Savage, SEC03 -

Yes, there has been discussion about a Big East split after 2010.
With schedules arranged years in advance, time may be running out for making it happen in 2011.
My understanding of the date of 2010 is that it is based on 2 factors.

Immediately after the ACC raid in 2003, the remaining 6 BE football schools (Syracuse, Pitt, WVa, Rutgers, UConn (who was just coming aboard for D-1A football), and BC (prior to them offering themselves up as ACC#12) got together and mulled over creating an all-sports conference with some like-minded schools (some of the candidtates were Cincy, Louisville, Marshall, Temple, Army, Navy.... this was all disclosed around 2005). Anyway, this plan got torpedoed by 2 seemingly insurmountable problems:
1) These 6 schools had future earmarked revenues of $45 million, based on prior appearances in the NCAA basketball tourney. If they seceeded from the Big East immediately, they would have to forfeit that money to the conference, because according to the by-laws, the tournament proceeds are paid by the NCAA to the conference, which then allocates them to the member schools. The prospect of having to leave this money behind immediately gave them pause....
2) [not sure about this]... there may have been issues with the basketball side (Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John & Notre Dame) remaining as a conference in good standing during a membership change-over. NCAA rules have something about 6 members remaining together for 5 years.... not sure how long Notre Dame had been part of the Big East, as of 2003 (so perhaps the basketball side had to wait some time for Notre Dame to be counted as the 6th member - it wasn't even clear what Notre Dame would do in the event of a split).

THEREFORE, the "Dave Gavitt plan" was adopted, where the league added schools to give themselves 8 football schools and 8 non-football schools, and set themselves up for a potential split. The schools were added effective 2005. The BE by-laws were amended to state that starting at that time, NCAA basketball proceeds would become the property of the member school and not the conference, starting with tourney dollars earned in 2005.

The NCAA pays out the basketball maney over 6 years, so the last of the "conference" NCAA basketball money (earned in 2004) is paid to the member schools in 2010.

If the conference splits in 2011, each fraction of the Big East consists of 8 schools that have been together for 5 years, satisfying any NCAA rules for continuity as an established conference.

Mike Tranghese stated around 2003, that if a split were to occur, he would resign, since he couldn't necessarily impartially represent both factions. He has announced that he will resign next year. Conincidence ? Maybe.... but he is in his mid-60s, and he just finished negotiating a TV-rights deal extension, so maybe he had gotten to a point where he felt "his work was done"....

East Carolina, Memphis, and Central Florida have all been acting like they know something is afoot, and have made various public and behind-the-scenes overtures to the Big East Football 8.... the Big East member schools seem to act as if a gag order is in place, which only adds to the speculation that something is up.

Temple temporarily joined the MAC conference for football only. They refuse to join the MAC in there other sports, and the deal only runs through 2010. This seems to reflect Temple keeping their options open.

As though the Big East may undergo a change, which will cascade through C-USA and A-10, and maybe the CAA, etc. SUNY-Stony Brook moved their FCS football program to the Big South conference, however this deal also runs through 2010....

It would seem that if a lot of shifting is to take place in some year (say 2011), you would need to start announcing this some time in advance (say 2008 or 2009), so as to begin implementing your revised conference schedule, effective (2011). I think the next deadline coming up for filing changes in conference affiliation with the NCAA is June 30, 2009.
So perhaps an announcement is in the offing this coming spring.

Or maybe this is all just a conspiracy theory, and the Big East is fine and dandy as is....

The big thing to remember about the BE is that the BE FB presidents have a 'get out of jail free' card that they can exercise and BE FB can split with essentially no penalties (no exit fees and the conference members keep their credits). The card expires in 2010 and no one knows whether this card will be extended beyond 2010.

So, at some later point, if the BE splits, then the BB schools would reap the $5 million exit fee and BB credits. Its obviously silly not to extend it but who knows.

MT is retiring and IMO it's conincidence that it is close to when the BE could split in 2010. You will see the direction the league is chosing with the next commish.

One other thing, also IMO, but I think everything is now pointing toward a potential split in 2013. There are a lot of things that line up during that year. The BCS contracts expire in January 2014 and the BE FB contract expires December 2013 (IIRC). It would also allow BE FB to kind of know the direction of the BCS (playoff, plus-one, etc), conference networks, and whether the BE is better suited to STILL be attached to the BB schools, split and add 1, split and add 2, etc. etc. simply because it would also allow potential candidates (CUSA) to separate themselves for a longer period of time and not just one or two years after the BE raided them and rebuilt.

Hey, thesis is correct. Oregon State did it first this year.

SEC is one of the conferences leading in the current arms race.Why should they be expanding?
Article with list of projected 2008-2009 budgets for all 12 SEC schools as gathered by this organization.Link at http://capstonereport.com/?p=1970

Thanks for your continued posting of articles related to college athletics freaked! Anyway, the answer to your question is of course...... they shouldn't.... It will make this topic dull at least until their next round of contract negotiations

http://www.thestate.com/gogamecocks/story/806671.html


The State Newspaper
Columbia, SC
Article by Joseph Person
SEC Revenue Keeps on Growing
5/30/09

Some financial numbers projected for SEC and related conference decisions & discussions.

Several schools come to mind for SEC expansion:
Louisville
South Florida
Memphis
Georgia Tech
Florida State
Miami
Central Florida

Before any of these schools join, there are several things that need to happen. UCF's FB and BB teams, most importantly, need to become perennial winners. If GT was to join, a future SEC commish MUST be a BIG GT fan and want GT in the SEC.

I have a very-long term realignment plan for Division 1. Most importantly, each BCS conference would go to 16 schools: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=227&p=38115#p38115

The SEC would lose Arkansas, LSU and South Carolina, but gain all the 7 schools listed above.

Georgia blog article with speculation regarding possible SEC realignment do to Big Ten expansion.Link at http://www.dawgsports.com/2009/12/16/12 ... -force-the

I am flabbergasted at the mere suggestion that any school would want to leave the SEC.

For greener pastueres ??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME !!!! They don't get any greener !!!

SEC created a very succesful financial machine, by being the first to expand to 12.
Quite a few years they have gotten 2 BCS berths, and they absolutely own the TV merket in the SE 1/4 of the country.
On the latter point, there can be no argument, and they just negotiated a fantastic new TV contract.

The SEC has the leverage right now to snag Texas & Texas A&M along with Oklahoma and OSU, IF a 14- or 16-team model can be shown to work well. I think those 4 schools would listen, if the SEC were bent on expasnion to a next-sized larger super-conference.

The issue might be whether the various athletic championships will accept enough at-larges from an enlarged powerhouse conference... (the BE found that as fasr as basketball, 16 can be made to work). In football, however, the conference might cannibalize itself to some degree, to the extent that those 16 teams stand a better shot of racking up BCS slots if they occupied 2 different conferences. And that's a fair chunk of change.

If the SEC set such a precedent, it wouldn't be long before the Big Ten and ACC sought to carve up the Big East, and some consolidation would occur between the Big XII North, MWC and PAC.

It's pure blog speculation. Everything we know says Arkansas PREFERS to be in the SEC versus the Big 12. So why would they leave? Chances are they wouldn't.

The only BCS to BCS moves I could see happening are:
1) Missouri to Big Ten: makes sense on many levels but Big Ten might have other plans
2) Texas to SEC: the SEC could actually add Texas and texas A&M and make more money. Scary to think, but would make them a 14 team superconference and really hurt the Big 12. Especially if...
3) Colorado to Pac 10: The Denver market is becoming more and more a west coast one. The Pac 10 might actually help struggling Colorado.

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

Which leads to this...

Imagine a world where the Big 12, who you could argue is the #2 conference (performance, revenue factors) LOSES schools?

Missouri to Big Ten
Colorado to Pac 10 (with Utah of MWC)
Texas and Texas A&M to SEC


Wow! This would mean they would need 4 new schools.
Some options:

1) BYU: was original choice before Baylor
2) TCU: not ideal, but does help with the Texas loss
3) Houston
4) UTEP or Rice
5) Memphis
6) Colorado St
7) New Mexico
8) SMU
9) Boise St
10) UNLV


Scary to think that 4 of the above 10 would move. Which would mean in the end, the MWC could lose 3 teams and raid the WAC for 3. CUSA could lose 2 and raid the Sunbelt for 2.

That might force the WAC and Sunbelt to merge.

EAST:
Arkansas St
MTSU
Troy
South Alabama
WKU
LA Tech
ULL
ULM

WEST:
Idaho
Utah St
NMSU
North Texas
SJSU
Fresno St
Hawaii

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

If the MWC was down to 7 the add Boise St. which I think they will anyway. Nevada and possibly Fresno St.

I don't see them merging. UTSA, Texas St., Charlotte, Georgia St., Jacksonville St., Lamar are all interested in FBS.

Sun Belt takes the Eastern schools WAC takes the Texas schools and UC Davis who I think will move to the WAC if they were offered a spot.

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
['08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS]

As the Big Ten continues to consider expansion to 12, 14, or 16, the SEC could expand to 16 and add West Virginia and Louisville in the East division and Texas and Texas A&M on the West division.

The Big Ten would then add Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Missouri, and Notre Dame. The state of Iowa may come into play in support of Iowa State and this would allow the ACC to take Syracuse and UConn.

The Pac 10 would finally be able to get Colorado and could go after Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Kansas State for 16.

This would resolve both the Big East football conference and the Big 12 and leave four major conferences that could allow a play into a final four type scenario for college football.

If the BE fb broke up from mega-conference initiatives by the B10, and perhaps the ACC is solidifying it's NE sector, I could see where the SEC could consider West Virginia if the SEC wanted to expand further. It would largely depend on what happens in the B12 as a result of B10 expansion. The SEC would certainly look at westward schools such as Texas, A&M, Oklahoma and OSU. West Virginia would extend the SEC's footprint, beyond Kentucky, to the crossroads of the upper south, midwest, and northeast. Also, West Virginia has an enthusiatic and loyal fanbase that would fit with the SEC more than any other BE school. With Kentucky already in the SEC, not sure Louisville would be high on the list, and would be considered only after more favorable possibilites don't pan-out. Other considerations could include making moves for Clemson and/or FSU, maybe GT.

With the SEC's new TV contract in place for 15 years, we can probably lock this thread for the next 12.

The SEC has zero reason to take their lucrative TV deal, and simply add two more hands reaching into the pot.

_________________
1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942