(12-11-2012 11:03 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 10:55 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 10:53 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote:  Tulane is the most puzzling add IMHO. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent school and I know many great alums. Tulane fans, please don't take this as a slight - I am just curious.

Everyone seems to be complaining about the add. I thought it was the BB schools that wanted them, but everything I read now states that the BB schools are not happy with the addition. The FB-onlys are also complaining about Tulane. So who's idea was it?

Somebody had to vote them in, right?

I just dont get them.

Football: 113
BBall: 203
Market: 54?

I mean, really, WTF?

The last thing this thread needs is an ECU fan disrespecting Tulane.
There was a reason they were on the Big 12's radar; and (hint) its the same reason the bball schools preferred to play them over ECU.
Tulane is an AAU school with a solid brand name and very good athletic tradition (undefeated in '98). They've made supreme investments in their infrastructure (brand new on-campus stadium on the horizon), and reside in a very attractive city/market (which hosts two bowls).

If ECU had those things, you'd be in the SEC (where Tulane once was)... instead of Big east bball only.

I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  It wasn't part of the argument. It was just a random piece to trivia for your consumption.

Fair enough. I really think Tulane is a sleeping giant. As you mentioned, they're AAU, they've had success in the past in football, and they've recently committed to substantial facilities upgrades. As a UC fan, I look at them as competition for a spot in the B12 or ACC, not someone to laugh at as an addition to the nBE. They might not be there today, but they're a very solid investment for the future (assuming there is one for the nBE).

(12-10-2012 11:54 PM)BullsBEAST Wrote:  My point is, if usf is no different than the rest of you, why were we the only one taken in 03?

Right place, right time. Big East had just lost a Florida school and UCF was playing in the MAC and was horrible at the time, so was ECU. There also hadn't been a western expansion beyond Louisville. I personally believe they should have invited Memphis back then as they had a decent football program for a few years and they had rivalries with UL & UC.

Don't try to make it like USF was some BCS worthy school. Your school just happened to be in the right State. Having George Steinebrenner on your side didn't hurt either.

(12-11-2012 10:49 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Someone needs to tell St. John's, DePaul, Seton Hall, and Providence that for most part their basketball programs have been more down than up in recent history. Nothing screams mid-major more than a league that doesn't play football. If those schools want to take a chance and play in a CYO league then go for it.

You think Cincinnati and UConn want out now. Wait until Georgetown or Villanova starts looking around to the ACC too.

Well Cincy has problems beating this mid major.

I wasn't questioning Tulane's potential or their history.

I was questioning how they were voted in when everything I read from the FB and BB only schools is that they didn't want them.

The nBE schools have no voting power yet. So the BB schools complain that Tulane drops their RPI and they don't like the addition, yet they have/had the majority vote to accept Tulane.

Doesn't add up. Or somebody is doing some backtracking.

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

Actually we haven't played a down of football in this league. All this childish smack talk is ******* ridiculous and embarassing. Just STFU about it already.

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:03 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 10:55 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 10:53 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote:  Tulane is the most puzzling add IMHO. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent school and I know many great alums. Tulane fans, please don't take this as a slight - I am just curious.

Everyone seems to be complaining about the add. I thought it was the BB schools that wanted them, but everything I read now states that the BB schools are not happy with the addition. The FB-onlys are also complaining about Tulane. So who's idea was it?

Somebody had to vote them in, right?

I just dont get them.

Football: 113
BBall: 203
Market: 54?

I mean, really, WTF?

The last thing this thread needs is an ECU fan disrespecting Tulane.
There was a reason they were on the Big 12's radar; and (hint) its the same reason the bball schools preferred to play them over ECU.
Tulane is an AAU school with a solid brand name and very good athletic tradition (undefeated in '98). They've made supreme investments in their infrastructure (brand new on-campus stadium on the horizon), and reside in a very attractive city/market (which hosts two bowls).

If ECU had those things, you'd be in the SEC (where Tulane once was)... instead of Big east bball only.

I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

The thinking is that Tulane football will improve now that they're moving it to a new on campus venue, with a conference upgrade.

It makes sense. Speaking as a Houston fan, our football got a shot in the arm after we left the dome and became more accessible to our student culture on campus. Same thing happened at UCF, when we left the Citrus Bowl. An improved conference affiliation is the logical next component to building even more support.

(12-11-2012 09:46 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  God this conference is a train wreck.

You usually make intelligent posts, but not this one. You prefer the new CUSA?

(12-11-2012 11:20 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 09:46 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  God this conference is a train wreck.

You usually make intelligent posts, but not this one. You prefer the new CUSA?

No I dont. And I apologize for all my hasty and ill advised comments today. I'm gonna take a little hiatus from posting.

(12-11-2012 11:15 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

Actually we haven't played a down of football in this league. All this childish smack talk is ******* ridiculous and embarassing. Just STFU about it already.

Green Wave fans have to possess the most patience and grace on Earth. If some of these comments had been aimed at some of our programs, we'd have a fireworks that any 4th of July celebration would envy.

(12-11-2012 11:20 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 09:46 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  God this conference is a train wreck.

You usually make intelligent posts, but not this one. You prefer the new CUSA?

Both are train wrecks. C-USA is a slightly more cohesive train wreck while the Big East has more internal issues but much more valuable properties. I think ECU is smart enough to know that whether the Big East survives as is or becomes something different the group of schools here are more valuable and closer to our peer group than what's left in C-USA and that's what really matters.

(12-11-2012 11:13 AM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 10:49 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Someone needs to tell St. John's, DePaul, Seton Hall, and Providence that for most part their basketball programs have been more down than up in recent history. Nothing screams mid-major more than a league that doesn't play football. If those schools want to take a chance and play in a CYO league then go for it.

You think Cincinnati and UConn want out now. Wait until Georgetown or Villanova starts looking around to the ACC too.

Well Cincy has problems beating this mid major.

St. Johns has problems making the NCAA tournament. What's your point? There's only one reason your school hasn't historically been a mid-major: other Big East schools like poaching recruits out of your backyard.

(12-11-2012 11:25 AM)oldtiger Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:15 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

Actually we haven't played a down of football in this league. All this childish smack talk is ******* ridiculous and embarassing. Just STFU about it already.

Green Wave fans have to possess the most patience and grace on Earth. If some of these comments had been aimed at some of our programs, we'd have a fireworks that any 4th of July celebration would envy.

That's why I posted that it's embarassing, because it is. i'm sick of reading posts like that as an ECU fan. I'm tired of being labeled and lumped together with some of this kind of inflamatory nonsense.

(12-11-2012 11:12 AM)MickMack Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  It wasn't part of the argument. It was just a random piece to trivia for your consumption.

Fair enough. I really think Tulane is a sleeping giant. As you mentioned, they're AAU, they've had success in the past in football, and they've recently committed to substantial facilities upgrades. As a UC fan, I look at them as competition for a spot in the B12 or ACC, not someone to laugh at as an addition to the nBE. They might not be there today, but they're a very solid investment for the future (assuming there is one for the nBE).

Quick, grab the smelling salts! They've been asleep since 1998! I thought you had to earn your way for a Big East invite as Boise State, Houston, etc.? The purpose of adding to the conference is what they can BRING. They should BE added to strengthen the conference, not so the conference can strengthen them which is the other way around. Overall, the lack of athletic success in FB and bb, lack of a fan base, and the mediocre Market Value (#51) should have been a red flag and not justified their addition.

(12-11-2012 11:32 AM)Road Apple Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:12 AM)MickMack Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  It wasn't part of the argument. It was just a random piece to trivia for your consumption.

Fair enough. I really think Tulane is a sleeping giant. As you mentioned, they're AAU, they've had success in the past in football, and they've recently committed to substantial facilities upgrades. As a UC fan, I look at them as competition for a spot in the B12 or ACC, not someone to laugh at as an addition to the nBE. They might not be there today, but they're a very solid investment for the future (assuming there is one for the nBE).

Quick, grab the smelling salts! They've been asleep since 1998! I thought you had to earn your way for a Big East invite as Boise State, Houston, etc.? The purpose of adding to the conference is what they can BRING. They should BE added to strengthen the conference, not so the conference can strengthen them which is the other way around. Overall, the lack of athletic success in FB and bb, lack of a fan base, and the mediocre Market Value (#51) should have been a red flag and not justified their addition.

What the hell made you think you had to "earn" your way to a Big East invite? That hasn't been the case ever. Sure a few schools in each expansion had earned an upgrade, but in each there were several who were added simply because of where they are located. Tulane just adds another school to that group, and although they have other positives if they were located in Lafayette instead of New Orleans they wouldn't have gotten an invite.

(12-11-2012 11:32 AM)Road Apple Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:12 AM)MickMack Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  It wasn't part of the argument. It was just a random piece to trivia for your consumption.

Fair enough. I really think Tulane is a sleeping giant. As you mentioned, they're AAU, they've had success in the past in football, and they've recently committed to substantial facilities upgrades. As a UC fan, I look at them as competition for a spot in the B12 or ACC, not someone to laugh at as an addition to the nBE. They might not be there today, but they're a very solid investment for the future (assuming there is one for the nBE).

Quick, grab the smelling salts! They've been asleep since 1998! I thought you had to earn your way for a Big East invite as Boise State, Houston, etc.? The purpose of adding to the conference is what they can BRING. They should BE added to strengthen the conference, not so the conference can strengthen them which is the other way around. Overall, the lack of athletic success in FB and bb, lack of a fan base, and the mediocre Market Value (#51) should have been a red flag and not justified their addition.

I think Tulane was given some slack in the rope due to the fact that they had a major rebuild situation on their hands after Hurricane Katrina. Fact is, before Katrina hit, their programs were consistently good.

(12-11-2012 11:25 AM)oldtiger Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:15 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(12-11-2012 11:09 AM)NBPirate Wrote:  I can be down on their football all I want since we play football in this league.

Actually we haven't played a down of football in this league. All this childish smack talk is ******* ridiculous and embarassing. Just STFU about it already.

Green Wave fans have to possess the most patience and grace on Earth. If some of these comments had been aimed at some of our programs, we'd have a fireworks that any 4th of July celebration would envy.

Well, we realize that we're lucky to be here. Its hard for people to see past the present strength of basketball and football to see our broadest potential. We're glad the BE office and the basketball member presidents did. We're not going to waste our efforts to argue for it too much on these forums, it is a losing effort. We'll have to show it on the field. It would be a full time job for me to try and defend Tulane's on-field and attendance performance the past 10 years. I don't have that luxury, but I'm doing the best I can, considering what I have to work with.

Now, as to why folks don't want to admit that they supported us, I think its pretty clear when you look at the ESPN quote:

Quote:"The basketball schools are not thrilled with Tulane and what they will do to the league's RPI," said a league source from a football-playing member. "They were not all that excited with that addition."

The source added that "the basketball schools would have fallen off the ledge if we would have added East Carolina as a full member and what that would have done to the basketball league."

So, yes. We were a compromise candidate. But if we were that big of a problem as a candidate, the conference would have dissolved last month. As far as ECU talking any smack to us, take note -- the BE added us because they couldn't stomach you. I don't mean that as a slam in anyway, I have no problem with ECU. I just don't want to hear any **** from you guys about us being so distasteful that it ruined the league's tv contract.

We had consensus support as a compromise candidate, which goes to show that nobody else out there was viable as #16. I don't think that diminishes our invite at all. Life involves compromise, so does politics.

I don't mind taking crap for our on-field performance, but we are not the reason this conference is falling apart. It was unstable when we walked in the door, and we had support from the voting membership to be added. Disingenuous to scapegoat Tulane because its a funny punchline for fans of big state schools who don't know anything about us or what we offer over the long term.

Big Apple, there's rarely such thing as "earning an invite to a better conference" with the acception of Boise State, TCU and maybe Nebraska. If earned had anything to do with it Boise would be in the Pac12 instead of Colorado, Rutgers & Maryland would have never made it into the Big10, and I'm sure there are other examples.

(12-11-2012 11:45 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  Theres rarely such thing as "earning an invite to a better conference" with the acception of Boise State, TCU and maybe Nebraska. If earned had anything to do with it Boise would be in the Pac12 instead of Colorado, Rutgers & Maryland would have never made it into the Big10, and I'm sure there are other examples.

Yep there are few cases of schools "earning" anything. The words earned and deserve are not applicable to conference realignment. They mean nothing.

(12-11-2012 11:39 AM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  I think Tulane was given some slack in the rope due to the fact that they had a major rebuild situation on their hands after Hurricane Katrina. Fact is, before Katrina hit, their programs were consistently good.

er, not really. In the 22 football seasons before Katrina, Tulane had 4 winning seasons and 18 losing seasons. They've been bad for a long time.