Rumors in Big East Country (SMU)

[Cheesesteak]

Unsubstantiated rumors are circulating in Big East Country...

As recently leaked to the press, the BE is likely to offer invitations to Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul.

If they all accept the BE will have 16 full members 8 of which play D-1A football.

Previously there was some discussion after the ACC raid (VT & Miami) (ACC originally wanted BC, Syracuse and Miami) about the BE's D-1A football schools separating from the other schools.

One point of debate was which group would retain the BE name (valuable branding).

Of course, the football schools would target Louisville and Cincinnati (or others) to get back to 8 D-1A football playing schools whether the BE (post ACC raid) stayed intact or broke apart.

For now the BE seems committed to staying intact, but rumors persist:

* BC still wants to get into the ACC and become the ACC's 12th member (if ND declines as predicted). A future BC to the ACC move would send the BE to a dangerously low 7 teams. Supposedly, the BE will impose high exit fees in the future to discourage potential departures.

* The other rumor is that the BE will digest Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul and seek to add (4?) more D-1A football playing schools in the future. Schools mentioned include ECU, USF, UCF and Memphis. Army and Navy appear to be moving away from highly-competitive 11-12 game D-1A
schedules.

A 20 school (BE) basketball/olympic sports league is too cumbersome, so if the BE went to 12 D-1A football playing schools the league would probably split.

Marshall would be blocked by WVU and not be a viable future BE candidate. People connected to BE schools have said that they wish Massachusetts (increased body count/geography) would have made the move up to D-1A like Connecticut did.

Rumors are just rumors, but a second round of BE football expansion could cost CUSA more members.

For this reason and others, I like the geographical proximity of SMU, TCU, Houston, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, USM and hopefully Memphis as a long-term core of programs that SMU can rely on.

Any others (USF, UCF, ECU, Marshall, UAB (commitment to D-1A athletics?), (LA Tech.?) are a bonus.

[Sam I Am]

As goes the BE, so go the non-BCS football schools. Thanks for the head up information.

[Cheesesteak]

Sam I Am - you are welcome.

[EastStang]

Sports radio here in the Nation's Capital practically reported it as a fact that Louisville, Cincy, DePaul and Marquette are going to the BE.