Second round of conference expansion is beginning.

[ZachTheZip]

TCU to join Big East

I know there have been rumors for a while, but I really didn't think this one would happen. It's got to be extremely hard on the other sports.

Well, that throws a massive wrench in things. The rumors were there, but i thought it was just fanciful thinking because the logistics are much too complicated.

I expect the MWC will invite more teams on a reactionary basis in the near future.

[Blue & Gold]

TCU to join Big East

I know there have been rumors for a while, but I really didn't think this one would happen. It's got to be extremely hard on the other sports.

Well, that throws a massive wrench in things. The rumors were there, but i thought it was just fanciful thinking because the logistics are much too complicated.

I expect the MWC will invite more teams on a reactionary basis in the near future.

This is a ridiculous development. Texas Christian in the Big East?! The BCS should revoke the Big East's BCS status. They're simply not worthy.

[ZachTheZip]

TCU would have run wild over the Big East in football this year. I think they might even see a step down in SOS. Their basketball program isn't all that great, but give them a few years of recruiting with the Big East label and things will surely improve.

This does put the BE at 17 basketball schools. It's getting quite unwieldy. There's also a strong rumor that UCF is next on the list to be included. The only thing keeping them out is Villanova, who is sitting on the fence. Villanova says no to upgrading, and UCF is in.

[zippy5]

TCU to join Big East

I know there have been rumors for a while, but I really didn't think this one would happen. It's got to be extremely hard on the other sports.

Well, that throws a massive wrench in things. The rumors were there, but i thought it was just fanciful thinking because the logistics are much too complicated.

I expect the MWC will invite more teams on a reactionary basis in the near future.

This is a ridiculous development. Texas Christian in the Big East?! The BCS should revoke the Big East's BCS status. They're simply not worthy.

lol you realize they are ranked #3? not to mention, who would their bid go to? The MWC who lost utah, tcu and byu?

[UAZipster0305]

If the Big East takes UCF that leaves a void in C-USA. I could also see the MWC inviting C-USA schools. If so, who could be showing up on C-USA's radar? I think we must certainly at least get some consideration. The facilities along with soccer and basketball success should be enough by themselves.

[ZachTheZip]

If the Big East takes UCF that leaves a void in C-USA. I could also see the MWC inviting C-USA schools. If so, who could be showing up on C-USA's radar? I think we must certainly at least get some consideration. The facilities along with soccer and basketball success should be enough by themselves.

We might be on their list, albeit pretty far down.

They would look at LA Tech first, based on geography. Maybe one of the Sunbelt schools from Florida to replace UCF. NMSU as a travel partner for UTEP, or they could go after MTSU and WKU.

MAC schools just aren't in the area they want to be associated with.

[UAZipster0305]

If the Big East takes UCF that leaves a void in C-USA. I could also see the MWC inviting C-USA schools. If so, who could be showing up on C-USA's radar? I think we must certainly at least get some consideration. The facilities along with soccer and basketball success should be enough by themselves.

We might be on their list, albeit pretty far down.

They would look at LA Tech first, based on geography. Maybe one of the Sunbelt schools from Florida to replace UCF. NMSU as a travel partner for UTEP, or they could go after MTSU and WKU.

MAC schools just aren't in the area they want to be associated with.

UC is outside of the typical C-USA footprint but were there before entering the Big East. Also, Marshall is still a current member and could use a rival. We offer that in addition to some solid programs. I don't associate any of those things with the schools you just mentioned with the exception of WKU in basketball.

[xu9697]

Facilities, TV market (NE Ohio is, I believe, 16th) and fertile recruiting grounds are what Akron has to offer. Of course, with that said, maybe they will look at Can't!

[MDZip]

TCU is apparently joining the Big East. Doesn't say anything about how long they have to stay. I'm betting it is a temporary move and as soon as they can join the Big 12 or whatever BCS conference nearer to them, they're gone from the Big East.

[Blue & Gold]

TCU to join Big East

I know there have been rumors for a while, but I really didn't think this one would happen. It's got to be extremely hard on the other sports.

Well, that throws a massive wrench in things. The rumors were there, but i thought it was just fanciful thinking because the logistics are much too complicated.

I expect the MWC will invite more teams on a reactionary basis in the near future.

This is a ridiculous development. Texas Christian in the Big East?! The BCS should revoke the Big East's BCS status. They're simply not worthy.

lol you realize they are ranked #3? not to mention, who would their bid go to? The MWC who lost utah, tcu and byu?

I meant that the Big East is a lousy BCS football conference, not that TCU is a lousy football school. I just think it's an extremely strange geographical fit to have TCU join the Big East & reveals how desperate the Big East is for relevance/strength in football.

[ZZZips]

TCU to join Big East

I know there have been rumors for a while, but I really didn't think this one would happen. It's got to be extremely hard on the other sports.

Well, that throws a massive wrench in things. The rumors were there, but i thought it was just fanciful thinking because the logistics are much too complicated.

I expect the MWC will invite more teams on a reactionary basis in the near future.

This is a ridiculous development. Texas Christian in the Big East?! The BCS should revoke the Big East's BCS status. They're simply not worthy.

lol you realize they are ranked #3? not to mention, who would their bid go to? The MWC who lost utah, tcu and byu?

I meant that the Big East is a lousy BCS football conference, not that TCU is a lousy football school. I just think it's an extremely strange geographical fit to have TCU join the Big East & reveals how desperate the Big East is for relevance/strength in football.

It may sound strange for a Texas team to fit into an "eastern" league but the geographical spread from Lincoln NE to State College PA for the Big 10 is similar. I really think what entices all the similar moves is TV markets. The Big East has schools in nine of the nation's 35 largest media markets and will being adding Dallas/Fort Worth, the fifth largest. TV dollars overcome travel concerns.

[Big Zip]

TCU obviously sees the Big East as easily winnable and an automatic berth in the BCS even when they don't go undefeated. This year W.Va., Connecticut and Pitt are all tied for first at 4-2. Overall records are 8-3, 7-4 and 6-5 respectively or mediocre and non deserving of a BCS bid yet they'll get one. TCU has a chance to dominate this league year in and year out.

There has to be another invite for the Big East coming soon as TCU puts them at nine and most likely another three to get to 12 and a Big East Championship game. It isn't the conference it used to be and you wouldn't get invited for basketball, but would you make the move if the call came with basketball needing to find another route? Could we get an invite to play basketball in the Horizon league and would one of the other schools invite come along too in order to make it an even dozen in the Horizon league? Big East is a weird conference since they have 14 for soccer their numbers seem to be all over the map with their various sports, but you would hope we could get the invite to soccer (opposite side of Louisville).

I know it is all dreaming but things are just so bad in the MAC it can't help us with anything staying here. I would love to be somewhere else....this conference continues to go down and we need a better conference to get real legitimacy with the fans of NE Ohio without will always be an after thought.

[K-Roo]

TCU obviously sees the Big East as easily winnable and an automatic berth in the BCS even when they don't go undefeated. This year W.Va., Connecticut and Pitt are all tied for first at 4-2. Overall records are 8-3, 7-4 and 6-5 respectively or mediocre and non deserving of a BCS bid yet they'll get one. TCU has a chance to dominate this league year in and year out.

There has to be another invite for the Big East coming soon as TCU puts them at nine and most likely another three to get to 12 and a Big East Championship game. It isn't the conference it used to be and you wouldn't get invited for basketball, but would you make the move if the call came with basketball needing to find another route? Could we get an invite to play basketball in the Horizon league and would one of the other schools invite come along too in order to make it an even dozen in the Horizon league? Big East is a weird conference since they have 14 for soccer their numbers seem to be all over the map with their various sports, but you would hope we could get the invite to soccer (opposite side of Louisville).

I know it is all dreaming but things are just so bad in the MAC it can't help us with anything staying here. I would love to be somewhere else....this conference continues to go down and we need a better conference to get real legitimacy with the fans of NE Ohio without will always be an after thought.

Like going 0-12 in the Big East is an improvement over 1-11 in the MAC...

They would kick us out just like they did to Temple....

[Valpo Zip]

When Jim Chrisitan left Can't State to TCU, people (myself included) thought that was a lateral move. Now that he will be coaching a big east team, it suddenly seems that the guy is a genius.

[Quickzips]

TCU obviously sees the Big East as easily winnable and an automatic berth in the BCS even when they don't go undefeated. This year W.Va., Connecticut and Pitt are all tied for first at 4-2. Overall records are 8-3, 7-4 and 6-5 respectively or mediocre and non deserving of a BCS bid yet they'll get one. TCU has a chance to dominate this league year in and year out.

There has to be another invite for the Big East coming soon as TCU puts them at nine and most likely another three to get to 12 and a Big East Championship game. It isn't the conference it used to be and you wouldn't get invited for basketball, but would you make the move if the call came with basketball needing to find another route? Could we get an invite to play basketball in the Horizon league and would one of the other schools invite come along too in order to make it an even dozen in the Horizon league? Big East is a weird conference since they have 14 for soccer their numbers seem to be all over the map with their various sports, but you would hope we could get the invite to soccer (opposite side of Louisville).

I know it is all dreaming but things are just so bad in the MAC it can't help us with anything staying here. I would love to be somewhere else....this conference continues to go down and we need a better conference to get real legitimacy with the fans of NE Ohio without will always be an after thought.

Your kidding right? The Big East would actually want Akron football right now? How exactly is that conversation going to go?

BE: Hello?

Tom: Hi, this is Tom Wistricill, the AD at the University of Akron.

BE: Ok.

Tom: Yeah, look, I hear you guys are looking for 3 more football programs to strengthen your conference and allow you to play a conference title game.

BE: Correct.

Tom: Well, I think our University would make a great fit for you.

BE: Ok, well what do you guys bring to the table?

Tom: Well, we have a brand new 30,000 seat stadium that we just built on campus along with a six year old top of the line practice facility, we are located in a pretty large media and recruiting market in NEOhio.

BE: Do you have a television contract in place?

Tom: Yes we do with SportstimeOhio.

BE: Who?

Tom: They are a statewide cable broadcasting company.

BE: Ohh, ok...well...what kind of success has your football team had recently.

Tom: Well we won the MAC championship game in 2005 and went to the Motor City Bowl.

BE: Ok, well, what have you done since then.

Tom: To be honest, we've had losing seasons every year since then, we had to fire the coach from that 2005 season and this year we went 1-11 and lost to an FCS team at home.

BE: Ha, ok, well what about fan support? How are your attendance figures?

Tom: Well we sold out our first few games at our beautiful new stadium in 2009.

BE: Ok, and since then?

Tom: Well, it hasn't been pretty, at the end of this season we were struggling to get 5,000 butts in seats.

BE: Ok, yeah, we'll get right back to you on that.

[Big Zip]

Other schools have moved to bigger conferences without the credentials to do it. UCF made the move to Conf USA without winning the MAC once. USF wasn't even Div 1 when they moved to Conf USA. I'd rather be an independent than be a part of the MAC anymore. I have enough of the MAC and would rather move on. It has provided us with nothing over the years and it is prepping to provide us even less going forward.

[Blue & Gold]

Other schools have moved to bigger conferences without the credentials to do it. UCF made the move to Conf USA without winning the MAC once. USF wasn't even Div 1 when they moved to Conf USA. I'd rather be an independent than be a part of the MAC anymore. I have enough of the MAC and would rather move on. It has provided us with nothing over the years and it is prepping to provide us even less going forward.

Yes. But one good thing about the MAC is that it provides the potential opportunity for a very mediocre, even below-average, FBS football team to go undefeated in conference & garner a Top 25 ranking. If we're ever going to dominate a conference, the MAC provides the best opportunity to do so.

[Quickzips]

Other schools have moved to bigger conferences without the credentials to do it. UCF made the move to Conf USA without winning the MAC once. USF wasn't even Div 1 when they moved to Conf USA. I'd rather be an independent than be a part of the MAC anymore. I have enough of the MAC and would rather move on. It has provided us with nothing over the years and it is prepping to provide us even less going forward.

There is a pretty big difference in going from a bottom feeding MAC team to CUSA and going from bottom feeding MAC team to the Big East. Some of you guys need to take off the blue and gold glasses and look at the facts of our situation. We have very little fan support, even in our own community. Our stadium is on the lower end of what capacity should be for a BCS stadium. We haven't had a winning season in 5 years and have been to only one bowl game as an FBS program. We just came off a season where we were dangerously close to going 0 for. All of these things are serious red flags for the Big East. They aren't going to take us simply on the potential exhibited by new facilities and a relatively large media market that we have never been able to tap into. There are plenty of programs that are more attractive to the Big East than Akron. UCF is a quality program with a nice, new, big stadium that would give them a geographic rival for USF. Tulsa and UTEP are good programs that would give them a geograpic rival for TCU. Villanova is the defending FCS champion, is already affiliated with the Big East for basketball and is rumored to be looking at moving up. Even within the MAC NIU and Toledo would be more attractive options as they are in relatively large media markets and have had a much better history of success (and they are long shots at best for a Big East invite). You can even make a case potentially for Notre Dame. I highly doubt Akron is even on the radar for the Big East.

[johnnyzip84]

Bump.Here is an interesting article on the continuing issues the Big 12 (and all of college football) is struggling with. With various programs already on probation and/or under investigation, the recruiting advantages offered by having your own network will probably get plenty of scrutiny. In the end, I don't think the NCAA can do much about it however. GP1's been a proponent of a Top 40 division and adding another division between FCS and FBS. Whether this occurs or not I don't know, but one thing is certain. The landscape will continue to rapidly change over the next few years. I don't want to see it, but the secession of the largest programs from the NCAA isn't that far fetched to me.

[GP1]

With various programs already on probation and/or under investigation, the recruiting advantages offered by having your own network will probably get plenty of scrutiny.

I was thinking about this last night. I'd have to look up the number of I-A teams and the number of bowl games, but I'm not feeling that motivated today. It seems to me that half of all I-A teams make a bowl game. At the rate teams are going on probation, there could bea chance the NCAA would have to revise rules to allow sub.500 teams to go to a bowl.The move to another division isn't far off. I don't see how it will do anything other than help college football. Ohio high school football has six divisions and a playoff in each. Good competition is created at each division and the playoffs are fun. If Ohio can have six divisions for high school, I think the United States can have five divisions for college football. When I was in high school in the mid 80s, there were only something like five divisions and we were in the middle division. We didn't petition the state to move up to the highest division because we couldn't for one thing and we couldn't compete even if we could. The OHSAA did us a favor by making a division for us. The NCAA would be doing schools in conferences like the mac a favor by making them play in another division. The mac has been in business since the 1940s. It is obvious at this point MAClike conferences can't save themselves so the ncaa has to step in and save them.

[Z.I.P.]

With various programs already on probation and/or under investigation, the recruiting advantages offered by having your own network will probably get plenty of scrutiny.

I was thinking about this last night. I'd have to look up the number of I-A teams and the number of bowl games, but I'm not feeling that motivated today. It seems to me that half of all I-A teams make a bowl game. At the rate teams are going on probation, there could bea chance the NCAA would have to revise rules to allow sub.500 teams to go to a bowl.The move to another division isn't far off. I don't see how it will do anything other than help college football. Ohio high school football has six divisions and a playoff in each. Good competition is created at each division and the playoffs are fun. If Ohio can have six divisions for high school, I think the United States can have five divisions for college football. When I was in high school in the mid 80s, there were only something like five divisions and we were in the middle division. We didn't petition the state to move up to the highest division because we couldn't for one thing and we couldn't compete even if we could. The OHSAA did us a favor by making a division for us. The NCAA would be doing schools in conferences like the mac a favor by making them play in another division. The mac has been in business since the 1940s. It is obvious at this point MAClike conferences can't save themselves so the ncaa has to step in and save them.

All I can say is this would be great if you want to turn (MAC and other non-BCS) college football into a version of high school football. I wonder how SkipZip and others who think Akron can be a big-time player feel about that. From my perspective, there's really not much lower our program can go -- we might as well create a HS schedule. But, if that happens, would we be able to save the money going down the "Big-Time" rat hole? Somehow I doubt it. I'm starting to understand what Huggins felt 25 yrs ago, when we started down this path.

[GP1]

All I can say is this would be great if you want to turn (MAC and other non-BCS) college football into a version of high school football. I wonder how SkipZip and others who think Akron can be a big-time player feel about that. From my perspective, there's really not much lower our program can go -- we might as well create a HS schedule. But, if that happens, would we be able to save the money going down the "Big-Time" rat hole? Somehow I doubt it. I'm starting to understand what Huggins felt 25 yrs ago, when we started down this path.

Now, now Z.I.P., I didn't say high school football. I said they should create a division where we and schools like us can better compete against one another.

[ZachTheZip]

I won't support a program that isn't striving to compete at the top level.It would be economic suicide to drop to a lower level. Without the money that can be brought in from being in the division we're in, it would be better for the athletic department's bottom line to simply drop the football program.

[GP1]

I won't support a program that isn't striving to compete at the top level.It would be economic suicide to drop to a lower level. Without the money that can be brought in from being in the division we're in, it would be better for the athletic department's bottom line to simply drop the football program.

Two points:1. We don't compete at the top level right now. We call ourselves D-1A, but we really aren't. My 20 inch penis agrees.2. They will just ask the taxpayers to pick up the tab...and they will. We are currently killing ourselves by other means.Lastly, I'll say it for the 1,000th time. It isn't being sent to another level. We won't go back to I-AA and will be at a higher level than YSU. It will be a level between bcs and I-AA. We need to live in the world of reality.

[UAZipster0305]

I won't support a program that isn't striving to compete at the top level.It would be economic suicide to drop to a lower level. Without the money that can be brought in from being in the division we're in, it would be better for the athletic department's bottom line to simply drop the football program.

Two points:1. We don't compete at the top level right now. We call ourselves D-1A, but we really aren't. My 20 inch penis agrees.2. They will just ask the taxpayers to pick up the tab...and they will. We are currently killing ourselves by other means.Lastly, I'll say it for the 1,000th time. It isn't being sent to another level. We won't go back to I-AA and will be at a higher level than YSU. It will be a level between bcs and I-AA. We need to live in the world of reality.

This must be the real Great GP1! It holds up to the reputation much better than the guy I'm familiar with.