ecu92 Wrote:My guess is that UCF will get the ninth spot if the league decides to expand. Disney owns ABC/ESPN, and UCF is in Orlando. Big money will carry the day.

We will take UCF only if Mickey Mouse pays us over $100 millions a year. Anything else cheaper than that will be no deal. :D

CAJUNNATION Wrote:Boston College
UCONN
Syracuse
Penn State
Rutgers
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
Maryland
Cincinatti
Louisville

There is no need to fart around in Florida.

This lineup would deliver you the greatest TV market lock, stock, and barrel.

It would be the best basketball league top to bottom.

It would lock up BCS status forever.

It is geographically compact in its own area.

Best of all, it is doable if it's sold in the right way.

Don't add another school unless it's Penn State, Boston College, or Maryland.

Stick to your guns.

Its definitely doable. If you get the different administrations to sit down together and our side runs the numbers for them, I bet you can provide impetus for the three programs to jump their current ships for the new one. Once you run the numbers I think its pretty clear that noone can touch that conference's BCS bid or money that it can make for any of those schools. The markets would include the Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Boston, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Providence, Washington, Baltimore, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, West Virginia markets plus anything else in between. It'd keep alot of the Big Ten and ACC intrusions into the Eastern markets out. I for one would rather watch Maryland vs. Penn State; Louisville vs. Cincinnati; Pitt vs. West Virginia; Rutgers vs. Connecticut; Syracuse vs. Boston College than Michigan vs. Michigan State or UNC vs. NC State. This is the east afterall and I grew up knowing of Eastern schools like Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State, Boston College and yes UConn. (I was always a bit more into College Basketball then College Football until I started at Rutgers.)
Now comes the topic of traditional opponents:
Maryland: Penn State, West Virginia, Syracuse
Penn State: West Virginia, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt, Maryland, Boston College, Cincinnati
Cincinnati: Louisville, Penn State
Louisville: Cincinnati
West Virginia: Rutgers, Pitt, Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse, Boston College
Rutgers: Connecticut, Pitt, Penn State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Boston College
so on and so forth

There is certainly a way to get this thing done. Noone's come up with it yet thats all.

I think it all starts with Penn State. They would have to be the easiest sell first.

An offer of the chance to be the big dog football-wise in their own BCS league has to be very appealing.(Assuming they get things straightened out). Also, a chance to be in a better basketball revenue generating league already wouldn't hurt.

The Big 10 could probably look the other way wondering exactly what they got out of the deal anyway and looking at a schedule friendly 10 team league as a result.

Once interest from the Nittany Lions is secured, BC would look more favorably on an invite.

As for Maryland, you would just have to show them this piece of info.

Last 6 years with my lineup:

BIG EAST w/Terps:
4 National Titles
6 Final Four appearances

ACC without Terps:
2 National Titles
5 Final Four appearances

<a href='http://www.hoophall.com/history/mens_ncaa_results.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.hoophall.com/history/mens_ncaa_results.htm</a>

Maryland is the key. They lose nothing with the move. They must be made to understand that. You've got to think that sometimes they wonder just what in the world they are doing in Tallahasse in mid-February.

I'm fairly certain that their treasured rivalries with Duke,Carolina, and Virginia would soon be replaced with just as intense rivalries with UCONN/Syracuse/Louisville etc.

If BC balks, roll the dice and go after Kentucky. You never know....

CAJUNNATION Wrote:I'm fairly certain that their treasured rivalries with Duke,Carolina, and Virginia would soon be replaced with just as intense rivalries with UCONN/Syracuse/Louisville etc.

Particularly with Syracuse, there already exists a bit of a rivalry between the two schools from what I understand. Trust me if you present everything the way it should be presented with all the data that you need, these schools would definitely give things a thought. Here's another reason thats good for all of them. Travel expenses. Maryland would have a slew of teams in short driving distance compared to now, Rutgers, Penn State, West Virginia, Pitt just to name a few. Penn State would be more or less the geographic center of the conference. Boston College would once again have Syracuse, Connecticut, and Rutgers very close by.

CAJUNNATION Wrote:As for Maryland, you would just have to show them this piece of info.

Last 6 years with my lineup:

BIG EAST w/Terps:
4 National Titles
6 Final Four appearances

ACC without Terps:
2 National Titles
5 Final Four appearances

<a href='http://www.hoophall.com/history/mens_ncaa_results.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.hoophall.com/history/mens_ncaa_results.htm</a>

Maryland is the key. They lose nothing with the move. They must be made to understand that. You've got to think that sometimes they wonder just what in the world they are doing in Tallahasse in mid-February.

I'm fairly certain that their treasured rivalries with Duke,Carolina, and Virginia would soon be replaced with just as intense rivalries with UCONN/Syracuse/Louisville etc.

It really looks like you know Louisiana and have little or no knowledge of Maryland and the ACC.

Maryland will not consider leaving the ACC.

The original ACC was Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, South Carolina, and Clemson. Virginia was added the next year.

ThunderDent Wrote:I really don't see the BE going with UCF, merely because that would be yet another FL school for the rest of the conference to recruit against, USF really doesn't want them in, and the rest of the conference might have increase in travel with a trip to FL every year.

Correctomundo my good man. USF yes, ucf = NO!

Kinda of the same logic as WVU yes, Marshall = NO!

Bambu Wrote:You are the absolute last person who should be speaking for us . Memphis would jump at a football only invite, and I feel pretty confident in saying that CUSA wouldn't say a damn thing about it if we kept our hoops and other sports parked in CUSA for a few years. CUSA can not afford to lose Memphis hoops at this time.

I don't know if we'll end up in the BE, but our admin. has made it very clear that our goal is for
Memphis to join a BCS conf. soon. I think this will happen before 2010.

It's not like I speak for God Bamboo.

It's my opinion. Is there something wrong with me voicing my opinion on what I feel Memphis will or will not do? No I'm not an expert on Memphis Athletics but it would seem like a desperate act on Memphis part to accept a football only invite. Seems kinda demeaning to me but again it's just my opinion.