Big East In Flux As Spring Meetings Begin

[Ricky the Bull]

There are questions galore for the Big East Conference when the league begins its spring meetings today at Ponte Vedra Beach.

The first: Where to begin?

Issues are voluminous. In this academic year alone, the Big East's membership was raided. Then the league reinvented itself, adding layers of geographically confusing additions through expansion, spanning time zones from coast to coast.

Meanwhile, the Bowl Championship Series structure moved toward significant change, all but ensuring a de facto four-team playoff after the 2014 season and eliminating automatic-qualifying

status, which had guaranteed the Big East champion an annual major-bowl appearance.

During all the seismic shifts, with nerves already significantly frayed, commissioner John Marinatto resigned under pressure.

"Interesting times'' is how University of South Florida athletic director Doug Woolard describes the tumultuous 2011-12 year for the Big East, which USF joined in 2005. Woolard can't predict the future, but knows the Big East has helped raise the profile of USF athletics.

"Some of the scenarios change every five minutes,'' Woolard said. "I don't think you can predict how things ultimately will be.

"What I do know is this: I don't think any athletic department has taken on what we have taken on (with more than $70-million in facilities improvements), and I'm glad that we have done that. We have the nation's ninth-largest university and we're in a great area (with the 13th-largest television market). I'm for whatever is in the best interest of USF and the Big East Conference. Where it all goes from here, I don't think anybody knows.''

The dominoes began falling in September, when the ACC plucked established Big East programs Pittsburgh and Syracuse, which are set to leave on July 1, 2014, although Pitt is suing to join the ACC in 2013.

Texas Christian, scheduled to join the Big East in 2012, departed before ever playing a down and shifted to the geographically sensible Big 12. Meanwhile, West Virginia also left the Big East and negotiated immediate entry into the Big 12.

Under Marinatto's direction, the Big East responded by adding Temple for football this season, essentially replacing West Virginia to keep the conference schedule in workable form, and all sports in 2013.

In 2013, Boise State and San Diego State join the Big East as football-only schools, plus Central Florida, Houston, Memphis and Southern Methodist are added as all-sports members. Navy becomes a Big East football-playing school in 2015.

The holdovers are USF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville and Rutgers.

Before leaving his position, Marinatto said the Big East was well-positioned for negotiations on a new television contract this fall. But some wonder whether there's an unstoppable move toward four 16-team super-conferences, which could put the Big East – and others – in peril.

The Pac-12 and Big Ten already are aligned through the Rose Bowl and an agreement to schedule non-conference games. Friday, the SEC and Big 12 announced plans to start a New Year's Day bowl that will match the champions, or other schools, from those leagues following the 2014 season.

Where does that leave the ACC – Florida State and Miami have been mentioned as potential Big 12 expansion targets – let alone the Big East? And what of Notre Dame? In these changing times, would the Fighting Irish, who have all their non-football sports in the Big East, consider ditching their independent status?

During the search for a new leader, the Big East has hired interim commissioner Joe Bailey, a former NFL executive, and the Boston Consulting Group to shape its strategy.

"Reframe, refocus, set the tone and move forward,'' Bailey said of the group's mission. "The Big East is very focused on making sure that the perception out there isn't (one of disarray). From the meetings I've been in, it's not at all. It's a very cohesive, very focused group.''

USF president Judy Genshaft and Woolard have publicly reiterated their Big East commitment, but have expressed concern about the overall volatility of the college athletics landscape.

"So many independent decisions have been made,'' Woolard said. "It's not like there's an overriding organization or a czar of the conferences. I wish there was more stability. I think that would be good for the fan bases and good for the student-athletes.

"With as much uncertainty as there has been out there, I do feel good about the way we've positioned ourselves as an institution and athletic department.''

jjohnston@tampatrib.com (813) 259-7353 Twitter: JJohnstonTrib

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/usf-bulls/2012/may/21/3/spsporto1-league-in-flux-no-easy-answers-ar-406042/

[Skingraft]

Pucker up gents; going to be a long long off-season

[smazza]

what a mess!

[Bull-by-Marriage]

I've always thought that it's bad to live in "Interesting times".

[slbpsi63]

So should we make a play at keeping Pitt and Syracuse? Possibly Poach 2 from the ACC to bring us to 16 when Navy joins the league? It would be more advantageous for us to do the poaching as we don't have a TV deal locked up like the ACC which is locked up until 2024(?). I think the long term TV deals puts us in the drivers seat as we can actually negotiate from scratch. I think we are in prime position to reinvent ourselves here. I would hope the BE can afford to pay 50% of the 20 million dollar buy out for any 4 of the ACC, or $40 million. If we bring in 4 more all sport teams can we afford to split from the non FB schools and have a 13 team BB league? We can keep some non football members, ND, Nova, Providence, or GT? I am just asking questions here. I think an aggressive move is possible here and it could turn the tide in our favor, but we need to be bold and choose the right teams that will be left in the cold and deal a destructive blow to the ACC. I think the new BE is a better conference than the ACC scraps, after you remove, FSU, Clemson, VT, and Miami. I am just asking questions here. I see tons of opportunities here if we make the right choices. Then it will go from the ACC looking like they saved their lives 8 months ago to us and the B12 putting a nail in their coffin.

[Bull Martin]

Pucker up gents; going to be a long long off-season

Actually all the crazyness really passes the time. So it will bea rather short off season

[79 Bull]

So should we make a play at keeping Pitt and Syracuse? Possibly Poach 2 from the ACC to bring us to 16 when Navy joins the league? It would be more advantageous for us to do the poaching as we don't have a TV deal locked up like the ACC which is locked up until 2024(?). I think the long term TV deals puts us in the drivers seat as we can actually negotiate from scratch. I think we are in prime position to reinvent ourselves here. I would hope the BE can afford to pay 50% of the 20 million dollar buy out for any 4 of the ACC, or $40 million. If we bring in 4 more all sport teams can we afford to split from the non FB schools and have a 13 team BB league? We can keep some non football members, ND, Nova, Providence, or GT? I am just asking questions here. I think an aggressive move is possible here and it could turn the tide in our favor, but we need to be bold and choose the right teams that will be left in the cold and deal a destructive blow to the ACC. I think the new BE is a better conference than the ACC scraps, after you remove, FSU, Clemson, VT, and Miami. I am just asking questions here. I see tons of opportunities here if we make the right choices. Then it will go from the ACC looking like they saved their lives 8 months ago to us and the B12 putting a nail in their coffin.

YES, YES and YES. We fight to bring back Pitt and Syracuse AND invite FSU and Georgia Tech. Who knows we may end up with more tv revenue than the Big12 (definitely more than the ACC). Marinatto would never have thought this way or suggest it to the Presidents and he always wanted to act in the open. Time to get aggresive and start talking to these types of schools.

[Bulls1181]

Heck yeah! Be proactive for the first time! Bring back all of the old BE teams BC, VT, Miami....and FSU

Pete Thamel â€@PeteThamelNYT

For all predicting dire fates for the Big East, reps from NBC and Fox were here. Big East, despite geography, still being courted.

[Bulls1181]

Greg Auman â€@gregauman

ESPN has an exclusive window for negotiating new TV deal with Big East starting in September, but competition will be lucrative for league.

screw Espn!

[CPR]

We don't have the upper hand no matter what you guys want to think. We are still the 6th best conference and the ACC is 5th best. We can invite ACC teams all we want, but they won't come. All the ACC has to do is invite any of the teams in the BE and they're gone. That should tell you who still has the advantage.