Big East dealing with growing pains (UCF)

[Cheesesteak]

Villanova’s balk doesn’t scuttle expansion plans...

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/m ... ing_pains/

"Central Florida, whose main opposition to a move is coming from South Florida, which does not want a Big East infringement on its Florida base, remains the most viable and logical choice. If things go smoothly, an announcement could come in July that UCF is joining TCU in the Big East for the 2012 football season."

[NickSMU17]

ESPN insider info...

With Villanova putting the breaks on its expected vote of approval to join the Big East in football, where does the conference stand? Several sources tell Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe that the conference is moving on to Plan B. "We are looking at all our options," commissioner John Marinatto said. "But it's a very complicated process and it is going to take time."

Blaudschun says that the most likely possibility is for the Big East to add Central Florida as its 10th football school, with the likes of Houston, Memphis and East Carolina in play only if the league has its eyes set on 12 members. And [deleted] Weiss of the New York Daily News wrote on Monday that the postponement of Villanova's vote might have been driven by some schools' desire to add UCF or UH rather than the Wildcats.

Depending on the reasons behind the Villanova delay (if the league is to blame, then the approval of a different 10th school appears likely), Central Florida could be added this summer, with Houston joining Villanova only if the conference goes to 12 football schools.

That, of course, would probably necessitate the football schools splitting off and forming their own conference, something that sources tell Blaudschun is a last resort. But Weiss writes that the Villanova postponement could be a sign that the football schools are "setting the wheels in motion to drop out and form their own league in 2013, when the league's TV contract runs out."

[PonyKai]

I still call bunk on Houston to AQ. I have no credible source of any kind, but the idea seems ridiculous.

[GiddyUp]

if UCF goes, makes it easier for us to run the table in 2013/14

[mrydel]

if UCF goes, makes it easier for us to run the table in 2013/14

I think that would depend on who replaces them.

[RGV Pony]

if UCF goes, makes it easier for us to run the table in 2013/14

I think that would depend on who replaces them.

La tech or ntsu? Troy ?

[GiddyUp]

if UCF goes, makes it easier for us to run the table in 2013/14

I think that would depend on who replaces them.

I really doubt a school that is going to replace them better is than UCF.

[leopold]

If UCF goes we simply replace them with FAU. FAU has just announced a brand new on-campus facility, has Howard Schnellenberger as the HC, and is basically another USF/UCF in the making. No real long-term loss.

[Stallion]

The Correct Answer: This is a game of Musical Chairs with very few more chair remaining and SMU still not in very good position to survive the cut. Resume getting better-Moody is another on the Checklist-but running out of time

[Hoop Fan]

pretty telling that we are not even mentioned as a candidate. we could probably withstand UCF leaving, but Houston or Memphis going in addition would be terrible for us and CUSA. Might think about joining Air Force and Boise in the MWC at that point. I don't know, but we better get our facilities done and then get a $100m war chest lined up to buy our way into the BCS if possible in 2014. I swear, with a billion dollar endowment, if would behoove SMU to spend 10% of it to stay relevant.

also, i think we better hope Dr. Turner is retired when the backroom deals start in earnest. He has demonstrated that he does not act with urgency (years of muddling through on changes to the model) and he is still way too idealistic about companying with the Rices and Tulanes.

[Mitch McConnell]

The Correct Answer: This is a game of Musical Chairs with very few more chair remaining and SMU still not in very good position to survive the cut. Resume getting better-Moody is another on the Checklist-but running out of time

The super duper correct answer: The Big East will implode in 5 years.

[Corp]

If UCF goes we simply replace them with FAU.

Seriously, what in the world is an FAU?

[diamond_tom]

If UCF goes we simply replace them with FAU.

Seriously, what in the world is an FAU?

It's a Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV) ubiquitously expressed.

http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=3597

[ponyboy]

Is that the cellular homolog of the fox sequence you're talking about?

[RGV Pony]

If UCF goes we simply replace them with FAU.

Seriously, what in the world is an FAU?

Fool's Gold