UCONN Denies Negotiations to Start New League

[Stallion]

will attempt to strenthen the remaining Big East teams. You know Temple and UConn are kind of out there on an Island without many Eastern schools to turn to if they don't get ACC-not surprised

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/h ... 2444.story

[PonyKris89]

I am so tired of this crap!! Just get it over with already!! The teams that suffer are the ones that we know are probably gonna be outside looking in, like us.
I would be thrilled with what is still left of Big East, if it survives, but of course it certainly will not survive for long. And of course you can't blame any of us Have Not schools to always be positioning for stronger conference, but we are all at the mercy of these Goliaths!! I want to join them but I effing hate them at the same time...damn it all.
If NBE does stay together I would absolutely love SMU chances of winning big in Hoops.

[SoCal_Pony]

According the report, UConn and Cincinnati would need to make a "profound commitment" that could include a "grant of rights" that would require waiving media revenue if they depart. That sort of long-range commitment could convince the ACC to grant an invitation to the schools.

In THIS environment???......sssssssssssssuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee

I actually feel much better about our prospects once I finally looked at all the remaining schools on the outside looking in.

The Big10 and SEC will expand. They will select teams from the ACC. After they are done, up next will be the Big12, who will also look primarily east. When the dust settles, there will be no more ACC as we know it.

Put yourselves in Florida State's shoes for a moment. The SEC and Big 10 will sign enormous TV deals with the Big12 not too far behind. We agree this is FB driven and Florida St, a premier football commodity located in a premier state is going to stay in the ACC? , no way.

If I am commish of Big12, I have already had numerous calls with Florida State and Miami.

If I am the President of Florida State, I wait and hope for a SEC invite first.

[TidePony]

The Gators will block it

[leopold]

FSU, GT and Clemson already updated their resumes and talked to the SEC when they took A&M and were openly looking for number 14 - TidePony is right, their respective in-state sister schools Florida, Georgia, and USC banded together and blocked them. That's when you started hearing stories of them talking to the Big XII. It's believed that USC might be the most amenable to letting in the Tigers, but Florida is absolutely adament about the Noles not getting in.

I understand the Big 10 looking at GaTech and UNC, and it will could bring in not only TV markets but also some BADLY needed schools in the football crazy southeast - but there's a big problem. The conference is a midwestern conference, and there is already talk about losing their identity and marketability. Jim Delaney has publically complained about the need to add schools, and can't be happy about 'watering down' the Big 10 product with Rutgers and Maryland (who backs up to the state of PA). And any school south of the Mason-Dixon line had better think long and hard about leaving a strong conference with historic ties for schools that a kid in Pensacola doesn't care about and will now know is a second-tier football conference. If GT leaves, even with a Virginia or so, they are own their own more than they would like to admit, unless they go to the Big XII.

And don't compare WVU - they had to get out of the Big East and they knew it. They took what they could. Chances are if the Big 10 takes two more, they come from the old Big East - I could see BC being the Notre Dame substitute.

And right now UConn is begging to anybody who will listen in the ACC or Big 10 for a spot. But when this shakes out they will have a spot in one or the other - my guess is the ACC, especially if BC leaves.

[Charleston Pony]

USC officials deny having anything to do with "blocking" Clemson from any SEC invite. The simple face was that Clemson would not bring any additional TV audience. That was the driving force behind Missouri's invite.

[SoCal_Pony]

Leopold,

I think your points regarding southern schools joining the B10 are valid, but at the end of the day, expansion for the B10, SEC and B12 will happen. Maybe not this year or next year, although I suspect it will indeed occur during this time frame.

It will not be 1 or 2 schools either, but 5 or 6 minimum, probably more due to the ripple effect we have already witnessed.

Unless ND is involved, or BYU goes to the B12, they will all be chosen from the ACC. That will be the death of that conference as we know it.

The real battle was already fought between the B12 and the ACC. With UT and OU staying, the B12 won. Baylor and specifically Iowa St should thank their lucky stars for the power of Bevo.

As for SMU, we simply wait it out. The left-over schools can actually make a fairly decent conference. No reason we can't be part of it.

[Water Pony]

For sake of argument, let's assume UConn and Cincinnati remain committed members and the ACC holds off the SEC, Big XII and Big Ten. Otherwise, the ACC impodes and everything is up for grabs. (BTW, the ACC started the raiding game. Live by the sword, die by the sword.) Also, I believe recent invitations to ECU and Tulane will be honored.

With the Huskies and Bearcats in, the new, new BE (to be named) with two divisions of seven FB universities are:

East: (all ET zone)

UConn
Cincinnati
ECU
Temple
Navy
USF
UCF

West

Boise State
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
Tulane
and, hopefully, BYU

Other candidates for the 14th FB school and/or expansion to a 16 FB school conference are: Air Force, Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico and Tulsa. Also, decent BB line-up

[PonySnob]

For sake of argument, let's assume UConn and Cincinnati remain committed members and the ACC holds off the SEC, Big XII and Big Ten. Otherwise, the ACC impodes and everything is up for grabs. (BTW, the ACC started the raiding game. Live by the sword, die by the sword.) Also, I believe recent invitations to ECU and Tulane will be honored.

With the Huskies and Bearcats in, the new, new BE (to be named) with two divisions of seven FB universities are:

East: (all ET zone)

UConn
Cincinnati
ECU
Temple
Navy
USF
UCF

West

Boise State
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
Tulane
and, hopefully, BYU

Other candidates for the 14th FB school and/or expansion to a 16 FB school conference are: Air Force, Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico and Tulsa. Also, decent BB line-up

Much harder to get as excited about basketball without those 7 other schools. The former BE commissioned really messed it up when he didn't take the original TV offer...........

[ColoStang]

Marianatto had some flaws. But talk that its 100% his fault that the TV deal was turned down is complete nonsense. The schools voted to go to market. not the commish.

[Water Pony]

Marianatto had some flaws. But talk that its 100% his fault that the TV deal was turned down is complete nonsense. The schools voted to go to market. not the commish.

Plus, with the subsequent defections, the TV deal would have been reopened, due to material chances to the membership.

[leopold]

The TV deal was irrelevant - the Big East was never ever going to be able to hold off the ACC or the Big Ten.

[MustangStealth]

Much harder to get as excited about basketball without those 7 other schools. The former BE commissioned really messed it up when he didn't take the original TV offer...........

Mike Tranghese messed the conference up long before Marinatto. There was always tension between the basketball side and the football side and rather than being honest and getting both sides to agree to go their separate ways amicably, he kept swinging back and forth trying to keep both sides just happy enough to stay.

He should never have screwed around with partial memberships like Temple originally had. They should never have rejected Penn. State's application in the '80s. When the marquee programs started leaving a decade ago, they shouldn't have further mucked things up by kicking out a member. The Big East has always done too little, too late in the expansion game.

[Mexmustang]

Sort of ironic, the remaining Big East could be less vulnerable than the ACC. Just look at your scenarios that you proposed--they all involve schools in the ACC. Say Georgia Tech and Florida State leave, Notre Dame's options get even narrower. Clemson and VaTech get extremely uncomfortable and panic. I don't have a clue, but find it interesting that the ACC is now the least stable.

[mustangxc]

Sort of ironic, the remaining Big East could be less vulnerable than the ACC. Just look at your scenarios that you proposed--they all involve schools in the ACC. Say Georgia Tech and Florida State leave, Notre Dame's options get even narrower. Clemson and VaTech get extremely uncomfortable and panic. I don't have a clue, but find it interesting that the ACC is now the least stable.

Not really. The Big East will continue to lose teams at the same pace the ACC loses teams. Consider The Big East like a AAA baseball team. As soon as the ACC loses a team to free agency (Big Ten, SEC, Big XII), the ACC calls up the top prospect. Currently that is Cincinnati an UCONN. Our best hope if for the ACC to lose enough teams to the point that SMU and Houston get the call. A better but less likely scenario is for SMU and Houston to be good enough on the field and in the stands that we pique the PAC-12's interest. Right now, the most stable non-aq conferences have to be the MWC and the MAC. That may be good for the league, but not for the schools considering they are not nor will they ever be desirable to the power conferences.