Memphis Thinks they will be in the B.E.

[cygnus34]

http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=374603

I believe the OCS, refers to an ON CAMPUS STADIUM.

[Cow Pie]

Yep... seems that Memphis like us has some fans that want to leave the aging Liberty Bowl in favor of a new OC Liberty Bowl. The lack of an OCS is irrelevant and will not be an issue in the BE adding Memphis... Memphis poster Strat57 said it best in his long post...

Lol, this is what we know. The Big East effort and an OCS are not tied at the hip. RC has said in public that we are trying to join a BCS league. Process of elimination tells us that it is the Big East. Not local pols or school folks are running the show but locals leaders like Fred Smith and Mike Rose, among others. Much has been done without the public knowing about it. When we hear something it is because movement is happening. Depending on who you hear, you might catch "it is a done deal", "it is close". or "never gonna happen"(that from X coach and his sidekicks, lol). None of us is privy to actual conversations but people involved are talking some now and it is, pardon the pun, "all good". Let's face it, would RC actually say it on radio if things weren't in good shape? That is a sure sign of something positive happening. Much of the silence about it is due to BE schools having to drop football games for 2012 which means paying to get out of them. It might be cheaper to get out of them if the opponent isn't thinking that they can hold them up dollar-wise due to why they want out.

I think that we all should be giddy but cautious since nothing is final until the parties involved do so. Each day, more of us hear something very positive about this which is a good thing. Just keep in mind, no matter what you hear...this is about money and what you bring to the table. It is not about your stadium or lack of it but what can you put in the schools pockets. That is our biggest asset. We bring a bowl game, corporate money, and a market deep in the heart of a football hotbed. Just be patient. It is tough to do, but hang in there. Just remember, the job is not over until the paperwork is done, lol.

I found the first highlighted section very interesting...

The second highlighted section reaffirms my assumption that they do control the Liberty Bowl and whom plays in it. This alone guarantees them admission to the Big East whom is seeking more bowl games.

[smazza]

adding memphis to big east makes no sense

[twillybull]

If we're gonna take another CUSA'r I'd prefer ECU.

[South_Florida_Flip]

The Big East would never take Memphis just because of the Liberty Bowl. Their football program isn't good and their basketball program is under NCAA investigation for MAJOR violations.

Calipari leaving killed any chance they had.

[Cow Pie]

The Big East would never take Memphis just because of the Liberty Bowl. Their football program isn't good and their basketball program is under NCAA investigation for MAJOR violations.

Calipari leaving killed any chance they had.

I don't see that the Big East has a choice... the Big 10 is apparently under taking informal talks with Pittsburgh, Syracuse, or Rutgers about leaving the Big East for the Big 10 this year or next. The Big East is not dumb and has been talking informally to Memphis about joining the Big East in the likely event that the Big 10 steals one of the above named schools.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/05/27/paterno.big.ten.ap/index.html

There is a lot of money and power behind this push... a heck of a lot more then what was behind the ACC Raid and there is nothing that the Big East can do about it but plan on how to recover this time around.

I have been listening to the Memphis area sports talk radio these past couple of weeks just to see what all the flap is about and just about every day they have a new news about the Memphis AD visiting the BE HQ and speaking with the commish, visiting Cincy, L'ville, WV and other schools and they also talk about how Joe Pa and other Big 10 big wigs are making trips out to Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt.

[Bullpride08]

The Big East would never take Memphis just because of the Liberty Bowl. Their football program isn't good and their basketball program is under NCAA investigation for MAJOR violations.

Calipari leaving killed any chance they had.

I don't think they have a snowballs chance, but I do believe Calipari leaving IMPROVED their chances more than anything.  There are coaches in the Northeast that still have a bad taste for Calipari's recruiting tactics at Umass, and now at Memphis.  He's dirty, and coaches know it.  Within a year his last two coaching jobs will be on NCAA probation under his watch!