OT - Temple potentially to Big East on Wednesday
The Temple Owls, the sixth winningest basketball program in the history of college basketball and the first national champions (NIT 1938) are, apparently, set to join the Big East tomorrow. Since football now drives the bus in the Big East the football program will be joining as well. Apparently, Temple is expected to join for all sports and it is perceived that the Big East will be on the hook for Temple's exit fees to the MAC (football) and A10 (other sports) such that the Owls can be added to the 2012 football schedule following West Virginia's departure.
As a current Temple student I have mixed feelings aboutt this potential new affiliation with the watered down version of the Big East (at least in football). On the other hand, I have a remarkable sense of happiness that Jay Wright and his cronies at Villanova will now have to compete with Temple for recruits in Philly and area on a level playing field. So, on that note, suck it Villanova...your years of blocking Temple are over. As Coach Brady Hoke would say: "tremendous".
All in all I see this as a good move for my Owls on a regional and national level and a better basketball conference (unsure if Big East football is actually any better than the MAC at this point). Expect sold out venues for basketball for Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, Memphis, and Notre Dame. This may well be an improvement from St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis and Xavier.
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/28/report-temple-could…
Fear the Owl.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:18 PM ^
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 PM ^
I went to Duquesne and always looked forward to Temple coming to Pittsburgh. This hurts the A10. Xavier will be the only consistent top team now.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:35 PM ^
Saint Louis will probably be pretty consistent but yes, in terms of recruiting potential it will likely fall to Xavier. People at TU figure that they more than held up their end of the bargain for the A10 (multiple titles, consistent NCAA appearances, multiple 20 win seasons, big wins vs. non-conference teams etc.).
I agree that it does hurt the A10.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:40 AM ^
Consistent being the keyword. I'd take Dayton in the past ten years any day over Saint Louis. Billikens were nothing before Rick Majerus arrived. Dayton coaches have gone on to big time programs (Oliver Purnell and Brian Gregory, to name a few).
February 29th, 2012 at 12:00 AM ^
but holy hell you can't really think it is on par with the Big East in football can you?
February 29th, 2012 at 12:12 AM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 12:15 AM ^
Toledo beats us in 2008 do you think Toledo is on par with U of M? And second Penn State is in the Big Ten. 3rd Temple has been really really good the past few years, but 1 team doesn not make a conference.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:33 AM ^
but the Big East was 8-1 versus the MAC last season, with Western Michigan beating UConn
February 29th, 2012 at 6:43 AM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 7:52 AM ^
I think his point is that both conferences are weak in football.
February 29th, 2012 at 7:48 AM ^
February 29th, 2012 at 9:54 AM ^
Penn State was quarterbacked by Matt McGloin.
Temple's best player declared for the NFL Draft. (Benard Scott?)
Almost beating Penn State in your home stadium that is 90% blue & white is not an accomplishment.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:30 AM ^
TU should have beaten Penn State in September (and would have with a different quarterback that week, imo). They learned from that mistake by blowing up Maryland 38 - 7 soon thereafter.
Bernard Pierce will be going to the NFL but it's not like they don't have any talent left behind him...
February 29th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^
that you go to Temple and are just hearing of this now? I've known just from seeing it posted here for a week or two.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:34 AM ^
Obviously I picked up on this in the past months; however, there has been serious discussion that it wouldn't happen at TU (buyout costs, anger re: Villanova/historical Big East issues etc.).
Quite honestly, I didn't expect Temple to Big East for all sports for the above reasons once they didn't go in the fall (and completely expected Villanova to once again try to block TU as Big East basketball is basically all they have at a competitive advantage re: recruiting).
February 29th, 2012 at 12:43 AM ^
This is a good move for all parties. Temple always felt they were too cool to be in the MAC -- even though they weren't especially good at football -- and the Big East needed to add somebody. Finding a BCS-level football program was going to be a tough sell for the Big East, so they did the next best thing by adding a good basketball school from their core geographic footprint. The MAC won't miss them, and Temple gets in where they feel they rightfully belong.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:34 AM ^
Said it before and I'll say it again: this is like shunning the pimply braceface girl from your circle of friends and then having to ask her to prom because you got turned down by everyone else and you rationalize it by thinking "well she changed her hairstyle." I say this as an indictment of the Biggish Eastish, not Temple; it cracks me up that they're going to announce with a straight face the return of a team they kicked out ten years ago and talk about how strong it makes their conference and what a perfect fit they are and so on and etc.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:43 AM ^
There seem to be only four stable, quality conferences left: the B1G, SEC, PAC 12, and ACC. The Big 12 and the Big East are scrambling to keep up and stay relevant, and they can only do so by plucking whatever team they can from whatever conference of geographic region. At least Temple is a good fit geographically, unlike some of the Big East's previous additions.
February 29th, 2012 at 9:50 AM ^
Temple will be a bottom dweller in football without a doubt. Louisville, Cincinnati, Rutgers tend to be much much better than Akron, Kent & Ohio University. They just don't have the facilities to match up, and the fans generally don't care to head to South Philly to watch their games. With any luck, maybe they will capitalize on Penn State's misfortunes and keep kids in the city, but I seriously doubt it. They couldn't do it in 1998, what makes anyone think they can do it now?
February 29th, 2012 at 10:03 AM ^
I can't wait to get out of that shitshow.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:45 AM ^
Does someone have a link (or maybe something they made) that can help visualize all the changes of conferences of late.
I think I know all of them- but there has been so much movement it'd be neat to see an image that shows it all (or a link to a video from ESPN etc that shows it visualy).
It always helps to grasp all of the change when you can see it as an image instead of a list.
Thanks
February 29th, 2012 at 2:52 PM ^
In basketball the Big East looks pretty cool.
In football, it's just weird man.
I wish to hell Marquette University (Milwaukee) would put together a football team again (lacking since 1962).