Bill Stewart predicts Big East Collapse, WVU moving to ACC or SEC

[usf97]

Can someone explain to me again why any conference would expand past 12? I have heard this about the Big-10 possibly expanding to 14 or 16 teams but have never heard one good reason why the league would do so.

Why would you split up your money 2 or 4 extra ways with no new revenue coming in? If you already have a championship game, then where does the new money come from? I can see expanding to 12 for the Championship game but that is it.

I think Bill Stewart doesn't know what he is talking about. Why would the SEC invite anyone else? Makes no sense. The SEC is basically robbing a bank every year and it would be like saying, "you know, I could rob this bank with 12 guys and we would each get $30 million or just for fun we could rob it with 16 guys and each get $22.5 million." I mean what does a few extra million dollars mean to any given university each year?!?  ;D

[callmesuperman]

i could careless what conf we ended up in.  i would actually prefer to get out of the big east (those road trips SUCK)

if conferences did go under this kind of remodeling then the bcs would be destoryed.

obviously the only reason any usf fan would be upset about changing in the big east is because of the bcs.

well if the bcs doesnt exsist then it doesnt matter what conf we are in.

obviously with our market and our team...we would be in some sort of good position to not go backwards.

If playing away games closer to home means playing Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, FSU,... then I am all for change. But if it means playing UCF, FIU, FAU instead of West Virginia, Pitt,and Syracuse I personally would rather stay put. Hope the changes are rather minor. I don't mind being thousands of miles away from our closest competition as long as we stay in a top conference.

[Jamie]

Can someone explain to me again why any conference would expand past 12? I have heard this about the Big-10 possibly expanding to 14 or 16 teams but have never heard one good reason why the league would do so.

Why would you split up your money 2 or 4 extra ways with no new revenue coming in? If you already have a championship game, then where does the new money come from? I can see expanding to 12 for the Championship game but that is it.

I think Bill Stewart doesn't know what he is talking about. Why would the SEC invite anyone else? Makes no sense. The SEC is basically robbing a bank every year and it would be like saying, "you know, I could rob this bank with 12 guys and we would each get $30 million or just for fun we could rob it with 16 guys and each get $22.5 million." I mean what does a few extra million dollars mean to any given university each year?!?  ;D

The argument is that you could find members that could bring in enough extra money that everyone would still average more money in the end. But not only are those schools scarce, but you'd also have to offset extra expenses. Think about how much extra money Texas would have to pay in travel and hotel stays if they couldn't take a bus to conference games in Waco or College Station or Dallas anymore. And not just the football team, but all their sports, including non-revenue sports.

I can't imagine this getting past 12 teams in any football league. The PAC-10 may add two, and the Big 12 would go get TCU if one of their schools was picked off, and the Big 10 may add Notre Dame. Maybe the Mountain West and WAC combine and purge to get 12 strong members. The Big East might replace Notre Dame with East Carolina (which also gets them a ninth football member), but they're going to be out of luck as far as getting to 12 football members unless they water the league down. None of the other options are really strong.

[callmesuperman]

This is what the Big East needs to do:

1) Tell Notre Dame to either join as a full member or beat it. I think Notre Dame will at some point have to join a conference. I don't think it will be the Big East. Them joining the Big Ten could possibly be the best case scenario for the Big East since Big Ten expansion could stop there; making it unnecessary to go after Rutgers, and potentially avoiding a domino effect.

2) Kick out DePaul and possibly Marquette. The Big East will not drop Providence or St Johns because of tradition, history, and geography, so IMO these two teams have the least to offer. ( I know that sounds harsh but something the Big East will have to do eventually)

3) Approach ACC members Boston College and Maryland (a longshot but altleast try),and when they turn you down approach other teams in this order: TCU, Houston, Temple, Navy, ECU, Memphis.

If this happens we would lose Notre Dame, Depaul, and Marquette and add three teams any combination of the above. At this point we would still have 16 teams, but now 11 would have football programs. Also basketball rivalries would remain intact,and all the $ associated.

This would send a clear message to the football teams that the BE means business and give them less of an incentive to jump ship. Most important it would create a really good conference that can survive.

The Big East is not powerless, and needs to act swiftly.

[80mins]

Tampa is. Big media market in a key recruiting area. We will not get left when the ship sails.

So where do you envision us ending up if the BE ceases to exist?

Honestly we are probably a best fit with WVU going to the SEC, but thats not going to happen, the SEC will take their teams from the ACC.

I could see a scenario where the SEC takes FSU and Miami allows us into the ACC.

If not were screwed, unless the Big 12 decides they want a florida presence. We have 0 shot at the big 10 and pac 10 obviously.

I think if the SEC jacks the ACC, it would be for FSU and Clemson, possibly with some wheeling and dealing to appease UF and SC. UF may not take much convincing; having FSU, who they are mandated to play anyway, in their conference gives them one more OOC spot for a cupcake. If that happens, I see us and WVU to the ACC, with UConn (to show BC some love) and Temple (also to bridge the gap, + add Philly market) or perhaps Army and/or Navy as potential targets if they go any larger.

[80mins]

Tampa is. Big media market in a key recruiting area. We will not get left when the ship sails.

So where do you envision us ending up if the BE ceases to exist?

Honestly we are probably a best fit with WVU going to the SEC, but thats not going to happen, the SEC will take their teams from the ACC.

I could see a scenario where the SEC takes FSU and Miami allows us into the ACC.

If not were screwed, unless the Big 12 decides they want a florida presence. We have 0 shot at the big 10 and pac 10 obviously.

I think if the SEC jacks the ACC, it would be for FSU and Clemson, possibly with some wheeling and dealing to appease UF and SC. UF may not take much convincing; having FSU, who they are mandated to play anyway, in their conference gives them one more OOC spot for a cupcake. If that happens, I see us and WVU to the ACC, with UConn (to show BC some love) and Temple (also to bridge the gap, + add Philly market) or perhaps Army and/or Navy as potential targets if they go any larger.

[Markeymark]

Big East - If USF doesn't get a Big-12 or ACC spot, then this is how I see the Big East playing out...

1) The basketball schools are going to stay together and keep the Big East name.

2) USF/Cinn/UConn remain.

3) Southern Miss/ucif/ECU/Memphis are the logical first invites out of necessity.

4) A HUGE push is made for Georgetown and Villanova football teams to move up to 1-A.

5) An even bigger push is made for Navy and Army.  We must have them, bar none.

6) One more team is needed to just get to 12.  Remaining options may include Houston, UAB, East/Central/West Michigan, Marshall, Tulane, Tulsa...

Temple would be a logical choice and would probably be approached before most of the schools you mentioned. They were in the Big East before, they fit the geographic footprint of the conference, and their hoops program is already Big East caliber. The only thing perhaps lagging with Temple is their football program. However, most of the other schools you mentioned are no better - Southern Miss, UCF, Memphis, Georgetown, Villanova, Army, Navy, etc, etc.

[DELdaBull]

I wasn't going to respond, but if a conference goes bigger than 12 in football, they would be stupid.

That is all.

[Cow Pie]

Big East basketball is huge and brings in a lot of $$. Teams who think about moving to ACC, SEC, or Big 10 better think twice.

:ROFLMAO :lolnew :laughingnew

That is funny stuff right there...

Basketball is small potatoes to big time college football and if any one thinks that basketball will keep any of the Big East Football schools in place is kidding themselves just like the idiots in charge of the BEast are.

Also Stewart I believe made a major slip... I believe something is coming down the pipes like a 14 super conference and WV knows about it and Stewart accidentally spilled the beans... he basically was making the case for the ACC to send an invite to WV.

[Mama_Bull]

Big East basketball is huge and brings in a lot of $$. Teams who think about moving to ACC, SEC, or Big 10 better think twice.

:ROFLMAO :lolnew :laughingnew

That is funny stuff right there...

Basketball is small potatoes to big time college football and if any one thinks that basketball will keep any of the Big East Football schools in place is kidding themselves just like the idiots in charge of the BEast are.

Also Stewart I believe made a major slip... I believe something is coming down the pipes like a 14 super conference and WV knows about it and Stewart accidentally spilled the beans... he basically was making the case for the ACC to send an invite to WV.

I don't think it was a slip on the part of Stewart. He knows that schools from the other conferences will tell his recruits that the Big East is about to break up and WVU will be left out in the cold. Stewart needed to assure recruits that if realignment were to happen WVU would end up in even a better situation in another BCS conference. Holtz will also have to tell his recruits the same thing.