Expansion mania

You knew once the Big Ten said expansion it would set fire to the internets. That's to be expected though Notre Dame has once again said it isn't interested in the Big Ten.

That's good for the Big East, perhaps when the Irish finally join a conference (2018?) they will start their own and invite the Big East teams. 

Speculation is rampant about Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Missouri as possible targets and that's problematic for a Big East Conference that is still reeling from the ACC raid. This is a grave situation for the Big East.

First off, if Syracuse or Pittsburgh leave I am not sure the conference is viable anymore. Those are two anchor programs. I know Syracuse is down, but there is a tradition there with the Big East that the league needs. Rutgers is kind of like the brash new youngster -- they feel entitled to a Big Ten spot but they don't deserve it and other than economically, and they don't fit. Perhaps their proximity to NYC would woo the Big Ten.  It's funny how the only things you ever hear our of that place is their potential and promises. What is potential? 

UConn doesn't fit into the Big Ten, it would be much better in the ACC if that conference decided to have a legit Northeast presence. But, if another raid happens I don't know about the viability of the conference as an entity any more.

It started as a basketball conference and it has worked very hard to become a legit football conference. But, if a raid does happen, and Notre Dame doesn't save the conference, it will be severely weakened. The football schools are going to have to think about football first and not keep it together just as a great basketball league.

The 16 team monstrosity that is the basketball conference has to be split in two. First off, I don't think in the future the BCS is going to allow a cheap entry into the BCS and title game anymore. If the Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC, ACC and Big 12 all have conference title games, they aren't going to let the Big East skate by with just its champion making it.  The conference has been fortunate in recent years with the way the schedule broke, but all it needs is that Pittsburgh Fiesta Bowl disaster 5 years to resurface before the BCS status is in jeopardy.

As far as the Huskies, they have to --as an athletic department -- put football's longterm viability and survival as its most important consideration. A lot of people scoffed at the notion 15 years ago when Lew Perkins said that UConn needed to go IA to protect its basketball programs and other athletic teams. Perkins was a visionary here. Football has overtaken the college athletics landscape and while we love our hoops here, if Connecticut wants a great basketball team in the future it needs to protect that football program first.

Short of ND joining the big east in football, or starting their own league from scratch, I don't like this potential expansion by the Big Ten. It could destroy the cinference.


The question may come down to ND football. Join the big east in football, or the conference might die.

May also be forced to add to 12 teams and get a BE championship game. Add Army, Navy and ECU/memphis  and UCF. Divorce from the basketball only schools.

Northeast Division
Cuse
UConn
Rutgers
Pitt
Army
Navy

Southern conference
Ville
Cincinnati
WVU
USF
UCF
ECU/memphis

It's that, or create a new fb only bcs conference --- not going to happen.