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before you get too excited about the lineup in CUSA, the NCAA has denied the ACC request for a championship game with less than 12 members. This will spur the ACC to add one more, and very well could push the Big East football schools to consider going to 12. If that happens, goodbye Memphis and maybe some others. I hope the powers that be saw this NCAA vote coming.

Probably another Big East team.

You might be right HF (first time for everything--hahaha, just kidding) but the BE was going to 8-9 knowing that at least 10 would be needed for a Champ game. I don't see them going to more than 9 for the time being. Rumors that Cuse may go to the Big 10. What's your take on that? Interesting times.

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 09-24-2003).]

um...I'm confused, I thought the ACC already had nine, and were going to 11 with the addition of Miami and VT hoping that the NCAA would let them have a championship game without 12 schools. The NCAA said no, now they are one short to have their championship game with all the money that entails. In other words, to truly achieve the goals they started out with this summer they will need to add one more so they can have the championship game.

i think that's the silver lining that'll help everyone when we're down to the $%$##-cutting.

it'll force a shakeup in all of college fb that's been needed for a long-long time!

should have been BE--changed. Thanks

Second time, Nacho, theres a second time for everything. I think at a minimum this slows things down again. Now the ACC will go through its dog and pony show about who the annointed #12 will be. Then the Big East will react, maybe differently than before. If Boston College goes ACC and Syracuse goes Big 10, suddenly the Memphis, S Misses and TCUs are not as expendable. We'll see. I still see us getting screwed honestly. I just don't like it when people make or allow comments in the media before something is done. This is far from done, but now SMU has set itself up for disappointment... again. I sure hope my instincts are wrong and our luck has changed.

HF I think you have a serious case of the dreaded, but not fatal SMU Syndrome. Known to afflict SMU fans everywhere. Characteized by a definite feeling that SMU will never do anything right and that SMU will never get a break. No known cure.

The ACC will now be determined to expand to 12 as their intent all along was to get in on the lucrative conference football championship game. While they are courting Notre Dame, the fact is they will be able to pick and choose from among BC, West Virginia, ECU, USF or UCF. The only question is how long they will take to extend another invite. Depending on what they do and how that influences the Big East, CUSA may not be out of the woods yet.

The Big East could still follow thru with their plans for a Big East Alliance of 8 fball and 8 bball schools by simply replacing BC or W.Va with ECU, USF or UCF. That would be the best scenario for SMU, as it increases the chances of SMU, Tulsa and Rice all being invited to CUSA.

If the Big East changes course and the fball and bball schools split, the Big East football league, fearing loss of BCS status, could go to 12 schools by raiding the CUSA-east schools. That might in turn motivate the MWC to consider inviting 4 western WAC schools. At that point, we'd better hope we can put together a watered down version of the SWC.

OK, I will stick out my neck and predict that BC goes to the ACC because miami wants them there. When that happens the BE will raid the C-USA for enough schools to have eight solid football teams. The C-USA of necessity will raid the WAC East and SMU will get in. May I add that I am still waiting to win my first trifecta and that I have never made a hat trick.