good possibility for BE 9th team

[SRQ]

a decade or so from now.

http://www2.statesville.com/content/2008/sep/19/unc-charlotte-closer-adding-football/sports/

[80mins]

I understand they want to emulate us, but I'd be quite surprised if they can. We obviously starting up had the challenge of recruiting behind FSU, UF and Miami and the countless others that fleece FL for talent; UNC Charlotte--even recruiting locally in NC and SC--will be behind ECU, App State, NC State, UNC and Wake in NC and Clemson and USC in SC in a pair of states with not nearly the talent pool that FL has.

[Bull Martin]

One of the BEast basketball only schools should make a run at football.  I think the BCS tag has done wonders for our recruiting.  They'd be a lock to make it into our football conference.

[Sunil]

One of the BEast basketball only schools should make a run at football.  I think the BCS tag has done wonders for our recruiting.  They'd be a lock to make it into our football conference.

Which of the basketball schools have enough students+ alumni who would support a new program and fill a stadium? It will all boil down to money...and there is no way the current football schools split up that pie more than 8 ways until a 9th member shows up that brings something significant to the table in the way of TV market and alums.

[bullsbucsboltsrays]

Which of the basketball schools have enough students+ alumni who would support a new program and fill a stadium? It will all boil down to money...and there is no way the current football schools split up that pie more than 8 ways until a 9th member shows up that brings something significant to the table in the way of TV market and alums.

that is the problem.  all the nonfootball Big East schools are small private schools located in the north.  our only shot at adding another football program is to kick out one of the basketball programs and replace it with a big public school in the south.. leading candidates would be UCF, ECU, memphis, UAB, southern miss... etc.  pretty much any of the CUSA programs that are public schools... if you really want to dig deep, u can go with sun belt schools like FIU, FAU, north texas, troy, MTSU

[Bull Martin]

One of the BEast basketball only schools should make a run at football.  I think the BCS tag has done wonders for our recruiting.  They'd be a lock to make it into our football conference.

Which of the basketball schools have enough students+ alumni who would support a new program and fill a stadium? It will all boil down to money...and there is no way the current football schools split up that pie more than 8 ways until a 9th member shows up that brings something significant to the table in the way of TV market and alums.

Villinove is 1AA.  They would have the best chance to climb the ranks.  If they announced a plan of progress through the ranks it could probably significantly improve their recruiting.  They would have to improve their stadium, but that at least have a foundation.  It wont happen though.

[Sunil]

One of the BEast basketball only schools should make a run at football.  I think the BCS tag has done wonders for our recruiting.  They'd be a lock to make it into our football conference.

Which of the basketball schools have enough students+ alumni who would support a new program and fill a stadium? It will all boil down to money...and there is no way the current football schools split up that pie more than 8 ways until a 9th member shows up that brings something significant to the table in the way of TV market and alums.

Villinove is 1AA.  They would have the best chance to climb the ranks.  If they announced a plan of progress through the ranks it could probably significantly improve their recruiting.  They would have to improve their stadium, but that at least have a foundation.  It wont happen though.

Having lived up in the Philly area before, I always thought Villanova might be a good candidate to move up. Had some time to kill a while back and dug up a bit of research. Here are the problems:

1) Undergraduate enrollment: 7,350 students at a private university. (you'd really be leaning on alums to pack a stadium)

2) Stadium issues: They currently have a stadium that seats 12,500. I've read in several places that when the thought of expanding the current stadium has previously come up, it has always been shot down because of local ordinances/agreements. Villanova is in an affluent area which is largely residential...apparently there are powerful local forces which prevent them from significantly upgrading past the current capacity. Lincoln Financial Field could have been an option..however the Eagles are the primary tenant...and Temple U is already the secondary tenant. Even if the leasing authority agreed to something with Villanova...it would be a scheduling nightmare.

3) Competitive level: Obviously if they were jumping up..there would already be alot of obstacles. The other issue is that the Philly/Delaware valley area has never been overflowing with local talent. UConn and Rutgers have proven in the metro NYC market that you can recruit from outside...but it's never been proven in this particular area.

4) local support - related to #3, this market has never proven they can get behind a local college football team. (see Temple) Without that community support, there is a ceiling to how high the football program could grow, not to mention that the large media market of Greater Philadelphia would be an overstated statistic. (The biggest college football fans locally are those who went to Pitt and Penn State...on the other side of the state)

Looking at these facts, UConn is really a success story and was a much bigger gamble for the Big East than we were. Our location made it less risky to take a team in Florida, where football is already King.

[TyBull]

"ABUCIF"

Anybody But UCiF

[SoFlaEer]

One of the BEast basketball only schools should make a run at football.  I think the BCS tag has done wonders for our recruiting.  They'd be a lock to make it into our football conference.

Which of the basketball schools have enough students+ alumni who would support a new program and fill a stadium? It will all boil down to money...and there is no way the current football schools split up that pie more than 8 ways until a 9th member shows up that brings something significant to the table in the way of TV market and alums.

Villinove is 1AA.  They would have the best chance to climb the ranks.  If they announced a plan of progress through the ranks it could probably significantly improve their recruiting.  They would have to improve their stadium, but that at least have a foundation.  It wont happen though.

Having lived up in the Philly area before, I always thought Villanova might be a good candidate to move up. Had some time to kill a while back and dug up a bit of research. Here are the problems:

1) Undergraduate enrollment: 7,350 students at a private university. (you'd really be leaning on alums to pack a stadium)

2) Stadium issues: They currently have a stadium that seats 12,500. I've read in several places that when the thought of expanding the current stadium has previously come up, it has always been shot down because of local ordinances/agreements. Villanova is in an affluent area which is largely residential...apparently there are powerful local forces which prevent them from significantly upgrading past the current capacity. Lincoln Financial Field could have been an option..however the Eagles are the primary tenant...and Temple U is already the secondary tenant. Even if the leasing authority agreed to something with Villanova...it would be a scheduling nightmare.

3) Competitive level: Obviously if they were jumping up..there would already be alot of obstacles. The other issue is that the Philly/Delaware valley area has never been overflowing with local talent. UConn and Rutgers have proven in the metro NYC market that you can recruit from outside...but it's never been proven in this particular area.

4) local support - related to #3, this market has never proven they can get behind a local college football team. (see Temple) Without that community support, there is a ceiling to how high the football program could grow, not to mention that the large media market of Greater Philadelphia would be an overstated statistic. (The biggest college football fans locally are those who went to Pitt and Penn State...on the other side of the state)

Looking at these facts, UConn is really a success story and was a much bigger gamble for the Big East than we were. Our location made it less risky to take a team in Florida, where football is already King.

villanova was made the same offer by the BE football conference that uconn was - step up to D1A and we will give you BE football membership - they declined, are not interested in bancrupting their small private university trying to compete on the D1A level.

[GarySJ]

villanova was made the same offer by the BE football conference that uconn was - step up to D1A and we will give you BE football membership - they declined, are not interested in bancrupting their small private university trying to compete on the D1A level.

If a school with the athletic history of Villanova, and a huge media market, and guaranteed BCS membership, is unwilling to make the move to I-A, then it's safe to say that Western Kentucky will be the last new program in Division I-A.