Shocker: Va Tech and Miami to ACC...

[Hoop Fan]

no Cuse or BC. ACC to lobby NCAA for exception to 12 team rule. This is wild stuff. I think this is a great development for SMU. Cuse and BC ensure that the Big East will not go to far south in expansion, probably Cincinatti and Louisville. Hope this news is credible.

[FloridaMustang]

How is this a good development for SMU? This means that C-USA could possibly decide to raid the Big East itself. The loss of Va Tech is a hell of a loss for the BE, worse than the loss of BE and Cuse would have been. C-USA could now possibly go for quality BE programs, not having to worry about surviving without Louisville, Cincy, etc.

[This message has been edited by UNFMustang06 (edited 06-24-2003).]

[Yoda]

Not so fast. The Big East has to know that the ACC will likely be back for another bite later. So I say that they not just replace the two lost schools, they expand all the way to 10 or 12, to give themselves some room to lose somebody. So what happens if CUSA loses Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis and ECU?

I think that makes TCU and USM available for the E-WAC. The Yoda Plan ( <A HREF="http://westsports.com/yodaplan.pdf" TARGET=_blank>http://westsports.com/yodaplan.pdf</A> )is coming...

...or not. Time will tell.

Yoda out...

[Hoop Fan]

You think Syracuse is gonna be annexed by CUSA? I can't think of anything less likely in all this. Syracuse and BC are more likely to accept the the Gavitt plan to keep the bball schools together. And, if they did form a new league with Louisville and Cincy, they ain't gonna stretch to FortWorth. Thats why its good news. Granted, Miami hasnt accepted yet and even if they do why would the ACC stay at 11 teams for long? There were several worse scenarios than what appears to have happened tonight.

[Stallion]

The Big East WILL now stay together and with the addition of Louisville and Cincy would be the strongest BB conference perhaps ever-big bucks probably more than they could hope to get from the FB side. The question is has SMU done what it takes to gain membership in CUSA? No! Will we luck out and get in anyway? Maybe!

[Sam I Am]

The ACC will surely not stay at 11 members schools for long. Despite what the ESPN article says about the ACC applying for an NCAA exception for having a FB conferecne playoff, I forecast that the ACC will seek a 12th team ASAP. On another board I read that perhaps Notre Dame would join a conference. I hope they do. If so, the Big 10 makes the most sense for them, but the expanded ACC has more nationally ranked schools with Miami, Va Tech, and FSU. The fun has begun. I predict that the C-USA will survive, and I don't think it will include SMU. The reason that Army & Navy considered an alliance with us is that we have been weak like them. Water seeks its own level. Welcome to the cellar.

[Charleston Pony]

ECU has hoped for an ACC invite for years, and this may just renew that hope. If the Big east doesn't jump on S.Fla & UCF, they could work their way into the picture as well.

I agree the BE could take Louisville & Cincy as "improvements" over Miami & Va Tech in hoops, and if they expand by inviting S.Fla & UCF, they may still invite Marquette & Xavier to further strengthen hoops.

Doesn't look good for CUSA right now.

[EastStang]

As I posted on another thread, though, you've got Syracuse and BC probably POed at both the Big East and the ACC. BC is still a defendant in the lawsuit for heaven's sake. CUSA may take a flier at a pre-emptive BE strike. With only 5 days to think about things, schools may act on emotion rather than logic here.

[Sam I Am]

Who knows what behind the scenes consultations the C-USA schools have made already, but don't expect quick moves by anybody to beat a June 30 deadline to avoid increased exit fees for conferecne memberships, except for the ACC invitations to Va Tech and Miami. It's up to the BE to make the next round of changes, and they are in a peculiar postion with suits against the ACC and BC. This will take some more tiime to evolve and we will have lots of interesting speculations to entertain us until real football starts the end of August.