After dodging the Bulletin's question, Edsall was more candid to the audience.
Q: Should a football ultimatum be given to Notre Dame soon?A: I think that’s something the powers that be are discussing in terms of the strategies that they’re looking at to be proactive rather than reactive.Note: In a question-and-answer session with the audience, Edsall said the football coaches have been asking the conference to deliver an ultimatum to Notre Dame to come into the conference for football or get out entirely for the last two years. He added that, if as speculated, two teams leave for the Big Ten, “the Big East is all done.”
Now, this isn't a surprise to me. Over the course of the last several years this has been something Edsall has hinted at in off the record conversations he has had. He is careful around the media because he doesn't want to create controversy, but he obviously was less guarded around the Chamber meeting.
The facts are the Big East football coaches are frustrated with Notre Dame. The Big East allows the Irish to live by two sets of rules. Now, talking to the Big East office, they are going to say ND football helps with bowl tie-ins etc. That may be true, but if the Irish go 8-4, it's almost assured a 10-2 Big East team is going to get bumped out of the Champs Bowl, or in the past, the Sun or the Gator Bowl.
The reason the Big East doesn't give an ultimatum is that Notre Dame would leave.
As far as expansion, the loss of 2 teams and "the Big East is done" comment? Well, it's also true, and why I think the Big East could be on its last legs as a football conference. The league can't lose any of its eastern teams, notably two of UConn, Syracuse or Rutgers. Pitt by itself leaving would be a huge blow.
These are scary times for the Big East, and I don't think that is being alarmist.
2 comments:
I think Edsall is spot on. The league could lose one team like Pitt and be fine. But I doubt that Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse or UConn is worth anything to the Big Ten by themselves.
I really think the Big Ten is fooling themselves if they think they can capture New York with any Big East team. The fact remains that New York's team of choice is Notre Dame.
The Big Ten will add Missouri to bring in Kansas City & St. Louis and that will be the end of it. The numbers don't add up...the Big Ten members make $22 million a year so a new team has to bring in an additional $22 million at least in new revenue. And five teams? Could the Big Ten really add $110 million to its bottom line?? I'm not seeing it without Notre Dame.
Sean,
There is one thing everyone is missing in this expansion talk....FUTURE. This is about 10 and 20 and even 30 years from now.
Think about it. The Huskies have been in the Big East for 31 years. It took a decade to get UConn to what UConn is right now. Same goes for the other schools. The Big Ten is looking at the landscape for 10-20 years from now. It looks like the football schools will break away from the NCAA, and that's what it looks like is happening. We forget how little control the NCAA has over college football.
Post a Comment