thats a slim chance b/c loosing Vandy's academic prestige would hurt the SEC. Also, the ACC could go after USF as well.

[BULLSHTR]

Just as long as USF doesn't get left out... screw all the conferences.