Big East Conference may get tougher in coming years

[KirkHerbstreit]

I like this analogy better for UCONN. 7 girls from Beaverdale wanted to have a beauty pagent, but needed 1 more girl. They think long and hard about it and finally end up inviting CONNie from Dunlo. CONNie from Dunlo joins the beauty pagent and while she beats out PITT-rina alot, she can never quite win the pagent. The moral of the story is if you put 8 terds in a bucket an let people vote on their favorite terd one of those terds is going to finish in first place, but in the long run it's still a terd.

By the way, if the Big Ten decides it wants exposure in the East it will get it. No one in the Big East will be dumb enough to turn them down.

[El-Moldo]

So what the Big ten wants, the Big Ten gets?????? Really? Good luck with Nebraska. After all, this was the school they REALLY wanted, right? And by the way, if given the chance, Villanova will blossom.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Villanova wont blossom. They have low undergrad and a hefty price tag and high academics. They will never get any better than Northwestern, where 7-5 is a success.

You said they will hurt recruiting for other programs. That's not really the case, b/c universities still have a negative opinion of the Philly city schools to begin with, and how would any of those kids get accepted at Villanova? If a kid has pretty strong grades, why would he go to unproven Villanova over PSU or Stanford or even Rutgers?

[KirkHerbstreit]

I said if the Big Ten wants exposure in the east they will get it. I didn't say they get everything they want or they obviously would have Texas and NotreDame right now. Sorry, but if PSU offered Rutgers, Syracuse, or Pitt they would take about 3 seconds to accept.

Villanova will blossom into what? Exactly what TAE said a perrenial 7-5 team at best.

[abpk2903]

How does 'Nova bring more to the Big East table than say Temple (and don't say they beat them last year because if the Big East makes their decisions off of one game they got huge problems)? Temple has a much larger alumni base, plenty good enough academics for the Big East, good basketball (or could stay in A-10), much higher enrollment, brings the Philadelphia market, play in a NFL stadium, and have played decent football over the last few years. Everything they have is either as intriguing or more intriguing than 'Nova other than academics which the Big East really doesn't consider. They were booted from the Big East but have completely turned around since then. I am not saying that they will be a better fit than UCF, SMU, or others but they sure as heck have a better resume than 'Nova.

[The Ancient Enemy]

The reasons why they were booted was because Temple's academics were really dropping, and b/c they were the worst football program in the country for several thousand years. The only thing Villanova does is helps with scheduling since they play other sports in the Big East. It truly is baffling that the BE would rather put their eggs in a I-AA program moving up, in a market that Rutgers and Pitt already have a part of, instead of using that BCS bid to attract enormous markets like Dallas or New Orleans or Orlando. Who the hell is steering this ship?

[shocker]

QUOTE OF THE YEAR......."Temple's academics were dropping" :shock:

I now officially know TAE is either on crack or full of $h1t!

[Head Roadie]

AE says " Who the hell is steering this ship?"

The same nit-wit that was blindsided by the ACC raid a few years back.

I honestly don't see ANYTHING saving this conference. Best case scenario it could be preserved for another 6-8-10 years.

Personally I don't see adding Villanova (ala U.Conn.) or Tulane, C.Fla, or SMU 'saving' the league. Perhaps it would have been best if the Big 12 (now ten, because the Big ten & pac ten went to 12) had been blown apart and then the Big East could have picked remnants from all over the USA and changed their name from the Big East to "Big Country" or "Big Leftovers"

My hope is that Pitt and WVU land in the ACC and SEC respectively but maintain their rivalry when this is all said and done years and years from now.

[The Ancient Enemy]

What worried me about Pitt was that the Big Ten really has no interest in them, and there were Maryland rumors ahead of Pitt rumors. I certainly do not want Pitt added as a 12th team (Nebraska) but if we go 14 or 16 I am hoping Pitt gets that last spot. Pitt fans should hope so, too. Pitt is a good school (DESPITE LOW ADMISSIONS FOR ATHLETES), they have a strong basketball program, it's a city school, etc, etc. Give me Rutgers and Pitt and let's end the expansion discussion.

Roadie, all I am saying is that the BE has bargaining power right now, b/c they still have that auto bid. Now is the time to strike. They are sitting on their hands while the Mountain West publicly states they want a BCS bid. To be honest, I'm not sure the BE deserves it ahead of them. But having 8 teams that no one even cares about like the BE does, is not helping. Now is the time to get into these markets and use that golden carrot as bait. Get into Texas and get into the deep south where there is a retarded amount of talent and households. SMU, Tulane, Southern Miss, and Central Florida. Stay away from Memphis.

Split the conference into North - South divisions and play a conference title game.

[Head Roadie]

AE....good points, I agree with your logic. Unfortunately the Big East commissioner has never been accused of striking first or early, so I wouldn't count on it. The ACC raid branded Tranghese (Big East commish) as a "sit on your butt and wait" kinda guy and until I see differently I won't get excited.