USF/Big East Realignment Discussion Thread - Part Deaux

[USFresh]

I think it is possible that Louisville bails for the Big12. . . . regardless of what their rep said tonight in NYC.

Is this guy Matt serious?  Business meeting via Skype?  What business are you an expert in?  Landscaping?  Plumbing? Janitorial?

I think it is possible that everything that was said in the meeting tonight was complete BS and most a waste of tax payer/donor dollars to fly all these people to NYC.

ever heard of a conference call or Skype even?  what about GoToMeeting.com?

really...fly together to tell each other a bunch of bullcrap???

You all know that if ACC/Big 10/SEC come calling you will jump like a fish out of water.

You know nothing about business.

right...i know enough to know that whatever these people spent 10K per person on to get to downtown NYC on last minutes notice is full of total BS.

so please tell me why i know nothing about business.  i'm curious

I am just telling you, big business doesn't handle this type or this important a meeting via Skype, etc..

I know they don't.  I wouldn't use Skype to talk to a client who is 2 countries away, let alone 2 minutes away.

But my point is....this meeting was nothing more than a publicity stunt and a waste of money.

[BJ]

According to John Marianetto on ESPN, UConn did not attend the meeting, did not take the pledge, and is still trying to get into the ACC.

Yup, and the others that did make the pledge can't be trusted until they sign on the dotted line for massive exit fees............

I think the others can be trusted for the moment, because only CUSA would accept them as members.

That's far from trust, though.  Do you trust a criminal just because he's in prison and currently has no way to wrong you?  Excuse the poor metaphor, but you can see where I'm going with it.

You believe this whole situation is pretty much over and will be finalized tomorrow. I disagree.  I absolutely think some curveballs are certainly within the realm of possibility.

For one, Oklahoma has stated they will leave the Big12 unless some major changes take place.  Now that they are not reportedly joining the PAC, are we calling them out as bluffing, or could they be serious about their threats? Does Texas cave to keep them, or they call Oklahoma's bluff?  How do we know one way or the other?

I mean, six hours ago popular opinion was that there was NO WAY Texas AND Oklahoma would stay in the Big12 together, yet that's changed even though neither team has committed to stay in the conference, unless I missed that report somewhere in the 160+ pages on this topic (off topic: another reason for a sub-forum)  It's impossible to know what will happen tomorrow, and it's ignorant to think that it is.

As of right now, yes, the other members of the Big East probably can't get into another conference.  That can change tomorrrow.  So while I am not terribly concerned about the others in the Big East as of now, I certainly don't trust them.

Big 12 is in meetings to try and get OU to stay, that has been reported as happening yesterday I think. So the Big 12 caved.

I get that.  Of course they are trying to get them to stay.  But what are Oklahoma's thoughts in all of this?  We don't know, and that's why we are speculating. The Big 12 agreed to oust it's commissioner? I did not see that reported, and that was one of the hard terms Oklahoma demanded for them to stay in the conference.  Texas agreed to modify their network?  I think there's still much to work out.

And the PAC decided to stay at 12 not because of some ideology that 12 teams is better.  Rather, it was because Texas wouldn't agree to an equal revenue sharing program.  What if Texas later agrees to it?  What if the PAC caves?  If Texas or Oklahoma want to come and agree to the terms, they aren't going to turn them down.  And if that happens, we are back to where we started 12 hours ago.  I think a lot of posturing is going on right now.

It's certainly plausible that everything will work out so that Texas and Oklahoma would stay in the Big12, but I'm not ready to right it off as fact.

[USFresh]

According to John Marianetto on ESPN, UConn did not attend the meeting, did not take the pledge, and is still trying to get into the ACC.

Yup, and the others that did make the pledge can't be trusted until they sign on the dotted line for massive exit fees............

I think the others can be trusted for the moment, because only CUSA would accept them as members.

Mr. Moderator, has this been reported or is it a rumor?

[BJ]

Yeah, conflicting reports from the meeting on if a commitment was made or not by everyone or no one.

I'm too tired to look for the specific article again (pretty sure it was on ESPN), but I saw a clip somewhere of what I believe was the Rutgers representative say something to the effect of he feels good about the future of the Big East, "especially from our point of view".  It stuck me as kinda of a fishy comment like something was up, and not having a commitment from some members may explain it.

Or, I could simply be reading too much into the comment.

Might have been the NJ.com article. That's the site of one of the newspapers, The Ledger, I think.

Good call.

"I have no comment," said Rutgers president Richard McCormick on his way out. "The meeting is over, I have no comment."

Asked how he felt about the future of the Big East, he said, "Very good, certainly from our standpoint."

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2011/09/big_east_athletic_directors_an.html

And yea, I think the fact that I thought I saw the comment on video when I clearly didn't is the final sign I need to head to bed.  I'tt be back soon I'm sure

[Doc]

Agreed that this is not done yet.

If the Pac12 really did slam the door, Oklahoma has no more leverage over Bevo (unless escape to SEC???).  Texas doesn't have to do squat.  Bluff called, too bad Sooners.  Then, I thought Mizzou was just about gone to the SEC; TigerBoard rejoicing two hours ago.  Just checked back, and they're going nuts, the other way -- devastated in their conviction that they're staying in the moribund BigXII.  Did I miss something here?

I understand the careful language used by the SEC to not "invite" members of other conferences.  Is the Pac12 playing the same game???  If the BigXII stays "together," would this nullify any conditional SEC offer?

And maybe I'm reading too much between the lines from a generic press release, but the BigEast statement said something about staying in "close discussions with other conferences" and being "aggressive" in looking for schools with rich "histories and traditions."  Doesn't sound like a cUSA raid to me.  There may yet be more fallout from the BigXII before this is done, or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

[Economics_Nerd82]

How crazy would I be to suggest I-AA teams Georgia Southern and Appalachian St instead of ECU and UCF? Add Navy to get to 9 teams.

USF

WVU

UCONN

UL

UC

RUTGERS

APP. ST.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

NAVY

[dh5158]

Some interesting stuff here.....I think the B12 takes BYU and two BE teams to get to 12.

http://louisville.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1267981

[USFresh]

This article doesn't add up to me.  In paragraph 1, John Marinatto mentions ALL members of the conference are committed to staying together and then in paragraph 4, we learn that the president of UCONN spent the evening trying to get into another conference and that UCONN was not on board with everyone else.  Furthermore, what else can UCONN possibly do to get in.  I picture her camped outside of ACC offices so she can beg the commish for a seat at the table as soon as he arrives in the morning.  If UCONN is basically begging to be let in and the ACC hasn't done it by now, it is not going to happen at this time.

NEW YORK -- Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says all the members of his conference are committed to staying together.

The presidents and athletic directors from the Big East football schools met for 3 hours at a Manhattan hotel Tuesday.

Marinatto says each member pledged to remain in the conference and the league is aggressively searching for replacements for Pittsburgh and Syracuse. He says the non-football members also are on board.

UConn president Susan Herbst was not attending the meeting, sources told ESPN's Joe Schad, as the school focuses on lobbying for entry to the ACC. Herbst was expected to send a school official to the meeting as the representative.

A source with direct knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that UConn didn't commit to remain in the league and is still actively pursuing membership in the ACC.

But the source said that with the Big 12 likely staying together at least nine schools other than the Huskies may have to wait for the ACC to decide if it will act on adding two more schools from its recent jump to 14, with the addition of Big East members Pitt and Syracuse.

The source said that if Big East football is to stay together then the league will look to add at least two military academies, likely Navy and Air Force.

"The ACC is the preferred place for (Connecticut)," the source said. "That hasn't changed."

[USFresh]

One last thought before I crash for the night:  What I would give to be playing Pitt at home next week.  I developed an instant hatred of Pitt last Friday night when I learned the news.  I hate Syracuse, but I realllllly hate Pitt.  I hope it fires everyone up on Saturday and that it provides an extra spark for us against Pitt on a short week.

[Danm1983]

I say we get some special black jerseys and don them for Pitt and Syracuse and hold an informal funeral for them on their home fields. Treat them like FAMU and roll up 70 points or whatever we can get.

Keep passing it in the 4th quarter up by 21 or more, and start going for two.

And walk out flashing the double deuces.