Conference Realignment Thread

[Clears Cleaver]

That won't happen.  Like any of the other "breakup the ACC rumors".  
 
no one cares about maryland.

 
no one cared about Rutgers either. Yet both schools are going to make 2x what FSU, UNC and Duke will starting in 2016 unless the latter three leave the ACC. Do you think that ESPN is going to give the ACC a lifeline? UNC-Duke have an average rating of 2.8 their last three games, highest of any college hoops on average. That was the same rating as The Duke-cincy Belk bowl game. Football is the money train and the ACC's brand of football sucks.  
 
I can't see anyone leaving until the MD case vs the ACC is resolved, however. If the $50M exit fee holds up in court and appeal it may be enough to stop schools from leaving, but even then the math doesn't hold up on a DCF basis to stay. the only way I see the ACC staying together is if they agree to sign a GOR. But I can't see FSU or Miami agreeing to that, either. UNC is clearly the prized asset so their decision will be the catalyst

 

[Clears Cleaver]

UNC, Georgia Tech, and UVA were the only three schools to apply for membership to the B1G from the ACC.  It would be a shock if Syracuse and Pittsburgh were let in without applying.

 
I am pretty sure the way it works is that you only apply after you've been asked. Unless you are in the Big East, then you fill out a generic application form and hope anyone takes you. lol. but seriously, these schools don't "apply" without knowing theya re in first, it would be suicide.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

I'm not saying UNC will leave, I think its 50/50 at best, but I wouldn't be too comfortable if i'm a Dookie right now who loves his conference and Big Jim D is lurking.
 
Even if the exit fee of $50 mil holds, and a lot of folks think it will be whittled down to 20 or 30...why cant the B1G just cover it up front for the departing team and take say $10 mil out of the departing teams massive TV warchest over the next 5 years til they're all paid up?
 
To me the lawsuit isn't going to stop a team from leaving, it will merely dictate how much the team will have carved out of it's new B1G TV deal for a few years.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

UVA has been talking to B1G for a bit.  They are in the rumors.  I haven't heard anything about Pittsburgh
 
Edit - UVA is a much better academic reason

 
 
Someone who is tied into MD told me that the B1G likes to "connect the dots" rather than jumping states.  So while VA may not be a huge TV market, it is a state institution with good academic credentials and helps "connect the dots" to UNC.
 
FWIW

 

[8slim]

It'd be pretty funny if all these schools jump to the B1G expecting a massive, cable subscriber fee-generated payout...and then that model is regulated out of existence.

So funny.

 

[TomRicardo]

I am pretty sure the way it works is that you only apply after you've been asked. Unless you are in the Big East, then you fill out a generic application form and hope anyone takes you. lol. but seriously, these schools don't "apply" without knowing theya re in first, it would be suicide.

 
Well UNC, UVA, and GTech all reached out to the B1G in December.  Pittsburgh and Syracuse did not.  I have read that they applied. 
 
That said interest needs to be made so that Jim Delany can get approval from the Council of Presidents (which denied BC apparently)

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

I feel like a broken record at this point. Conference expansion has nothing to do with what school/team is most popular. To address other posters, it also has nothing to do with which school/team has had better recent success with its sports teams, or brings more tradition and grandeur to the table.
 
It has everything to do with getting the conference's TV channel (in this case, the Big Ten Network) into as many homes as possible so they can gain a share of subscriber fees.

 
But it should be noted that popularity does bear on the conference's ability to extort subscriber fees from the cable/satellite providers.  It doesn't do much good to add Georgia Tech if there aren't enough Yellow Jacket fans to drive higher subscriber fees in the Atlanta area.  Granted, that's more a question for Georgia Tech's due diligence if, as has been reported, the new schools are only getting an incremental share of BTN revenue.

 

[8slim]

Jeff Ermann @insidemdsports 4h

Seems to be some confusion. So it's clear, I've reported nothing to the effect that UNC is Big 10-bound; just that Big 10 wants the Heels......

 
I've read that the B1G has had a "standing offer" out to UNC since the 1990s.  I would imagine they've made similar overtures to half the ACC at some point as well.
 
Anything can happen, but I think people confuse the motivation for Maryland joining (utter financial desperation) with most everyone else in the ACC, and certainly UNC, UVA and GaTech.

 

[8slim]

Well UNC, UVA, and GTech all reached out to the B1G in December.  Pittsburgh and Syracuse did not.  I have read that they applied. 
 
That said interest needs to be made so that Jim Delany can get approval from the Council of Presidents (which denied BC apparently)

 
 
I'm pretty sure that just about every college east of the Mississippi has "reached out" to the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC over the past couple years.  Most ADs will tell you that they regularly talk to a host of conference officials, the same way they have a short-list of head coaching replacements on hand -- you can never be too prepared.
 
Again, anything can happen, but people really confuse normal business operations with impending doom.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

Well UNC, UVA, and GTech all reached out to the B1G in December.  Pittsburgh and Syracuse did not.  I have read that they applied. 
 
That said interest needs to be made so that Jim Delany can get approval from the Council of Presidents (which denied BC apparently)

 
OK, thanks. I did not know that. Makes sense.
 
the difference between now and the last 10 years is that the ACC economic model is by far teh weakest of the five conferences going forward. UNC can make $20M a year more in the B1G than it will in the ACC.

 

[Captaincoop]

It'd be pretty funny if all these schools jump to the B1G expecting a massive, cable subscriber fee-generated payout...and then that model is regulated out of existence.

So funny.

 
It's already funny that the Big Ten is seeking out schools that have crappy athletics and limited followings, and expect their product to stay as popular as ever, while simply expanding into new territories.  Big Ten football was awesome.  Big Ten football + Rutgers and Maryland is significantly less awesome...add UNC and UVA and it's even less awesome.
 
Nobody cares about a Maryland-Virginia football game under the ACC banner...why would ratings/interest/appeal suddenly go up because you've put a Big Ten banner over it?

In short, these greedy bastards are watering down their own product and are going to kill the golden goose, whether it takes 3 years or 15 years.

 

[BigMike]

It's already funny that the Big Ten is seeking out schools that have crappy athletics and limited followings, and expect their product to stay as popular as ever, while simply expanding into new territories.  Big Ten football was awesome.  Big Ten football + Rutgers and Maryland is significantly less awesome...add UNC and UVA and it's even less awesome.
 
Nobody cares about a Maryland-Virginia football game under the ACC banner...why would ratings/interest/appeal suddenly go up because you've put a Big Ten banner over it?

In short, these greedy bastards are watering down their own product and are going to kill the golden goose, whether it takes 3 years or 15 years.

 
And nobody is going to care about a Maryland Purdue game, or Maryland Indiana.  Sure when the 4 r so big schools show up they matter.   But Maryland wil find they live on Big Ten Network 2, or maybe they need a Big Ten network 3 to put these games
 
At this point, I am really approaching a scenario where I am just going to completely lose interest in college sports if this keeps up. And this has nothing to do with where BC may or may not be. 

 

[8slim]

It's already funny that the Big Ten is seeking out schools that have crappy athletics and limited followings, and expect their product to stay as popular as ever, while simply expanding into new territories. Big Ten football was awesome. Big Ten football + Rutgers and Maryland is significantly less awesome...add UNC and UVA and it's even less awesome.

Nobody cares about a Maryland-Virginia football game under the ACC banner...why would ratings/interest/appeal suddenly go up because you've put a Big Ten banner over it?

In short, these greedy bastards are watering down their own product and are going to kill the golden goose, whether it takes 3 years or 15 years.

And nobody is going to care about a Maryland Purdue game, or Maryland Indiana. Sure when the 4 r so big schools show up they matter. But Maryland wil find they live on Big Ten Network 2, or maybe they need a Big Ten network 3 to put these games

At this point, I am really approaching a scenario where I am just going to completely lose interest in college sports if this keeps up. And this has nothing to do with where BC may or may not be.

Agreed. I've loved college sports forever. And on game day there's still nothing better. But the business of college sports is at best exhausting, and at worst obscene.

 

[8slim]

OK, thanks. I did not know that. Makes sense.

the difference between now and the last 10 years is that the ACC economic model is by far teh weakest of the five conferences going forward. UNC can make $20M a year more in the B1G than it will in the ACC.

We'll see about that $20M. That's the rainbows and unicorns estimate by the B1G that assumes the existing cable model will not only persist, but grow. We'll see.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

And nobody is going to care about a Maryland Purdue game, or Maryland Indiana.  Sure when the 4 r so big schools show up they matter.   But Maryland wil find they live on Big Ten Network 2, or maybe they need a Big Ten network 3 to put these games
 
At this point, I am really approaching a scenario where I am just going to completely lose interest in college sports if this keeps up. And this has nothing to do with where BC may or may not be. 

Now imagine being a UConn fan

 

[TomRicardo]

I'm pretty sure that just about every college east of the Mississippi has "reached out" to the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC over the past couple years.  Most ADs will tell you that they regularly talk to a host of conference officials, the same way they have a short-list of head coaching replacements on hand -- you can never be too prepared.
 
Again, anything can happen, but people really confuse normal business operations with impending doom.

 
 
Yes but the Council Presidents voted on only a handful of schools last time it met.  From what I read it was UNC, UVA, GTech, and BC.  The first three were approved to be offered an invitation while the fourth was not.
 
Edit - Delany wanted BC as a backup in case two of the first three said no.

 

[8slim]

Yes but the Council Presidents voted on only a handful of schools last time it met.  From what I read it was UNC, UVA, GTech, and BC.  The first three were approved to be offered an invitation while the fourth was not.
 
Edit - Delany wanted BC as a backup in case two of the first three said no.

 
OK, sure, I have no idea.  Several writers have said in the past 24 hours that UNC has had an "offer" from the B1G for a decade+.  Not sure what this vote you read about means, or if it even happened.  The Internet is full of complete falsehoods on this subject -- usually posted by crazy West Virginia fans who have raging ACC snuff fantasies.
 
I just listened to a podcast with David Teel, a writer in Virginia, who suggested he "knows" that UVA has no interest in the B1G.  Of course he prefaced it with the usual amount of "anything can and has happened in conference realignment" qualifiers. No idea if he's a well-respected source. But he's not the first one to say that.
 
And I really do think Maryland was much more of an outlier than indicator when it comes to ACC membership. 

 

[Dehere]

ESPN has exercised its option to match NBC's offer for the next six years of Big East rights in a punishing blow to NBC's plans for NBC Sports Network.

 

[Dan Murfman]

ESPN has exercised its option to match NBC's offer for the next six years of Big East rights in a punishing blow to NBC's plans for NBC Sports Network.

I don't get to laugh much since this realignment stuff started but that's a good one. I'm surprised ESPN matched. Why bother. NBC should be happy they saved a couple of bucks

 

[Clears Cleaver]

I just learned that the Uconn women's tv deal with SNY pays the school $1.3M/year, or half what the mens' hoops and football will get. LOL

 

[TomRicardo]

OK, sure, I have no idea.  Several writers have said in the past 24 hours that UNC has had an "offer" from the B1G for a decade+.  Not sure what this vote you read about means, or if it even happened.  The Internet is full of complete falsehoods on this subject -- usually posted by crazy West Virginia fans who have raging ACC snuff fantasies.

 
And I really do think Maryland was much more of an outlier than indicator when it comes to ACC membership. 

 
In order for Delany to officially invite a school to the B1G the Council of Presidents need to vote to let them in.  In December a bunch of sources were talking about B1G voting on UNC, UVA, GTech, and BC after Rutgers and Maryland accepted.  Basically they voted to see if they were interested in spreading the pot further after the two accepts.
 

 
 

ESPN has exercised its option to match NBC's offer for the next six years of Big East rights in a punishing blow to NBC's plans for NBC Sports Network.

 
So what stops NBC from getting the Catholic Seven?  Anytime you can lock down the Temple - SMU rivalry you need to jump on it.

 

[Dehere]

So what stops NBC from getting the Catholic Seven?  Anytime you can lock down the Temple - SMU rivalry you need to jump on it.

 
Kind of a tricky question for me to answer because I work for one of the companies involved in these conversations. Certainly just from what I hear I would put NBC's chances of getting the C7 at close to zero. That's why I see this Big East deal as worse for them than some others here may see it. If I'm wrong and they do get a piece of the C7 then you look at this Big East deal as no big loss at all, but if they are shut out of both the Big East and the C7 as I think they will be, boy, the college landscape is pretty barren for them for quite a while. 

 

[StuckOnYouk]

If NBC was serious about landing the new Big East why did they extend such a pathetic offer? This was such a no-brainer for ESPN to match, 20+ mil a year for them is chump change. That's just a little more than they're paying each ACC team.

 

[Infield Infidel]

The Big East might Black Knight it's way out of this yet, from that ESPN article 
 
“ESPN matched the financial aspect, sources said. However, Big East commissioner Mike Aresco must be satisfied ESPN’s deal matches NBC Sports Network’s offer in all facets. Once that is concluded, the Big East presidents must approve the new deal. They could vote on accepting the deal as early as this weekend, sources said. "
 
Bolding is mine. If they don't get as much exposure on ESPN, they may be able to go back to NBC.

 

[8slim]

In order for Delany to officially invite a school to the B1G the Council of Presidents need to vote to let them in.  In December a bunch of sources were talking about B1G voting on UNC, UVA, GTech, and BC after Rutgers and Maryland accepted.  Basically they voted to see if they were interested in spreading the pot further after the two accepts.

 
I get it.  Like I said, "sources" have said a lot of things about reallignment over the past few years.  Some has been true, some has been bull-hooey.  Maybe they voted on them, maybe they didn't.  Who knows.  There's been so many "sure things" that never panned out that I don't put much stock in the writings of "connected" bloggers who are trying to drive up page views from this bizarre cottage industry that has been spawned.
 
I do wonder if school's like UNC and UVA need the B1G.  Not that more TV money isn't cool, but if their athletic departments aren't deep in the red (hi, Maryland!), or if they're not desperate to escape the always-floundering Big East (hi Rutgers, West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville, Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, Villanova, Providence!), or if they're not trying to get out of a merged conference that was dominated by the egomaniacs in Austin (hi Nebraska, Texas A&M, Colorado, Missouri!) then maybe it's not all that necessary.

 

[SMU_Sox]

What do CC and TRic have against SMU?

Look put yourselves in our shoes. We have a lot of money and dedicated alums who want to crank up the athletic program again. Yeah, I meant the legit way. Anyway...
What do we do? Conference USA sucks. We're not going to get recruits in c-usa. We thought we'd have a better chance if we went to the big east. That doesn't look like a viable option anymore either. I doubt TCU wants us in the Big 12. That would be a fit. We'd get to compete for the scraps of the UT OU table but at least it would be a geographic fit with natural rivals.

I get why you all think it's funny. But being on the other side of the fence sucks. I feel like if we were in a good conference we'd be able to make some noise given our resources and determination.

I'd like to see SMU and a few others to the Big 12 happen. I think it would be beneficial to all parties. The SMU TCU rivalry is a lot of fun.

 

[Sea Dog]

Not sure how adding SMU would benefit the Big 12, which already owns the Texas market. And it's not like it doesn't already have a school in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so what money do the the Mustangs bring?
 
BYU brings a big market and a huge fan base. Cincy would bring a nice market and AAU status. Florida State, Miami and other ACC schools go without saying. But SMU doesn't add a new market, nor does it grow the Big 12's money.

 

[SMU_Sox]

No. TCU is in ft. Worth. SMU is Dallas. They are one of the richest schools in the southwest and have a big presence in Dallas and the metroplex. They solidify thr big 12s presence in dallas a huge and growing media market. A strong SMU in the big 12 would be a boon to the conference. We're into college football down here. And SMU has been leading a strong SMU is Dallas' team campaign. As a result we've seen a huge surge in attendance. SMU has spent a lot of money on big name coaches and their facilities. There is nothing wrong with adding to a geography you already have a presence in. Look at UCLA and USC. Rivalries can be great for a conference especially those that are close together.

I think the TCU SMU rivalry would be good for tv ratings here. If you ever go to that game it is packed.

 

[SMU_Sox]

Hey I'd be all for BYU joining too. The more the merrier

 

[Sea Dog]

No. TCU is in ft. Worth. SMU is Dallas. They are one of the richest schools in the southwest and have a big presence in Dallas and the metroplex. They solidify thr big 12s presence in dallas a huge and growing media market. A strong SMU in the big 12 would be a boon to the conference. We're into college football down here. And SMU has been leading a strong SMU is Dallas' team campaign. As a result we've seen a huge surge in attendance. SMU has spent a lot of money on big name coaches and their facilities. There is nothing wrong with adding to a geography you already have a presence in. Look at UCLA and USC. Rivalries can be great for a conference especially those that are close together.

I think the TCU SMU rivalry would be good for tv ratings here. If you ever go to that game it is packed.

 
I said "Dallas-Forth Worth area." Not sure what the correction is. Anyway, Texas market is already solidified for the Big 12. You say look at UCLA and USC as an argument to add SMU. Well, the Pac-12 has four California schools -- the same number the Big 12 has in Texas. ACC in North Carolina -- four schools. The Big 12 is already the most compact conference (WVU aside) when it comes to geography. Straight up and down Tornado Alley. Adding SMU doesn't add TV sets or money, and that's those are the biggest factors in conference realignment.

 

[SMU_Sox]

I'm saying you should make a distinction between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Your other points are valid but I don't think they matter. You'd add tv sets with any school you brought in.

 

[Sea Dog]

Dallas TV sets are already tuned into the Big 12 with Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, too. Even Kansas has a strong presence in the Metroplex. Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News saw it two weeks ago, following Texas' game at Kansas and Baylor's game at K-State that Saturday.
 
Chuck Carlton ‏@ChuckCarltonDMN
Interesting dynamic at Kansas City Airport. A lot more Kansas fans (judging by their gear) flying back to Dallas than Texas, Baylor fans.
 
Given the strong presence of four Texas schools, two Oklahoma schools and even KU (more than 5,000 alums in Dallas area) there, I'm just not seeing how SMU brings something the Big 12 lacks at the moment.

 

[SMU_Sox]

Dfw is a huge metroplex. Most of the big 12 teams have a large presence here. Heck we have a large SEC presence here not including tamu.

SMU has the geography, money, and future prospect to be a good addition.
Having another regional rival is a good thing not a bad thing. And saying we already have a lot of schools in texas and oklahoma is ignoring how large those two states are. Having schools in thebsame geography is common sense. Tulsa is another candidate to join and maybe even Rice. If tv deals are your concern SMU isn't going to ask for that much revenue anyway. Anything over c-usa is gravy. We're also well aware that ou and ut ran the conference and make out with more of thr spoils.
The preeminent univeristy in Dallas is SMU. SMU is spending a lot on their athletics. They've been to 4 straight bowl games. Their players are getting drafted int I the NFL. We're an up and coming program.

 

[mabrowndog]

At one point, before the floor fell out from under the conference, I thought Tulsa made sense as an expansion target for the Big East. But I never realized how small a school it is. Tulsa has fewer students (4,352) than Brockton High School (4,419). That's both grads and undergrads.
 
That aside, Tulsa's MSA is the 55th-largest in the nation with almost 950,000 people. What I don't know is how redundant the exposure would be for the Big 12. It's an hour from Stillwater and 2 hours from Norman. How many TVs in Tulsa aren't already being fed the Big 12 Network? And how many aren't already tied into either OU's or OSU's fan base? What else does Tulsa bring to the table?
 
That's where the SMU/Big 12 stuff breaks down. I get that you want them in the Big 12, and don't blame you one bit. I also get that they've invested heavily in athletics, and have raised the school's sports profile considerably since the NCAA death penalty. But the central issue is what SMU would do for the conference. Parsing the geography to Dallas vs Fort Worth levels is rather pointless, because the bottom line is that all of DFW, and pretty much all of Texas, is considered Big 12 country -- or at least Big 12 dominated.
 
The same questions raised above about Tulsa are going to be issues for the other Big 12 institutions. If they're going to dilute their shares of proceeds and power by adding yet another Texas school, what's in it for them? These other members (particularly Texas and OU, which wield the most influence by far) aren't just going to want another member with all the awesome attributes you note. They'll want something that isn't already being provided by its current constituents -- a new market, additional national prestige, a competitive/geographic edge over other major conferences, etc. I don't think Tulsa or SMU will give them that.

 

[twothousandone]

don't be too happy in your C7 conference. In like 6 years when the big four conferences break away, the NCAA basketball tourney will cease to exist...good times. I suspect the Big10 will end up being 18-20 teams. the SEC will be 16, the Big12 will 14-16 and the Pac12 will be 12-14. Those four will form their own sports concern. everyone else will cease to matter

That sure is a bold prediction, but I'm not sure I see it happening. You are thinking - what?  The big conferences will say it is just luck when Butler, VCU,  Georgetown, Gonzaga make it to the Final Four, and we can exclude those guys, create our own tournament(s) and no one will care?  We'll then declare the National Champion?
 
That sounds like going back in time to the NIT, only this time NIT will limit it's eligibles to those from the big conferences. I suppose it could happen (kind of the way the BCS did it) but they'd have to displace an established format, one that is highly regarded by college basketball fans, to get there. They'd treat the NCAA the way the NCAA treated the NIT, but the NCAA has power, and the tournament is it's big revenue-generator.
 
I'll also argue that to get there, those conferences will have to get passed pissed-off Catholics (or Catholic-school graduates) in major east coast cities and Chicago. Not Boston, but NY metro, Phily and DC are all represented. Tough path to take.
 
 

Dfw is a huge metroplex.

SMU -- I think you are really trying to get at viewers, while SeaDog is focused on critical mass to get the Big 12 network on a lower cable tier. (Right SeaDog?) Once a conference has critical mass (i.e. the majority or close to a majority of households want the games on basic cable) adding within that market doesn't help much. At least that's the economics argument as I understand it. Think of it this way, if SMU joined the Big East (and they did, didn't they? Only to leave it a few days later?) do people in Texas start demanding the Big east network on basic cable? Other than SMU fans, they don't. But the SEC just might get some momentum in Texas, now, because they have a Texas team with a lot of followers and are the best football conference in the country. More Texas support might be beneficial to the SEC network, but they certainly don't need the football boost.

 

[Sea Dog]

Actually, I'm not focused at all on a Big 12 Network. It will exist to a certain extent to pick up bottom-of-the-barrel games like KU-TCU last Saturday, but that's not the conference's business model. Texas has the LHN. FOX has signed a bunch of Big 12 teams, including Oklahoma and WVU, to carry Tier 3 programming on a school network. Iowa State and K-State have even launched their own Web-based networks. Everyone's taking care of their own Tier 3 rights in the conference.
 
Unlike the Big 10, schools like Rutgers and Maryland wouldn't be good fits, because Tier 3 rights (BTN) and the money to be made from it aren't driving expansion. For the Big 12, it's all about quality programming for Tier 1 and 2 contracts. Blue-blood programs, or something close to it. Think Florida State and Clemson football. Whoever they add, they need to increase the value of the Tier 1 and 2 contracts, and that's why schools like Cincinnati, UConn and BYU, who might otherwise make all the sense in the world for the Big 12, don't quite cut it. The business model forces the conference to be more selective, because they just can't add two middling programs from huge TV markets and call it a win.

 

[SMU_Sox]

Aye, it's hard for me to be objective here. Unlike the football and baseball threads I feel like I have a part of me in this. I can recognize that your arguments are probably better than mine but that doesn't help that rotten feeling in my stomach or bad taste in my mouth.
 
Edit: Perhaps we can try to get an invite from somewhere else. I wish the Big East would hold together. It would have been a nice fit for us. And in 5-6 years who knows what would have happened. 

 

[RedOctober3829]

Looks like the true goodbye to the Big East will be happening sooner than we might have thought.
 

 
The Big East Presidents and Athletic Directors will meet in Atlanta
on Friday to discuss the timing and the details of the break up with the
Catholic 7 group of schools who announced their departure from the
conference in December.

Although no formal announcement is expected, the group, which
includes all the schools still committed to the Big East, is expected to
approve a plan which would sell the name “Big East’ to the Catholic 7,
as well as allow the group–which includes Seton Hall. St. John’s,
Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette. Providence and Villanova–to leave in
July. 

In exchange for leaving two years earlier than the scheduled
departure date of July 2015, the Catholic 7, who will not attend the
Atlanta meeting, would agree to take considerably less money from a
reserve pool of conference money earned by the Big East from exit fees
and NCAA basketball tournament shares which is reported to be in excess
of 60 million dollars.

The financial details of this arrangement still must be worked out,
but both sides appear ready to announce that the Catholic 7 group will
leave in July and take the Big East name with them.

Once that is done, both conferences can move ahead with their future plans.

The football group of schools, which will include a surviving core
group of Temple, UConn, Cincinnati, and South Florida, as well as Tulane
(2014) East Carolina, (2014) Central  Florida, SMU, Houston, Memphis
and Navy  (2015), will play with a 10 team league next season, which
will include Rutgers and Louisville.

Both of those schools will leave the Big East for the Big Ten (Rutgers) and ACC (Louisville) in 2014.

Once the Big East name is sold, the football conference must find a
new name and forge a new identity–perhaps the Great American Conference
or the Big American Conference–as well as a new marketing strategy for a
league which has been literally torn apart in the past 10 years of
conference reconfiguration.

The basketball group will have an easier time of it in establishing
an identity with the Big East name as well as a base of seven former Big
East schools.

A move to expand to at least ten teams is expected quickly. Butler
and  Xavier are the heavy favorites to receive two immediate
invitations–with Saint Louis, Dayton, Richmond and Creighton also
regarded as viable candidates

 
http://www.ajerseyguy.com
 

 

[8slim]

So if the Catholic 7 schools get to leave this summer, what does that mean for Louisville and Notre Dame?  Do they get to abandon the Not Big East for hoops (but not football) for the 2013-14 season?  Have to wait it out and play in the Not Big East 'til 2014-15?
 
Also, by buying the Big East name would the C7 maintain the rights to play their tournament at MSG?

 

[Dan Murfman]

So if the Catholic 7 schools get to leave this summer, what does that mean for Louisville and Notre Dame?  Do they get to abandon the Not Big East for hoops (but not football) for the 2013-14 season?  Have to wait it out and play in the Not Big East 'til 2014-15?
 
Also, by buying the Big East name would the C7 maintain the rights to play their tournament at MSG?

Even if they didn't get the name I would assume they were going to get MSG. It will be interesting to see how we'll the draw without Syracuse and UConn.

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

This is fantastic news. Better than I could have hoped for. The Big East will still be a top tier conference. Maybe even the possibility to be a monster.

 

[mabrowndog]

I'll bet they do end up retaining the name, either through court action or a settlement. Under the bylaws, a 2/3 majority of full members is needed to dissolve the conference. The seven departing schools are all considered full members, so they have the requisite majority right now. If they vote to dissolve, it would then be a matter of making a case that they're more entitled to the conference name than the remaining members are. But more practically, the Catholic 7 would simply pay off the other schools to retain the name.

 
It's been awhile since I played Nostradamus, and never to any sort of critical acclaim. So I'll take my bows now while I can.

 

[amfox1]

With Xavier and Butler likely leaving the A-10 for the new Big East (with each paying a $2mm exit fee to the A-10), that leaves the A-10 at 12 teams (remember, Temple and Charlotte are already leaving).
 
There is also the real possibility of two other teams (rumored to be Saint Louis and Dayton, per Dan Wetzel) also leaving to join the new Big East.
 
That would leave the A-10 at ten teams and squarely as a second-tier league (Fordham, Duquesne, GW, LaSalle, Richmond, St. Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, VCU and UMass).  
 
It is possible that the remaining members of the Big East (soon to be renamed - Great American Conference?) might try to add UMass.  On the other hand, that conference is a travel nightmare and has as much stability as jell-o.

 

[Clears Cleaver]

The C7+2 is a good conference, will play at MSG and have the Big East name. they are staying at 9 for a bit. There is one national program in Gtown. the rest are regional, but it will be good basketball.

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

As of now, it looks like Dayton, Creighton, and St. Louis will def join in' 14. And I have heard that Creighton very well may be in the mix next year. But also that all the FB schools will be keeping the $ from the bowls and tournament stuff...even from the exiting schools, which is a lot of $. Bit I'll still take it.

 

[RedOctober3829]

I've heard from reliable sources that Siena is being considered. Still a long shot to Creighton, but they are still in it.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

As a UConn fan who likes college football but loves college hoops, this is just awful.. There are no words. No more BET, no more MSG. We've been the face of this conference for the last 15-20 years and we're kept out of it and even kept out of that god forsaken southern hick conference that our brethren keep running to.
 
Just disgusting.

 

[Infield Infidel]

As a UConn fan who likes college football but loves college hoops, this is just awful.. There are no words. No more BET, no more MSG. We've been the face of this conference for the last 15-20 years and we're kept out of it and even kept out of that god forsaken southern hick conference that our brethren keep running to.
 
Just disgusting.

 
UConn is mostly likely going to get up to $25 million out of this arrangement, and then bounce to the ACC when the phone finally rings.

 

[Dan Murfman]

 
UConn is mostly likely going to get up to $25 million out of this arrangement, and then bounce to the ACC when the phone finally rings.

UConn's phone is out of order. We're in this together.

 

[Orel Miraculous]

With Xavier and Butler likely leaving the A-10 for the new Big East (with each paying a $2mm exit fee to the A-10), that leaves the A-10 at 12 teams (remember, Temple and Charlotte are already leaving).
 
There is also the real possibility of two other teams (rumored to be Saint Louis and Dayton, per Dan Wetzel) also leaving to join the new Big East.
 
That would leave the A-10 at ten teams and squarely as a second-tier league (Fordham, Duquesne, GW, LaSalle, Richmond, St. Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, VCU and UMass).  
 
It is possible that the remaining members of the Big East (soon to be renamed - Great American Conference?) might try to add UMass.  On the other hand, that conference is a travel nightmare and has as much stability as jell-o.

 
UMass is a football school, there is no chance in hell that the C7 goes after them.
 
As for the rest of the A10, yes, its a step down for them.  But "travel nightmare"?  Hardly.  Xavier, Butler and St. Louis made the A10 a travel nightmare.  If there is a silver lining for the A10 its that it'll be a more compact league.  Losing X and Butler hurts.  But Dayton is not a terribly strong program and St. Louis has yet to prove they'll be consistently successful.  The A10 will add George Mason and either Siena or College of Charleston and still be a very good basketball conference.