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Note in Press Release from Conference USA Commissioner, that they are starting a process which will include discussions with Big East. Rationalizing their memberships geographically may be better than simply having BE raid Conf USA. If you are going to lose Lousiville or more anyway, why not ensure an outcome which provides a solution to the reduction or change. Perhaps collaboration in scheduling? Comments?

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The C-USA hopes that the BE won't stage a sneak attack when it steals schools from other conferences. It ain't going to happen that way. The money and stakes are too big in college FB to expect regulated transactions like pro sports mandate. Nice try. all they have done is say theya re getting ready to react. So should we.

Even if the Big East brought UConn in a year early, they would only have 7 schools, one under the NCAA minimum to continue as a conference.

The concept of no changes taking place until 2005-2006 is totally unrealistic. Somebody is headed to the Big East in 2004.

No, you need 7 to qualify as a conference...see Sun Belt Conference

They only have 6 now, add UConn in 2004, they have 7, lose Temple in 2005, back to 6.

Rutgers is also thinking of dropping FB down a notch.

I read that the rule was raised to 8 for 2004.

you're right - stallion, it is '8'.

I checked the NCAA By-laws on line and it appears in Article III that a conference only needs six members for Division I certification. These by-laws are really wierd, and perhaps there is some other rule buried somewhere else that says eight is the number. I don't know if the BCS has an additional requirement of eight members. That would make sense. You don't want a tiny conference splitting the TV pie with a 12 team conference.

GoRedGoBlue... it was raised to 8 which is why the Sunbelt is adding a member (Troy State)

East Stang: the 6 member rule is to continue a conference brand...

That is why we could not keep the SWC name with only 4 members.

Another for-instance... if the WAC western schools bailed out on us, we would need at least 6 current members to continue to use the WAC's name and NCAA Tournament bid. If we kept the 6 members, we would still need to add 2 more to continue...

To continue playing as a conference in football, you need a total of 8 members.

And where is this little fact found, I didn't find it in the NCAA by-laws when I looked there. I've seen newspaper stories going all different directions on this because reporters don't know what they are talking about. I don't disagree with you, but if you are going to speak authoritatively on this, please cite the chapters and verses. Thanks

6-school rule: NCAA Bylaw- 31.3.4.2

The 8-school football conference rule would not be in the bylaws, because it doesn't become NCAA law until 2004. Nor will you find the 15,000-attendance rule, minimum scholarship rules, minimum varsity sports requirements rules that kick in next year.