Big East Conference (adding Temple?)

[Eja117]

I bet a year ago when TCU joined the Big East was thinking "This is so gonna save our wazoo"  Or at least maybe the commissioner was. While about half the league presidents were thinking "I'm outta here"

[wdleehi]

So, let's say TCU and UConn (and perhaps Rutgers) leave the Big East.

Is there any way that they can hold on as a BCS conference if they pick up the service academies and add Notre Dame?

If the BCS bid was automatic, I could see Notre Dame jumping in, if only because they'd essentially be insured of a BCS bowl the majority of years.

ND would go to the Big 10 if they made that jump.

Actually there was a pretty compelling case for ND to jump to the ACC.  Mainly for academic reasons over the big 10.  Right now the ACC has 7 of the top 40 institutions in the country.  The Big 10 only has 2. 

And as a side not Notre Dame Hockey just joined Hockey East

Better long term rivals in the Big Ten. 

BC is the only real rival in the ACC

[Roy H.]

So, let's say TCU and UConn (and perhaps Rutgers) leave the Big East.

Is there any way that they can hold on as a BCS conference if they pick up the service academies and add Notre Dame?

If the BCS bid was automatic, I could see Notre Dame jumping in, if only because they'd essentially be insured of a BCS bowl the majority of years.

ND would got to the Big 10 if they made that jump.

For whatever reason, ND doesn't seem inclined to join the Big 12.  Apparently, rumors are that they prefer the ACC. 

However, could their mind be changed if they played in a conference that 1) is easy to win, 2) has the service academies, who they traditionally play, and 3) is the same conference they play basketball in?

[Eja117]

7 of the top 40?  Wait a minute

Duke
UNC
BC

not NC State

not Clemson

not FSU

not Georgia Tech....right?

Maryland? I didn't think so.

Not Virginia Tech i don't think

Virginia is in

Not Miami I don't think

are we projecting Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC, cause I don't think they're top 40 either.

Anyway academics comes a poor second to money

[Rondo2287]

7 of the top 40?  Wait a minute

Duke
UNC
BC

not NC State

not Clemson

not FSU

not Georgia Tech....right?

Maryland? I didn't think so.

Not Virginia Tech i don't think

Virginia is in

Not Miami I don't think

are we projecting Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC, cause I don't think they're top 40 either.

Anyway academics comes a poor second to money

Quote from an article in the notre dame student newspaper

U.S. News rankings show that as it stands, the new ACC has seven top 40 universities. The new Big 10 only has two. Where it matters - in the classroom - that's like Tyson fighting an infant."

[bdm860]

7 of the top 40?  Wait a minute

Duke
UNC
BC

not NC State

not Clemson

not FSU

not Georgia Tech....right?

Maryland? I didn't think so.

Not Virginia Tech i don't think

Virginia is in

Not Miami I don't think

are we projecting Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC, cause I don't think they're top 40 either.

Anyway academics comes a poor second to money

http://www.beyondusports.com/acc-top-bcs-conference-academic-rankings/

"Stanford was the top BCS conference school. The Cardinal came in at number 5. Duke was next at number 10. The ACC over all had seven schools ranked in the top 40: Duke, UVA and Wake Forest tied at 25, North Carolina at 29, Boston College at 31, Georgia Tech 36, and Miami at number 38."


Also from another source:
http://articles.courant.com/2011-09-25/news/hc-uconn-acc-academics-0926-20110925_1_college-rankings-acc-uconn-president-susan-herbst
"In the latest rankings of national universities, UConn is No. 58, tied with one of the newest members of the ACC, the University of Pittsburgh. That puts both schools in the middle of the 14 members of the ACC, just behind the University of Maryland-College Park, which at No. 55 is the eighth-highest-ranking ACC school. The other new member of the ACC, Syracuse University, is No. 62.

Other schools that have been mentioned as possibilities for the ACC include the University of Notre Dame, which is ranked No. 19; Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, in New Brunswick, at No. 68, and West Virginia University at No. 164."

[Eja117]

Interesting.  I forgot about Wake Forest.

At least the Big Ten has Wisconsin, Penn State, and Illinois right in the early to mid 40s.

There's only 1 private school in the Big Ten.  There's a few in the ACC. BC, Wake, Duke, Miami

Wow. Ohio St has stepped up, while Florida slipped. So did Cuse

[Moranis]

So, let's say TCU and UConn (and perhaps Rutgers) leave the Big East.

Is there any way that they can hold on as a BCS conference if they pick up the service academies and add Notre Dame?

If the BCS bid was automatic, I could see Notre Dame jumping in, if only because they'd essentially be insured of a BCS bowl the majority of years.

ND would got to the Big 10 if they made that jump.

For whatever reason, ND doesn't seem inclined to join the Big 12.  Apparently, rumors are that they prefer the ACC. 

However, could their mind be changed if they played in a conference that 1) is easy to win, 2) has the service academies, who they traditionally play, and 3) is the same conference they play basketball in?

If ND went to the ACC before the Big Ten, it wouldn't really be for academic reasons as the Big Ten is a fine academic conference (only Nebraska is not in the AAU and it was until last year when its no medical school hurt it).

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo laid out some possible reasons quite well
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-wetzel_notre_dame_should_jump_to_acc_091911

Essentially Wetzel argues, that the Midwest is dying and the East, especially the Southeast is growing.  By tying itself to an eastern conference, ND aligns itself better long term and gets regular games in huge markets that it doesn't already recruit well anyway.  ND also would stand out as a football power in the ACC way more then in the Big Ten (where OSU, UM, PSU, and now NU have almost as much football history and every bit as rabid a fan base - even places like Wisconsin and Iowa pack in 100k every saturday).  

Additionally, the ACC schools are similar in size and scope academically and otherwise as ND.  The Big Ten is an excellent academic conference (see AAU representation), but the schools are massive public universities (except Northwestern) and have a much larger range of undergrad and graduate programs then ND, which is more in line with the generally smaller (many of which are private) ACC schools.  

[Donoghus]

Anybody else see the irony in this development?

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-bigeast-boisestate

[Moranis]

Anybody else see the irony in this development?

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-bigeast-boisestate

according to cnnsi, the persuasion is done.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/football/ncaa/10/14/big-east-expansion.ap/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a3&eref=sihp

Boise, Navy, and Air Force to be invited as FOOTBALL ONLY, Central Florida to receive a full invitation.  

I can't imagine the Big East would send out invites without knowing they response would be a Yes.

[Chris]

It's sad that none of the legit conferences out west are willing to bring in Boise, and they are having to consider jumping on a sinking ship on the other side of the country.  I have a feeling if they were just always ranked 15th in the country, they would already be in the Big 12, or Pac 12, or one of those conferences, but no one wants to bring in a team that they are going to lose to year after year (unless they have other things on their resume to make that worth it).

[Donoghus]

The Big East is a clusterbunch now. 

[Moranis]

Looks like the Big East is in desperation mode for a football team to add next year after Boise indicated it couldn't join until 2013 and thus enters Temple, which would receive full membership if it can join this summer.  Temple would then replace West Virginia on the Big East football schedule and be in the conference as a full fledged member.  

That would mean the conference could also go to a title game for the 2013 season, two years before it would have been able to previously as Navy isn't joining until 2015 (I suspect the Big East would also look to add Air Force as a football only member for that season to go to 14).

Big East - 2013 football would then look pretty much like this (they would let Cuse and Pitt out early).

EAST
Rutgers
Temple
Connecticut
South Florida
Central Florida
Cincinnati

WEST
Boise St.
Memphis
Louisville
San Diego St.
Houston
Southern Methodist

Navy would enter the East in 2015 and presumably someone (like Air Force) would join the West that year.

[Rondo2287]

Honestly, I am pretty pumped that the big east is crumbling and Uconn will by done in by the rubble.  What goes around comes around.

[Donoghus]

What a joke.

A once proud conference is becoming a laughingstock.

Too bad I'm not shedding a single tear about it.