WRAL Sports Fan

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

From what I have heard they are looking at Temple, FIU and a team from Ohio that hasn't been named. Temple just wants football only which I am not sure will fly with the conference vision. Terry seems confident that they will go to 24 teams and will be a better conference than the Big East with a better TV deal.

I think they might include 1 or 2 1AA schools. Maybe App and Georgia Southern.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

From what I have heard they are looking at Temple, FIU and a team from Ohio that hasn't been named. Temple just wants football only which I am not sure will fly with the conference vision. Terry seems confident that they will go to 24 teams and will be a better conference than the Big East with a better TV deal.

I think they might include 1 or 2 1AA schools. Maybe App and Georgia Southern.  

- Posted by tcoutouzis

It seems to me that both the Big East and C-USA are expanding, not by adding better teams than they already had, but by moving further down the food chain. At the end of the day, both of them are weaker - and significantly so - than they were before all this started. The Big East has moved down to the level C-USA occupied pre-expansion (indeed, 7 of their 12 members are now former C-USA teams) while C-USA is threatening to become Sunbelt West.

They are both in a race to see which is the taller midget.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I think that we will actually surpass the The Big East in TV dollars and strength. I think they may pick up only one possible 1AA team. That would be App St. Taller midget or not I would love to have a 4 team playoff for the Alliance Championship. It is going to set a the foundation for a national playoff and put the BCS out of its misery. They are looking for good teams in decent markets. We have heard about Temple, FIU, La Tech, North Texas, UT San Antonio some school in the MAC from Ohio. I am not sure of any others though. We'll see what happens. The Big East did take Memphis so obviously they are aware that the BCS as we know it is going away. Any football team we add will strengthen the conference by leaps and bounds.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I don't think the goal was for C-USA to be stronger than the Big East. I thought the goal was for ECU to be in a better conference than it was before. I don't think that's the case. I believe this new conference will be much weaker than it was, and I don't believe it will put more money into ECU's athletic budget. I also think it will preclude ECU from participating in any playoff format likely to be adopted.

I don't see a win here.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I hope this is for the short term. ECU can patch up a eastern conference with S.Miss. and maybe break away in a few years. or maybe they will get the CALL! And YES I don't like the merger

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I'm afraid ultimately we will see the FBS subdivide. The Pac, B10, B12, ACC and big Daddy SEC become Division One and hold a championship. Then the BE, CUSA/MWC, SB, Mid Am., and whatever they are calling that other one out west hold a Division Two poor man's championship. Then we have the FBS.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I'm afraid ultimately we will see the FBS subdivide. The Pac, B10, B12, ACC and big Daddy SEC become Division One and hold a championship. Then the BE, CUSA/MWC, SB, Mid Am., and whatever they are calling that other one out west hold a Division Two poor man's championship. Then we have the FBS. 

- Posted by lazydawg58

I think the biggest thing that keeps that from happening is that football is a zero sum game. That is, for every winner there must be a loser. What keeps the alumni of the schools in the power conferences happy is having winning records and going to bowls. This past year, 42 of the 58 schools in those five conferences achieved that. The only way they can continue to do so is if they routinely play and win a significant number of games against lesser conferences and lower division teams.

If they break away, they may be forced to just play each other, which means on average only about 29 schools will finish the season happy. That's a lot of unhappy alumni.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

I'm afraid ultimately we will see the FBS subdivide. The Pac, B10, B12, ACC and big Daddy SEC become Division One and hold a championship. Then the BE, CUSA/MWC, SB, Mid Am., and whatever they are calling that other one out west hold a Division Two poor man's championship. Then we have the FBS. 

- Posted by lazydawg58

I think the biggest thing that keeps that from happening is that football is a zero sum game. That is, for every winner there must be a loser. What keeps the alumni of the schools in the power conferences happy is having winning records and going to bowls. This past year, 42 of the 58 schools in those five conferences achieved that. The only way they can continue to do so is if they routinely play and win a significant number of games against lesser conferences and lower division teams.

If they break away, they may be forced to just play each other, which means on average only about 29 schools will finish the season happy. That's a lot of unhappy alumni. 

- Posted by Ken D.

I was thinking that they continue to play each other, just don't get invited to the elite bowls if you aren't in one of the five big time conferences.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

Not too many postings on here for ECU. I know they have lost a few close basketball games.

RE: Should ECU declare its independence?

No