Big East 7 Catholic Schools Can Dissolve League
Interesting read on ESPN early this morning. Apparently, it would "be an upset" if the 7 catholic non-FBS schools (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova) stay in the league. Fine, we knew that.
What is interesting is that the Big East can dissolve by a 2/3 majority vote, and because of the defections/attrition/general craziness, there are 10 schools that could vote: the seven catholic non-football schools, Cincinnati, UConn, and South Florida.
The schools may not only leave the league, but they could dissolve the league entirely.
It's unknown if they would attempt to dissolve the league or leave the league as a group. The league can be dissolved by vote of the league members by a two-thirds majority, according to Big East by-laws. With all of the Big East's recent defections, there are only 10 members (the seven non-FBS schools, plus Cincinnati, UConn and South Florida) that can vote on the league dissolving.
A source told ESPN on Wednesday, Temple, as a football-only member, has voting rights, but can't vote on dissolution of the league. With Temple unable to vote, that gives the seven basketball schools enough votes to dissolve the league.
Full article here.
December 13th, 2012 at 3:50 AM ^
kill it...
December 13th, 2012 at 4:32 AM ^
December 13th, 2012 at 5:05 AM ^
Depending on how things shake out, there's a good chance this would doom the B1G/ACC Challenge?
December 13th, 2012 at 9:54 AM ^
December 13th, 2012 at 9:59 AM ^
ah yes, the famous Big 6.02×1023
December 13th, 2012 at 7:17 AM ^
Reading other stories on this subject, the interesting thing regarding the dissolution vote is that it allows schools to potentially avoid the exit fee but still pursue having their tournament at Madison Square Garden as always and still get what might be owed them by whatever remains in the Big East treasury. Others also point out that the "Seven", if you will, would indeed have to vote as a bloc or this does not happen. If it did, it might even give these school just enough breathing room to make a go of being a conference (if they could get some other basketball schools on board), complete with a modest but workable media deal. If it went in that direction, they will have achieved something that the Big East has had the gravest difficulty achieving - a TV deal.
December 13th, 2012 at 8:36 AM ^
Give me UConn & Cincy.
December 13th, 2012 at 9:00 AM ^
December 13th, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^
For the B1G, my bet is still on UVa, and if they can swing it around some possible “contiguous” rule GaTech. Can’t see Delaney letting those markets get away from him, plus they are both AAU members. (UNC would be nice but they are too tied to Duke to be solo and too tied to ACC to jump ship if it isn’t totally sinking.)
December 14th, 2012 at 8:41 AM ^
Why does everyone want UVA? The football team is irrelevant, the basketball program can't seem to beat teams that are clearly inferior in talent and chokes when it matters.
What do they add? Academics? That's great and all, but if you want to add schools only based on academics, you're gonna have some problems.
December 14th, 2012 at 10:53 AM ^
Might I ask what the fuck you think you are talking about?
December 14th, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
Virginia Football has had a winning record once out of the last 5 years, and basketball has been more than one game over .500 once in 7 years, twice in 9. So they don't add anything at all to the conference athletically, only academically.
December 14th, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
Once in seven years? Are we talking about the same program? I'll tell you what, my friend, UVA has been to the tournament in that time the exact same number of times as Cincinnati, and UConn's hoops program is the SEC of men's basketball, so there's little to speak for them there. I'd really more curious to know where UVA got Devotee's one-man reputation for constantly losing to teams of inferior talent. The real bottom line is, I question the judgment of someone who pisses on UVa but thinks it'd be a great idea to add UConn and UC to the Big Ten.
December 14th, 2012 at 4:45 PM ^
I agree 100% with your last sentence. Both UC's will never be great in football and that's what really matters. Both UC's combined may never approach the academic prestige and wealth/influence of the alumni base of UVA. I think these are the traits the BIG is looking for.
December 14th, 2012 at 11:38 PM ^
December 15th, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Well, you could've looked up the gap before assuming. It's just as bad to say UVA is a "never-were" - another assumption made without the benefit of a cursory look-up. You want the real definition of a never-were (since we're comparing to UC and UConn here) try a quick look at UConn's football history. All twelve years of it. Or even that of UC before they took advantage of a rapidly thinning Big East with coaches that spent only enough time at the school to establish a reputation before moving on ASAP to better pastures.
December 13th, 2012 at 9:47 AM ^
Don't you think it is a little early in the morning to be drinking, Bub? Cincinnati would add what exactly? Piss poor academic school, marginal basketball with players who brawl, and their football team had a few decent years in the God-awful Big East. I'd rather add Temple for God's sake.
And UConn? I guess their women's basketball is popular. That is about the only advantage is can see going for them. Do they have a hockey team? Hell, what town is UConn even in?
~Herm
December 13th, 2012 at 12:31 PM ^
Has a lot of ganstas if i recall from that one guys interview
December 13th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^
Cincy, when you look at their grad programs and research budget plus the fact that they're supposedly not far off an AAU invite, are arguably better than Nebraska
December 14th, 2012 at 8:43 AM ^
The B1G added maryland and rutgers. I think Cincinnati & UConn bring a hell of a lot more to the table than maryland and freaking RUTGERS.
December 13th, 2012 at 8:43 AM ^
December 13th, 2012 at 9:31 AM ^
So who gets the Big East name? The Basketball schools? If they do break off into an entirely new conference that would be one less at large bid for the NCAA tournament. Does the football Big East just rename themselves?
December 13th, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^
As I understand it, they vote to dissolve the Big East and then immediately form a new conference called the "Big East," only with just those seven schools. I think of it sort of like GM's bankruptcy. GM is technically not the same GM that was founded 100 years ago; the old GM shedded the unwanted parts, and started a new GM. The Big East would cease to exist for about five minutes. Thus they get to keep the value associated with the name, which is why they didn't all just leave four years ago.
December 13th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^
So you're saying, I can start a company called "Pan Am" or "Bell System"?
I don't think its that easy. When a company or organization dissolves or goes Chapter 7 in bankruptcy, I don't think the trademark or service mark just enters the mainstream for the first guy to grab it. I think its an asset that has to be purchased or assigned. The football schools would have as much right to it as the Catholic 7.
Besides, Marquette, St. Louis, and DePaul -- almost half of the 7 -- might want to revisit whether they are truly in the "Big East."
As a Catholic myself, I think they should do some marketing. Call it -- "Big John 3:16."
December 13th, 2012 at 11:00 AM ^
Well, that's true about bankruptcy court. We need some fancypants lawyer for this really, but I think the reason a trademark always survives bankruptcy court is because it usually has some value, and even if that value is only $10, someone snaps it up. The only way they wouldn't is if the trademark is so poisonous nobody would want it. The reason you can't start an airline called Pan Am is because someone decided they wanted the trademark and paid the highest price for it. How it works in the voluntary dissolution of a conference, I don't know exactly, but I believe the intent of the Catholic 7 is to keep the name if they can.
(St. Louis isn't part of the 7, BTW. Marquette and DePaul are, but of the other five, the furthest west is Georgetown.)
December 13th, 2012 at 11:11 AM ^
Could Cincy, Uconn, Memphis etc try to claim the name first after its disolved?
December 13th, 2012 at 11:32 AM ^
At best only Cincy, UConn, and USF will be in the room. I don't know if those three could try and jump in on the name first. Maybe they could. I suspect part of the delay is the Catholic 7 trying to figure out how to keep them from doing that. It'll all be very carefully orchestrated.
December 13th, 2012 at 9:56 AM ^
Simply amazing. Back when the BCS was set up, the Big East consisted of BC (consistently pretty good), Syracuse (ditto), Pittsburg (ditto), YTM (powerhouse program), VaTech (ditto), Rutgers, WVA, and Temple (all meh). That used to be a pretty good conference! Through a combination of departures of all the major powers and teams like BC and Ptt throwing themselves in a tire fire, the league is now on the verge of collapse.
December 13th, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
At first, I was like what school starts with a "Y" other than Yale?
December 14th, 2012 at 2:31 AM ^
the famous Youngstown Technical Missionary-School, of course.
That's where Jim Tressel started out doncha know
December 13th, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^
The Big East's crazy georgraphy will have nothing on the Catholic 7's proposed new conference. They are talking about including Gonzaga and Saint Marys.
December 13th, 2012 at 1:51 PM ^
There was talk of joining the A-10 for a 21-team league. Somehow they were thinking of having two 10-team divisions, but no one mentions who they'd leave out.
December 13th, 2012 at 10:41 PM ^
It now looks as though the Catholic 7 can't up and dissolve the league after all. They're still taking off though. Newest developments:
-- It takes the vote of two football and two non-football schools, plus two-thirds overall, to dissolve the league.
-- A league clause allows the 7 schools to leave as a group without paying the exit fee, but it would take the full 27 months. They might negotiate a buyout of that.
-- They'll try and take the "Big East" name with them, but might not be able to.
-- Rutgers and Louisville will stay put for one more year, and leave in 2014.
December 14th, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^
This makes me really sad for some reason
December 14th, 2012 at 11:56 PM ^
College football sucks right now. :/