WRAL Sports Fan

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

An all sport merger of MTW and C-USA is a bit to fast let"s wait to see if the football merger works then talk all sports

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

I hope that they move UTEP and Rice into the West division as the MWC will fall to 7 and that we can add to eastern teams to ease the travel burden. Temple and FIU would be good. I would even take MTSU. I just want to play teams closer to NC. 

- Posted by tcoutouzis

If that happens at all, the most logical move would be to put UTEP in the west, bringing them to 9 teams, and then adding somebody like Louisiana Tech (currently in the dying WAC) to the east, where they would be in close proximity to Rice, Tulane and Memphis.

In effect, this would create two virtually separate conferences, united only by a championship game and television contract. But I'm betting that if this were discussed on College Game Day, Lee Corso would be saying "not so fast, my friend". The realignment carousel may not be done spinning yet.

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

^ For example, there is still an offer on the table to Air Force and Navy. It really makes more sense to add two western schools, since Central Florida gives the BE six schools in the east. Even then, what happens if UConn and/or Rutgers pull out? There are still a lot of questions to be answered.

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

So by the way the Big East thinks all they need is big cities with schools that have no fan support. so others can watch the game at home? 

- Posted by davenportj

They think market size and not market interest will help them. As a marketing professional that is one of the most foolish things you can do. If the city of Orlando and its metro area boast of a population of 2 million people and yet only 30K fans show up for a game, that shows that there is no market interest. The Big East is about to tank. Wasn't there an SMU game with 6000 fans in attendance this year?  

- Posted by tcoutouzis

At the end of the day, all three conferences, the Big East, Mountain West and C-USA wind up with smaller total fanbases than they started with. And the two biggest fanbases - Rutgers and UConn - are no lock to stay put. I don't see how that translates to better tv contracts. And they are weaker on the field as well.

The chase for the holy grail of AQ status is a fool's quest.

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

Here is an article as the all sports CUSA/MWC merger is going forward.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/33745889

RE: Report: Big East extends six invites

I don't think they realize yet that the only chance anybody ever had to become a seventh AQ conference was for the strong programs in the west to join forces, and to slough off the weak sisters among them. A small conference consisting of Boise State, BYU, TCU, Utah, Air Force, Wyoming, Fresno State and Colorado State would have been a virtual lock according to the formula the BCS prescribed.

Instead, each of the strongest teams went its own way, and now none of them is ever likely to even sniff a national championship opportunity, as TCU did last year, and Boise before them.

This latest move will likely kill the Big East's chances of retaining a BCS AQ. And, in its desperate attempt to save it, the BE failed to recognize your point - dead on target - about market size. As a result, I believe they will be greatly disappointed when it's time to negotiate a tv deal. Houston may be the tenth largest media market, but the University of Houston has a very small fan base (maybe a third of ECU's). SMU's and SDSU's fanbases aren't much bigger, despite their location in large markets. Couple that with the fact there aren't any real rivalries left in the league, and it doesn't make for compelling television.

Frankly, I still think the Big East will implode before some of these schools ever play a conference game. The business model is that bad. At least that could free up schools to seek conference affiliations that make sense for reasons other than the BCS. But what a steep price to pay.