Villanova Looks Like It May Be Big East Bound For Football

[dabull80]

So is Northwestern in the Big 10 and Vanderbilt in the SEC and others but they are they and lets hope Nova joins and is successful

[Joe]

Comparing the expenditures of Vandy and NWern to Nova is stupid.

The whole idea of bringing Nova up to a conference struggling for respect is stupid. Whatever

[BullsFanInTX]

Comparing the expenditures of Vandy and NWern to Nova is stupid.

The whole idea of bringing Nova up to a conference struggling for respect is stupid. Whatever

Would you rather have them bring in UCF (which is what would happen if Nova is not brought in).  Thereby, taking away every advantage that USF has over UCF.  Bringing in Nova (or Houston) is the BEST thing for USF athletics, in terms of establishing itself in the hierarchy of state football schools, and maintaining an advantage over non bcs teams.

[Mama_Bull]

Source: ’Nova’s Big East vote delayed

POSTED: April 10, 2011 By Mike Jensen

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

According to a source within the Big East Conference, Villanova's board of trustees will not hold an anticipated Tuesday vote on whether to move up to Division I-A and join the Big East for football because the conference's football members are not ready to sign off on the Wildcats' plans.

The chief sticking point, according to the source, is Villanova's plan to use PPL Park in Chester, the 18,500-seat home of the Philadelphia Union, as its primary venue.

PPL Park would be the smallest stadium in the league. Potential plans to increase the seating capacity to roughly 30,000 have not convinced all the Big East schools to support the move. However, some Big East football members are in favor, and it still could be approved, the source said.

Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro could not be reached for comment. Big East football members held a conference call Sunday to discuss Villanova's plans.

The Big East had informally invited Villanova to move up, and had been aware for months that Villanova, a Big East member for all other sports for the last three decades, had planned to use PPL Park for most of its games.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/villanova/20110410_Source__Novas_Big_East_vote_delayed.html?ref=twitter.com

[Mama_Bull]

Villanova's ready, willing and waiting to make football leap

Published: Sunday, April 10, 2011

By TERRY TOOHEY

ttoohey@delcotimes.com

Sources have said that one of the major sticking points in Villanova's planned move to the Big East is the potential choice of PPL Park in Chester as Villanova’s home field.

Villanova has decided to make the move to the Big East and the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Villanova officials could not be reached for comment Sunday night, but a source within the Big East Conference said Villanova has decided to make the move.

"Villanova is all in," the source said, but it’s not a done deal.

A few conference-affiliated schools in the Big East want more information from the university before they vote to accept Villanova as the 10th member of the conference in football.

That means there will be no vote taken by Villanova’s Board of Trustees when it meets Tuesday.

The ball is in the Big East’s court and how long that process will take is anyone’s guess.

The source would not go into detail as to what concerns the Big East has with Villanova’s intended move from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS.

However, other sources have said that one of the major sticking points is the potential choice of PPL Park in Chester as Villanova’s home field.

The home of the Union seats 18,500, but the stadium was built with the understanding and the specs to make it possible that seating capacity be expanded to 30,000, including sky boxes.

However, as of March 30, Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz said the team did not have a deal in place for Villanova to play at PPL Park. That said, the door was left open for a deal.

"American football is something we can play in this building and if the right opportunity comes along to do that, we will," Sakiewicz told the Daily Times in that recent interview.

If the Big East gives its approval, the 2011 season would be Villanova’s last in the FCS.

The Wildcats would play as a provisional member of the Big East in 2012 and 2013 before becoming a full-fledged member in 2014.

http://delcotimes.com/articles/2011/04/10/sports/doc4da266fd4ff7f861801908.txt

[Reliable Source]

Oh there is no joy at Mickey's house.

Mighty OCS has struck out.

[Guest nybullsfan]

nova in BE football is a mockery

No more of a mockery than USF in BE basketball.

Given time, Nova will be fine.

[Mama_Bull]

[footnfan1]

So, now you have to think about the comment about going to 10 for Fball is for real.

I think they stay pat at 9 and just hold to see what develops. No one has any leverage as great as TCU, in fact, only Houston has a clear advantage for market expansion, but they are not ready facility wise. Not sure ECU makes sense...and probably not UCF for lots of reasons....many of them speculative.

We shall see...hurry up and wait.

[CPR]

Good. Now, hopefully the Big East stops with 9 and ends with 9 for now. In the grand scheme of things, adding Houston, UCF, or an ECU type school adds absolutely nothing but another mouth to feed. The BE needs to just wait it out and see what happens now with the rest of the conferences.