[bluedevilflame]

Duke / Carolina IS a National, or at least East of the Rockies, rivalry

Not true. I grew up in Connecticut and we didn't give a donkey about Duke/UNC. ESPN is pushing that narrative. Remember that one year where they had it on 3 or 4 different ESPNs from different camera angles? One of which was just pointed at the student section the whole time. Talk about over saturating.

I grew up in the heart of Big 10 country and I knew all about it

I've been to California during a UNC/Duke game, the huge bar I was at had as many Duke/UNC fans cheering as I've seen here in the Triangle.
I think a lot of people think of Duke as a small private school but don't understand the reach. They are building a campus in China, the first of any school in the country. Alumni include presidents of nations, including Nixon,other politicians (including Ron Paul and Elizabeth Dole) , Melinda Gates and Wendy, yes the Wendy from the chain (the best of the bunch!)and the next NBA commissioner Silver. They have influence in a lot of arenas and have serious amounts if cash donated yearly to athletics, notably the vastly improving football program and stadium expansion. Duke is on another planet then your average private school, I'm sorry but Duke fits like a glove into the B1G as does UNC and I can promise they'll go as a package if they go.

[JK37]

How many private schools in the Big 10?

[Purple Haize]

How many private schools in the Big 10?

1

[phoenix]

I grew up NOT a sports fan at all. Sports on TV was something my Dad watched while I was outside doing whatever. But I knew of a few rivalries -- Redskins/Cowboys, Ohio State/Michigan, Oklahoma/Texas, and Duke/UNC.

[JK37]

Duke fits like a glove into the B1G as does UNC and I can promise they'll go as a package if they go.

How many private schools in the Big 10?

1

Not a glove. You better start coughing up serious sources, BDF, or expect heavy criticism of such a bold and assured statement.

[rmiller1959]

The Big East has signed a TV contract but it is not the numbers they had hoped to obtain ...

‏@McMurphyESPN

Big East deal w/ESPN is $10M for 2013-14 hoops only; $20M for 2014-20 for football/hoops; CBS also worth at least $2M/year in '14

This clears up one corner of the realignment picture and the outcome of the Maryland lawsuits will likely provide the next major development that will determine where realignment heads next.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I knew the deal would be small by industry standards, but am I off for viewing this as utterly paltry?

You're not off at all. Check out the deal they turned down less than two years ago:

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... w-tv-deal/

[bluedevilflame]

Duke fits like a glove into the B1G as does UNC and I can promise they'll go as a package if they go.

How many private schools in the Big 10?

1

Not a glove. You better start coughing up serious sources, BDF, or expect heavy criticism of such a bold and assured statement.

The B1G prides itself on academics, here's two biggies:

AAU status
http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476

2013 US News overall ranking - 8. One of only two BCS schools in the top 20
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandrevie ... iversities

And of course athletics speak for themselves, especially the basketball and lacrosse programs. And the football team? Take a look at where that stadium is going for the program:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... de-stadium

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/dukenow/v ... s-upgrades


Bottom line is Duke is not only a national brand, it is an international brand. The B1G wants to be big time academics and athletics, Duke is a no brainer. Football as always been a struggle but is on a steady upswing since Cutcliffe came to town and the future is bright if things keep up like they are for the program, Lord knows they are pouring money into the program.

[JK37]

So it is an opinion, based in facts viewed subjectively. Thank you for your clarification.

[TH Spangler]

Jack! ..... I believe if you break up Duke, NC State, UNC, and Wake the basketball programs slowly become average at best.

[Sly Fox]

Haven't half those schools already fallen into the mediocre category?

I seriously doubt if UNC & Duke are still in the same league by summertime.

[Purple Haize]

Haven't half those schools already fallen into the mediocre category?

I seriously doubt if UNC & Duke are still in the same league by summertime.

Really?!? Hmmm.

[TH Spangler]

Haven't half those schools already fallen into the mediocre category?

Can't argue with that ... Heck, its over for Duke when coach K retires. Look at their 1994 season without him?

[SumItUp]

There is more chatter on one of the Sun Belt boards that Western Kentucky is moving to Conference USA and it will be announced soon. The Sun Belt is meeting in two weeks during their basketball tourney to discuss new conference additions. Apparently, 3 is the number. Appalachian State & Georgia Southern seem to included in each scenario.

Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, New Mexico
Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, James Madison
Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, (FCS school)

If it's on the internet, it must be true.

[rmiller1959]

Interesting article on a school which recently made the transition from FCS to FBS, and is joining the Sun Belt Conference this fall:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... e/1953665/

[rmiller1959]

Looks like the Big East name is departing along with the "Catholic 7" basketball schools; no word on what the current Big East conference is going to call itself:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... ng-sources

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... e-with-it/

[Purple Haize]

Butler and Xavier will be joining them. I LOVE this conference for hoops!

[adam42381]

They should make it the Catholics and the single Protestant...

[FlameFanInCarolina]

Looks like the Big East name is departing along with the "Catholic 7" basketball schools; no word on what the current Big East conference is going to call itself

Conference USA?

[rmiller1959]

Here's a good article on the challenges of renaming what is left of the old "Big East":

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/sport ... .html?_r=0

"And then a new task will begin for the Big East: finding a name that embraces the geographic hodgepodge that the conference has become in its scramble to maintain its viability, if not its former stature. Mike Aresco, the Big East commissioner, has a challenge not faced by his brethren in other conferences that have undergone some changes. He declined to comment.

"The Big Ten kept its name as it grew to 12 universities. The Pacific-10 became the Pacific-12 without worrying that Colorado and Utah were even farther from the ocean than Arizona State. The Big 12 shrank to 10 universities, but that did not prompt a name change.

"For a Big East by another name, questions abound. Will “Big” remain part of it? With multiple regions in a remade conference that do not add up to national scope, what, if anything, about the universities will the name try to convey?

"And, of course, something as amorphous as Conference USA is already taken."

[FlameFanInCarolina]

"And, of course, something as amorphous as Conference USA is already taken."

Really, I didn't realize that since it seems like some of the teams in the new conference came from Conference USA.

[rmiller1959]

Looks like the "Catholic 7" have reached an agreement, and they are taking the Big East name and the Madison Square Garden tournament with them.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... s/1963671/

Meanwhile, the fan polls on what the new name should be for the former Big East don't seem to be generating much interest

http://discussions.orlandosentinel.com/ ... 0130304/10

[rmiller1959]

"And, of course, something as amorphous as Conference USA is already taken."

Really, I didn't realize that since it seems like some of the teams in the new conference came from Conference USA.

SMU, UCF, Memphis, Houston, Tulane and East Carolina are all leaving Conference USA to join the former Big East, so they could be called Conference USA except...

...Conference USA is keeping the name and stealing Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee State and North Texas from the Sun Belt Conference, Louisiana Tech and UT-San Antonio from the WAC, which is dead for football going forward, and adding two FCS schools, Old Dominion and Charlotte. They might need to add one more school, since the former Big East might steal Tulsa from them, and the buzz is that they'll raid the Sun Belt Conference again and take Western Kentucky from them.

The Sun Belt is adding two football members from the FCS ranks, Georgia State and Texas State, and they're looking to add at least two more schools to replace the four schools that went to Conference USA. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and James Madison are the schools getting the most public mentions as prospects.

This all matters to Liberty because every team the Sun Belt loses opens up a potential slot for Liberty, although no one dares to speak the name

Got all that? It will change by morning!

[4everfsu]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ing-report

[logic]

Is 100 million worth losing the Big East name? Any marketing types want to guess how much that will lose them over the next 10 years? I suppose a lot depends on what they come up with to replace it.

[Purple Haize]

The Big East started as a basketball conference and it was more important for the departing schools to have it than for the remaining schools. It really is of no value to the football schools IMO because of the history involved. I think they might have held out for more money but its not like its chump change.