USF/Big East Realignment Discussion Thread

[gomiami1972]

Navy was in the mix

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/32135950

Rutgers and UCONN are still getting some attention (or are at least rumored to be) from other conferences.  

West Virginia asked both the ACC and the SEC and neither league was interested, if we can believe McMurphy.  South Florida, West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati should band together in a death grip and map our futures.  It looks like these four schools are going to be tied to each other for a very long time.

[dausfbulls11]

The big12 staying together may not be good for us....i could see it being good for wvu,  louisville, tcu, possibly byu, boise and even houston..... Not sure they would invite us.....think we havr better chance getting with their leftovers

[Gismo]

I am seeing this pop up all over various Big XII boards:

Boone Pickens also spoken out today demanding that the Big 12 be saved -- bet Boren would love to shut him up. He wants to call Gov Perry to stop this -- like the Gov is going to interfer with A&M leaving! This letter is unbelievable as they want the LHN to stay as is. This letter has popped up around the net and explains why UT Board of Regents did what they did yesterday after Powers expected full authority (my bold):

THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE AUSTIN

September 19, 2011

Honorable Members of the Board of Regents President William Powers Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds

The University of Texas

Austin, Texas 78701

Dear Members of the Board of Regents, President Powers and Director Dodds:

The undersigned members of the Texas Legislature write to urge you in the strongest possible terms to help us preserve the Big 12 Conference. We respectfully submit that this would be the best result for the University of Texas and for Texas as a whole. We strongly urge you to remain in the Big 12 and to grow and strengthen it as we describe below.

First, we are each grateful for the many public statements many of you have made over the past year stating that your top priority is to save, stabilize and grow the Big 12. We applaud you and are in complete agreement with you regarding this worthwhile and eminently achievable goal.

With the announcement on Saturday that Pittsburgh and Syracuse are leaving the Big East to join the ACC, we have a unique opportunity to grow and strengthen the Big 12. We propose that the remaining members of the Big 12 (with or without Oklahoma and OSU) merge with the remaining six (soon to be seven with the addition of TCU) members of the Big East into a newly configured Big 12 Conference. This would create a strong 14 (or 16) member conference, and the stability of the new Big 12 would be insured going forward.

More importantly, the treasured traditions of Texas college football would be preserved and enhanced for the millions of Texans who value crisp fall afternoons filled with 100-year rivalries played in a region that allows fans to attend the games and enjoy the pageantry and fun of Texas college football on a regular basis. The thought of Texas A&M going east and ofUT and Texas Tech going to the West Coast is tragic for those of us who love our college football.

And of course it is well known that the loss of these games would mean a serious blow to the economies of our communities and state -at a time we can ill afford it.

We suggest that the following significant benefits would come from bringing the remaining Big East schools into the Big 12:

1 Your stated goal of preserving the Big 12 would be accomplished.

2 The Big 12 conference office stays in Texas and the regional rivalries of over one hundred years continue to be played in our State with the benefit of economic development and jobs. Our money stays in the region and isn't exported to Washington, Oregon or California.

3 UT keeps its Longhorn Network intact with no changes. If UT goes to the Pac 12, the network must be reconfigured, thereby costing the University millions of dollars in revenue.

4 The newly constituted Big 12 allows the remaining seven schools to share as much as $75 million in early exit fees paid to the Big 12.5 A merger of these two great conferences would insure a continuation of the large TV contracts that are in existence for both conferences.

6 Our basketball programs will be enhanced by connecting with Big East basketball tradition.

7 There is a good fit academically between the Big 12 schools and the Big East schools.

8 The reuniting of TCU with the other three Texas Big 12 schools is reminiscent of the old Southwest Conference. Nostalgia sells tickets and advertising revenue.

9 With a l4-school super conference, we could much more easily attract two more universities and perhaps have a l6-team super conference.

10 The new Big 12 would be able to keep its Bowl Championship Series designation, meaning national championships are in the future of the Big 12.

We urge you to consider the many sound reasons for continuing the Big 12 with the inclusion of the Big East. This conference has existing strengths that cannot be manufactured in other conferences.

We exist in the best time zone (CST) and geographic location (south) for both television and future growth. Adding the East Coast and the television markets in the East will only expand the Big 12's reach. We have the best football resources for both recruiting and fan interest. We have a conference that allows for more future economic freedom as we deal with a dynamic sports world.

We respectfully urge you to take advantage ofUT's unique position to use your influence to bring home a better than ever Big 12 Conference. Obviously this opportunity needs to be accomplished quickly, as the face of college sports is changing by the minute. Of course we will help you in any way we can.

We urge you in the strongest of terms to take this action and turn this difficult situation into a win-win for Texas.

Respectfully yours,

Representative Ken Paxton Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson

Representative John Davis Representative Craig Eiland

Representative Jim Pitts Representative Mark Shelton

Representative Diane Patrick Representative Bryan Hughes

Representative Ken Legler Representative Armando Walle

Representative Jose Aliseda Representative Linda Harper Brown

Senator Brian Birdwell Representative Larry Phillips

[Matt]

I made this a seperate post and hopefully it is allowed to stay that way. 

This video was sent to me (by a UCF fan none the less) but it looks like it was probably created by a TCU fan.

Either way--  I think we all need a good laugh about this all expansion thing

[Gismo]

3 UT keeps its Longhorn Network intact with no changes. If UT goes to the Pac 12, the network must be reconfigured, thereby costing the University millions of dollars in revenue.

TX legislature just thinks the Big East teams will take it when A&M and OU wouldn't... they are really full of themselves over there and seems like they are just feeding that Texas Ego. They can't force the Big East teams to accept the LHN but it is written as though they can.

Also... taken from another board:

Representative Ken Paxton (Baylor grad) Representative Charles "Doc" Anderson (Aggie grad - Waco Rep)

Representative John Davis (Baylor grad) Representative Craig Eiland (Baylor grad)

Representative Jim Pitts (SMU grad) Representative Mark Shelton (Baylor grad)

Representative Diane Patrick (Baylor grad) Representative Bryan Hughes (Baylor Law grad)

Representative Ken Legler (San Jacinto College grad) Representative Armando Walle (University of Houston grad)

Representative Jose Aliseda (UT Law grad) Representative Linda Harper Brown (unknown)

Senator Brian Birdwell (Lamar University grad) Representative Larry Phillips (Baylor grad)

[gomiami1972]

I just think that, at some point soon, we need to plant our flag.  We have bounced from Sun Belt, Metro, C-USA, Big East...It is time that South Florida makes a firm statement and take the lead on this, "We are here, now who is with us?"  Change the bylaws and make the conference a $500 million exit fee with 20 years notice.  Whichever schools, Cincy, Louisville, West Virginia, TCU, etc. want to be part of a permanent solution, then let's get it on and have them plant their flag right next to ours.  

There are institutions out there that have sworn a permanent alliance...Auburn and Alabama will always be in the same conference no matter what realignment occurs...additional examples are legion.  Let's find the schools that are tired of the instability and bind together...forever.

[usfbullrider]

no cable!  ;D

[Sellular1]

Very funny!!!

[macphisto]

I just think that, at some point soon, we need to plant our flag.  We have bounced from Sun Belt, Metro, C-USA, Big East...It is time that South Florida makes a firm statement and take the lead on this, "We are here, now who is with us?"  Change the bylaws and make the conference a $500 million exit fee with 20 years notice.  Whichever schools, Cincy, Louisville, West Virginia, TCU, etc. want to be part of a permanent solution, then let's get it on and have them plant their flag right next to ours.  

There are institutions out there that have sworn a permanent alliance...Auburn and Alabama will always be in the same conference no matter what realignment occurs...additional examples are legion.  Let's find the schools that are tired of the instability and bind together...forever.

I think we may have some kind of strategic alliance with Louisville.  They played a pivotal role in us getting into the BE.  They apparently backed Houston with us for the 10th football member.  I wouldn't be surprised if Louisville decides to make it a package deal between us and them.  Adding WVU to the mix might happen as well if WVU truly has been denied by the ACC and SEC.  I hate to say it, but McMurphy has been good at digging up stuff as of late and may have been the guy who outed Pitt and Syracuse.  If that's the case then you have to trust his sources. 

The conference will not officially merge with the Big XII as I'd bet the basketball schools wouldn't be wanted, even if the Big XII can hold together at nine.  It would have to be the remaining teams deciding to go together as a bloc.  I'm not sure if Rutgers and UConn will be in that bloc because of the ACC rumors, but there's also no guarantee that they will get into the ACC unless they pull the trigger now.  I'm not sure they want to take the heat for that and may have been waiting for the conference to fall apart.  But the safest bet would be to team up with the remaining BE teams and head to the Big XII if that option is on the table.  If Oklahoma leaves with OSU then it would be a 14 team league unless Mizzou bails, but you can add BYU or Boise State or Houston into the mix to replace them.  They are only contracted for 58 games to air on TV a year as a league while they'll play 112, so that league would be able to sell another TV package to someone like NBC/Versus that would include the championship game.  They got $1.2 Billion over 13 years for 40 games a year in their second tier package with Fox.  So they could get more jack out of selling a third package and then bidding out their top tier package when ESPN's rights expire after 2013. 

[K-Rock Da Bull]

never gets old  ;D