Crappy just got crappier: Big East Not Just East Anymore
Big Least to add BSU, Navy, Air Force, UCF, Houston, SMU:
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7177969/big-east-invite-six-football-according-report
Good lord, that conference is going to be worse than the MAC. And it's still going to have an autobid?
So -- what's this mean for the MWC/C-USA merger, I assume that is more on than before. Aren't they down to 28 schools now or something.
While on the subject, can't help but laugh at West Virginia suing the Big Least for not protecting the school. The lawsuit claims other schools were looking elsewhere. Hey, didn't WVU earlier this year apply to the SEC and ACC? And get turned down? I know I need to give up my dispassion for all thing Mountaineer, but what a joke that lawsuit is. (I'm a lawyer and a litigator at that, I think I can smell BS when it's plopped in front of me.)
November 1st, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
Don't call it the big least.
November 1st, 2011 at 6:01 PM ^
You just don't get the joke...
The conference's name is the Big East, right? Now, what this fellow has done, quite shrewdly, is changed the word "East" to - you won't believe this - "Least." See, it rhymes with East, but it also denigrates the conference for their subpar football abilities. It's biting social satire and it works on so many levels! But then I'd guess you're not a Jonathan Swift fan either.
November 1st, 2011 at 9:27 PM ^
so THAT'S what "also" means
November 1st, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
I really liked the idea of the MAC, Bigeast, MWC and C-USA creating a new Mid Major conference then spliting into 4 regional sub conferences, made a whole lot of sence, prolly to much sence
November 1st, 2011 at 4:22 PM ^
Sence whin?
November 1st, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
Makes scents to me two
November 1st, 2011 at 5:35 PM ^
Just had too put in you're to sense, didn't you?
November 1st, 2011 at 7:04 PM ^
ewe had two go their
November 1st, 2011 at 11:08 PM ^
You forgot to end your sentence with a period.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
If I'm Boise State, there's no way I'm accepting that invite. Hold out for greener pastures. Hell even the WAC may be better.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
and who exactly is going to be offering bsu a spot in their conference??
November 1st, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^
That the Big 12 tries to poach Boise and maybe SMU/Houston?, to get them back to 12 after they lose Missouri and Texas A&M?
November 1st, 2011 at 6:10 PM ^
The only thing Boise offers is a football program. Yes, thats the money maker, but BSU has terrible academics and with little else to bring to the table, they haven't been snatched up by the major conferences for that reason.
November 1st, 2011 at 7:25 PM ^
How is that different than Kansas State?
November 1st, 2011 at 9:16 PM ^
K-State has a legitimate basketball program, which is the only other money making college sport.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
but the WAC is absoutely a giant black hole of suck. I am certain that there's an FCS conference or two that is stronger than the WAC
November 1st, 2011 at 5:38 PM ^
1. They are no longer in the WAC. They are in the Mountain West now.
2. Their academics are not highly ranked, their other sports are not on the same level as other BCS conference teams, and their stadium only seats 36K.
3. They are not likely to get a big conference bid right now, but they might be able to use Big East money to build facilities, expand the stadium, etc.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:19 PM ^
Guh. This conference ralignment nonsense is getting way out of hand.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:19 PM ^
Notre Dame accepts Big East's bid for football & gains relevance again
ND: Returning to Glory since 1994.
November 1st, 2011 at 9:06 PM ^
...but the fact that you even mentioned ND proves their relevance.
ND's relevance is why almost every MSM sports personality so desperately wants them to succeed again. It is also why they could have made the BS Sham-pionship game by running the table this year, even with only four legitimate opponents.
How many other schools could suck for over twenty years and still get the amount of national press that ND gets? I am thinking there aren't any. That, my friend, is relevance.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:22 PM ^
November 1st, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
From the link: "The Big East Conference will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press."
Not that that detracts from your overall point...
November 1st, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^
Big East...meh
November 1st, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
Hey, it gets all of the basketball schools in the league thirty wins and since they don't have football, they lose nothing. Great scam if you can pull it off. I'm sure we can count on Mark Emmert to show leadership as this BCS money prostitution ring is making a mockery of intercollegiate athletics....oh, never mind.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
Yes, the whole thing is stupid but you don't have to go and start acting like Sparty. I hate Boise St..
November 1st, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
Big East autobid made sense when Miami, Boston College, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Syracuse, and Pitt were good. Now...
November 1st, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^
I guess fighting two wars at once wasn't enough to impress you lazy, entitled bastards. Fine, we didn't want to be in your stupid conference anyway.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
Army used to be in the C-USA. That did not work out very well
November 1st, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
Following "Big East" relaignment & C-USA/MWC merger:
MAC:
Temple, Ohio, Miami OH, Bowling Green, Kent St, Buffalo, Akron, Eastern Mich, Western Mich, Central Mich, Toledo, Ball State, Nortern Illinois
C-USA/MWC
TCU, Wyoming, UNLV, SDSU, Colorado St, New Mexico, East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, UAB, Tulsa, Southern Mississippi, UTEP, Rice, Tulane
SUN BELT
Arkansas St, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Kentucky, Florida Intl, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Louisiana Monroe, Florida Atlantic
WAC
Nevada, Hawaii, LaTech, Fresno St, SJSt, New Mexico St, Utah St, Idaho
HOW IS THE BIG EAST AQ?
Rutgers, UConn, Cincinnati, USF, Louisville, Boise St, Navy, Air Force, UCF, Houston, SMU
November 1st, 2011 at 4:33 PM ^
For what it's worth, TCU will be in the Big XII.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:53 PM ^
I thought I read somewhere that UMASS is joining the MAC for football too.
November 1st, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^
How nice would it be to have five "BCS" conferences with 62-64 teams fighting for five AQ spots and four or five "non-BCS" conferences with anywhere from 40-60 teams in a playoff for one AQ spot and the rest of the Sun Belt and WAC just busted down to FCS?
November 1st, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^
Missing the WAC to MWC moves, some FCS to FBS moves, and adding the errors noted above.
2012 Non-AQ's assuming everyone accept invites and is allowed to move next year (except one 2013 move where noted):
MAC:
Temple, Ohio, Miami OH, Bowling Green, Kent St, Buffalo, Akron, Eastern Mich, Western Mich, Central Mich, Toledo, Ball State, Nortern Illinois, UMass
C-USA/MWC
Wyoming, UNLV, SDSU, Colorado St, New Mexico, East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, UAB, Tulsa, Southern Mississippi, UTEP, Rice, Tulane, Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno St
SUN BELT
Arkansas St, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Kentucky, Florida Intl, North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Louisiana Monroe, Florida Atlantic, (plus South Alabama in 2013)
WAC
LaTech, SJSt, New Mexico St, Utah St, Idaho, UT-San Antonio, Texas State
INDEPENDENTS
BYU, Army
And the BIG EAST would have these members (* for current, 2011 non-AQ's):
Rutgers, UConn, Cincinnati, USF, Louisville, Boise St*, Navy*, Air Force*, UCF*, Houston*, SMU*
November 1st, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
It's not like Boise and Navy are bad teams, though. Navy is basically a perennial bowl team, and Boise is...well, Boise. Air Force is pretty decent every few years, IIRC. The rest are obviously an attempt to keep some kind of conference going, but I don't think Navy, Boise and AFA are all that bad of additions.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
I feel like putting Navy and Air Force in the same conference actually will hurt both schools. With every team preparing for the triple-option once or twice a year, I'd imagine their offensive productivity will decrease.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:41 PM ^
November 1st, 2011 at 4:52 PM ^
From everything I've read, the BE has to take Boise to have any hope of remaining a BCS conference. I don't think they care whether Boise will be relevant in fifteen years as much as getting their BCS numbers up, right freaking now. You're right about Navy and AFA not being ideal teams, but every conference has not so good teams, it's just the number of them in the BE that's a problem. In that context it's obviously not good.
Completely agree about the BE champ and Boise, especially since this takes effect after Pitt is safely in the ACC (thank god).
November 1st, 2011 at 5:00 PM ^
November 1st, 2011 at 5:04 PM ^
So you're saying it's just like OSU hiring Dantonio? Consolidating all emotions into a single location? Makes sense.
November 1st, 2011 at 5:45 PM ^
There is zero, as in zero, rationale any longer for a Big East auto bid. I don't think anyone will get sucked into the Big East exapansion argument again like last time, where they added Louisville et. al and said that made them still worthy of an auto bid after Miami etc left. None of those teams, with the exception of Boise, is even in the top 30, ever, of colege football at the end of any given regular season. They are all mid majors and do absolutely nothing to help raise the already sub par quality of the Big East., which, with WVA leaving, is clearly barely better, if at all, than the MWC. If there is any justice, the BE loses the auto-bid, which should default to the highest ranked team outside the now five conferences with auto bids.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^
WVU's lawsuit lacks teeth.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^
I wouldn't say it lacks teeth.
I would say it lacks merit.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:58 PM ^
November 1st, 2011 at 4:32 PM ^
As an Air Force Academy grad all I can say is no,no,no,no,no,no,no, oh god please don't do this to me!, no, no, no, Fuck!
I really hope they tell the Big East to shove it and stay in the Mountain West. This move makes no sense for them whatsoever and I know feedback on it has been overwhlemingly negative from the fans.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:44 PM ^
If I'm Air Force, I think they're better off trying to secure a solid MWC. Convince Boise to stay, make a move for SMU and Houston and you get a nice eight team league that makes a lot more sense for all of your sports and is at least the equal of what's left in the Big East. If you want to see if Army and Navy are interested, go for it. The nice part of an eight team league is that it gives you 5 non-conference games to make your SOS exactly what you want it to be.
Air Force
Boise State
SDSU
Wyoming
Colorado State
SMU
Houston
New Mexico
EDIT: Forgot about UNLV. Maybe invite UTEP or keep an eye on UTSA to go to 9 or 10.
November 1st, 2011 at 6:42 PM ^
Fresno St and Nevada were already scheduled to enter the MWC sometime within the next year or two.
November 1st, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
Recruiting tactic: Come join the Big East and travel all over the damn country!
November 1st, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^
I count 11 teams in the new Big East, how are they going to schedule a championship game? Am I missing something?
November 1st, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^
They also want to add the storied football programs of Temple, Memphis, or BYU.
BYU would be solid, but they just went independent, why go to a crap conference like the Big East.
This new Big East is a mid-major conference, no different than Conference USA or the Mountain West. I can't see how they keep their BCS bid.