TreachX

I'm sure UConn is a little miffed that Louisville got the invite over them. Then again, the ACC basically just said, "Don't worry, guys. As soon as Florida State leaves, we'll take you guys too."

A10BBall

Hahaha that is awesome

Palestra1

The BE wouldn't allow it and Temple wouldn't consider doing for even a nanosecond. The BE is going to sign a media rights deal that pays more and offers better exposed than the A10. Why do you think that the legacy basketball members of the BE continue to align themselves with former CUSA football members rather than realigning into a basketball centric conference?

Another important factor in realignment is universities want to be in conferences where the other members are making a similar financial commitment to athletics. I'm certain that one thing that distinguished VCU and Butler from other A10 candidates is that they had the two largest budgets for basketball of the schools considered. It's also an important reason why Tulane was invited to the BE. They have a large endowment and are spending 150 million on new athletic facilities. Georgetown and Villanova have athletic budgets that are comparable to ECU and Tulane despite the fact that they play FCS football. They would prefer not to be in a conference with other schools whose athletic budgets are a third to half less than their own.

People can mock the BE all they want, but the strategy the conference is pursuing is the correct one and the same holds true for the A10 with regard to how its handled replacing Temple and Charlotte. As I've posted on here before, the Catholic league isn't happening, nor will the A10 start taking teams from the BE. It's possible, perhaps even likely that UMass will end up in the BE in the future as universities continue to play musical chairs with their conference affiliations.

Bogg

It's not about who's in the league, it's about what the next TV contract is going to look like. If the money from the combined football/basketball deal for the basketball-only schools is less than what they could demand as a basketball-only conference with some other schools, they may jump. If the combined contract is comparable or more, then they'll stay. It's that simple.

RF1

The ACC and several of its members will do UConn no favors. They will only take them if there are basically no other decent alternatives. Keep in mind that UConn made its own bed by being the lead in suing the ACC and departing Big East members back when BC, Va Tech, and Miami made their move several years ago.

rusty X

Oh hell, let's add some more fuel to the BE fire.

The Big12 is headquartered in Dallas. A few reporters from the Dallas Morning News have picked up stories that the Big12 is most interested in Virginia Tech and Florida State. They have said they do not want to expand, but the Big10(?) and their moves to the east coast have shown that expansion is also TV market driven now. Those viewers in Virginia will have more football games on their TVs on Saturdays than they ever imagined.

So, the ACC appears to be slowly sinking. They will have room for two more in a year or so. Like most people, I am having a hard time trying to imagine what schools will be in what conferences next year and the year after.

If conferences were stocks, I would buy the new Big East, or as I call it, Conference See the USA. They are adding schools that are beginning to spend some significant money in athletic improvements. They are hiring big name coaches. They are in major media markets. (well, except for Boise) And, the conference does have some significant academic strength blended in, although they do have a few clunkers. (hello ECU. hello UCF. hello USF)

And if you think you ever had buyer's remorse, how would you like to be the AD at Notre Dame now?

__________________
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RF1

There are published reports in the Hampton Roads area (where the A-10 is headquartered) that East Carolina has approached the CAA about joining for all sports but football. ECU was once a member of the CAA from 1981-2001. To my knowledge, there have been no published reports linking ECU to the A-10.

BigE

Louisville will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, becoming the sixth former Big East school to leave for the ACC, sources told ESPN.

The ACC's presidents and chancellors voted to add the Cardinals Wednesday morning to replace Maryland, which will leave for the Big Ten in 2014.

Louisville is expected to join the ACC in the same season, sources said. Big East rules require a $10 million exit fee and 27 months notice, but the Cardinals -- like several schools before them -- should be able to negotiate a higher buyout to leave before the 27-month period.


http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...ls-source-says

College Hoops

Alot of posters on the boards of the basketball onlies of the Big East are lambasting conference leadership and their own school's presidents for the mess they find themselves in, and want a catholic or bb only conference. They overlook or ignore the fact that being part of a conference that plays 'major' football albeit at a CUSA+ level,gets them more in tv money then they would if on their own (see A-10 media deal). If they vote as some suggested to dissolve the conference (the bb schools have the majority until the fb schools come in) they lose the NCAA credits and the exit fees paid or to be paid. Thats a substantial amount of money.

There is also some what of a pervasive sentiment that if the BE basketball onlies were to go their own way, schools like Dayton, St. Louis , Xavier Butler VCU and perhaps others would be on their knees begging to join.

X-man47

That's a little hard to see given the recent positive changes to the A10 in program quality and negative changes in Big Least program quality (I'm talking DePaul, Seton Hall, St John's, Providence, and Villanova here). Perhaps if a few of those programs get on their knees and beg to join the A10, we might consider it.

__________________
Xavier always goes to the NCAA tournament, and almost always makes some noise while there. Projecting anything less than that this season feels like folly.
Eamonn Brennan, ESPN (Summer Shootaround, 2012)

jpschmack

That sounds good, but it's not really possible unless ESPN wanted to cut bait completely on Big East football.

What the Big East Basketball Schools could get in a TV deal ALONE is Z
What the Big East BB/Football united could get in a TV deal TOTAL is Z + Y
What the Big East Basketball Schools could get without football, but adding A-10/MVC/CAA schools is: X + Z

Z would need to be greater than Y for the basketball schools to be willing to break off. Ignoring the fact that the Big East name, the conference tourney at MSG, and all their NCAA Tournament revenue shares they'd leave behind if they left the Big East all have a financial value; how would Xavier, Dayton, Saint Louis, Creighton, or anyone else they could bring in have a higher value than the new Big East Football conference, when C-USA right now (with Memphis, Houston, SMU, UCF, Tulane and ECU and six schools not as high profile as Boise State) has a more lucrative TV deal than the A-10, MVC, or CAA do?


The evidence they won't split from football should be overwhelming based on this week:
With basketball schools having 7 of 11 votes, they added Tulane for all sports. If they wanted to split, they would have waited until the ACC replaced Maryland, voted against any football addition, called Boise St, SDSU and Navy to say "We're not adding anyone else for football and have the votes to waive your fees if you back out" and forced football to walk away, leaving them the BE name and MSG.

And if ESPN really wanted to offer the the basketball schools a better deal in a new league, than as FB/BB conference, they'd have called the ACC and said "UConn is worth more to your future TV deal than Louisville is" or "Why don't you take Louisville, UConn and Cincinnati"

ECU without football = St. Bonaventure with better weather, more alums and a much smaller basketball venue.

Bogg

You know you just reiterated what I said over several more paragraphs, right?

vcurams05

Tulane joins the BE. MTSU and FAU headed to CUSA.

jpschmack

I love the A-10 and shout at the top of my lungs how close we have always been to the Big East frequently... but if those seven detached themselves from football, all 14 A-10 schools would be on the phone trying to join THEM and not the other way around.

jpschmack

Yeah, but my additional paragraphs were saying why that's NOT going to happen.