Big East 7 Catholic Schools Can Dissolve League

This new round or transition started because of Rutgers and Maryland. That makes things even more exasperating.

them from creating a new conference? MAC South?

Delany be all like, "I can has Cincy, USF, and Uconn?"

Because their football programs are god-awful.

Villanova did win an FCS title a couple years ago, so they're not that bad, but sure as heck wouldn't be anywhere near bowl-worthy competition in FBS. Also: Their stadium seats only 12,000.

Georgetown? They have the smallest D-I football stadium in the country (seats 2,500!) and football has been an afterthought there for a long while (last year was the Hoyas first season finishing above .500 in who knows how long). Also: They don't give away football scholarships as members of the Patriot League. So there's that too.

Also, if you've noticed, the schools that have been adding big-time football are those universities which need the exposure to establish themselves as "real schools".  Not that universities without football are lesser in quality as a general rule, but that to be known nationally, a school needs a way to get their name out there.  Honestly, that is one of the main reasons I support a university having sports and one that is pushed to the side so that the "student-athletic" mantra can be shoved down our throats.  Think how much more well known say, Kent State is nationally vs. Kenyon College or Dennison.  Or Rice vs. University of Washington in St. Louis.  Or Eastern Michigan vs. Wayne State.

Georgetown and Villanova are already nationally recognized as top academic schools and have traditional success in basketball to get their name out there (notably, it is much easier for a small school to gain prominence nationally in basketball not only because of lower costs, but because it is much easier to "hide" 10-15 student athletes who are not... academic stars.... than it is to hide 75-80 in a school which has classes of ~1,000-2,000 students). 

There is no real incentive for Georgetown to add football.  How could they benefit?  Bring in better students?  No, if anything, to remain competetive their standards would have to drop slightly.  To add to the endowment?  Possibly, but I'd wager that Georgetown is doing quite well for themselves.  To be more well-known?  I'd think not. 

More likely than not, the football program could serve as a detriment to the schools name.  Does the University of Miami's football program add to your view of the school?  Of course not, if anything, it has been a black eye on the university as a whole.  Using Miami as an example, city schools typically have trouble drawing in fans, both due to poor stadium planning and competing with NFL teams.  Moreover, it seems to me that players at city schools typically run into more legal trouble, be it because the police aren't catering to the school or because they have more opportunity to get out from the eyes of the athletic department.  Look at the University of Pittsburgh and Miami, both have trouble drawing fans and have player discipline issues.  I would guess that Georgetown would face similar issues.

~Herm

 How about the WAC? I wonder if it would reform to some degree if BigEast folds. Probably not. Its too late for them.

South Florida can bite it.  The only reason they're Big East in the first place is because the conference wanted to maintain a Florida presence after Miami left.  There's little else to recommend them as a program deserving of a life preserver.

If those rumors are true, the ACC ought to fight back at ESPN and say "we'll add those schools only if you give us enough money to be competitive with the Big Ten."  If that money isn't forthcoming there's no reason to do that.

Remember that this is about television sets to the Big Ten.  What would UConn bring that Rutgers & Maryland won't?

If we keep growing, I'd imagine that it'll be to new markets.  Georgia Tech (Atlanta), BC (Boston), the North Carolina schools, etc. would make more sense from that perspective.