Geography and Conferences

[813knight]

Does anyone think that many Big East, ACC, CUSA, and other conferences that have teams too far apart geographically are at a disadvantage as far as performance goes? For example, the Florida Gators never go north of Tennessee for a conference game while USF has to travel to cold Connecticut or Pittsburgh in late November/Early December where it's way out of a young players element. How would Florida react if they had a late November game in front of a hostile crowd and a possible 38 degree kickoff in New Jersey? A good example for FSU, playing games all the way up in Boston sometimes late in the season. In UCF's case a good example is having a conference game last season in El Paso, nearly across the country in the mountain time zone. You have seen the result when some SEC schools head west like Tennessee last season. It's something that's never mentioned but I do think it has an effect and SEC schools never have that issue when most school are within 6 hours of each other.

[Bullpride08]

Does anyone think that many Big East, ACC, CUSA, and other conferences that have teams too far apart geographically are at a disadvantage as far as performance goes? For example, the Florida Gators never go north of Tennessee for a conference game while USF has to travel to cold Connecticut or Pittsburgh in late November/Early December where it's way out of a young players element. How would Florida react if they had a late November game in front of a hostile crowd and a possible 38 degree kickoff in New Jersey? A good example for FSU, playing games all the way up in Boston sometimes late in the season. In UCF's case a good example is having a conference game last season in El Paso, nearly across the country in the mountain time zone. You have seen the result when some SEC schools head west like Tennessee last season. It's something that's never mentioned but I do think it has an effect and SEC schools never have that issue when most school are within 6 hours of each other.

It certainly is an issue that can't be overlooked.  We've lost three straight years with late November games in Connecticut, and West Virginia, one was snowing, one had snow flurries, and the third was just brutally cold.  It is definitely an added deterant to winning.

With that being said FSU went to BYU, the upper altitudes, and Mountain time zone, and beat the crap out of BYU.  That was a big shock too.

[Cow Pie]

I agree, This is a reason why the SEC is so strong, the most northern member in the conference is what Kentucky?

This is also a reason why the BEast needs to add a few more Southern schools to at least give us a chance in winter. For example the Rutgers and UConn games have me worried not because those teams are any good but because it will be cold in November in Jersey, and will be defiantly snow weather come December 5th up in Storrs.

If the BEast had both a North and a South Division then most years we could try to schedule the lone Northern Division opponent early in year unless its Syracuse and in our Division the most Northern team we would play would be WV and we seem to always play in them, most years, in September. I like those odds a lot better then having to stare down 2-3 potential snow games a season.

It would look something like this...

Big East Conference:

Northern Division:

1.) Cincinnati

2.) UConn

3.) Pittsburgh

4.) Rutgers

5.) Syracuse

Southern Division:

1.) EXPANSION TEAM

2.) EXPANSION TEAM

3.) Louisville

4.) South Florida

5.) West Virginia

I say we add Memphis and another team, the problem is what team would you add with Memphis... Troy? ECU? maybe try to steal Maryland?

[cygnus34]

travel expenses was one of the main reasons the CANES left the B.E.  Everytime they went on a visit it was 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. up and back on a plane. 

[outrunner]

1) Big East needs to upgrade.  Notre Dame is forced to join for football. Villanova moves up to D-1A. Creates two five team divisions by geography and rivalry.

North Division

Rutgers

UConn

Syracuse

Villanova

Notre Dame

South

Pitt

WVU

Louisville

USF

Cincinnati

2) UTEP joins WAC and LA Tech joins C-USA in a swap.

3) If #1 doesn't work, Boston College and USF need to trade places in conference.

[smazza]

the weather excuse is a bunch of bull

[Kizarvexis]

I agree, This is a reason why the SEC is so strong, the most northern member in the conference is what Kentucky?

This is also a reason why the BEast needs to add a few more Southern schools to at least give us a chance in winter. For example the Rutgers and UConn games have me worried not because those teams are any good but because it will be cold in November in Jersey, and will be defiantly snow weather come December 5th up in Storrs.

If the BEast had both a North and a South Division then most years we could try to schedule the lone Northern Division opponent early in year unless its Syracuse and in our Division the most Northern team we would play would be WV and we seem to always play in them, most years, in September. I like those odds a lot better then having to stare down 2-3 potential snow games a season.

It would look something like this...

Big East Conference:

Northern Division:

1.) Cincinnati

2.) UConn

3.) Pittsburgh

4.) Rutgers

5.) Syracuse

Southern Division:

1.) EXPANSION TEAM

2.) EXPANSION TEAM

3.) Louisville

4.) South Florida

5.) West Virginia

I say we add Memphis and another team, the problem is what team would you add with Memphis... Troy? ECU? maybe try to steal Maryland?

The only reason I see for going above 9 teams is to get to 12 for a conference championship. Personally, I'm not so sure that a conference championship would work out so well for the BE right now as the current conference setup is so new and there is the whole FB/BB split thing going on. IF the BE was to add a team, I would like to see only one team add to make for 9 FB schools and to split off from the BB schools. The BIG issue on a BE split is the money from the BB BE name and the BCS FB part of the BE name.

1) Big East needs to upgrade.  Notre Dame is forced to join for football. Villanova moves up to D-1A. Creates two five team divisions by geography and rivalry.

North Division

Rutgers

UConn

Syracuse

Villanova

Notre Dame

South

Pitt

WVU

Louisville

USF

Cincinnati

2) UTEP joins WAC and LA Tech joins C-USA in a swap.

3) If #1 doesn't work, Boston College and USF need to trade places in conference.

In any case, the Golden Domers are NOT going to leave The Conference of Notre Dameâ„¢ unless their TV contract REALLY, REALLY changes for the worse. Since The Conference of Notre Dameâ„¢ is such a TV money maker, I don't see this changing anytime soon without some really fundamental changes at ND, the BCS or more probably both.

Supposedly, BC is unhappy with how things are working out in the ACC. Question is, would BC be willing to move back to what is "perceived" in the media as a weaker conference in the BE. Would BC leadership be willing to admit that leaving the BE was a mistake? Would the older members of the BE like them back? Would UConn have the clout to forestall BC coming back as they don't like BC, like USF doesn't like UCiF. If BC came back, which BB school would have to leave to keep 16 teams until the eventual FB/BB split?

Moving up a BE BB team is always listed as a possibility, but who would qualify? DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St John's do not have football and Georgetown and Villanova are I-AA football teams. As I understand it, neither I-AA team wants to spend the money to become I-A.

Army and Navy seem to have embraced the independent way of life in FB and we discussed The Conference of Notre Dameâ„¢ already. So that leaves raiding another conference. Who does the BE steal? UCiF? Memphis? ECU? The media had enough trouble with Louisville, Cincy and USF moving up to the BCS, so I think adding more than one other I-A team would make the media devalue the BE even more. The BE needs another year or two to put the critics concerns to rest before they expand and I still think 9 teams would be enough.

Personally, I would like to see BC come back (if they really are thinking about it) and have it happen when the FB/BB teams split.

Kizarvexis

[outrunner]

If Notre Dame is forced with the ultimatum of join for football or be replaced (ECU, Memphis, UCF), then the question is, is the TV contract for football worth the benefits of the other sports being in the Big East?

[South_Florida_Flip]

the BEast needs to add a few more Southern schools to at least give us a chance in winter.

The conference doesn't need to be watered down by expansion, especially for a frivolous reason like this. We have have an advantage in late season games when it's warmer. Heck, we should have a big advantage Thursday with the weather because it will be hot and humid.

We didn't lose those games late in the season because of the weather. We lost because of some very suspect play calling. We should have beat UConn in 2005 and WVU last season.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

the BEast needs to add a few more Southern schools to at least give us a chance in winter.

The conference doesn't need to be watered down by expansion, especially for a frivolous reason like this. We have have an advantage in late season games when it's warmer. Heck, we should have a big advantage Thursday with the weather because it will be hot and humid.

We didn't lose those games late in the season because of the weather. We lost because of some very suspect play calling. We should have beat UConn in 2005 and WVU last season.

I don't buy into the heat advantage. Most teams that are not in a mountainous area have "Summer training camp" in the heat. As for the UConn and WVU games, I completely agree.