ECU the 9th member?

[Guest 19usf96]

On the BigEast Fan Forum there has been a long running discussion about who the 9th member of the BE should be and whether or not the all-sports schools should split away from the bball only schools and slowly pick up teams until they reached 12.  Some are pripe dreams others are possibilities but it is an everyday topic on the board.  Everyone has an opinion.

I have personally championed Memphis, if there is to be a split, because they could bring something to both major sports.  Yesterday, a couple of Pitt fans mentioned that there is an "unconfirmed report" at the moment that discusses ECU being the 9th team.  They would be invited for fball only and that this report would be confirmed around February, others on the board have heard these "reports" before.  How do you guys feel about the possible addition of ECU and/or the fball schools splitting away from the bball only schools.....USF96

[cygnus34]

That will NOT happen, just a waste of time talking about it.  Too, too many things against ECU, to be considered.

Tranghese also shot down both published reports out of Greenville, N.C., that East Carolina is a possible target for league expansion, and also any notion of a federated ninth, football-only member anytime soon.

One report indicated that, after Memphis and Central Florida had expressed that they would only join as all-sports members, that ECU was willing to jump at a football-only membership, and that an invitation could be extended by New Years.

"There's no truth to that," Tranghese said. "I haven't talked to them, and I haven't heard from them."

[TyBull]

http://www.nypost.com/sports/36730.htm

December 19, 2004 -- While the rest of the college football world may have been questioning the Big East's status as a major player, league commissioner Mike Tranghese wasn't. Turns out he had an ace in the hole.

Tranghese told The Post last week that he'd cut a deal with the BCS to allow the conference to count the ratings of incoming schools  Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida  in its BCS standings, just as departing Boston College counts toward the ACC.

Louisville (10-1) is ranked No. 10, and that should solidify the Big East's standing.

"We've had that agreement almost from the beginning of the season," Tranghese said.

That's good news, considering a rule had been adopted that could have a league's automatic bid stripped if its champion failed to average a top-12 finish over a four-year span. It was widely referred to as the Big East rule and assumed to pose the biggest threat to that league.

But BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said the Big East's bid  and the $14 million windfall that goes with it  was safe for at least three years. Now with this deal, it could be safe for even longer.

"The commitment is in place . . . through next year, and then our process was that we were going to do two years into a new structure [starting 2006] before there'd be an evaluation of conference automatic qualification," Weiberg said.

"It's also important to say that it's not unusual to have a [bCS] team from a conference that's ranked between 10 and 20. That's occurred virtually every year."

Fiesta Bowl-bound Pittsburgh (8-3) won the league crown this year. With a mediocre No. 21 BCS ranking, there would've been huge pressure for the league champion to post top-10 or even top-5 season in 2005 and 2006, but the inclusion of Liberty Bowl-bound Louisville eliminates that worry.

Granted, the criteria will change with the new BCS contract, starting in 2006. But the Big East's champion has finished in the top 10 every year since 1999, when Virginia Tech (now in the ACC) was No. 2. Miami (now in the ACC) was No. 1 in 2002, the Hurricanes No. 9 last year, and incoming Louisville No. 10 this year.

Tranghese also shot down both published reports out of Greenville, N.C., that East Carolina is a possible target for league expansion, and also any notion of a federated ninth, football-only member anytime soon.

One report indicated that, after Memphis and Central Florida had expressed that they would only join as all-sports members, that ECU was willing to jump at a football-only membership, and that an invitation could be extended by New Years.

"There's no truth to that," Tranghese said. "I haven't talked to them, and I haven't heard from them."

[bulls96go]

stay at 8 no need to move up to 9 until it is wise to do so.

[Apis Bull]

9 is better for scheduling.  But it needs to be thought out carefully.

[Guest 19usf96]

TyBull, I believe what you posted to be true (at this time) but I have to believe that M. Tranghese is playing his cards very close.  He doesn't want the BE to look like vultures much like the ACC did during the expansion, especially after he mentioned how wrong it was for the ACC to do what it was doing.

SCbulls, I agree that the BE needs to expand precisely to allow for better scheduling.  The most likely choice, although MT has denied it (TyBull's article above), still has to be one of the top choices.  They are in ACC country (good for TV and recruits) and according to "reports/rumors" they are willing to be accepted into the BE for fball only, while the A-10 is "reportedly" willing to accept all their other sports programs.  

I believe 9 at the minimum has to happen, sooner rather than later......USF96

[cygnus34]

The following is what is wrong about the B.E.   Some football only schools and B.B. only schools.   That is totally screwed up.   One of the main reasons Miami and Boston Coll. left the B.E. is that football bowl money had to be given to the B.B. only members, who certainly do not deserve it.   Miami lost money every year they were in the B.E. in fact the Championship year (ROSE BOWL) Miami lost 1.5 million.   Miami and B.C. are both small private schools that get NO state money, so football has to pay the way for all sports.   Had the B.E. been a football conf. instead of a B.B> conf. it would have been an all sports conf.    Could have and should have looked like this; Penn ST., Rutgers, B.C., Syracuse, Pitt., W. Va., Conn., Miami, Va. Tech., Louisville, CinCinn., So. FL.  

Too bad Tranghese is all about B.B.  I am glad So. FL., Lou., and Cin., are in the B.E. as it is a step up and a chance for the bigger bowls but the way things are it isn't a money maker.