Big East football facing major scheduling problems

[BIGJL]

S. Bien this guy is just coming off of his beloved loservilles great season with lefors.  They are not gonna have some key guys next year though they will be a decent team still.  Let's see if he is saying the same thing at the end of next year.  I don't think they will be as good next year.  And I believe that we will be much better.

GO BULLS!!!

BIGJL

[79 Bull]

 I really don't think USF 'deserved' to even be in the BE since you guys really have not beaten a 'big time' team.

And Cincinnati has beaten who?

Deserving of a BE invite had a lot more to do with it than just having beaten a "big time" team.

UL's down year is coming.  Fortunately, ours has passed.

[Guest Go Cards]

Please for give the other UofL fan.  Many of us are not like that guy.  In all, I think the big argument is how many ranked teams have you guys beat and how many bowl games have you won?  I think the Big East will expand by one more team, football only soon.  It seems to be more smoke behind this after some from our athletic department has kind of spilled the beans.

As someone mentioned earlier,

Tulane - Good academic fit and decent teams/AD dept. is in shambles & time zone, also do you really think that any northeaster BE team would travel all the way to the NO to play a game?

MEMPHIS - Strong BB and good FB/time zone & not an academic match, you are correct about not being an academic match since they are a tier 4 school, but many of you don't remember that Memphis has only had like 6 winning seasons in football over the past 30 years.... and their attendance numbers are skewed since Ole Miss brings about 20,000, UofL brought 15,000, Miss State brought 15,000, USM brought 9,000, and etc, etc, etc.....

USM - Strong FB and decent BB/time zone & not an academic match, yep, they are a tier 4 academic school, but still too far away for those other BE schools.

ECU - location & decent FB & BB/not an academic match, actually, ECU is on the same academic standing as USF and almost all other BE schools besides the likes of Cuse and Georgetown....

Marshall - WVU will never let it happen and would we bring in another program that averages under 30,000 in attendance?  I don't think so...

UCF - location, but it won't happen.  We don't need another Florida school......

My choice would be for in this order, Notre Dame (won't happen), Penn State (won't happen), ECU (might happen), UMass (years away), Memphis (just because), Marshall (not really)

[79 Bull]

Getting realistic and to please everyone involved (academics, tradition, location, tv draw/market, availability, etc.), I think Army or Navy are the real football-only possibilities in the next few years.

[Bobcat99]

you guys don't want marshall. they have community college academics and are absolutely atrocious in every sport except football. and even then, they were the 5th best team in the MAC this year.

[Bull94]

Why doesn't anyone think a split ticket is a possibility? I say force ND to play 4 BE games a year. Let them keep their NBC deal(2 home on NBC;2 away for BE TV). If they go to a BCS bowl then let them keep the proceeds. Allow them to go to a BE sponsored bowl only if they split money with conference. Don't give them any TV money or a share of any BE bowl money. Invite Army to take the other 4 games. It would definitely lend some credibility to the conference without costing the BE much. Force ND to take the deal or let their other sports go play in the A-10.

As far as USF is concerned, I think you might want to consider potential. We have hardly had a chance to get our feet wet as far as D-1 a football is concerned. Bowls and big wins in the past don't matter. I think the BE sees what they did for a Miami program that was almost extinct back in the 80's. The past is o.k. for Louisville. You definitely would not be considered a powerhouse.  Look at  the number of national champs in the last 25 years  from the state of Florida compared to the number from Kentucky. I think you'll see why we were invited.

[GarySJ]

Please. The Big East is in no position to make any demands of Notre Dame. The Big East needs their presence in the "conference" bowl package, not vice versa.

[OttawaBull]

Having lived in Massachusetts for over 7 years and knowing several high school friends who went there (Amherst, the main campus), I'm kind of surprised UMass isn't 1-A.  If UConn can have a 1-A team, I don't see any reason UMass, which has over 20,000 students, can't either.  They'd be my vote for the next BE team.  I guess it doesn't hurt that my mom lives less than an hour from the campus.

[smazza]

what was the reason army  got kicked out of cusa

[WoolyBully]

Army didn't get kicked out...Army opted out.  

Here's a great article on the subject:

 Give Army kudos for leaving C-USA

Finally, something to celebrate. Finally, a cause for hope and excitement among Army football fans.

  Army's leaving Conference USA.

  Hallelujah.

  Hallelujah.

  Hallelujah.

  Every person who drives past Army's gates on a football Saturday, every player and recruit and alumnus: something to grab onto. They have their football future back. They have a reason to cheer.

  Finally.

  There is no future in Conference USA. No annual bowl party. No rivalries.

  No celebrations.

  Only lopsided losses, institutional introspection and fan frustration. On deck stands the worst brand of disillusionment: Apathy.

  Army didn't only decide to leave Conference USA. Army had to leave Conference USA.

  Army's an academic giant graduating players cum laude. Conference USA's an academic dwarf graduating players accidentally.

  Army players have good prose. C-USA players become good pros.

  Army has players of character. C-USA has characters.

  All of it makes Conference USA members no different than most major-college teams trying to swim in the NCAA cesspool. Only the strong survive.

  But Army was never one of them, no matter how hard it tried. And boy did it try.

  Army fired a coach (Bob Sutton) and hired a sideline salesman (Todd Berry) thinking it could compete for C-USA titles.

  It couldn't. Not under Sutton, dismissed following the 1999 season. Not under Berry, curiously inaccessible yesterday. If Army's 7-27 C-USA record doesn't painfully explain the competitive disadvantage, nothing ever will.

  Army is one of the good guys trying to beat the bad guys. The bad guys won.

  But now Army wins.

  Who knows what to make of its official reasons for leaving? Army superintendent Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., notes "limited scheduling flexibility'' as a result of playing C-USA games and the Navy and Air Force games. But what Lennox really means is having the flexibility to schedule teams Army can beat.

  Army must endure two more seasons of losses, if not humiliation. Army paid $400,000 to get out after the 2004 season, which could cost the Academy a couple toilets and seat cushions. Nevertheless, it's money well spent.

  Army figures to become an independent. But the Academy will survey the landscape for a better opportunity in the meantime. Independent, Big East, Mid-American Conference – almost anything's better than C-USA.

  Army made the right move joining Conference USA six years ago. Bowl and scheduling opportunities were dwindling. Revenue sources were there for the taking.

  Army learned the revenue stream wasn't quite what it expected. The Academy finally realized a program must be built soundly before there's worry over bowl opportunities.

  Six years ago Army had to join Conference USA. Now it is clear. Army had to leave it.

 

  Kevin Gleason's column appears regularly. He can be reached at 346-3193, or via e-mail at kgleason@th-record.com.

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/07/11/kkgarmyc.htm

or this one...

http://www.showmenews.com/2003/Jul/20030711Spor010.asp