(08-18-2014 01:51 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 01:07 PM)Dasville Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 12:48 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 12:29 PM)Dasville Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 11:38 AM)ken d Wrote:  If you combine the preseason polls by the Coaches and the AP, that hypothetical version of the Big East would have three teams ranked in the top 50: UCF (28), Louisville (33) and Cincinnati (42). That doesn't sound very "power"-ful to me. What they would have been is a former BCS conference.

Just looking at the preseason top 25 polls of 2011 and 2012 in both the Coaches and AP you can find Houston, WVU, and Cincy in 2011 and UofL, Cincy, and Tulsa in 2012. That isn't counting ND who would still be a partial with the OP's group plus the C7 or the remaining 25-50 spots in both polls.
Going by the OP's group with the addition of ND as a partial and inclusion of the C7, YES that is a P6 conference.

This isn't 2011 or 2012 anymore. But even if it were, based on the facts you cite, I would have to conclude that this was most clearly not a power conference. Only if you insist that there must be six conferences worthy of the "P" designation could I possibly include the (hypothetical) OBE as the weakest of the six. And even then, if you go back a few years (as you did) you could make as good a case for a hypothetical MWC that still included BYU, Utah and TCU to be the "last in".

What is the definition of a "Power Conference"?

With the OP's group, the C7 would not have separated and ND would be playing at least 3 BE teams regularly. There would have been the "alpha" P6 conferences (SEC, Pac 12, B1G) and then the ACC, Big 12, and Big East.

For one thing, the definition is a football specific one. It has nothing to do with basketball. And, for me, any power conference must have at least one legitimate frequent national championship contender, and preferably two or more. That is what the AAC lacks, along with every other G5 conference. Before they had Florida State, the ACC was not a power conference. And without Miami, the Big East would not have been included in the BCS as an automatic qualifying conference. Clemson and Virginia Tech would not have been enough to put either of them in the "power" category.

There is no combination of schools not already in one of the P5 conferences that could be combined to make a P6.

I totally agree that there is no current combination of G5 schools that could form to make a P6. I agree that P5 is a football term. I don't believe WVU and UofL could have made the BE a power conference.
I disagree that basketball had nothing to do with it. The football pedigree of Cuse, Pitt, WVU and a partial ND combined with the then recent success of a Schiano, Petrino, Dantonio/Kelly programs were enough to keep the BE a P6. ND didn't leave until the C7 did. Basketball had EVERYTHING to do with the formation of a P5 and will have everything to do with the formation of a P4 imo.

(08-18-2014 08:50 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 08:46 AM)Kruciff Wrote:  NorthEast
UConn
Syracuse
Rutgers
Temple

North
West Virginia
Louisville
Cincinatti
Pitt

South
UCF
USF
ECU
Navy

West
Houston
Tulane
SMU
Memphis

I think the Big East time as a power conference was fast approaching its end. The reason wasn't the average teams in the conference. The reason was the top. And that's why its unlikely any combination of remaining teams turns the P5 into a P6. Losing Miami and Virginia Tech was a mortal blow that merely took time to become fatal because of existing contracts.

Agreed. Because who in this grouping of schools, if they were offered an invite to another P5 conference, choose to stay? That is the reason why this idea, along with the CFB Big East, withered away.

(08-18-2014 11:13 AM)Rich52c Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 11:06 AM)Minutemen429 Wrote:  Exactly the conference has no "Power" teams at the top WVU and Louisville have had stretches where they come close.

If the BE had not lost syracuse,pitt,louisville,rutgers and wvu,the BE certainly would have been a P6 conference

Remember, the Big East did have those teams, and yet for 8 years all the clamor was that the "Big East isn't a real AQ conference".

The Big East's goose was cooked as an AQ/Power conference even if no realignment had happened.

(08-18-2014 01:51 PM)ken d Wrote:  There is no combination of schools not already in one of the P5 conferences that could be combined to make a P6.

Give that man a cigar.

The P5 wouldn't let "someone else" determine who belongs...it's a cartel, my friend. P.L.A.I.N. AND S.I.M.P.L.E.

(08-18-2014 12:57 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  No. Basically what you're describing is a yester-year level of CUSA. You'd need more than that, and less straight-mid major teams. Plus, Rutgers is now in the B10. And Syracuse is in the ACC now, too. And West Virginia, Louisville, and Pitt are out in the P5 as well Already.

Here's the CLOSEST to a P6 with the remaining teams:
UConn
Cincinnati
Boise State
UCF
South Florida
East Carolina
Navy
Northern Illinois
Marshall
Tulsa or Hawaii

One could make the argument... but due to the smaller football fan base + spread out all over the country, I don't think it'd fly.

From a fan's perspective, we'd care more about how Good they were. To the BCS, it's how many FANS they have. So from the above, you'd probably kick NIU out of there even though the past few years they'd be contending for the title of said conference and winning at least one -- but putting San Jose State or some place in there, some team getting 5k-10k more fans every game.

Couple thoughts.
1 Hawaii is considering dropping football they are broke and are horrible.
2. Florida is way to crowded drop S. Florida and really push UCF
3. Navy is a good feeling pick but they will never be a real contender.

P6-East
Cincinnati
Uconn
Marshall
N. Illinois
E. Carolina
UCF
Navy**

P6-West
Tulsa
BYU
Boise st
Arkansas State
Louisiana
Utah st
SMU**

**alternates

Those are the best of the G5 conferences put them together and you will have good football.

There were 2 main problems that BE 2.0 had:

No contract tie in -- they were a BCS at large
No team consistently in the NC hunt (once Miami and Va Tech left)

That combination, along with the amazing 6 year cycle of sending a non-deserving team to the BCS bowl, made it a target. For the parity that BE 2.0 had with the ACC from 2005-2012, the ACC still had the Orange Bowl contract. If Pitt has been the Pitt of the late 70s or early 80s, it would have been a different discussion. WVU was in the NC hunt once, and Cincinnati was in once -- you really need that every year without the contracted BCS bowl.

There was no one available to add to help either of those points.

(08-18-2014 05:45 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 01:51 PM)ken d Wrote:  There is no combination of schools not already in one of the P5 conferences that could be combined to make a P6.

Give that man a cigar.

Yup. A "best of the rest" conference doesn't, unfortunately, equal to the P6.

I'll answer the OP's question. "NO!"

ESPN decided that 5 Power Conferences was better then 6 Power Conferences some time ago. They then went on a seek and destroy mission that lasted some 10 years. Slowly getting uglier and more obvious each and every year until, they finally destroyed the Big East.

There will not be a New Power Conference until the College Football Playoffs expand. Then and only then will you see ESPN elevate a new Conference to the Power group.

I would add that they will do so hesitantley and only if it adds value and or strengthens their control over the Playoffs.

1st off, is the economic divide in CFB better or worse than MLB.
and there is enough out there for a P6 conf.
TV decides who is power conf & there are appox 20 schools that would work.
most conf have 2 power brokers.
BYU & Conn would anchor conf [Conn a power school much like Kent, KU & Duke]
granted most schools need to improve FB & Atten
for playoff to maximize payout, the more interested, the better

(08-19-2014 01:12 PM)megadrone Wrote:  That combination, along with the amazing 6 year cycle of sending a non-deserving team to the BCS bowl, made it a target.

That is one of the most ignorant statements I've ever read.

The only team that was non-deserving of making a BCS bowl was the UConn team that made it.

The Big East (plus one AAC year) went 6-3 in their last 9 BCS bowl games. Wins over Georgia, Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Clemson, Florida and Baylor.