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Sheck · Junior Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 743 Location: Inside 128

Pac-12 just announced that it will not expand to 16 teams. Could this be good news for us? The Big East was looking to absorb the remaining Big XII schools but now will have to look elsewhere. Any chance we could end up joining the Big East? The one advantage UMass has vs. the other schools is we can join the Big East for football only and remain in the A10 for everything else. The Big East may like that option rather than taking on more basketball schools and risking a split. The other schools like UCF, Houston, and East Carolina would probably be looking to join for all sports. Temple could re-join the Big East as a football only member as well, although Villanova will do everything they can to try to keep them out.

UMassbball14 · Sophomore Joined: 06 Feb 2011 Posts: 134

UMass1991 · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 8:33 am Post subject:

I haven't read all the comments so this may have been stated, but remember, Kraft was pushing for the BE to include Umass. When the BE said no, Kraft and Umass turned to the MAC

DEM · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:34 am Post subject:

Malves21 · Freshman Joined: 16 Mar 2011 Posts: 57 Location: Boston

UMass02 · Hall of Fame Joined: 11 Nov 2003 Posts: 2154

I'm wondering how long it will be until the Big 10, Pac 12, ACC, and SEC decide to secede from the NCAA. I can just imagine how lucrative a 16-team football playoff would be for that conglomerate. They wouldn't have to worry about those pesky academic standards or humiliation about violating NCAA rules. Recruiting rules could be tailored to meet the needs of the power schools. Wow.

Jack · Hall of Fame Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 3033

Kosty · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 10:58 pm Post subject:

Quinn · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 9:59 am Post subject:

The good news:

With the Big 12 remaining and the Big East/B12 merger dead...and with the Big East losing 2 schools...it keeps UMass' hopes alive.

1) UMass is not a top 10 candidate for spots 8-10...so obviously, nothing will happen soon.
2) If Uconn and Rutgers were to leave at some point (so the ACC could 100% lock up all the northeast markets / what would have been the Big East over 1.4 billion TV contract they turned down), it means 5 schools total...so room for 4-5 new schools. STILL, Umass is likely off the list if that happens anytime soon.
3) If Big 12 expands to 12, there seem to be two option paths:
A) Big 12 goes west with BYU, Air Force, Boise St (or swapping 1 for a Texas school)
B) Big 12 goes east with Louisville, WVU and a 3rd school (either Rutgers or Cincy)
C) Big 12 goes with a 2/1 combo: 2 from either MWC/BYU or Big East and 1 from the other conference (or BYU).
D) Big 12 adds either BYU, Houston, Louisville, Air Force for #10

So there is a chance the Big East loses 3 to Big 12, 2 to ACC = RIP Big East.

But if Big East loses 2-4, they might rebuild. So in theory:
Uconn, Rutgers, Cincy, USF, TCU could add Houston, ECU, UMass, Navy, UCF etc.

The Bad News:
If the Big East were to lose enough schools for UMass to get in, it would mean the Big East (at that point a new conference name and post-split) would likely no longer have a BCS AQ.

Schools above UMass in the pecking order per sources:
Navy, Army, Air Force, ECU, UCF, Memphis, Houston, Temple
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Rory · Junior Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 544 Location: Boston, MA

Small note to maybe cross off one of the schools in the way; I was told by Brett McMurphy (CBS Sports) that Army wants to stay independent as of now.
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Rory · Junior Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 544 Location: Boston, MA

Here is my completely fictional best-case scenario down the road;

A 14 team big east... on the way to 16...

Big East North
UMass
Rutgers
Uconn
Cincinnati
Temple
Navy
Air Force

Big East South
USF
TCU
WVU
Louisville
Memphis
ECU
UCF

There are many issue with this. Including USF blocking UCF, etc. But it's just something to discuss.
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Crank · Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:45 am Post subject:

I realize that geography has been completely thrown out the window, but Air Force to the BE makes very little sense to me unless the other service acadamies are requiring their inclusion as a condition of joining.

Rory · Junior Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 544 Location: Boston, MA

UMass2FBS · Sophomore Joined: 02 Jan 2010 Posts: 218

I follow Army pretty closely, they were my favorite FBS team before UMass made the jump. Their AD Boo Corrigan was interviewed today by Army's local paper as well. He did not seem overly interested in the Big East and said he has not been in contact with them in a while. On the other hand ESPN is reporting Navy has been in contact with them and seems very interested in joining the Big East as long as the rivalries with Army, Air Force and Notre Dame are kept intact.

Corrigan made a great point on why it is not a good idea for all 3 service academies to join the BE. Obviously, the academies are very unique, the players are much smaller than traditional FBS schools. He stated that part of what makes the service academies successful is that the triple-option is so unique and teams typically only spend a week preparing for it. If you put all 3 acedemies in the same conference then teams spend much more time preparing for it and thus makes it way less effective.

Bottom line, I think Navy goes to the Big East, Army stays independent and Air Force remains in the Mountain West thus not having to travel 2,000 miles for each away game.
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