Stiff Penalty to Leave CUSA

[SMUBaller]

This might be a struggle for Cougar High and others

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/c ... 5483.story

[PonyKai]

It's gotta be like a bag of peanuts and a six pack of Busch heavy.

[SMUBaller]

If the Knights ultimately decide to join the Big East, Conference USA officials told the Sentinel that UCF would have to pay an exit fee of about $7 million. Schools leaving C-USA must pay their annual share of television revenue under dual contracts with Fox Sports Network and CBS Sports for five years and an additional one-time $500,000 fee.

[Dutch]

doubt it. i know you were joking, but they can just borrow the money on a LOC. worst case they pledge future contractually obligated revenue (from BE contract) at a higher rate.

[Mestengo]

PONYFANS will cover that. Lol

[SMU 86]

Another interesting point.

"Conference USA also plans to enforce its exit rules, which means the earliest UCF could join the Big East would be for the 2013 football season."

[Comet]

Another interesting point.

"Conference USA also plans to enforce its exit rules, which means the earliest UCF could join the Big East would be for the 2013 football season."

You say interesting, I say terrible :p

[PonyPlayer4]

Too bad David Miller isn't a football fan.

[goldenstang]

The Big East can just hang on to Pitt and Syracuse one more year if they want.

[Dutch]

Another interesting point.

"Conference USA also plans to enforce its exit rules, which means the earliest UCF could join the Big East would be for the 2013 football season."

money talks. you think we couldn't double it to get out for next season? make it a cool mil? we could raise a million bucks for BE membership for next fall in less than 2 weeks.

[Pony^]

Here’s a breakdown of the potential pros and cons UCF administrators will likely be weighing this week while deciding whether to accept the invitation:

PROS
– UCF has been waiting a long time to join an automatic qualifying Bowl Championship Series conference.
– It’s easier to jump to stronger automatic qualifying BCS leagues once you’re a member of the club.
– The Big East, even in its depleted state, could offer a quick infusion of major television revenue.
– The Big East tag would help with recruiting in all sports.
– It’s unclear how long the invitation will be on the table. While UCF has questions about the league, East Carolina would likely pounce on the invitation and could potentially take the Knights’ spot.
– Even if more Big East charter football members leave, the remaining members would likely sue the BCS and seek legislative relief to avoid losing automatic qualifying status during the next round of BCS contract negotiations.
– The opportunity to join the elite Big East men’s basketball lineup could completely transform UCF’s program.
– The war on I-4 is back! UCF would resume its natural rivalry with current Big East member USF, which is not currently considered a viable candidate to earn an invitation to another conference.
– While it seems likely, there still is no guarantee a potential Conference USA alliance with the Mountain West Conference would earn an automatic BCS bid.
– UCF represents a major television market and a lot of long-term potential for growth, so there is a chance Conference USA would take the Knights back if the Big East fell apart.

CONS
– Current Big East football members have made it clear they would take any invitation to another league. Louisville and West Virginia are top candidates to join the Big 12 if Missouri leaves. None of the current members agreed to pledge their support to the league by raising exit fees.
– The Big East basketball schools could also break away to form a Catholic league without the major headaches of a conference with divided interests, leaving a depleted collection of football schools behind.
– The Big East basketball members that don’t play football heavily influence the league’s decisions, which means UCF might have little control over its long-term future and decisions made by the conference.
– It is unclear whether the Big East will retain its BCS automatic bid when contracts expire at the end of the 2013 season. If the league loses any more charter football members, it would be a major challenge.
– There is no guaranteed Conference USA would take UCF back if the Big East crumbled after the Knights accepted an invitation.
– The Conference USA alliance with the Mountain West Conference is picking up momentum now that it is clear TCU won’t be returning to the Mountain West and helping it secure an automatic bid by itself. With schools from both conferences being targeted by the Big East, C-USA and the Mountain West have plenty of incentive to move quickly.
– C-USA and the Mountain West are prepared to aggressively fight for an automatic BCS bid. The leagues also would pursue new TV contract negotiations, likely generating more revenue for all current members.
– UCF has a chance to be more successful in the C-USA/Mountain West alliance, especially in football. Florida teams often struggle for wins late in the season when they are forced to play in cold weather.
– The transition to Big East basketball as it currently exists could be brutal for the Knights.
– Travel would be a big challenge for all UCF sports.
– UCF has built up solid rivalries with the current C-USA members and it’s easier for fans to travel to those road games than it would be in the Big East.
– UCF is a proud member of Conference USA. Seriously. Despite all the insults UCF fans have lobbed at Conference USA, the school’s administration remains immensely grateful it was invited to leave the Mid-American Conference and join Conference USA in all sports. There was a time not all that long ago when UCF leaders weren’t sure the school could ever move up from the MAC. Conference USA has given UCF the national platform it needed to grow at a rapid rate. Without C-USA, UCF would not be in contention for a Big East invitation 15 years after making the jump to what is now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports ... -soon.html

[RE Tycoon]

Another interesting point.

"Conference USA also plans to enforce its exit rules, which means the earliest UCF could join the Big East would be for the 2013 football season."

money talks. you think we couldn't double it to get out for next season? make it a cool mil? we could raise a million bucks for BE membership for next fall in less than 2 weeks.

Dutch, by my calcs we would need $14 to $15 million under your scenario. The $500k that was referenced was an add on on top of TV monies for 5 years.

[SMU 86]

I read somewhere that orginal members only had to pay $500,000 to exit.

[PonyKai]

Every conference says they're going to enforce their exit clauses and fees. Check back when teams have a actually packed their bags to leave.

[Dutch]

Another interesting point.

"Conference USA also plans to enforce its exit rules, which means the earliest UCF could join the Big East would be for the 2013 football season."

money talks. you think we couldn't double it to get out for next season? make it a cool mil? we could raise a million bucks for BE membership for next fall in less than 2 weeks.

Dutch, by my calcs we would need $14 to $15 million under your scenario. The $500k that was referenced was an add on on top of TV monies for 5 years.

Ahh. That's quite a bit more, but I am sure that in that case we could turn to CoC for an additional influx of capital in order for them to receive max value for their other commitment. Plus I still think we could get a check from just about any bank in the world by using endowment as collateral.