Big East Expansion - Serious Candidates

[Guest nybullsfan]

I don't think UCF is a serious candidate for the BE.

I don't have the link, it's buried somewhere in one of the 2,000 or so previous threads on BE expansion, but if I recall correctly, they canceled games once with Pitt and twice with WVU (or v.v.) and would get vetoed by them.

Perhaps if the AD publicly apologized, and crawled over broken glass to beg on his hands and knees, or some such, but I don't see it happening.

Anyway, if I was the league commissioner, I'd build a table like this, and go after them in priority order based on the ranking (not sure why I couldn't get table borders to show up, so I simulated them with _|_ characters).

Then the discussion becomes more focused - what are the proper criteria, what weight does each get, and what score does each school get for each criteria. Sure, it'd still be subjective, but it applies a thin veneer of objectivity to the process.

[table]

[tr]

[td]_|_  Criteria[/td]

[td]_|_  Weight[/td]

[td]_|_  TCU[/td]

[td]_|_  UCF[/td]

[td]_|_  ECU[/td]

[td]_|_  etc,etc[/td]

[td]_|_  [/td]

[/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good football[/td][td]_|_  5%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good basketball[/td][td]_|_  7%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good Olympic sports[/td][td]_|_  2%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good academics[/td][td]_|_  5%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good airport access[/td][td]_|_  5%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good TV markets[/td][td]_|_  9%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Good local support[/td][td]_|_  9%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Might they accept?[/td][td]_|_  5%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  etc,etc[/td][td]_|_  x%[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[tr][td]_|_  Total[/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][td]_|_  [/td][/tr]

[/table]

[Jake_Ryan]

There is only 1 criteria, weighted at 100% - which school brings the most $$$$ to the Big East.

[Skingraft]

TCU and we go after ACC schools; not saying this could happen, but would be good for the BE

[NCBull]

Nova is the most sensible football addition, but the most likely overall is UCF.  Count on it.

[Guest nybullsfan]

I had a further thought about the Criteria scoring, and would use something like this

+2: significantly better than BE average

+1: somewhat better than BE average

+0: relatively equal to than BE average

-1: somewhat worse than BE average

-2: significantly worse than BE average

This way, team scores that would increase the average rating of the BE for that category would have a positive number, and v.v.

Our goal (as a conference) should be to add teams that increase the overall value of the conference

And yes Jake, that value is measured in more ways than just money. Academic reputation, for one, is very important to every conference. So is graduation rate (what do they call this - the APR ratings or some such?).

But your comment made me think - someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think schools pay the Big East, but rather it's the other way around. The Big East Conference directly receives the money for Bowls, Tournaments, and TV, and disburses that money to the teams, no?

[Apis Bull]

But your comment made me think - someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think schools pay the Big East, but rather it's the other way around. The Big East Conference directly receives the money for Bowls, Tournaments, and TV, and disburses that money to the teams, no?

I think you're right.

[lotsofbull99]

Never UCF!

[AtlantaBullXV]

East Carolina is the most attractive and IMO the best "eastern" candidate out of the universities mentioned based on the following:

- they sell out a 50,000 seat stadium and have plans for even more expansion and a very large fan base

- they have won C-USA two years in a row and looks like they could win it again this year even in a rebuilding year

- they have more alumni in the Mid-Atlantic and northeast out of any of the expansion candidates sans Villanova and Temple

- they have generated the highest rated bowl game on ESPN over the past 2 years and their regular season games on national TV are the highest in C-USA and the second highest among non-AQ schools just behind Boise State.

- Skip has mentioned that they have one of the best college football atmospheres in the country

IMO the only other serious options are TCU and Temple - TCU is considered too far remote by some and Temple still has trouble drawing over 20,000.  I say add TCU and ECU and call it a day.  Nova can stay at FCS if this occurred and we would just go to 18 in basketball.

UCF has not beaten BCS teams and really has not done much to warrant a BCS bid.  However if they joined up with us, they would have several advantages over us which would hurt our recruiting.  UCF has new facilities and an on campus erector set stadium.  Right now we have a "BCS" recruiting advantage over them.  Such a move would neutralize our recruiting and in general hurt our program and growth. 

Memphis is good in basketball but horrible in football.

USM is OK in football but their fan base is small. 

[smazza]

big east needs real teams

[South_Florida_Flip]

This thread lost any and all credibility when Southern Miss was mentioned as a "serious" candidate.