xudash

Simple question: are the B4 finished with realignment?

If you logically answer "no" to that question, then it's realistic to believe that some seismic shifts are headed towards the BE 7 hoops schools and the A10 membership.

jpschmack

It never "finishes" it only pauses.

jjjacks17

What if Georgetown pushes for and get accepted in the the ACC? That opens another can of worms.

jpschmack

You'd have to think that if the ACC does that, they take Nova and St. John's, too.
However, that would be a major tipping point for ACC football, and probably drive UNC, Va Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Florida State into the arms of the Big Ten and SEC.

It's concievable that the Big Ten/SEC going to 16, or the Big XII adding from the ACC could lead to an 18-team A-10 with Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette and DePaul (and if UMass joins an FBS conference for all sports, Creighton)

xlgman

How about they merge and go to 21 teams, keep both names and split into three 7 team divisions under one new banner? Call it the REAL Conference.

REAL - A10:

UMass
URI
St. Joe's
La Salle
St. Bonaventure
Temple (comes back and replaces Fordham)
GW

REAL - Heartland:

Xavier
Dayton
Butler
St. Louis
Marquette
Depaul
Duquesne

REAL - Big East:

Providence
St. John's
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Richmond
VCU

Play everyone once for a 20 game schedule or play everyone in your division once and 5 or 6 teams from the other two divisions each year for a 16 or 18 game schedule. It's unbalanced but so what - all conference play already is. The top 5 teams in each division qualify for the tournament plus one wildcard to make 16.

All the original Big East teams stay in the "REAL - Big East" division. Most of the longest tenured A10 teams stay in the "REAL - A10" division. All the Midwest teams get grouped together into a new "REAL - Heartland" division.

You put it all under one new umbrella conference but you keep the Big East and A10 brands prominent by emphasizing the division names in marketing, branding, uniforms, logos, etc. You leverage the two brands, maintain traditional rivalries, and take the initiative.

Make all major conference decisions dependent on a 15 vote super-majority so no two divisions could jettison the third.

We'd be in the weakest group but it might be the best chance some of those schools, including us, have of getting to the table.

tman

The way I see it----these seven BE schools seperate, keeping the name and rights to the Big East, keeping the money, and inviting several other programs to join in.
No way a 21 team conference can work.

Who gets invited?
Who knows?

The part the scares me as a UD fan is that the administration @ UD is not the smartest group in the world.. And that goes for some supporters here as well.

I think some supporters fail to realize whats going on here. The life of our program is at stake. Yet, there doesn't seem to be great joy in the possibility of raising the profile of our program. Too many people are scared that the Great Mid-West conference feel will return. Some wonder if we can compete. Some UD fans are happy where we're at and are pleased with NIT appearances.

These sentiments are echoed in todays Dayton Daily News.
This from Doug Harris UD writer DDN

Quote:
But what I’ve heard from fans is that the Flyers may not be ready for that kind of jump.
End Quote

I have zero faith that the Dayton Administration can and will do the right thing.
This is a program that continues to do less with more--than any other program in the country---.
This is not by accident.
We will be in the Horizon league or the equivalent in two years.

College Hoops

I suspect the future basketball make-up of the A-10 and bb onlies of the BE will be determined not by university administrators, but by network suits.

Moliva

Totally agree. To add onto the last point, you let Dino Gaudio and others go on TV trashing the bottom tier of the league publicly so you don't have to do it yourself.

A10fan2

Look who else may want to play in the new league!

Andy Katz

It could get really interesting.

__________________
Muddy's from 2009

He has since made the same "prediction" this year. CLASSIC

Moliva

Sad but probably (at least somewhat) true.

Bill Russell

This is all so, so, so stupid.

__________________
www.bonaalumni.com

Quinn

The key here is that since Temple has a full vote, it means the Big East football schools control the future of the conference.

Period.

If the 7 non-football schools want out, they have to do so knowing that they would forfeit:
1) tens of millions in NCAA tournament shares
2) all BE exit fee money from recent defections
3) name/brand of the Big East

That means they have 3 options:
1) leave the Big East to join the A10 (giving up NCAA tourney shares, collected exit fee claims, Big East brand)
2) leave the Big East to start something new (giving up NCAA tourney shares, collected exit fee claims, Big East brand) and inviting no more than 3 schools as to not split the new TV contract too many ways; Also will need to wait to get an NCAA autobid.
3) remain with the Big East football schools, keep things as they are, and collect the millions owed from tourney shares, exit fees, new TV contract, etc.


The meeting on Sunday was a farce. They have no power, so whatever they do (if leaving) will cost them big.

__________________
~ Quinn


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DoubleJayAlum

I think the one lesson learned from the Big East situation is that you can't have a league support football, but still have schools without football. I don't think you will ever see that happen again.

Basically there will be football leagues and basketball leagues from this point forward. It is critical that the schools without football, that have shown a willingness and desire to support basketball at the highest levels, unite with one another.

agoo101284

There's also money in football that makes it work. Gonzaga won't be Gonzaga anymore if they're dropping that much money on carting their volleyball and baseball teams all over the country.

I've said this repeated on the BonaBandwagon. There are two ways that this shakes out, I like one and I don't like the other.

1 - The basketball schools decide to forgo everything that comes with football (in the words of Randy Moss, "Straight Cash Homey") and ditch the mess that has become the Big East. Those seven join a 21 team A-10 conference. Its a matter of long-term gain for a short-term loss.

2 - The basketball schools stick it out and find a way to keep the Big East name and everything that goes with it. Given the TV money they have, they pick and choose who they want to bring in from the A-10 and elsewhere.

The A-10 is in a position of strength with recent additions of VCU and Butler since we've made it clear that we are the top basketball conference by grabbing those two programs. However, money talks and the Big East teams have the top (at least the perceived top) programs in four of the top eight media markets. When the A-10 is countering that by saying that we have Cincinatti on lock, its not going to go well for us.

brianstl1

Temple can only block it and the football schools control it as long as none of them leave in the next few months.

If you are a Temple fan do you really feel great about pinning your hopes on Cincy or UConn not jumping ship?

As soon as one leaves the basketball schools take control.