Memphis???

[USF04]

The other thing to consider is how important are Saturday games to you?

ESPN/NBC might be willing to pay alot for games but they would almost certain to demand "marquee" matchups on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights

[PK]

Am I looking at this right? According to the numbers, we would be taking a pay cut going to the BE from CUSA...

Fuzzy math ... CUSA - Annual of 14 million divided by 12 schools = 1.17 million per school.

[USF04]

YOu make a good point on ESPN. They treat us like a step child and always put our games on crappy nights. So get used to that cause it's no fun trying to make a thursday night football game

[Stallion]

NFL now with weekly NFL Thursday Nite games. Not that I would watch anyway. More competition.

[Digetydog]

Simply put, the BE could end up as "the franchise" for NBC Sports in college sports.

Exactly why ESPN may kill the Big East, and why the "SMU to Big East" celebrations could prove to be premature.

The Worldwide Leader is certainly doing its best to kill off the BE. They don't want NBC Sports to get a viable sports package.

Living in suburbs near Bristol, the ESPN "family" is everywhere around me. Most of them are very nice people, but the corporate culture is to play to kill off competition.

[gomemphistigers1]

Look, I will start of saying that I know that USF is not a big time program in football or maybe not any bigger than Memphis, but adding Memphis just reeks of small time to me.

The best conferences hang their hats (and their TV contracts) on their big time programs.

i can't say we're excited about being with a couple of Texas football schools in SMU and Houston...but we miss our brothers UL, UC...and to a lesser extent, Marquette...

the Big East in our eyes is a basketball conference with a BCS bid...that's exactly what we want.

[huskerpony]

It would be like if yall were in the Big 12 and Texas, OU, OSU all said goodbye we are too good for you. It kinda pisses you off.

Re: big 12. Texas, OU, OSU have already tried that and will again given the opportunity.

That is DeLoss Dodds opening statement at every conference meeting.

[gostangs]

You still have the numbers wrong. Orsini has said in public on many occasions that I have heard myself that the basketball/football combo of BE vs CUSA is over a 10 million dollar difference. That is beyond dispute. They also have said the tv contract will surely be 12 minimum and probably 15. I don't think you understand how competitive this is for the tv networks - that's why espn is working against the BE so hard. We get through the summer in a viable fashion and we will hit the jackpot.

[ponyscott]

You still have the numbers wrong. Orsini has said in public on many occasions that I have heard myself that the basketball/football combo of BE vs CUSA is over a 10 million dollar difference. That is beyond dispute. They also have said the tv contract will surely be 12 minimum and probably 15. I don't think you understand how competitive this is for the tv networks - that's why espn is working against the BE so hard. We get through the summer in a viable fashion and we will hit the jackpot.

This is correct.....the BE is upwardly mobile and all the added schools are as well. The basketball is so much bigger to the east coasters than we can ever imagine here in Texas. Its huge....some on here are so very naive.

[gomemphistigers1]

Memphis did play in 5 bowl games over the last 10 years...during those years we averaged 40,000 per season...we simply don't support crap football...that said, i have high hopes for Justin Fuente...those TCU teams were fun to watch.

moreover, we put A LOT of money into our football program...we just aren't getting a return on our investment just yet.

[Charleston Pony]

welcome aboard Memphis. Hopefully the Big East will be hosting the Liberty Bowl

[Digetydog]

You still have the numbers wrong. Orsini has said in public on many occasions that I have heard myself that the basketball/football combo of BE vs CUSA is over a 10 million dollar difference. That is beyond dispute. They also have said the tv contract will surely be 12 minimum and probably 15. I don't think you understand how competitive this is for the tv networks - that's why espn is working against the BE so hard. We get through the summer in a viable fashion and we will hit the jackpot.

This is correct.....the BE is upwardly mobile and all the added schools are as well. The basketball is so much bigger to the east coasters than we can ever imagine here in Texas. Its huge....some on here are so very naive.

You made a very great point: Basketball is king in the Big East - even for most of the schools that play football. In adding Memphis, the BE made a major move to stabilize their entire footprint by offering the BB playing members what they want - better BB. More importantly, they offered two of their FB playing members (Cincinnati and Louisville) the chance to play a natural rival in both BB and football.

Since Cincinnati and Louisville are the most likely to be targets of poaching by the Big 12, the BE just made it harder for them to leave. While the Big 12 "might" offer them more money with a football offer (and presumably more stability), the team that left would have to give up playing their most important rivals. It would be like SMU giving up playing Baylor and TCU to join the Big East. Sure, you might do it, but you have think about it.

Of course, ESPN wants to cripple the Big East before it can negotiate a good TV deal with NBC. It has had the Big 10 leak the idea of a 4 team playoff: probably leaving out the ACC and/or Big East Champion most years. It has had the Big 12 leak the idea that the AQ status may go away. Since ESPN controls ACC TV money, it might counter by "incentivizing" the ACC to add UCONN and Rutgers to leave.

Of course, the people running NBC Sports might just leak that they are willing to offer the Big East teams $XXm for a combined basketball and football package. In many ways, it could become the "Big East" Network with BE basketball games on every weeknight from Christmas through March Madness. How much would they pay to replace tonight’s lineup of fishing shows with Georgetown v. St Johns, Memphis v. Louisville, or Notre Dame v. Nova?

Bottom line: the men running the conferences and the networks are playing hardball with seriously big money at stake. I wouldn’t put anything past ESPN in its war with NBC Sports.

Link to NBC Sports Channel TV Listing: http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ ... nNum=15952

[Comet]

You still have the numbers wrong. Orsini has said in public on many occasions that I have heard myself that the basketball/football combo of BE vs CUSA is over a 10 million dollar difference. That is beyond dispute. They also have said the tv contract will surely be 12 minimum and probably 15. I don't think you understand how competitive this is for the tv networks - that's why espn is working against the BE so hard. We get through the summer in a viable fashion and we will hit the jackpot.

Then SO is a liar because everything that is reported shows the BE made 44M last year for all teams. Even a USF fan comes on here and said they make crap. ESPN offered them 110M a year and they refused and have since lost their three best schools. The BE will never see 110M again.

Even with arguably a worse product, the value of the Big East can go higher than 110M so long as there is demand, and NBC Sports seems desperate enough.

[CalallenStang]

LOL JohnMcK...never mind the fact that Marinatto said that SMU was being looked in as a travel partner for TCU, and Houston was only considered after TCU left as a travel partner for us.

You are obviously Glick. Why don't you go Glick off?

[gostangs]

Mcbitter, you are wrong on the money. You'll excuse me if I take the word of our excellent ad -steve Orsini over a second rate commuter school troll monkey. Plus we have four SMU trustees who were right in the middle of all of this who have confirmed the difference is in excess of 10million a year. Each of those guys has a billion plus , in addition to staffs who can read and analyzes opposed to you.

You are wrong and they are right. You are dumb and they are smart. Next subject.