[Sly Fox]

Even with the FBS jump by 'Nova, they have nothing to offer the ACC. But you are dead on that hoops has practically nothing to do with realignment right now. Otherwise Kansas wouldn't be in the boat they are in.

[JK37]

UConn and Rutgers have multiple leagues for which they fit the mold - ACC and B10 chiefly. Missouri has been mentioned in relation to the SEC a little, as well as the B10 a lot. To me, that degree of uncertainty will possibly make one league make a move quickly. For example, he B10 might gobble up one or others before the ACC or SEC has the chance, or vice versa. In essence, that's exactly what the ACC did - get Syracuse and Pitt before someone else takes them first. And then, lock them in with a HUGE buyout amount!

The Big Ten doesn't want WVU, and WVU only wants the Big 10 as a last resort (which this could reach!). I agree completely with the order of importance that Sly posted in reference to potential Big 10 targets. And the schools above WVU will say "Yes" before WVU gets an invite.

ACC fans have a disillusionment that really isn't true. The ACC commisioner's office understands that football is really king in all of this. The league that has the identity problem is actually the Big East - it can't seem to figure out that the money follows football. Who cares if you have the most powerful basketball league in the nation?! Obviously Syracuse and Pitt didn't. UConn, Rutgers, and WVU won't either.

[JK37]

hoops has practically nothing to do with realignment right now. Otherwise Kansas wouldn't be in the boat they are in.

Good example!

[JK37]

Even with the FBS jump by 'Nova, they have nothing to offer the ACC.

Philly TV market for football?

And before you laugh, saying Philly is a pro town ... remember how Rutgers nearly leveraged the NYC market a year ago into an invite to the B10 - and that still may happen!

[soccer7]

STAYING (for now)
USF
Cincinatti
Rutgers
TCU
LOOKING TO LEAVE
Louisville
WVU
UConn
POSSIBLE FBS ADDITIONS
UCF
ECU
Army
Navy
Marshall
Baylor
Rice
Temple
Iowa State
Kansas
K-State
FAU
FIU
U. of Houston
POSSIBLE FCS ADDTIONS
Liberty (just my hope so we don’t get locked out)
JMU (creates a great in-state rivalry)
Villanova (if they can get their stadium situation figured out)
UMass
Appy State
Jackonsville State
Georgian Southern (if they have an interest in moving up)
Stony Brook (if they have an interest in moving up)


Like I said before the BIG EAST could stay together if they want to. If they are pro-active and get their act together they could put together a very nice looking conference that would have 16 Unversity's that have football programs.

[Sly Fox]

My only clarification to soccer7 post is that those top four are very much looking to leave right now as well. And the Big east will likely survive as a football league but one that is comparable to today's C-USA.

And if the ACC wanted the Philly market, wouldn't Temple make more sense? Frankly I think they would have zero interest in either school.

[LUconn]

I think we all need to get on the same page for this discussion. We keep saying something and then somebody chimes in a little later with what will happen which completely contradicts one of the givens. This is about football and football TV markets. Basketball doesn't matter. Academics don't matter. Well, they're more like a bonus. If the ACC cared about basketball, why did they add VT, U, and BC years ago? So some of our only facts going forward is that

1. Everything is about football and TV markets related to football
2. ACC teams will not being going anywhere because they literally can't afford to

[LUconn]

Also, I'm not buying this Nova to FBS talk. They were just invited yet again to the BIG EAST and they just don't have a place to play nor the attendance numbers. Even after winning a national championship.

[ATrain]

I agree, hoops is at best an afterthought in the realignment discussions. Today we should find out from Oklahoma and Texas about the fate of the Big XII.

[SumItUp]

Also, I'm not buying this Nova to FBS talk. They were just invited yet again to the BIG EAST and they just don't have a place to play nor the attendance numbers. Even after winning a national championship.

Agreed, it's not happening.

They were "sorta" invited and then later told to stand by and wait for the phone to ring. They never received an official invite. I do not see them making the jump. They do not have the administration, faculty, student, alumni support and/or finances to make the move to FBS. Their assets are a basketball program and a location near Philly which does not work without the other support. The only reason they were being considered for the Big East is that they are already a member in other sports. If they did not have that existing connection, their football program had no value to warrant an invite from a BCS conference.

[alabama24]

1. Everything is about football and TV markets related to football

True

2. ACC teams will not being going anywhere because they literally can't afford to

Not (necessarily) true. SEC teams make nearly $20 million each year in revenue sharing. If the SEC & FSU/VT want it badly enough, it will happen.

[JK37]

Sly, you're probably right about Nova re: TV market. I'm just trying to think like the ACC might.

alabama24, your idea of a 16-team Big East football conference is impossible given the 6 non-football schools in the league that still hold a lot of power in these decisions being made. They've decreed they don't want the Bball league to be bigger than 16. (of course, I suppose they could change their minds.) that limits the BE to 10 football teams, unless an ECU or UCF-type were willing to join as football-only. Possible I guess, but those schools haven't been willing to budge yet. It would also dilute the football league, as Sly mentioned. If diluted, the current BE football teams would still be unhappy, because the TV $$$ would drop. The only other way the BE can add to football w/o upsetting the bball numbers is if ND joined in football.

Every single current football school in the Big East is looking to get out right now.

[lynchburgwildcats]

I agree, hoops is at best an afterthought in the realignment discussions. Today we should find out from Oklahoma and Texas about the fate of the Big XII.

Unless it's the ACC we are talking about. You don't add such football powerhouses like Syracuse and potentially UConn and Rutgers if it was all about football! All three of those schools will most years not improve the ACC in football and probably even make it worse. Pitt gives them another team to give VA Tech, FSU, and Miami a competitive contest.

ACC will be the only one of the four big mover and shaker conferences that will have actually made their self worse at football before all is said and done.

[JK37]

I agree, hoops is at best an afterthought in the realignment discussions. Today we should find out from Oklahoma and Texas about the fate of the Big XII.

Unless it's the ACC we are talking about. You don't add such football powerhouses like Syracuse and potentially UConn and Rutgers if it was all about football! All three of those schools will most years not improve the ACC in football and probably even make it worse. Pitt gives them another team to give VA Tech, FSU, and Miami a competitive contest.

ACC will be the only one of the four big mover and shaker conferences that will have actually made their self worse at football before all is said and done.

You're thinking on-the-field, which is not where such decisions are made. Consider, rather, that by enhancing their viewership, the ACC will in-turn increase their TV revenue. This increases each member school's share. More money + more exposure means better football.

While Syracuse may be down, and Pitt had had better days, the addition of these two does not make ACC football worse. The bottom half of ACC football was doing a fine job of that on their own.

The ACC may have thought that by making such a move, they would placating their basketball base. But don't kid yourself: this move is about money, in which case it's about football. Fans may not understand that, and that's reasonable. But thankfully for those same ACC fans, Swofford et. al., get it.

[JK37]

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12, I'm hearing, is now all but done. Also, Texas to the Pac-12 may happen, but its going to take weeks to iron everything out, if it does indeed happen at all.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegespo ... alignment/

Also, more reading on the demise of Big East Football:

The creation of a fifth 16-school conference is possible, but a source said even if the remaining Big East schools -- Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, TCU and West Virginia -- joined with Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri, the time almost surely has come for the Big East basketball schools to cut ties with the football members.


Sources at St. John's and Seton Hall said the scenario of the non-football playing schools returning to their roots has been discussed over the past year.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... HOk81jTKZL

[soccer7]

We (Liberty) wants the BIG EAST to stick it out and survive this mess creating the fifth 16 team conference. If they do not then we will always be on the outside looking in.

[JK37]

More interesting words:

The ACC has now created a battle royal between the Big East and Big 12 for their mutual continued existence. It's clear one is going to have to poach the other to join the superconference sprint race.

Well put.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... m-a-minute

[jbock13]

Yeah, because we all know that Liberty can compete with the Big East in football, and especially basketball?

Well, maybe baseball... in all honesty.

[soccer7]

Yes we would be competitive in football and every other sport except for basketball. Over time with conference affiliation our basketball would catch up as well.

[JK37]

Yes we would be competitive in football and every other sport except for basketball.

Really?

[soccer7]

Yes really. If you consider being competitive winning every game and winning conference championships in every sport then no. If you are a realist and see the talent that we have, the coaches we have and the administrative staff we have in place then yes I truly believe we will be competitive in the B.E. except for basketball. We still are going to behind there but we have a good coaching staff, the facilities are catching up, we have a good group of kids on campus now and the rest will follow with conference affiliation . Just like you all jumped ship on our football team this year you our jumping ship on our move to bigger and better things with our athletic program. For men and womaen of faith who want to see God's glory done in every aspect of life then I am ashamed of you for selling our University short of accomplishing great things.

[Schfourteenteen]

A respectable game vs. NC State doesn't mean we could last an entire season vs. that caliber opponent, IMO

[soccer7]

Well I am glad you are not leading the way for LU athletics. At least I hope that they are not as closed minded as you and lay our future on ONE game and not the potential we have as a program going forward.

[Schfourteenteen]

Well I am glad you are not leading the way for LU athletics. At least I hope that they are not as closed minded as you and lay our future on ONE game and not the potential we have as a program going forward.

You should be!

But you've taken whats been said about our immediate "competitiveness" with a BCS conference right now and applied it to much more. In fact, nothing has been said about the program's potential....only the current standing in comparison to the Big East. We would get smoked right now in most sports, as would be the expectation. Apparently you cant make the distinction between current ability and potential.

[pbow]

WVU fans are always hyping themselves up more than they really are. The reality is nobody outside of Northern WV really give a rip about the 'Eeers.

This isn't even close to true. You're telling me that the only place WVU matters is in Northern WV? Not the people in the Eastern Panhandle, Charleston, or the coal fields? I'm not by any means saying that WVU has a massive fan base like Texas, Bama, Florida, etc. But WVU is always in the top 15 in branding, which makes little to no sense if WVU only matters in the northern part of a state that probably doesn't even have 2 million people.

I'm guessing your maybe from a southern state or maybe Huntington? Because WVU's fan base isn't that great there. WVU has an excellent reach in Pittsburgh and DC, and a pretty good reach in some Northeastern cities because so many of the students come from Jersey, NYC, and Philly.

To comment on the actual topic I have literally know idea how all these conference changes are going to shake out. I'm just upset right now about the loss of the Big East basketball tourney in MSG. As a WVU fan I'm trying to stay positive that we'll end up in a good spot for all sports, but who knows...people generally do not care for us haha.