OT - Big East To Announce New Members on Wednesday & Thursday
I've just gotten word that the Big East will be announcing its new members tomorrow.
I work at one of the institutions involved in this "mess" so we've just received a heads up.
San Diego St. and Boise St. will be football only members joining SMU, UCF and Houston. I believe Air Force and Navy will be a football only (named later).
December 6th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
so they are the Big West now?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^
The Big Mehst.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:43 PM ^
It's truly a mess...I personally think it's a joke.
Maybe they can just take the Conference USA name since they're taking some of the best teams?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^
Are they gonna rename it from "Big East" to "Big... Awww Fuck it"?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
Our teams aren't in the East. Go Fuck Yourself.
(HT MGoBSam)
December 6th, 2011 at 2:02 PM ^
If he gets a little confused.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^
If the members of a football conference are a majority from mid-majors, shouldn't the conference itself be a mid-major? I'll keep my fingers crossed (no offense to you, but I'm just tired of the autobid nonsense).
However, thanks for the info.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^
Ok no one can make fun of Michigan anymore for the "Champions of the (mid)West" proclamation, considering SAN DIEGO STATE is now in the Big East.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
Champions of the west does not refer to the western united states... Or the mid west. You know that right?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^
That's precisely what it refers to. If you're suggesting that it is actually a reference to the former name of the conference then I'd like to point out why the conference was called that... Back then, the Midwest was considered to be pretty far west compared to the vast majority of the U.S. population.
December 6th, 2011 at 11:54 PM ^
I always thought west refers to north america / western hemisphere. As in the opposite of far east / Asia.
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<br>Tell me if I'm wrong.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
If the Big East is going to have an auto bid, I'm glad they added some more teams. Having TCU, Boise and Houston join conferences helps potentially free up spots for teams from power conferences.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^
They're going to the Big 12. That's why they got Boise to replace them.
December 6th, 2011 at 4:05 PM ^
their autobid.... and they still might. The new conference will be, at best, equal to what the MWC currently is.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
What a stupid conference. The more I see this crap the more I hope it dies a horrible death. I can't believe they're going to get up there with a straight face and announce the addition of San Diego State and expect us to buy their line that it makes them a premier, elite football conference that should be taken seriously. I'm not calling them East any more. I'm not even calling them Big. Big West is already taken. Little West from now on. I hope the basketball schools decide after one year of playing Central Florida and SMU in hoops that on year was one year too many and decide to take a hike.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:29 PM ^
I have the new Big East logo.....
December 6th, 2011 at 1:29 PM ^
The Big East is stupid. Football only members? WTF is that? Join or don't join, especially since the Big East already lost arguably the two best basketball members (Syracuse and Pitt). Why wouldn't they want to add Boise State's basketball program? Too much traveling?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:36 PM ^
Yes. Too much traveling.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^
That's probably the point when a "major" conference should call it an existence.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:03 PM ^
There is no way Houston, Navy, Air Force et al. could compete in Big East basketball with Marquette, Georgetown, etc (who ironically are basektball only members -- is this just two conferences now?)
December 6th, 2011 at 1:33 PM ^
UConn and San Diego State will be an instant rivalry....
December 6th, 2011 at 1:58 PM ^
December 6th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^
A tradition like no other.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^
The Big East is adding teams as far away from their footprint as possible? The fuck?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
....do you need to announce 700,000 teams?
December 6th, 2011 at 1:38 PM ^
This conference gets an auto-bid? Holy crap.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:38 PM ^
If the Big East lost its auto bid? I'm looking mostly at Boise, of course. That being said, it's hard to make an argument for them keeping their bid. How bad is it if adding Boise improves your conference strength? The only way that adding Boise should do that is if you drop a completely useless program in that sport (e.g. Vandy)
December 6th, 2011 at 1:42 PM ^
Boise would improve every conference's strength. Boise as a 15th member of the SEC: they aren't better than the #8 SEC team? If you're better than an average member of the conference, you are improving the conference's strength.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
I think Boise should be worried. They're going to have to fly across the country to play potentially dangerous teams like UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers. Not that they aren't a better team than those programs, but those teams are sure as hell much better competition than anyone else in the Big West conference! It'll be interesting to see how Boise competes with a much tougher strength of schedule.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^
Well, they won't have Syracuse to push around much longer. And probably not UConn, after the BCS changes to remove the cushiness from Notre Dame's deal in 2013 and Notre Dame has to choose between either joining a conference or going to the Military Bowl for all time and joins the ACC and the ACC grabs UConn to make it an even 16.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^
Boise State played the 74th ranked strength of schedule this year. West Virginia played the 60th (and this featured an OOC game against LSU). I don't think there's really a difference, conference schedule-wise, between the Mountain West that Boise just went 11-1 in and the Big East, especially now that the Big East is losing WVU, Syracuse, and Pitt, and adding service academies and these random C-USA teams.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:51 PM ^
then I read it again and realized you were serious. UConn and Rutgers? Syracuse is gone to the ACC. I can't wait for the Providence-Boise State conference final.
December 6th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
How dare you laugh at me! I hate Boise and was grasping at straws for some way that this move is going to make them lose more games. Why can't you just support my efforts and say "you're right, they are going to suck" like a kind MGoMember? It would make me feel good.
P.S. UConn and Rutgers both went to BCS games in the past 10 years. Will they again anytime soon? Probably not. But they're still head and shoulders above any of the schools in the Big West conference. Oh, and the only reason Boise's schedule was respectable is because they played Georgia and TCU (who they lost to).
December 6th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
The most "prestigious" bowl they've ever gone to I guess would be the ... Texas Bowl? The Insight Bowl?
/nitpick
December 6th, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
Well, now I just look stupid. You're right, they went to the Texas Bowl after the 2006 season. Remind me again why were people so excited about Schiano? (kidding, but not really)
December 6th, 2011 at 5:29 PM ^
He had this running back named 'Ray Rice'.
December 6th, 2011 at 4:35 PM ^
marquee OOC victory was South Florida over Notre Dame. After that? Syracuse over Wake Forest? Cinci over North Carolina State?
Boise beat Georgia.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
their BCS ticket should be revoked! The Big East is a MAJOR issue for the BCS right now. They clearly don't have the programs to merit an autmatic bid.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^
Until the new Big East actuallly wins an important game, they are just the "Bigger Least" to me.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^
Funny thing is they are doing all this in an attempt to remain AQ, but auto-bids are about to be dropped in the next year or two anyways.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
To shed some light...I highly doubt they'll lose their auto bid.
By adding Boise St. to the conference, they get to claim all of BSU's accomplishments and BCS bids. They would've done the same with TCU.
Also, that's part of the reason you had service academies...to make it tougher to lose that bid. Otherwise, what do Air Force and Navy REALLY give you?
So now the Big East doesn't look so bad (on paper)...then you added Houston who almost made it this year and that's another ranked team.
You also do get some natural rivalries.
UConn - Rutgers
L'Ville - Cincinnati
UCF - USF
Houston - SMU
Navy - Air Force
...and then Boise St. vs. SDSU is the most obscure one. HOWEVER, this was supposed to be BYU, NOT SDSU...however BYU backed out at the last second and they had to replace them with a western team.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
Not sure if the Big East will lose the autobid but I can see something added that says a conference champion needs to be ranked in the Top 15 or so to qualify for the autobid.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^
No more of this unranked or #23 team bullshit...
However, with Houston beating in the top 10 for much of the year. Boise being a consistent top 10 team. UCF will be on the rise now that they're in a BCS conference (if they can get out of their own way)...and you still have some of the regulars. I think the Big East will be a lot closer to the ACC on an average year than people think. Maybe even the Big XII or Pac 12 on a below average year.
One thing is true, they will be better than they are today.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^
This looks devastating to the Mountain West. What's their next move, I wonder?
Edit: Forgot about the C-USA alliance
December 6th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
Over the long term (a decade should suffice) Boise is no better than Rutgers, Uconn or other now top teams in the Big East. I think you can probably add TCU, Houston and SDSU to that list. Though those teams are still weak in comparison to the B1G, Big 12, SEC and PAC, it is a substantial competitive upgrade to their schedule on a week to week basis. I expect them to have a tough time.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:02 PM ^
December 6th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^
Can we give them Indiana? We're not using them, I think.
December 6th, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^
The IU Jacobs School of Music is a fine asset to the Big Ten, and to top that off, the protected rivalry with State is a core feature of our new Big Ten branding initiative.