Big East expansion odds

[TheRealKBuks]

Respectfully, I find it hard to believe that the conference wouldn't succeed if you changed the name from the BE to something else - because it no longer made since due to the teams in the conference - but still had UConn, Marquette, Creighton, Gonzaga (hypothetically), 'Nova, etc.

Name recognition is one of the most valuable assets you can have. If the Big East grabbed gonzaga and changed its name to the Big America Conference it would lose prestige.

 

[ec33]

I doubt Fox is looking for more middling Big East games to air. They already of plenty of crappy B1G and Big XII games they are paying a hefty price for.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Name recognition is one of the most valuable assets you can have. If the Big East grabbed gonzaga and changed its name to the Big America Conference it would lose prestige.

ran out of time to add the edit but:

History matters, tradition matters. People don't respect upstarts to the same extent they view tradition. As much as I love the name BAC that I just coined, it would come at a cost. People forget that the casual fan is more valuable than the hardcore one. Hardcore fans are in no matter what. Being able to pull in casuals is what drives ratings higher. Having a recognizable name helps to pull in the casual.

 

[speckle]

Duke
Wake Forest
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Boston College

You forgot Vandy and Northwestern

I'd add Dayton and VCU now. If St Louis decides to be more regularly competitive, down the line. Gotta stay aggressive to prosper and quality games, product size, adds contract leverage. Staying small for the sake of history is a losing proposition in the long run.

 

[AdamaNation]

I believe the Big East is the major basketball conference most likely to expand in the next 24 months due to three factors: needing more inventory for TV, keeping up with the Joneses (other four leagues all have at least 16 members), and avoiding again the disaster that was three bids this season.

I don't think the Big East will go past 14, but I think the two likely expansion points are to 12 and 14.

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 12? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. Dayton
3. St. Louis
4. VCU
5. Davidson

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 14? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. St. Mary's
3. Dayton
4. St. Louis
5. VCU

Pass in west coast.
Vcu
Dayton
Bring temple (catholic school)back
Buffalo
And any one of URI UMASS or Vermont to maintain regional comp

 

[JSB60]

I would only take Gonzaga and maybe St. Mary’s. We don’t need the others.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

I believe the Big East is the major basketball conference most likely to expand in the next 24 months due to three factors: needing more inventory for TV, keeping up with the Joneses (other four leagues all have at least 16 members), and avoiding again the disaster that was three bids this season.

I don't think the Big East will go past 14, but I think the two likely expansion points are to 12 and 14.

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 12? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. Dayton
3. St. Louis
4. VCU
5. Davidson

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 14? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. St. Mary's
3. Dayton
4. St. Louis
5. VCU

If expansion is a must I will prioritize market expansion and geographic fit as I think the Big East has a powerful enough brand (4 National Championships in the past 8 years) that it can slowly elevate the quality of play of these programs anyway to a level that is acceptable to keep the league in the top 5.

MY PICKS:

St. Louis
VCU


------------------------------
Dayton - market overlap with xavier
Gonzaga - too far in the pacific
Davidson - too small and far away
St. Mary's - No way

 

[uconnfan68]

Fixed for you.

I had to leave a patsy in there.

 

[BugsyCT]

Don’t want west coast teams. It makes no sense.

Neither does Stanford vs BCU or Rutgers vs UCLA, but they’re both conference matchups in this crazy world now.

 

[ucp990411]

Why would we want to be in a conference with the likes of VCU, St Louis, or Dayton. So DePaul and Georgetown might get a couple wins? I don’t want Gonzaga either. Think big time moving forward not small time. And we want to be in a conference for football. You may want to deny the importance of football but it’s real.

 

[goskis2018]

Much more likely we end up in the ACC than any ACC schools come over here.

Eh, I could see it going either way. If the ACC loses 4 schools instead of 2 to the SEC, downstream of that maybe the Big 12 poaches another two. In that scenario the remains of the ACC, with it's national footprint but gutted of national brands, the league is drastically less attractive. I wouldn't count out schools with a historical connection to the league (Syracuse) or schools deciding to focus on basketball as their crown jewel (BET and Basketball focus are very attractive) adding to the Big East.

Adding anyone outside of the P6 not named Gonzaga would be stupid to do, and I'm fairly certain would never happen.

 

[uconnfan68]

You forgot Vandy and Northwestern

I'd add Dayton and VCU now. If St Louis decides to be more regularly competitive, down the line. Gotta stay aggressive to prosper and quality games, product size, adds contract leverage. Staying small for the sake of history is a losing proposition in the long run.

Vandy and Northwestern aren't going anywhere unless they're tossed out, which will never happen.

 

[Ricker]

Stay with a home & home schedule that makes the league distinctive and the best

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Name recognition is one of the most valuable assets you can have. If the Big East grabbed gonzaga and changed its name to the Big America Conference it would lose prestige.

BAC-tion!

 

[speckle]

Vandy and Northwestern aren't going anywhere unless they're tossed out, which will never happen.

Never is a bold declaration these days. There's a decent argument to be made for Michigan, Ohio St, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia... to just roll out and form a super conference right now. Addition by subtraction is standard procedure for ngos. The Big East sb docking DePaul's TV revenue right now imo.

 

[rgw]

I believe the Big East is the major basketball conference most likely to expand in the next 24 months due to three factors: needing more inventory for TV, keeping up with the Joneses (other four leagues all have at least 16 members), and avoiding again the disaster that was three bids this season.

I don't think the Big East will go past 14, but I think the two likely expansion points are to 12 and 14.

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 12? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. Dayton
3. St. Louis
4. VCU
5. Davidson

Who are your favorites (1-5) if the league expands to 14? Mine:
1. Gonzaga
2. St. Mary's
3. Dayton
4. St. Louis
5. VCU

Not interested in any of these schools particularly west coast schools. I would love to see another New England school such as Umass or Holy Cross if they were willing to commit the resources

 

[Travelman6]

I hate BC... f them

Ya, for all I care let them descend into nothingness

 

[uconnfan68]

Never is a bold declaration these days. There's a decent argument to be made for Michigan, Ohio St, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia... to just roll out and form a super conference right now. Addition by subtraction is standard procedure for ngos. The Big East sb docking DePaul's TV revenue right now imo.

They would lose many more fans than they'd gain with actions like that.

 

[Matrim55]

Dream scenario: ACC collapse, we can add Cuse/Pitt at minimum, probably give BC a life line (I want them BEGGING though). Some of the other scraps, maybe some of the better Carolina schools (Duke, NCST) are left.

I suspect the only Carolina school that'd be left is Wake Forest. UNC & Duke would be a package deal to the Big 10 (along with Virginia & Georgia Tech) while NC State would head to the SEC (along with Clemson & both Florida schools) for the TV/streaming footprint + rivalry juice.

Wake Forest and Va Tech will be the big losers in the next round of realignment.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Not interested in any of these schools particularly west coast schools. I would love to see another New England school such as Umass or Holy Cross if they were willing to commit the resources

UMass maybe not a terrible idea.

But Holy Cross would be a terrible add

 

[Bonamassa]

Expanding for the sake of expansion especially considering the list of candidates makes no sense. Where are these schools going to get the money to improve their programs? Certainly not from Fox. Who wants to watch? UConn's strength of schedule would take a massive hit.

 

[rgw]

UMass maybe not a terrible idea.

But Holy Cross would be a terrible add

Holy Cross was the best program in New England for many years

 

[CTHSHoops]

Duke
Wake Forest
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Boston College

You had me until you added BC.

 

[superjohn]

Pass in west coast.
Vcu
Dayton
Bring temple (catholic school)back
Buffalo
And any one of URI UMASS or Vermont to maintain regional comp

Totally and then rename the Big East the A-10

 

[ctchamps]

There is no value out there now to help the BE and the idea that the collapse of the ACC will provide value is fanciful.

 

[TheHorde]

What happens if the SEC and Big 10 pillage the top football schools in the ACC such as Miami, Florida State, UNC, Clemson, and Virginia? Imo that might make a Big East merger with the remaining ACC schools a possibility.