As discussed in an earlier thread, instead of trying to tear down the Big East (and those of us who have been around it for a few more years), why not revisit the story of the Metro Conference, alllowing the ACC to return to its roots?

Each conference gets 8-9 teams and a recruiting inroad in Florida. (And for argument's sake, VT stays in the ACC.)

ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech.

Big East (not counting basketball): Boston College, Central Florida, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Syracuse, West Virginia.

Metro: Cincinnati, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Louisville, Memphis, Southern Miss, South Florida, Tulane, and a new I-A team coming to Charlotte in 3-5 years.

Whether or not you have been around the Big East a few more years then others is immaterial at this point. What has happened has happened, you can't change history. And living in the past is just going to limit your future.

CatsClaw Wrote:And living in the past is just going to limit your future.

Well, according to some on this board, we have no future anyway

The future is now!

bitcruncher Wrote:The future is now!

Agreed. I understand what the old guard of the Big East are feeling, but it's time for the Big East to move ahead. All of the other conference, especially the Big Six conference, are moving on. Only the Big East fans are dreaming about things that happened in the past. What if this happened in 1991, what if Penn State did this, what if someone did that. It's over with and done. It's time to move on and make this one of the best conferences in the nation. Personally I think Mike Tranghese and the basketball schools blew it. They want the conference to stick together and I think the best way they could have done that is to negotiate a monster television package that helps football in a big way as well as basketball (which they did) and to add a 9th team to help strengthen the conference, add some depth to the conference and boost the bowls (which looks like the bowl help will come). Do that and you give everyone the feeling that football is being looked at. I have said, and many coaches feel the same way, all you have to do now is add a 9th team and improve our bowl situation and I can more then live with the current conference setup.

Atlantic Coast: Clemson, Duke, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia
Big East: Boston College, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple
Metro: Central Florida, Charlotte, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Memphis, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Tulane

How about we combine the ACC, the SEC, and the BE and call it the Big Southeasern Atlantic East Conference (BSAEC)....sure it'd have like 30 teams in it but what the heck.

Then the BSAEC could break off from the NCAA and form it's own association in which the top 15 teams were part of a Bowl Championship Series and then....ah nevermind, is it football season yet?

Bearcats#1 Wrote:How about we combine the ACC, the SEC, and the BE and call it the Big Southeasern Atlantic East Conference (BSAEC)....

BullSh!t At Eastern Colleges?
BullSh!t Around Eastern Colleges?
BullSh!t Among Eastern Colleges?

Take your pick...

bitcruncher Wrote:

Bearcats#1 Wrote:How about we combine the ACC, the SEC, and the BE and call it the Big Southeasern Atlantic East Conference (BSAEC)....

BullSh!t At Eastern Colleges?

yea...that'd be about right

divide all schools into the most compact configuration possible for football only conferences.

For example: all 7 florida schools, both georgia schools, and all 4 Alabama schools in the same conference. An similar for everybody else.

How about UC forms the Big Cincinnati Conference (BCC) and we are the only member and we get the automatic BCS bid when we win our conference....

Bearcats#1 Wrote:Then the BSAEC could break off from the NCAA and form it's own association in which the top 15 teams were part of a Bowl Championship Series and then....ah nevermind, is it football season yet?

While unlikely, it is not inconceivable that the SEC itself could someday pull out of the NCAA for football and form its own league...they've certainly got the TV contract for it.

DFW HOYA Wrote:As discussed in an earlier thread, instead of trying to tear down the Big East (and those of us who have been around it for a few more years), why not revisit the story of the Metro Conference, alllowing the ACC to return to its roots?

Each conference gets 8-9 teams and a recruiting inroad in Florida. (And for argument's sake, VT stays in the ACC.)

ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech.

Big East (not counting basketball): Boston College, Central Florida, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Syracuse, West Virginia.

Metro: Cincinnati, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Louisville, Memphis, Southern Miss, South Florida, Tulane, and a new I-A team coming to Charlotte in 3-5 years.

At least your thinking. You know I still think there will be a 7th BCS conference, but I believe it will be westward. UCF, Memphis, and Tulane should def be BCS. I know Tulane hasn't had much success, but they would be the 2nd school in a football first state. The Ohio monopoly finally ended, as should the Louisiana monopoly. Plus Tulane is in New Orleans.

CatsClaw Wrote:

bitcruncher Wrote:The future is now!

Agreed. I understand what the old guard of the Big East are feeling, but it's time for the Big East to move ahead. All of the other conference, especially the Big Six conference, are moving on. Only the Big East fans are dreaming about things that happened in the past. What if this happened in 1991, what if Penn State did this, what if someone did that. It's over with and done. It's time to move on and make this one of the best conferences in the nation. Personally I think Mike Tranghese and the basketball schools blew it. They want the conference to stick together and I think the best way they could have done that is to negotiate a monster television package that helps football in a big way as well as basketball (which they did) and to add a 9th team to help strengthen the conference, add some depth to the conference and boost the bowls (which looks like the bowl help will come). Do that and you give everyone the feeling that football is being looked at. I have said, and many coaches feel the same way, all you have to do now is add a 9th team and improve our bowl situation and I can more then live with the current conference setup.

-- I think the league has jelled pretty fast consdering all that happened... What makes our situation unique is that we really have three distinct groups in house. We have the Eastern basketball/Catholic school members. We have the Eastern football members and the former metro/CUSA members. Each group has its own history with each other and little history together. The fans Catholic schools hate expansion and what the league to look like it did in the 80s. The fans Eastern football schools want more Eastern/Lambert Trophy teams (PSU, BC, Navy etc) and don't want a CUSA feel to the league and the many of the old Metro fans want more southern schools. How many times did we read on this board about Louisville and Memphis fans talking about how they missed each other etc. I'm sure its very strange for the old metro schools to be sending their teams to New England instead of the deep south

Bottom line is I think its pretty clear that the Presidents/ADs in the BE get along alot better then we as fans do sometimes. Its just going time for us to get used to each other

Jackson

Jackson1011 Wrote:

CatsClaw Wrote:

bitcruncher Wrote:The future is now!

Agreed. I understand what the old guard of the Big East are feeling, but it's time for the Big East to move ahead. All of the other conference, especially the Big Six conference, are moving on. Only the Big East fans are dreaming about things that happened in the past. What if this happened in 1991, what if Penn State did this, what if someone did that. It's over with and done. It's time to move on and make this one of the best conferences in the nation. Personally I think Mike Tranghese and the basketball schools blew it. They want the conference to stick together and I think the best way they could have done that is to negotiate a monster television package that helps football in a big way as well as basketball (which they did) and to add a 9th team to help strengthen the conference, add some depth to the conference and boost the bowls (which looks like the bowl help will come). Do that and you give everyone the feeling that football is being looked at. I have said, and many coaches feel the same way, all you have to do now is add a 9th team and improve our bowl situation and I can more then live with the current conference setup.

-- I think the league has jelled pretty fast consdering all that happened... What makes our situation unique is that we really have three distinct groups in house. We have the Eastern basketball/Catholic school members. We have the Eastern football members and the former metro/CUSA members. Each group has its own history with each other and little history together. The fans Catholic schools hate expansion and what the league to look like it did in the 80s. The fans Eastern football schools want more Eastern/Lambert Trophy teams (PSU, BC, Navy etc) and don't want a CUSA feel to the league and the many of the old Metro fans want more southern schools. How many times did we read on this board about Louisville and Memphis fans talking about how they missed each other etc. I'm sure its very strange for the old metro schools to be sending their teams to New England instead of the deep south

Bottom line is I think its pretty clear that the Presidents/ADs in the BE get along alot better then we as fans do sometimes. Its just going time for us to get used to each other

Jackson

I agree, and that is a nice summary of the situation in the BE.

Big East Boston College,UConn, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rutgers, Temple, Army, Navy, Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, Marshall
ACC Maryland UVA, VA Tech, NC State, UNC, Duke, WF, ECU, Clemson, South Carolina,
CUSA Tulane, La Tech, LSU, La-Laf,La-Monroe,So.Miss, Ole Miss, Miss State, Aub, Ala, UAB, Troy,
MAC Ohio, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Miami-OH, Toledo, BG, Kent St, Akron, Notre Dame, Pudue, Indiana, Ball State
Big Ten Minn, WIS, NIU, Illinois, NW, MSU, Mich, WMU, CMU, EMU
Big 8 Mizzou, KU, K-St, Okla, OK State,Tulsa, NEB, Iowa, Iowa State,Arkansas, Arkansas State
Southwest UTEP, TCU, SMU, Houston, Rice, Baylor, Texas Tech, North Texas, Texas, Texas A&M,
SEC Louisville, KY, WKY, Memphis,TN, MTSU, Vandy,
PAC Ten WSU, WA, Ore, ore st, UCLA, USC, cal,stanford, Fresno State, San Jose State, San Diego State, Hawaii
MWC AF, Colorado, Col st, WY, UT, BYU, Utah State, Boise State, Idaho
WAC UNLV, Nevada, Arizona, Arizona State, NM, NM State
Sun Belt FAU, FIU, Florida, Miami-fl, FSU, USF, UCF, Ga, Ga Tech

East Region
Big East
ACC
Sun Belt
CUSA

Central Region
MAC
Big Ten
Big 8
SEC

West Region
South West
Pac Ten
WAC
MWC

Why would the ACC want to return to its roots -- we want to keep growing. With that in mind:

ACC
--------
Boston College
Clemson
Connecticut
Duke
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Maryland
Miami
North Carolina
NC State
Rutgers
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest

I'll leave the division alignment as an exercise to the reader.

BigMetro (or whatever)
West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pitt, Syracuse, East Carolina, Central Florida, South Florida, Memphis

We're Houston...save us. We've floated around in the neither realms of the non-BCS long enough. We have more history than plenty of BCS schools too (in both sports).

Save us...

the BE needs to ACT rather than REACT. It needs to decide what it wants and where it plans to be 10 years from now. Don't wait for the ACC, or the B10 to make a play for BE members. Go get BC, PENNST, MARYLAND and (?) (northern illinois, central florida or memphis) OR Pressure ND to commit to becoming a semi member. Unlikely they would commit to full membership especially if bb fb split occurs.