Big East Expansion - Serious Candidates

[UCF-ENG]

This is one of the better threads I have read on here regarding expansion candidates, and more specifically UCF. I think a lot of you are making good points on both sides. The one point that I would like to make is that the one thing that both UCF and USF BOTH lack is a respectable level of national brand recognition. Many USF fans look at the potential for the UCF-USF rivalry to take root as a bad thing. But, in my opinion that is short sighted. While I would agree that with UCF still in CUSA the rivalry would not be as advantageous for USF, that would change in a big way if UCF were in the Big East. If the rivalry were to grow under the BCS banner, than it would do so with the full weight of the pro BCS media. Some of you worry now about the UCF game because it is a high emotion game that could potentially lead to a 'non-BCS' loss... But if UCF were in the Big East it would be a legitamite conference game. And the way I look at it is, if you really have a special team, then your going to win the game that year anyway and if you don't, then it's not like loosing to UCF is going to keep you out of the national championship.

The real plus is that the game could do a lot to build national brand recognition. Let's face it, be honest, the average fan from both schools get geeked up for this game, they are both huge school almost all of us have a friend or family member that attends the other school. The game is NOT going to replace your annual game with Miami or FSU, or whoever else you want to start a rivalry game with, those things are completely in impacted by UCF joining the BE. What UCF will do is add a guaranteed sold out CONFERENCE game every year that will be shown on TV almost every year. And I'm not trying to rub it in, I know you guys are having a down year, but when you have 28,000-30,000 people showing up for conference home games right now that's not necessarily a bad thing. The game looks GOOD on TV.

The only negative impact I can see with UCF is with recruiting, and generally I think that is WAY over exaggerated, there is TONS of talent to go around in the state of Florida, and I think that in the long-run the national exposure benefits of the "war on I-4" will lead to BOTH programs keeping more of talent that is currently leaving the state for othe BCS programs. That is a win-win for both programs.

[South_Florida_Flip]

How can you guarantee a sell out when the other 2 times at RJS were not sold out (the 2007 game did not fill the entire student section)?

[UCF-ENG]

How can you guarantee a sell out when the other 2 times at RJS were not sold out (the 2007 game did not fill the entire student section)?

Fair pt, and I'm sure in years where both teams are having down years that it might not be a "sell out", but it would always be one of the best attended conference games of the year and I can pretty much guarantee we will bring more fans than any other Big East school. I think the last time we played in Ray Jay it was one of your top 3 attendances, I can only imagine that it would continue to grow and that even more people would show up if it were a full on conference game.

[Jihme]

ECU probably has a better tv market for the BE than Houston.  there are a lot of "half-backs" in the Carolinas, which all originate from the east coast anyways.  although the population is lower, the percentage of people to purchase the BE network package would likely be higher.

don't forget, you don't have to be an ECU fan to buy the BE TV package.  you have to be a BE fan, or a fan of one of the other 16 basketball teams.

[Jihme]

btw, for those who don't know, "half-backs" are folks from the east coast who move to FL and then make it "half way back" to north Carolina.

someone please chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

[South_Florida_Flip]

How can you guarantee a sell out when the other 2 times at RJS were not sold out (the 2007 game did not fill the entire student section)?

Fair pt, and I'm sure in years where both teams are having down years that it might not be a "sell out", but it would always be one of the best attended conference games of the year and I can pretty much guarantee we will bring more fans than any other Big East school. I think the last time we played in Ray Jay it was one of your top 3 attendances, I can only imagine that it would continue to grow and that even more people would show up if it were a full on conference game.

Conference game or not, I do agree that you'd bring a high number of people. WVU does as well. Miami did all right and I am certain that FSU will top it all when that game is played in 2012.

[Apis Bull]

ECU probably has a better tv market for the BE than Houston.  there are a lot of "half-backs" in the Carolinas, which all originate from the east coast anyways.  although the population is lower, the percentage of people to purchase the BE network package would likely be higher.

don't forget, you don't have to be an ECU fan to buy the BE TV package.  you have to be a BE fan, or a fan of one of the other 16 basketball teams.

I don't see how you can say that ECU is a better TV market than Houston.  The goal for these networks is to get included on the basic cable packages of the cities that the members are located in.  There are far more TVs in Houston than in Greenville, NC

[NCBull]

ECU probably has a better tv market for the BE than Houston.  there are a lot of "half-backs" in the Carolinas, which all originate from the east coast anyways.  although the population is lower, the percentage of people to purchase the BE network package would likely be higher.

don't forget, you don't have to be an ECU fan to buy the BE TV package.  you have to be a BE fan, or a fan of one of the other 16 basketball teams.

I don't see how you can say that ECU is a better TV market than Houston.  The goal for these networks is to get included on the basic cable packages of the cities that the members are located in.  There are far more TVs in Houston than in Greenville, NC

I don't get this either.

[Cow Pie]

ECU probably has a better tv market for the BE than Houston.  there are a lot of "half-backs" in the Carolinas, which all originate from the east coast anyways.  although the population is lower, the percentage of people to purchase the BE network package would likely be higher.

don't forget, you don't have to be an ECU fan to buy the BE TV package.  you have to be a BE fan, or a fan of one of the other 16 basketball teams.

I don't see how you can say that ECU is a better TV market than Houston.  The goal for these networks is to get included on the basic cable packages of the cities that the members are located in.  There are far more TVs in Houston than in Greenville, NC

I don't get this either.

I think what he is saying is that Houston's TV market is not indicative of the actual fan base Houston has within said market.

I would imagine that out in Texas most people are UT, A&M, or Tech fans / Alum... where as in ECU Country everyone is a Pirate.

[BigShoop]

Boston College

Maryland

Villanova

UCF

3 of those 4 should be our targets.

Geographically, these make the most sense. The top 3 are already basketball schools, and UCF has the infrastructure in place to improve their basketball program leaps and bounds. 

- Villanova can/should follow the UCONN template.

- Boston College fits geographically in the ACC as much as USF does in the Big East. Living up here now, it's obvious to me that no one gives a **** about the ACC, rivalry-wise. The Big East is where they belong, and they may actually get fans to give 2 sh!ts about them if they played a Big East schedule.

- Maryland is strictly a geographical/basketball/"name" thing, but it makes sense.

- UCF makes USF make more sense geographically, and can potentially make scheduling a little easier(in theory). Northern teams could do a "Florida swing", and play both of us back-2-back.  Plus, like others said, a rivalry with them makes MUCH more sense on so many levels(and has no downside) when both are BCS teams.

Let the ACC worry about taking on ECU/Memphis/or whoever else.