Checking the state of the Big East - Notre Dame?

[NavyCrimson]

Very good article...that fact is, anything can happen....


Mitch Vingle
Checking the state of the Big East
Sunday May 6, 2001

FOR THE LAST 10 years, the Big East has been in a state of flux.

Now, it’s in a state of inactivity.

Unless a school in the state of Indiana makes a move.

After four expansions in the past decade and the elimination of Temple, the sports conference is at a standstill.

Those within the league would like to add another team in football. (When Connecticut joins and Temple leaves, there will be eight “football’’ members.) But they don’t want to add another team in basketball. (All fourteen schools play the sport.)

“What we’d like,’’ said WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong, “is a ninth football school that enhances our position in strength, within the [Bowl Championship Series] and overall. We have to be conscious of what a school can bring to us.’’

Then he paused.

“The school needs to be Notre Dame-caliber.’’

Or, more correctly, the school needs to be Notre Dame. If the Fighting Irish would join the Big East in football, the conference would gain a great measure of respect — let alone television revenue. Also, since Notre Dame is already a basketball-playing member, the brimming hoops league wouldn’t have to be expanded again.

But the Big East will have to wait. And wait. And wait.

Just last season, Notre Dame signed an extension with NBC over television rights. The contract is active through 2005.

The date, however, is fortuitous for the Big East. The new BCS contract with ABC expires after the January 2006 bowl games.

If, after that, the NCAA finally moves to a playoff, Notre Dame may be forced to find a conference in which it can qualify. If the BCS survives, rules may tighten, making it more difficult for the Irish to land an upper-tier berth.

“If Notre Dame would join,’’ said Pastilong, “that would seal the deal for the Big East.’’

Until the BCS/playoff picture becomes clearer, however, Notre Dame will remain at arm’s length.

Where would that leave the Big East?

In pretty good shape.

The football conference, though a notch below such powerhouses as the Big Ten and Southeastern, is one of the six BCS “power’’ leagues. The basketball conference is among the nation’s elite.

(Quick side note: For those wondering about Temple’s appeal to stay in the Big East, know success by the school is seen as a long shot. The Owls still aren’t drawing flies and the best nonconference foe they can offer television execs is Navy. “Our league presidents discussed, reviewed and evaluated Temple for several years,’’ said Pastilong. “When they were voting [to oust the Owls] they realized the importance of the vote. They cast their votes. It’s unlikely that will be readdressed.’’)

The only thunderbolt that could hit the Big East is the defection of the basketball-only members: Providence, St. John’s, Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall. It’s a group that was less than thrilled when the football schools usurped all of the power.

One source within the conference said there’s a “50-50’’ chance those schools could someday choose to detach and, perhaps, make the Atlantic 10 an elite basketball league. There’s been talk that Xavier and Dayton may move from the A10 back to a Midwest league.

Another source said such talk of a defection has died since Virginia Tech was voted into the Big East as an all-sports member. True, a move to the A10 would restore a sense of power to Providence, St. John’s, Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall. But moving in the name of “power’’ would cost the schools a lot of money. They’d be giving up many “units’’ earned by the Big East via NCAA basketball tournaments.

The other factor is Mike Tranghese. The Big East commissioner is quite attached to those at the league’s original group of schools. He understands the importance of the tradition (let alone the television markets) of the group in relation to the conference. He’ll make sure they continue to feel welcome and are major players in decision-making.

So the league is in a wait-and-see mode.

Unless a team like Maryland wants to bolt the Atlantic Coast Conference — and, considering the bottom line, why would they? — for the Big East, league officials probably will sit on their hands for the time being.

In the area of expansion, there isn’t an available school (save for Notre Dame) that piques the interest of league officials. In football, the league has its TV contract and BCS berth. In basketball, it has maximum television exposure and nationwide respect.

“As we sit,’’ said Pastilong, “we have the best of both worlds.’’

To contact Mitch Vingle, call 348-4827 or send e-mail to mitchv@wvgazette.com.




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[SMUFan]

Notre Dame should not join the Big East in football, for two reasons.

1. I hate that school, always have and always will. The last thing the Irish need is added revenue from a conference's TV contract and conference members' bowl appearances.
2. The Big East is a bad football conference, outside of Miami and Virginia Tech (please don't come back with some babble about Syracuse being a football power. Donovan McNabb and Marvin Harrison are the only good NFL players to come out of there since the great Art Monk and the great Jim Brown -- and that was a LONG time ago.) We don't need to see the Big East gain any more clout by adding ND. That would just bring more media bias to the east coast, and next thing you know we'll have to see to Chris Fowler and Lee Corso argue about who's better, Pittsburgh or West Virginia .... as if anyone cares about either school.

If there was some way ND could just shrivel up and disappear altogether, I would be one happy college football fan.