Get ready for another raid!

[tampabull]

I don't think the big ten will raid the big east.  They will try for ND, mizzou, or nebraska.  tigers would be a lock, Nebraska has a lot of history with the big 12, but I think the money would lure them away (check the other thread regarding network money), ND is ND,  I don't know how much there contract is with NBC, but I can't believe it being more than the "potential" money the big ten network and other contracts would bring in.

[Cow Pie]

If we lose a member, we MUST:

A. Drop the non-Football Schools

B. Expand to 10 Schools

C. Tell NOtre Dame, join football or other sports will be dropped.

I agree... also the notion that the Big 10 is going to be able to raid the Big 12 is hilarious and will never happen... Not only does Mizzou have natural rivals in the Big 12 such as Kansas, Kansas St., Nebraska, and Oklahoma where as they only have Ill in the Big 10, the Big 12 revenue sharing is greater then the Big 10's.

We, the Big East, will get raided yet again because it is run by incompetent boobs that refuse to kick the basketball teams to the curb... this is the reason why the ACC raided the BEast and will be the reason why the Big 10 will raid us as well. Also they (the Big 10) has stated very clearly this past day that Pitt, Rutgers, or Syracuse is on the menu with Pitt and Rutgers being the main targets of expansion. Since Penn State does not want Pitt I would say that Rutgers will leave the BEast.

The real question is not if we will be raided... because we will be... the real question is who will we tap to replace Rutgers or Pitt and if the boobs that run the Big East will be smart enough to add a 9th or 10th team to aid the Big East with its annual scheduling debacle.

If I was the commish I say we add:

(1). Memphis

(2). Southern Miss

(3). Navy or Tulane

and call it a day.

[IHuckItDeep]

if we get raided i really feel like the big east is screwed.....and so are we

[usf97]

Mandel has an interesting take on this which makes it seem like maybe expansion would not be a good idea. The money may not add up, even with a championship game.

The Big Ten does not publicly release revenue-sharing figures, but it's been reported that its rights deals with ABC/ESPN and the Big Ten Network generate about $212 million annually. (That's in addition to the league's direct profits from its jointly owned network.) Add in this season's two BCS berths ($22.3 million) and five other bowl berths (about $14 million), and we're talking a minimally estimated $248.3 million in shared revenue, or $22.6 million per team.

Therefore, any potential 12th team would have to add $22.6 million in "value" to renegotiated TV and bowl deals to prevent the others from losing money. With all due respect to Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers (the most commonly discussed candidates), there's only one viable school that could guarantee that kind of gold mine: Notre Dame. The Irish rejected the Big Ten's last invitation in 1999, and the school has given no indication it's willing to reconsider.

The league has produced a second BCS berth more often than any other conference (nine times in 12 years), including each of the past five seasons. If this year's Ohio State-Iowa showdown, played Nov. 14, had taken place in a league title game three weeks later, the 10-2 Hawkeyes likely wouldn't be playing in the Orange Bowl. Oklahoma in 2003, Alabama in 2008 and Florida in 2009 are the only title-game losers ever to receive BCS at-large berths, and all three entered their title games undefeated.

If the league loses more than one at-large berth (currently worth $4.5 million) over a four-year period, that extra championship-game revenue becomes a wash.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/12/15/bigten-expansion/index.html

[usf97]

Just a hypothetical, if the Big East gets raided lets say, I keep seeing these same names, Memphis, UCF, ECU, ect. Why doesn't anyone talk about TCU? I know geographically they don't make a lot of sense to be in anything called Big East but they make about as much sense as a Tampa school in the Big East (or Marquette and Depaul). Look at the distances by car? They are about the same as Tampa to these schools. It we lose Syracuse or Rutgers let's say and then add TCU and Memphis, I would say we may be better off.

Ft. Worth to Memphis 490 miles

                  Louisville 870 miles

                  Cincinnati 975 miles

                  Tampa    1190 miles

                  Pittsburgh 1250 miles

                  Morgantown 1290 miles

                  Piscataway 1500 miles

                  Syracuse 1500 miles

                  Storrs 1725 miles

Now look at USF's present travel:

Tampa to Louisville 880 miles

              Cincinnati 925 miles

              Morgantown 1030 miles

              Pitt              1100 miles

              Rutgers        1130 miles

              Cuse            1300 miles

              Storrs            1300 miles

If Memphis were added they would be our closest in Conference rival at 810 miles. You remove Pitt, Rutgers or Cuse and and our travel might be improved. Just my 2 cents. I think TCU would leave the Mountain West to confirm a BCS slot. I mean, look at what LA Tech and Hawaii do for travel.

[Cow Pie]

Adding TCU would be a good idea from the perspective of USF and LV but the Yankee schools will throw a fit about it because it would increase their travel costs.

Memphis should replace which ever team leaves the Big East during this raid... TCU could be the 9th team that the BEast needs to add to ensure that the scheduling is not screwed up.

[E.T.]

Big East need to beat anyone to the punch.

We need to go after TCU, UTAH, etc and re-name/crate a football conference.

Is there any conference that has non-football teams ?

[Bullshiznitz]

If the Big East does lose a key team (Pitt) to the Big Ten, and if after the Big East tells Notre Dame to shiznitz or get off the pot (most likely they'll get off the pot), then I wouldn't mind seeing some type of "Big America" conference where a North and South Divison are created.  The North division could consist of the current Big East teams left over (minus USF) - Rutgers, WVU, UConn, Cincy, Louisville & Syracuse.  While a South Division could be created with - USF, UCF, Houston, TCU, ECU & Memphis/Southern Miss.  This would allow for expansion while not greatly expanding travel costs (since playing most games within division).  Not idea (because this would basically be a slightly beefed up old Conference USA), but I think that keeps the conference strong enough not to get the shaft.  Although Basketball would be taking a decent drop off. 

Either way, things won't look pretty if Pitt or Rutgers is stolen. 

[Cow Pie]

If the Big East does lose a key team (Pitt) to the Big Ten, and if after the Big East tells Notre Dame to shiznitz or get off the pot (most likely they'll get off the pot), then I wouldn't mind seeing some type of "Big America" conference where a North and South Divison are created.   The North division could consist of the current Big East teams left over (minus USF) - Rutgers, WVU, UConn, Cincy, Louisville & Syracuse.   While a South Division could be created with - USF, UCF, Houston, TCU, ECU & Memphis/Southern Miss.  This would allow for expansion while not greatly expanding travel costs (since playing most games within division).  Not idea (because this would basically be a slightly beefed up old Conference USA), but I think that keeps the conference strong enough not to get the shaft.   Although Basketball would be taking a decent drop off. 

Either way, things won't look pretty if Pitt or Rutgers is stolen. 

I agree, however LV would be in the South so we would have no need to add UCF... instead we would need another Northern team instead to even everything out.

[Danm1983]

If the BE is talking about adding just 1 or 3 teams, screw Memphis. I can see they have a decent basketball program, but I don't find them attractive to the BE. I'd take UCF and ECU over them first.

Now if restructuring like Dixie said with the North/South divisions I'd be ok with Memphis, as it would align better with TCU, SoMiss, and Houston. That's not a bad idea.

Not sure if they posted it somewhere but my coworker had mentioned he saw another scenario where if the Big 10 were to take Missouri (or Iowa State somehow), instead of the Big 12 taking TCU (they wouldn't take Utah, no way), they might try to approach Arkansas about a SW Conference reunion with the Texas schools.

Now, looking at the BE, no teams are really poised to jump to the SEC:

1. USF - stadium is "small" for the SEC, geographically good, probably not a good fit.

2. Louisville - stadium is even smaller (after expansion), ok geographically (TN/Vandy/KY are close), also just not a good fit.

3. WVU - SEC sized stadium, big fanbase, has an SEC "style", but geographically not good.

So look at the ACC....immediately I see 2 choices.

1. Georgia Tech - old SEC school from ~40 years ago, rivalry with UGA, great fit. Left on terms that they'd probably not want to return.

2. Clemson - very big fanbase and stadium, feels very SEC-like. HUGE rivalry with USC, and even TN and the GA schools.

Take Clemson and plop them in the SEC. Now the ACC has an open spot.....take USF? Aligns great with FSU and Miami, allows traveling to GT, and the North Carolina schools, and even the VA schools. Trips to MD and BC would be no worse than Rutgers or UConn.

The Big East would honestly not be losing much in football/basketball talent as far as I'm concerned, and it can bring up ECU and UCF to bring the slate to 9 teams and keep its presence in Florida for recruiting.

And it would help all of you UCF haters who don't want to be in the same conference as them, but it would allow good chances to play against them in ACC v BE bowls, or eventually start up a yearly series (since pending which division, we'd be playing FSU or Miami yearly [and both in some years]). It's win-win. USF has a good ACC sized stadium, even though I'd still prefer the champ game to stay in Charlotte for centrality to all the schools.