Maybe I'm a dreamer, but I gotta believe naming a basketball guy, unanimously, to head the BE means a split is going to occur within the next 3 years. The Football schools didn't protest this decision because they know they will be leaving. The BE will remain a Basketball conference, and a new football conference will form.
I doubt it. A lot of the "football schools" are also basketball schools. For example, UConn, probably the biggest of the basketball schools, sunk a lot of money into their football program. I just don't see a split happening.
I see it like this, the new "football" conference... NBE for short... would probably consist of the following BE deserters: 1. West Virginia 2. Connecticut 3. Rutgers 4. Pittsburgh 5. Syracuse 6. Cincinnati 7. Louisville 8. South Florida And at least 2 new schools: 9. Memphis 10. ECU/UCF/Marshall Minus Rutgers and South Florida, it is still a very good Basketball conference... Memphis provides a huge boost in the basketball department considering they'd be losing Nova and Georgetown. The Memphis/Louisville/Cincinnati rivalry also resumes. The 10th team whether its ECU/UCF/Marshall adds a Football program with a strong fanbase/$$$. The biggest hurdles at this point would be keeping the automatic bids to NCAA Championships (not the BCS). While the Big East hoops TV contract is big, it does get split 16 ways. The thinking is that "less is more."
There has been talk in the past of Memphis, ECU, and UCF joining the Big East. I'm not saying that I don't like your idea, I just doubt it would happen.
I do think the Big East split will happen, and happen in under 5 years. I just like to talk about different scenarios that COULD happen, especially when my knights are sitting on a 2 win season. Like the scenarios involving Arkansas leaving the SEC, which would basically shift all the BCS conferences up again. Rumor has it, Boise State received an invite to the Mountain West.
Nova and Georgetown would remain in Big East, which would be a basketball/Olympic sport only conference. The above list was for the 8 teams leaving the Big East to form an all sport conference that I referring to as the NBE. Let me try and clear up what I meant. Big East layout: DePaul University Georgetown University Marquette University Notre Dame Providence College St. John's University Seton Hall University Villanova University The new All sport conference that forms from the split would look something like this: West Virginia Connecticut Rutgers Pittsburgh Syracuse Cincinnati Louisville South Florida And at least 2 new schools: Memphis ECU/UCF/Marshall So the new conference would need Memphis to help support the weight of losing other basketball programs. I hope that makes more sense.
If the SEC were to lose Arkansas, they would likely grab an ACC team... Clemson or FSU perhaps... thoughts on that?
As a student and fan, its hard for me to sound objective, but I agree. UCF, realistically has the best shot between ECU/Marshall. UCF is the 6th largest school in the country, has brand new million dollar facilities, and the stadium attendance to roll with the rest of the schools in conference. Optimistically speaking, Memphis and UCF get invites when the football schools finally do bail.
doesnt matter to me, as long as there in a competitive conf, not a joke like the big 10/pac10/big east.
