The only time there was a talk of a BE split was when BC was part of the league because - as you note - they would have had 6 members playing together for 5 years. Once BC left, they didn't have the 'votes' to split anymore.

Anyway, thanks for the info on this topic!

Good point. I overlooked the fact that they had 6 in the summer. So, maybe the NCAA would have granted them a waiver.

Actually they probably had a pretty good chance, but it was one more uncertainty at a time they were under duress. The "maybes" would have included both the BCS bid & the NCAA auto bid. The automatic bid probably was not that big a deal since this was a group that would have been looking for multiple at-large bids, so their champion would have been taken anyway unless it was a mediocre team that got hot & went on a run in the conference tournament. That happened to Syracuse when the conference tournament was played in the Carrier Dome in 1981 when the Big East still did not have an automatic bid. Three other teams were invited that year, but Syracuse was not.

To split or not to split is not so much base on the number of the remaining football member of the Big East, 5 at the time after BC left. But rather with basketball-only schools plus ND make it 6 which is enough to keep Big East conference to going. This mean any members that leave must pay exit fee plus they lose all credits that they earn in NCAA tournament and any claim to BCS auto-bid would be gone, seeing that it attach to the “Big East”. Of all of those three losing BCS auto-bid is the worst. Leaving the Big East doesn’t require any permission from any other members but going into a worst situation is not what you want. At least, we get to prove to the world even without Miami collectively we are worthy of BCS auto-bid. As a football league, we have programs that can compete with any programs in other BCS conference. After this year (’07), in the spring or summer of ’08, we will get an answer about our retaining of BCS auto-bid. Now a split would make sense.

Interesting quote on the last line of the link below: "Notre Dame will use Big East officiating crews this season instead of crews from the Big Ten."

Curious, that.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/independents/2007-05-30-notre-dame-qb_N.htm

The Big East's slightly less orthodox scheduling probably makes it easier for Notre Dame to use their officials, as Big East crews probably aren't all in action on any given Saturday.

Who knows why ND changed officiating crews?Could be a number of reasons.
However,I found it interesting that another blogger took this same ND/BE tidbit and took it in a different direction.Go figure? Link at http://blog.preprosports.com/2007/05/is-notre-dame-football-going-to-join.html

That blog is appropriately named: "Fantasy College Foortball & Basketball."

It sure would be a fantasy come true if the Big East football schools could get their act together and split leaving Notre Dame high and dry to defend for it self in a basketball only league.

Just look a Navy bouncing around the minor bowl circut trying to find a post season home year in a year out.

Better yet, watching Notre Dame squirm as it become the you know what for Michigan and Ohio State as the 12 member of the Big Ten would make a lot of folks fantacy come true in soo many ways.

Notre Dame's last national championship was in 1988. The 18 years since then represents the longest drought between NCs since ND won their firxt championship in 1919. (The longest previous drought was 16 years in 1950-65.) The current period of futility coincides with their record for consecutive bowl losses. You'd think that these 2 factors would provoke some serious reassessment that would lead to more of a change than just the head coaching & a contract extension. (Looking at Weis, you have to wonder whether he'll live for the full length of the contract.) :o

This is year 19 & counting since the last NC. How will they celebrate the 20th anniversary of that last NC if they haven't won another by then? Maybe it really is just all about the money & as long as NBC continues to pay them, they'll stay fat & happy. . . . Well, at least Weis will. ;D