Looks like they might be a little jealous of UConn...
In any case, might this not be the answer to the problem in all the board scenarios in finding a tenth BE team willing to commit to serious football?

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2003-08-14-umass-division-jump_x.htm

So, if I'm understanding him correctly, the goal is to become another Tulane or Cincinatti?!!

Personaly, I'd love to UMass be involved with the BE schools, and I do think it stands to increase it's exposure a la UConn. I've mentioned how the BE schools without 1-A football are the only such schools that are privvy to big time TV contracts. Otherwise they are grouped with the A-10s of the world because they're only in our minds during basketball season. I think UMass senses this, and are willing to make the move that Villanova and Georgetown would not. (Not that this move is guaranteed success or right for everyone.) They may be one of the very few schools that could do this, but it hurts them that the NCAA report is coming out today.

ESPN noted that a highlight of the report suggested, if I'm recalling this correctly, that 2/3 of the football programs (1-A) made money, but that only 6% of schools had overall athletic budgets in the black. Interesting from of sponsorship here.

Javaman, thanks for the post. I, too, think that the move of UMass to the Big East makes all kinds of sense. UMass has an old & storied rivalry with UConn in both basketball & football going back to the days when the two of them dominated the Yankee Conference. Massachusetts is a state big enough (6.5 million population) to support another program - not to mention that it is surrounded by 4 more small New England states without I-A football but with about 4 million more people for recruiting AND they are adjacent to New York's 19 million people with only one serious I-A program (Syracuse).

However, I think that this would be a hard sell in the Big East. BC would definitely vote against them. They are already scared to death that UConn has broken their monopoly on the talent base in New England & would not want another competitor in their backyard. Furthermore, the Big East is already nursing along fledgling programs at UConn & Rutgers. I don't see them being willing to take on another program in diapers that really doesn't bring a new market. Maybe a few years down the road if UConn & Rutgers are able to stand on their own 2 feet at that point . . .

A couple things lead me to disagree with you, FriarFan, though it's not an issue that I'll claim certainty in my knowledge. First off, neither the Big East nor UMass may have very long to decide on this. Possibly the conference could stabilize itself and tell the Minutemen to get their ducks in a row and then call again later, but if UMass showed a UConn level of committment that would (I understand) be more than Temple and Rutgers is doing now.

I also have to beleive that the BE would hate the prospect of another conference (read: ACC) having inroads to their territory. As for BC, they might actually prosper by having another high profile rivalry game and stronger interest in northeastern football. (Or they could use that as the final excuse for inquiring about ACC membership!) And I dare say that such committment from a state university is more of what this conference needs, especially if it hopes to lure a PSU or ND or at least chip away at those programs' dominance in the region.

Of course, this is just little old me.

javaman,

Good post!

I am with Gunnerfan here. I've felt all along that the answer for the Big East (after Cincy and Lousville) lies in 1AA.

The first option being UMASS.
The second option(s) perhaps being Villanova. (or Rhode Island)

One of these programs has to commit. If they make the committment, the Big East should respond with a committment for membership. What will come first here?
All these 1AA schools have potentially more to offer than the service academies...

8-)

Because it is a related issue and I've no idea where else to put it; What lay behind the decisions by Villanova and Georgetown to not pursue upgrading their programs while UConn did? Was it simply money? Timing? Perhaps they didn't like the idea of being forced into it? Anyone know?

I think its budgets. UConn's budget is 40 million on bar with many BCS schools. Georgetown and Villanova just didn't want to mess with it, they only have 15 million dollar budgets. They don't have the facilities either. Georgetown's stadium looks like it belongs in Junior High.

another possiblity is delaware.

umass and delware are almost all they got but look at william and mary too

WOW that makes the BE a BCS conference?

Temple
UMass
UConn
Rutgers
Pitt
WVU
Syracuse
BC
L'ville
Sincinnati

Sorry floks that is NOT a BCS conference :P

Sorry dumbass it would have. But I guess you're kissing people's asses now that your precious South Florida Bulls got into the Big East, now you just look like a jackass. And learn how to spell it's "Cincinnati" and "folks".