Let’s assume the ACCs exit fee is waved. Would the NBE be willing to take BC in all sports except football? The ACC keeps them in football.

The reason: The truth is, they are like a Buick. Sure the brand has been around for a while, but it’s become stale. Perhaps a change of scenery will do them good.

(02-16-2020 01:31 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  Let’s assume the ACCs exit fee is waved. Would the NBE be willing to take BC in all sports except football? The ACC keeps them in football.

The reason: The truth is, they are like a Buick. Sure the brand has been around for a while, but it’s become stale. Perhaps a change of scenery will do them good.

Would you go from making $300,000 per year to making $45,000 per year for a "change of scenery"????

BC’ is just going to keep cashing that ACC check.

So BC stays as a football member but goes back to the Big East in all other sports? Why? To save travel costs? The Big East has to travel to Omaha, Chicago, and Milwaukee, not sure they gain much.

I think West Virginia would save a lot of travel costs if they made the same move keeping football in the Big 12 and moving to the Big East in other sports. In terms of travel costs, I'm sure the other schools spend a ton to travel to Morgantown as well. I don't think West Virginia and the Big 12 should just dismiss the idea of West Virginia being a football only member. If they don't, hope UT and the others keep enjoying trips to Morgantown in the winter. If WV and the other schools agree and the Big East is willing to take West Virginia as a 12th member, the only issue would be how much money would West Virginia would be entitled to from the media rights contracts? I'm not sure if media contracts distinguish how much each network pays for football and how much they pay for men's basketball/other sports. If you count only non football rights, who's to say the Big East doesn't make as much money as the Big 12? On the other hand, Big East vs. ACC in men's basketball? You get to play Duke and North Carolina? I'd stay in the ACC.

Does this set a bad precedent and could other schools do and/or demand the same? Maybe. I think West Virginia is a clear example of a school that's a horrible fit in their conference for other sports. I'm not exactly sure why UConn isn't allowed to stay in the AAC as a football only member. It's a double standard. Navy's allowed as a football only member. UConn's probably doing a lot of the other schools a favor by saving them travel expenses (especially considering southern schools don't want to go up north to Hartford when it's cold). Of course, the fact that they aren't playing UConn's women's basketball hurts.

(02-16-2020 01:54 PM)schmolik Wrote:  So BC stays as a football member but goes back to the Big East in all other sports? Why? To save travel costs? The Big East has to travel to Omaha, Chicago, and Milwaukee, not sure they gain much.

I think West Virginia would save a lot of travel costs if they made the same move keeping football in the Big 12 and moving to the Big East in other sports. In terms of travel costs, I'm sure the other schools spend a ton to travel to Morgantown as well. I don't think West Virginia and the Big 12 should just dismiss the idea of West Virginia being a football only member. If they don't, hope UT and the others keep enjoying trips to Morgantown in the winter. If WV and the other schools agree and the Big East is willing to take West Virginia as a 12th member, the only issue would be how much money would West Virginia would be entitled to from the media rights contracts? I'm not sure if media contracts distinguish how much each network pays for football and how much they pay for men's basketball/other sports. If you count only non football rights, who's to say the Big East doesn't make as much money as the Big 12? On the other hand, Big East vs. ACC in men's basketball? You get to play Duke and North Carolina? I'd stay in the ACC.

Does this set a bad precedent and could other schools do and/or demand the same? Maybe. I think West Virginia is a clear example of a school that's a horrible fit in their conference for other sports. I'm not exactly sure why UConn isn't allowed to stay in the AAC as a football only member. It's a double standard. Navy's allowed as a football only member. UConn's probably doing a lot of the other schools a favor by saving them travel expenses (especially considering southern schools don't want to go up north to Hartford when it's cold). Of course, the fact that they aren't playing UConn's women's basketball hurts.

Big difference here. Navy was only ever intended to be a football member. UConn was a full-sports member, but basketball was carrying their end of the bargain. UConn football gives them nothing that almost any FBS program in their footprint couldn't give them, and then some. To the AAC, UConn taking their basketball to the Big East while still staying for football is them eating their cake and still having it. The best argument for letting them stay was that it's easier to schedule for 12 than 11, but clearly they're willing to try, and even if they go to 12, there's plenty of willing and able options for them.

UConn wants the best home for basketball and a viable path for football. The AAC wants the best football and basketball it can have. This is probably the best solution for all parties, even if current UConn football players aren't happy being dragged into independence.

BC fits in better with the private Catholic schools of the Big East and their basketball might be suffering because of it. They will still get a large check from the ACC because of football. This is “a penny saved is a penny earned” scenario for the ACC that would not have to send non-revenue sports teams up that far. And beneficial to BC to be in a conference where everybody is a peer institution.

With the acknowledgement that this is purely a theoretical exercise, I'm not sure BC really brings much to the table for the Big East. Saint Louis is at least as good of a program and expands your footprint in a logical way, and if you're going to take a school that's geographically on top of current membership you might as well take Dayton, who's actually good at basketball and will probably bring more fans to MSG despite geography. It's not like they had some storied Big East history, the only real appeal would be the current East Coast membership wanting an away game in Boston for alumni outreach.

It's never going to happen but if such a scenario arose they would be accepted to the Big East in a New York minute. Brings the Boston TV market into the fold and fits institutionally into the conference like a glove. Small catholic school in a major city.

Though i'm sure the Big East would say to the ACC "Throw in Wake Forest and you got yourself a deal!" haha

(02-16-2020 03:09 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  It's never going to happen but if such a scenario arose they would be accepted to the Big East in a New York minute. Brings the Boston TV market into the fold and fits institutionally into the conference like a glove. Small catholic school in a major city.

Though i'm sure the Big East would say to the ACC "Throw in Wake Forest and you got yourself a deal!" haha

BC basketball doesn't even bring in the Chestnut Hill TV market.

(02-16-2020 03:09 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  It's never going to happen but if such a scenario arose they would be accepted to the Big East in a New York minute. Brings the Boston TV market into the fold and fits institutionally into the conference like a glove. Small catholic school in a major city.

Though i'm sure the Big East would say to the ACC "Throw in Wake Forest and you got yourself a deal!" haha

What's Providence? Chopped liver? BC hoops wouldn't bring any new eyeballs to the Big East. What they did bring when they actually were in the Big East was a major point shaving scandal. BC has always considered itself a football school first. Basketball was an afterthought.

(02-16-2020 03:28 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 03:09 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  It's never going to happen but if such a scenario arose they would be accepted to the Big East in a New York minute. Brings the Boston TV market into the fold and fits institutionally into the conference like a glove. Small catholic school in a major city.

Though i'm sure the Big East would say to the ACC "Throw in Wake Forest and you got yourself a deal!" haha

What's Providence? Chopped liver? BC hoops wouldn't bring any new eyeballs to the Big East. What they did bring when they actually were in the Big East was a major point shaving scandal. BC has always considered itself a football school first. Basketball was an afterthought.

Provy is a very good program, but I never felt that they carried Massachusetts from my time up north to be with family. BC has more of a presence there.

BC, while a founding member of the BE, will in a number of years have been members of the ACC longer than the BE. UConn was still able to return to the BE due to remaining strong sentiments to the conference (and to former conference affiliations). For BC, they have never shared a league with Marquette, DePaul, Creighton, Xavier or Butler. The ACC money remains strong, and remain in a football-first conference with Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech.

The only way BC would ever find its way back in the Big East is if a situation occurred where the B1G and SEC simultaneously raided the ACC (say, UNC/Duke/GT/Virginia went to the B1G, and FSU, Clemson, NC State and VA Tech went to the SEC). That leaves Syracuse, Pittsburgh, BC, Louisville, ND and Wake left out. ND would likely get another non-football league membership with another P conference. From there, it's possible that SU, Pitt, BC, UL and Wake pursue an alliance with UConn for football, and place non-football membership in the BE (which would really just be circling back to where things stood in the 1980's). The likelihood of that happening would be close to nil.

Unfortunately, since BC joined the ACC, their men's basketball program has regressed. In the BE (26 years), they made eleven NCAA Tournaments (six Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights); since joining the ACC, they have made only three NCAA Tournaments, zero second weekend appearances, and zero NCAA Tournament appearances in over a decade.

(02-16-2020 01:31 PM)Garrettabc Wrote:  Let’s assume the ACCs exit fee is waved. Would the NBE be willing to take BC in all sports except football? The ACC keeps them in football.

The reason: The truth is, they are like a Buick. Sure the brand has been around for a while, but it’s become stale. Perhaps a change of scenery will do them good.

This will never happen but it is crazy how much BC’s brand cliffdropped. In the 2000’s, football spent much of 5 consecutive years ranked peaking at #2 while basketball made the tournament 7/9 years with 3 as a top-4 seed.

Now they’ve gone a decade without making the NCAA Tournament and arguably might be the most invisible P5 FB/BB hybrid brand at the moment.

If the Big East wanted to expand into MA I’d go with UMass.

(02-16-2020 03:49 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 03:28 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-16-2020 03:09 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  It's never going to happen but if such a scenario arose they would be accepted to the Big East in a New York minute. Brings the Boston TV market into the fold and fits institutionally into the conference like a glove. Small catholic school in a major city.

Though i'm sure the Big East would say to the ACC "Throw in Wake Forest and you got yourself a deal!" haha

What's Providence? Chopped liver? BC hoops wouldn't bring any new eyeballs to the Big East. What they did bring when they actually were in the Big East was a major point shaving scandal. BC has always considered itself a football school first. Basketball was an afterthought.

Provy is a very good program, but I never felt that they carried Massachusetts from my time up north to be with family. BC has more of a presence there.

I didn't say that Providence "carries" Massachusetts. What I'm saying is that BC hoops doesn't either. The Friars have been the dominant college basketball program in their area (which clearly includes nearby Boston) for more than 50 years. BC's value to the early Big East was as a regional rival for Providence when that was exclusively an eastern basketball league. It isn't that anymore, and won't likely be again.

Certainly BE would take Bos College back
ACC FB money & BB money would be a wash

I agree on Conn, BB has to be replaced
AAC could kept Conn FB on yr to yr agreement till they figured out next step

Silly that so many are saying "BC would never leave the ACC for the Big East". Of course they wouldn't, but the issue is would the Big East take BC if they did want to join?

And of course we would.

(02-16-2020 04:02 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  BC, while a founding member of the BE, will in a number of years have been members of the ACC longer than the BE. UConn was still able to return to the BE due to remaining strong sentiments to the conference (and to former conference affiliations). For BC, they have never shared a league with Marquette, DePaul, Creighton, Xavier or Butler. The ACC money remains strong, and remain in a football-first conference with Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Miami, Florida State and Virginia Tech.

The only way BC would ever find its way back in the Big East is if a situation occurred where the B1G and SEC simultaneously raided the ACC (say, UNC/Duke/GT/Virginia went to the B1G, and FSU, Clemson, NC State and VA Tech went to the SEC). That leaves Syracuse, Pittsburgh, BC, Louisville, ND and Wake left out. ND would likely get another non-football league membership with another P conference. From there, it's possible that SU, Pitt, BC, UL and Wake pursue an alliance with UConn for football, and place non-football membership in the BE (which would really just be circling back to where things stood in the 1980's). The likelihood of that happening would be close to nil.

Unfortunately, since BC joined the ACC, their men's basketball program has regressed. In the BE (26 years), they made eleven NCAA Tournaments (six Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights); since joining the ACC, they have made only three NCAA Tournaments, zero second weekend appearances, and zero NCAA Tournament appearances in over a decade.

Unless ND wants to travel to Ames, Stillwater, Pullman or Corvallis every other year I doubt they can pull what they did with the ACC. I know it's all an academic exercise at this point. Nevertheless, they'll continue to have scheduled games with BC, Stanford, Navy, Pitt, Miami (you forgot about them), USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Georgia Tech every year or every other year. In other words, they're never going to be without opponents because they're Domers. The question is bowl access and whether they regard the CFP as an important goal for them. That's what the ACC gives them now. I suppose the PAC could give them something similar to what they have with the Orange Bowl with the Las Vegas Bowl.

Should BC, UL, SU, Miami and Pitt return to the Big East I think that's enough incentive for the Domers to return there as well, especially with Wake joining them. Maybe Navy joins that group as a football-only member. So you'd have a football conference that looks like this:

Syracuse
Boston College
Connecticut
Navy
Wake Forest
Louisville
Miami
Pittsburgh

I think that's enough programs for them to have 1 or 2 games a year, rotated among the eight. 2 or more games with SEC opponents; one or two with Texas/Oklahoma; one with USC and/or Stanford/UCLA/Cal; 2 with a mix of Wisconsin/Northwestern/Michigan State/Ohio State/Penn State/Purdue/Michigan every other year; then complete the mix with one of BYU, Liberty, SMU, Air Force or Army.

Can we have a moratorium on hypotheticals where a school would willingly downgrade to a conference that would pay less money? No one leaves a better league* in order to win more games or a change of scenery. Being in the best conference possible IS the end game for virtually every athletic program except for Notre Dame.

* “Better league” means the one that pays more money. The Big East is arguably better than the ACC on-the-court this season.

(02-17-2020 08:59 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  Can we have a moratorium on hypotheticals where a school would willingly downgrade to a conference that would pay less money? No one leaves a better league* in order to win more games or a change of scenery. Being in the best conference possible IS the end game for virtually every athletic program except for Notre Dame.

* “Better league” means the one that pays more money. The Big East is arguably better than the ACC on-the-court this season.

In fairness to the OP, the question posed was whether the Big East would take BC *if* BC decided they wanted to join. I agree, the idea that BC would want to leave the ACC for the BE is absurd, but there's nothing wrong with "if" scenarios.