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

[Doc]

That's what I've been saying all along about the benefit of booting out ND.  The money lost in their replacement wouldn't exceed what we save if we keep Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and the BigEast name.  The key would be that ND would join the BigTen (in some OR all sports) thus squashing talk about major realignment east of the Mississippi.

If the BigTen takes an all-or-nothing stance with ND, what do you think the Irish do?  If they stay independent, what becomes of all their other sports?  A-10 maybe.  Otherwise, they are pitifully irrelevant.  If they join the BigTen, I don't see further expansion and would stay at 11/12 fb/bb or 12/12.

[mikebeau]

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?

if conferences become mega conferences....SEC or ACC. 

[smazza]

usf and tampa are too big to be left out

i am not worried

pac 10 likes to take 2  from similar local--byu and utah would be good fit

[smazza]

That's what I've been saying all along about the benefit of booting out ND.  The money lost in their replacement wouldn't exceed what we save if we keep Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and the BigEast name.  The key would be that ND would join the BigTen (in some OR all sports) thus squashing talk about major realignment east of the Mississippi.

If the BigTen takes an all-or-nothing stance with ND, what do you think the Irish do?  If they stay independent, what becomes of all their other sports?  A-10 maybe.  Otherwise, they are pitifully irrelevant.  If they join the BigTen, I don't see further expansion and would stay at 11/12 fb/bb or 12/12.

\big east always looked dumb allowing notre dame to compete in other big east sports

[hightechbull]

That's what I've been saying all along about the benefit of booting out ND.  The money lost in their replacement wouldn't exceed what we save if we keep Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and the BigEast name.  The key would be that ND would join the BigTen (in some OR all sports) thus squashing talk about major realignment east of the Mississippi.

If the BigTen takes an all-or-nothing stance with ND, what do you think the Irish do?  If they stay independent, what becomes of all their other sports?  A-10 maybe.  Otherwise, they are pitifully irrelevant.  If they join the BigTen, I don't see further expansion and would stay at 11/12 fb/bb or 12/12.

\big east always looked dumb allowing notre dame to compete in other big east sports

I have no insider information or a crystal ball, but I think the Big East allows ND in for all non-football sports for these reasons:

• ND is very successfull in non-football sports
  
• ND's academics in non-football sports raises the average GPA of the entire conference
  
• ND is a catholic school, and it placates the other catholic non-football schools in the BE
  

I still think ND needs the BE more than the BE needs ND.  Either way, the Big-10(11) would still jump at the idea of ND as a non-football member the rest of their sports.  They would probably insist on a condition that ND has to play at least 3-4 games against B-10 teams each season, which they do anyways with their annual tour of Indiana universities.

[hightechbull]

The Big East is too powerfull in basketball to get the shaft long term.  The worst that would happen to them is that they would drop football.

Football does not rule everything, as the ACC found out.  They made the money grab because of football dollars and so far it has not worked out for them.  Their powerhouse team FSU has fallen on tough times, and their crown jewel expansion team UM has been a dud since joining.  The ACC football championship game has been a joke so far, and no one really cares about it.  Has that game ever sold out it attendance?  The true powerhouse has been VT, and that was the team that no one wanted until VT fought a political battle to get in the ACC.  The ACC ruined basketball and agitated their basketball powerhouses for a football nirvana that has not materialized.

[DontPushMe]

usf and tampa are too big to be left out

i am not worried

pac 10 likes to take 2  from similar local--byu and utah would be good fit

From everything ive heard BYU has no chance. For a variety of reasons, mainly academics and their refusal to play on sundays.

Utah and Colorado seem like the runaway favorites for pac10 expansion.

[callmesuperman]

You all keep looking at this like there still will be a BCS. There will NOT be a BCS in 2-3 years.

Maybe not, but most of the major conferences such as the ACC, SEC, BIG 12, Big Ten will still exist. If the Big East dissolves we want to become part of one of these conferences and not be demoted back to Conference USA. Hopefully all this talk about super conferences and the collapse of the Big East is just crazy talk, but if it becomes an eventually USF needs to be ready!

What USF can do to increase the chances to not be left out.

1) basically keep winning in both basketball and football! Beating nationally ranked teams, be competitive in the Big East, being ranked, go to major bowl games, go to NCAA tournaments... all will help put USF in a good position.

2) fan support! Fans need to come out and support the team in higher numbers. If our average attendance can continue to grow we will be in a good position. Average football attendace last season was at about 52,000 a game (not bad at all). For next year we need to at least remain in that area, while over the next few years hopefully it will edge closer to 60,000. For basketball our average attendance next year should at least grow to about 6,000 a game.

3) Upgrading facilities. The MUMA Center, baseball facilities,... is a good start. Now we also need to see renovations inside the Sundome.

4) Keep Coach Heath in Tampa for at least the next 5 years. So he needs to be given a contract extension. He is a great coach, and it will be only a matter of time until we finally go back to the NCAAT. 

[IHuckItDeep]

I think this resolves itself much more logically than you all think:

Big Ten takes Notre Dame.

Big East replaces Notre Dame with East Carolina, and gets the ninth football member they've been looking for.

Pac-10 takes Colorado and Utah.

Big 12 replaces Colorado with TCU.

Mountain West replaces Utah and TCU with Boise State and Nevada.

Conference USA replaces East Carolina with... oh hell, it doesn't matter.

The cheese stands alone.

ECU sucks why would u want them???

[commbull]

The Big10/11 would have to make ND quite a deal to get them fully in for all sports. I don't expect it. Even less will the BE kick ND out--zero chance, however much some of you FB fans would wish it. And as to the FB teams leaving the BE and bringing in a handful of others, you understand that would be without being part of the BCS?