Cincy Paper


http://www.cincypost.com/2004/10/19/ucfoot10-19-2004.html

can prosper in Big East, school told

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By C. Trent Rosecrans
Post staff reporter

Win -- Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said -- and everything else will take care of itself.
Tranghese, in Cincinnati to meet with University of Cincinnati officials and coaches, said he believes the UC football program can draw fans and prosper, especially with its new affiliation with the Big East and its Bowl Championship Series ties.

"The Big East is an urban league. I don't think Cincinnati is different than any of our schools. If you win, they will draw," Tranghese said. "If you lose, this is a pro town and people tend to forget about you. I've seen that at Syracuse, at Pittsburgh, at St. John's, in basketball, and all of a sudden people don't care. But there's a high side if you win. That's the only thing that's going to draw fans. They're going to bring in good teams, but ultimately it's about winning."

Tranghese had breakfast Monday with UC football coach Mark Dantonio, before meeting with the media. That was followed with meetings with UC president Nancy Zimpher and men's basketball coach Bob Huggins.

Tranghese talked about UC football among several other topics during an hour allotted to meet with local media Monday morning.

• Big East university presidents will likely approve a scheduling format for basketball next month, but it may not be announced until after the basketball season ends.

"I'd rather wait until after basketball season to get the attention away," he said. "I'm very sensitive to Cincinnati, Louisville, DePaul, Marquette and South Florida about finishing out playing this last year in Conference USA, just like I'm making for certain Boston College is treated the same as the other schools (in the Big East) this year (before heading to the ACC)."

Tranghese said the school presidents want each team to play every other league team each year.

"Now what I have to lay out to them is what that means," he said. "What that means for television and a whole bunch of other issues."

There is current NCAA legislation to eliminate the two exhibition games and expand the regular season from 27 games to 29. That could be beneficial for an expanded conference schedule.

• The Big East tournament will remain in New York and specifically at Madison Square Garden.

The conference has a contract with Madison Square Garden to hold the conference tournament through 2011.

• The number of teams making the tournament is still undecided. The league coaches, Tranghese said, want all 16 teams to be in New York for the tournament.

"Our coaches are adamant about bring 16," Tranghese said. "I'm not sure our presidents are on that same page.

"I need to talk to the presidents about it."

• Tranghese served as the Men's Basketball Selection Committee chair in 2000-01, and said he's been assured there will be no cap on the number of teams that can make the tournament from the conference.

"There are no limits," said Tranghese. "I think with the expansion of our conference and the expansion of the ACC, and the larger conferences, the basketball committee is treading in new waters. I've been assured there will be no limits."

• For now, Tranghese sees much of the conference shifting as being over, he said. The Big East is happy with its future of an eight-team football league and a 16-team basketball league.

"We'll only expand when there's an opportunity to bring someone to make it better," he said. "It would have to be someone to make us better. The people that are available don't make us better. If something crazy happens, we'll look at it."

• The most important issue for the Big East this off-season was to retain its standing as a BCS conference. Tranghese said the Big East is guaranteed at least four more years in the BCS.

"We don't have any choice. I wish we had a little longer to work out the kinks," he said. "We've got seven teams in our league this year and it's possible that six are going to be bowl-eligible. The only one is Temple (which is leaving the Big East after this season). We're going to have a flock of teams that is bowl eligible. We're a little better than people give us credit for. The only way to eradicate the criticism is to play better."

While Louisville has been impressive so far this season, the other two incoming football teams have been less so.

UC and South Florida lost to Army in the last two weeks. After a 19-game losing streak, the Black Knights now have a two-game winning streak thanks to future Big East members.

"I don't like when anyone loses; I'm not good at losing," Tranghese said. "I'm not happy about it, but I'm happy that they aren't happy about it. I know Mark isn't happy about it. Those are games we have to win, and we have to win those games above that."

West Virginia is the only Big East team in the current BCS standings, released Sunday. The Mountaineers, tied atop the Big East standings with Syracuse, are No. 20 in the BCS rankings. Conference USA has two teams in the BCS rankings, Louisville (No. 17) and Alabama-Birmingham (No. 24). Louisville, along with UC and South Florida will be headed to the Big East for football next season. Both of this year's Big East defectors -- Miami (No. 2) and Virginia Tech (No. 25) -- are in the BCS rankings. Boston College will follow next season.

"We've got work to do in football. It's a challenge but we're excited about it," Tranghese said. "For all the criticism we're going to take on the football side, which I think is overwhelming, the praise of the basketball side is going to be overwhelming."




Publication Date: 10-19-2004

Interesting article.

Mike T for once needs to forget about TV for a minute and worry about unity. With 16 bb teams next year, each team playing the other is more critical than another round robin made for TV rematch with Notre Dame/UConn etc. Unity is the important factor.

Also agree with the BE Athetic Directors on taking all 16 teams to NYC for the tournament. So what if every game is not on TV or some games have to play at other venues such as Rutgers in opening rounds. Again unity is so important and having every team together in one city will help to solidify this league.

No team has ever won the BE tournament that were ranked below the 8. Finally 16 teams create a balance tournament where all teams play the same number of games to reach the final. Do not agree with the argument that it will take away from the NCAA tournment success with some many tough tournament games. Get used to BE you have created a basketball monster.

MT is selling bb as a deflection of BE football criticism and BCS worries. They are two seperate sports, and with the composition of each not being uniform, one will not necessarily serve as the carrier for the other.

I don't understand not playing everyone in a 16 team league unless you have geographic issues. And with good teams all over, I don't see how you do the schedule to promote TV matchups (set up a division with UL,UC,SU,UConn,GT,Villanova,Pitt,Providence????). So, I just don't see how it would make any difference.

The last thing the BE needs is divisions. This conference has to unite and move on.

Bullet, you forget that 12 team confernce all play one basketballl game per year against the other confernce members.

The BE with 14 members and divisions did not play every member. This was not good and having every team play each other in BB would provide th 16 team member conference the same benefits as the other BCS conferences.

DogsNC@cks, I disagree with you on fb and BB being different. It the sum of the whole that makes up a conference and revenue is the key to it all. Its the reason Miami is the ACC.

So one conference can be down in one sport and up in the other.

Take the Pac 10, it is up in football and down in basketball. It all balances out.

The same is true for the NBE. Football is in transition and bb can hold things together for now.

bb can help BE.

It certainly has helped CUSA.

But would they really consider more than 16 teams??? I think they must split if they want to improve fb. They have no flexibility now.

Not exactly true for all 12 team conferences. In the SEC, teams play each divisional opponent twice, and once each member of the other division. That is 16 games. This excludes the post-season conference tournament.

Your point is understood, Lash. I am conveying the same point, using your example, as it relates to outcome. Among many other factors, joining an "all sports" league by Miami was one of their considerations. The ACC offered this. Obviously there were many issues at play in the Miami decision, but continuity and "all sports" play had to be involved to a respectable degree.

The BE has current members that live with or favor the conferated arrangement. Obviously there were others who had moved when the opportunity had presented itself. Also, Syracuse was once willing, and West Virginia and Rutgers would have been too, if given the chance. Who among the BE would reject a future Big10 invitation if it was extended? UCONN?
L'ville, USF, and Cincy find the move to the BE a step up. Of course, it is BCS with a mass of respectable bb schools. And, C-USA was sort of a newbie itself with its own confederated elements prior to its re-organization by necessity.
Who are the real biggies BE bb? Syracuse and UCONN, and they are fb schools too. I would even add Pittsburgh as a cut above most of the others.

There are no B-10 invites for BE schools arriving.There are no invites to CUSA/MAC schools like Marshal,Memphis or E.Carolina on the way.
the four choices for the 9th football school are ND or Villanova from within the BE or Army or Navy .

Big East instead of divisions need to break up in quads to help out with scheduling.

Cincinnati
Louisville
Pittsburgh
West Virginia

DePaul
Marquette
Notre Dame
USF

Providence
St. John's
Syracuse
UConn

Georgetown
Seton Hall
Rutgers
Villanova

But I still feel they will split this conference up into bb schools and fb schools. Which I think will happen if Notre Dame leaves for the B10. In which I think will happen, and here is what the BE does.

Big East
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Louisville
Marshall
Pittsburgh
West Virginia

*Army FB Only
*Navy FB Only
Rutgers
Syracuse
UConn
USF

These schools join the A-10; Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence.

A-12
Charlotte
Georgetown
George Washington
Richmond
Saint Joseph's
Temple

Providence
Rhode Island
Seton Hall
St. John's
UMass
Villanova

DePaul, Marquette, Saint Louis, Xavier, Dayton try to make some sort of conference or find a conference.

The BE had 2 divisions when they had 14 teams.A 12-2 vote to go one division was held and passed.No big difference with 16 or 14.The BE is a northern and eastern and midwestern conference.The entrance of USF was in response to bc's move to the acc.If the BE wanted Memphis,ECU or Marshal they were there.The splitting to an all sports conference is not a simple one.ND will probably give a few more games to ensure that things will stay the same.It is always possible that some of the non-football will not be able to keep up.

Great forbids if the Big East ever loses another football team to a BCS conference, Mike T. may just run out and add Duquesne, Valparaiso, and LaSalle to Big East basketball!

NO place to go.ND is staying.

Tigersharktwo, the writing is on the wall that Notre Dame will eventually join the Big 10.

Notre Dame is heading in the same direction this year with the loss to BC.

I make some assumptions on the future and Notre Dame would be forced crying, screaming, begging BCS for independence, pleading to NBC to overlook poor ratings just to end up the Big 10.

For some of us fans it cant come soon enough to finally see Notre Dame play in a conference that puts in the middle of pecking order pack where the school belongs.

I do think the BE will keep the 16 conference basketball league and replace Notre Dame with another footall type school.

At this point, my preference would be Marshall to replace Notre Dame.

Marshall would provide good rivals for Louisivlle, Cincinnati, Pitt, and WVU to go along with Syracuse, UConn and Rutgers on the far eastern seaboard. South Florida would round out a very good future 9 team football league.

Marshall is good because the school primary focus is football and blending into the 16 team all sports league would fit the eastern footprint.

The last thing the 16 team new Big East needs to be concerned with is TV markets and basketball.

Football is the the current issue that the conference needs to focus and this should be concern of the basketball schools as well.

Yea, Notre Dame to the Big 10 is only a matter of time and Saturday just pushed the dates a little faster along.

For some of us fans, the day just cant come soon enough. We know it we can see it we just can make it happen today.

No ND likes things the way they are.Possibly they will replace their HC in football.They will replace BC with either or both WVU or Syracuse and add Army as its 12th game.Army and Navy will be associate members of the BE football and play each other 4BE football games per year.ND will play 5 BE(including Army a Navy),and Army and Navy will play 6 BE games per season(including ND and each other)
Army and Navy will be added to bowl arrangement that ND has with BE.Possibly the Army and Navy will be added to BE tv package as well as ND away games with Army and Navy,Pitt,WVU and Syracuse.More money for all including ND who keeps its independent schedule of 7 games and its NBC package

Maybe Mike T should attend more of the BE cities as motivation speaker since Cincinnati just pounded Memphis last week in football.

Tigersharktwo, most BE football fans don't give a crap about Notre Dame and really dont blame Maimi for leaving.

If the Big East basketball schools are smart and want to remain with a major BCS confernce, they better deal with the Notre d**ne situation in the next few years.

Either Notre Dame is in for football or push them out for a solid football program to bring the confernce to nine football teams.

It either going to be that way or the all sports way.

Tigersharktwo you and Notre Dame fans have an overflatted image of what Notre Dame is contributing to the conference.

The Big East football confernce is fighting the football contract from decreasing to possibly 4 million from 15 million an year? How is Notre Dame helping again?

The basketball contract apparently is not doing any better. With Notre Dame as member how is the school helping?

Other than having a good academic reputation which is not helping the BE pay the bills, Notre Dame is dead wood and would be better replaced with a strong football school.