(08-10-2019 05:29 PM)gosports1 Wrote: this board became a bore after the hybrid BE expanded. it wasn't even a done deal and several fans of the soon to be FB teams tried to take over and trashtalk the C7. it was primarily two fan bases, but there was more that contributed.
Oh, I remember. Certain posters from the "new" football schools would criticize the C7 for being a drain in payouts for the value of the conference, yet mocked the same group for departing to seek better value for its basketball product. I remember some of the topics started that were centered around the premise that Temple, UCF, Memphis, Houston, SMU and Tulane (ECU was only a football-only addition at that point) were equal to in value, and had more potential than, the C7.
The C7 being referred to as the "Little Sisters of the Poor Conference", the "CYO" and the "Judas 7" was common vernacular on the boards at the time, and it was repeatedly emphasized that the C7 would be no better than the Atlantic-10, with no possible way that it could still be considered a top basketball conference.
The icing on the cake was that the new additions to this Big East, the football schools, started clamoring that they were more entitled and deserving to the Big East name and brand than the Catholic schools were, and that the brand had more value for the football schools. When the C7 got the name, it was funny how quickly that tune changed (i.e. the Big East is a failed brand, will never again be a recognized power league, NBE, etc.).
In retrospect, UConn's departure from the AAC was a lot of the same views. When UConn was in the AAC, the "AAC had a bright future" that was "anchored by a power basketball program that can compete for national championships". Despite football struggling, it still was a "national brand" and synonymous with a power conference. As soon as UConn announced it was leaving, it quickly switched to: "UConn is no longer a power brand or a power basketball program", "Good riddance, they were a leach anyway (*same comparison used against C7)" and "the AAC will be better and more competitive without UConn".