i don't get why Air Force keeps coming up as our primary candidate

[mattp]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...g-east-schools-ok-commish-to-pursue-expansion

over and over i keep seeing that Air Force is one of our top targets. i don't get it. that doesn't seem like that attractive of an option to me. i don't see what we gain by having an okay team in the mountain time zone from the number 3 service academy. it seems like Army would be the logical target. even if Army doesn't want to join a conference, i don't see how Air Force is the next candidate

 

[junglehusky]

I agree that Army and Navy should be the top two choices out of the academies. I mean, West Point NY and Annapolis MD is right in the footprint.

 

[UConnRock]

Air Force is historically the best academy football team. There is also the idea of throwing a bone to TCU and having some of their traditional rivals in the new BE. This goes along with the SMU discussions at the Sunday meeting. If the BE just went with Temple, Army and Navy it is equivalent to booting TCU out the door.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Air Force is historically the best academy football team. There is also the idea of throwing a bone to TCU and having some of their traditional rivals in the new BE. This goes along with the SMU discussions at the Sunday meeting. If the BE just went with Temple, Army and Navy it is equivalent to booting TCU out the door.

And there is something to be said for that. I really don't think a bizzaro cross continental conference of unrelated schools has any hope of lasting more than a year or two.

 

[SubbaBub]

The new and improved BIG EAST. Now with Retsyn®.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[mattp]

it seems like SMU would accomplish that better than Air Force. while has been the best on the field the last several years, they have the worst following and tradition, and when you grab a service academy that's really what you're going for. it's not like TCU and are rivals that i'm aware of. it seems like if you want to throw TCU a bone, which i have no problem with, that would be choice number 3 or 4 after SMU, Houston, or even Rice if they want back into the big leagues, before .

 

[RS9999X]

Mountain Time Zone and National Following and likely football only

Nova might actually survive an upgrade if Navy, Air Force, Notre Dame. and Penn State play them along with Rutgers and WVU. Maybe BC or Pitt or SU. 2 marquee OOC games a year. The usual Temple, Penn yearly matchups and Delaware.

 

[ctchamps]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...g-east-schools-ok-commish-to-pursue-expansion

over and over i keep seeing that Air Force is one of our top targets. i don't get it. that doesn't seem like that attractive of an option to me. i don't see what we gain by having an okay team in the mountain time zone from the number 3 service academy. it seems like Army would be the logical target. even if Army doesn't want to join a conference, i don't see how Air Force is the next candidate

I read somewhere Army was only interested in joining the BE for football if the other two service academies joined. It did not want to join if only Navy joined.

 

[mcs333]

has been to 4 straight bowls, stadium holds 52k plus, national following, local markets of Denver/ Colo. springs. A great place to visit. Sits at the base of Pike's Peak.

 

[gars44]

Look, these questions are like c'mon. Until Ohio State or Penn State submit their applications, programs like Navy, Army, and Air Force go a long way toward legitimizing the conference. It's not only about football. It's also about eyeballs. And pedigree attracts eyeballs. And with these programs in the conference, no one is too hot to trot about separating us from our BCS bid.

 

[UConn64BA72JD]

Almost made the A.F. Academy out of high school (flunked the physical: had allergies). I would have been in the second graduating class. (sigh)

I would welcome them into the BE and would sign up for a charter to Colorado Springs to watch a game. Then I could say that I finally made it to the academy.

 

[businesslawyer]

Look, these questions are like c'mon. Until Ohio State or Penn State submit their applications, programs like Navy, Army, and Air Force go a long way toward legitimizing the conference. It's not only about football. It's also about eyeballs. And pedigree attracts eyeballs. And with these programs in the conference, no one is too hot to trot about separating us from our BCS bid.

This part of it can't be ignored. Everything the big boys do at the moment is being done with an eye towards how far can they go before the feds step in and take power away from them. Disenfranchising the military academies, once they get to the table, is an awfully big risk for the bigger conferences to take. Is the juice of taking the Big East out of the BCS really going to be worth that squeeze?

 

[gars44]

This part of it can't be ignored. Everything the big boys do at the moment is being done with an eye towards how far can they go before the feds step in and take power away from them. Disenfranchising the military academies, once they get to the table, is an awfully big risk for the bigger conferences to take. Is the juice of taking the Big East out of the BCS really going to be worth that squeeze?

Right. And like one of the bloggers somewhere posted today (I can't remember where on Google I saw it), the BCS wants to keep the northeast as much involved as possible in watching the games at the least possible expense to the big boys. What is the least possible expense? Throw the Big East a single bid to one of the least attractive bowls. But you have to keep the viewers involved, and you don't want to disenfranchise a conference that (basketball and football) is located in the most densely populated part of the country. Small price to pay. Now, that had a lot more validity when Syracuse was in the Big East, but there is still Rutgers and Connecticut. You throw in Army and Navy, and that once again attracts interest in the northeast. So, Army is a huge pick up if we can get them to come. They may come if Navy and Air Force agree.

 

[mattp]

the part about that i thought most odd was that whenever i'd seen it listed as a primary candidate there was no mention of Army. i'd love to get all 3 of them. has always been one of the better MWC teams and Navy's been good since Paul Johnson got things going. Army is starting to win some games.

Annapolis would be a great driveable game to make a weekend out of and Army's a day trip. of course my brother moved to Colorado Springs 6-7 years ago and i'd have to explain why i never made the trip out until a football game made me. that might be awkward. of course by adding all three we'd be committing to a lot of conference games against option based offenses that always seem to drive me nuts.

 

[coachcap]

If the A.F.A. is invited to the Big East, will it be for football only, or all sports? The Mountain West will have no use for their olympic sports once they remove their football team. Will they join the Big West like BYU has done?

 

[orangehomer]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...g-east-schools-ok-commish-to-pursue-expansion

over and over i keep seeing that Air Force is one of our top targets. i don't get it. that doesn't seem like that attractive of an option to me. i don't see what we gain by having an okay team in the mountain time zone from the number 3 service academy. it seems like Army would be the logical target. even if Army doesn't want to join a conference, i don't see how Air Force is the next candidate

well according to oliver luck they are an upgrade over syracuse, seems like an easy decision.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

well according to oliver luck they are an upgrade over syracuse, seems like an easy decision.

Yawn. Bait not taken.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Look, these questions are like c'mon. Until Ohio State or Penn State submit their applications, programs like Navy, Army, and Air Force go a long way toward legitimizing the conference. It's not only about football. It's also about eyeballs. And pedigree attracts eyeballs. And with these programs in the conference, no one is too hot to trot about separating us from our BCS bid.

I agree with this. I think it would be politically difficult to take a BCS bid away from a conference that contained all 3 service academies. In that respect I think it would be a smart move to scoop up all 3 of them.

 

[SAMCRO]

well according to oliver luck they are an upgrade over syracuse, seems like an easy decision.

Not just Oliver Luck.

 

[businesslawyer]

If the A.F.A. is invited to the Big East, will it be for football only, or all sports? The Mountain West will have no use for their olympic sports once they remove their football team. Will they join the Big West like BYU has done?

1. Football only.

2. The MWC -- any conference == might make an exception to their normal rules for a military academy.

3. BYU put its other sports in the WCAC -- not the Big West. But either of those conferences, or the Big Sky, would almost certainly take Air Forces other teams.

 

[ZooCougar]

Temple is an upgrade of Syracuse.

well according to oliver luck they are an upgrade over syracuse, seems like an easy decision.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

You throw in Army and Navy, and that once again attracts interest in the northeast. So, Army is a huge pick up if we can get them to come. They may come if Navy and Air Force agree.

Northeast? Sure, but that interest goes far beyond just the northeast US. As much as some non-coms and non-academy officers (current and veterans alike) may not publically root for their branch's academy program, others quietly to more enthusiastically support and watch the USNA, USMA, and USAFA games from points near and far.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

If the A.F.A. is invited to the Big East, will it be for football only, or all sports? The Mountain West will have no use for their olympic sports once they remove their football team. Will they join the Big West like BYU has done?

Football only. The beauty of this idea (at least in the eys of Marinatto, Waylon and the alter boys who bring the processionals to the alter every Sunday in Providence) is that the arrangement of BE athletic programs becomes even more convoluted.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Football only. The beauty of this idea (at least in the eys of Marinatto, Waylon and the alter boys who bring the processionals to the alter every Sunday in Providence) is that the arrangement of BE athletic programs becomes even more convoluted.

You make it seem as if it's some rubix cube or an impossible maze to navigate.

Basketball only.
Football only.
Basketball/football.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

You make it seem as if it's some rubix cube or an impossible maze to navigate.

Basketball only.
Football only.
Basketball/football.

I can assure you that I've never said, never implied, nor given anyone any reason to infer that the Rubik's Cube is difficult. On a bad day, after not touching one for a couple of years, I'll still solve the three layer cube in under eighty seconds. The four layer may take up to five minutes but that is because unlike the three or the five layer cube, the centers are not fixed. The mechanics are a bit difficult on the five layer cube (if they made it the best size for movement it would be far too large to market) so if someone moves it as quickly as they would a three or four layer cube they will destroy the gearing by the second time they solve it. This cube normally takes nearly ten minutes to complete.

I ask you, how does a conference that doesn't have mandatory membership in major sports make any sense?

Better question, considering that there have been numerous reports that the ACC would like to expand further to improve its basketball conference but is hesitant as they don't want to weaken its football conference, why have there been no discussions (not even any rumors) about the ACC looking at adding any of Georgetown, Villanova or St John's? These additions would not hinder the football conference at all. They would add major markets (at least Nova & St John's would) and this seems to be the golden ticket. How is it possible that the entirety of the ACC is this blind? How can their management be so lost when a valuable answer is right there in front of them? I really want to know this because I find it mind boggling that the BE is the only major conference in the country that has the vision, intelligence and business acumen to understand this. How is it that we are so much smarter than everyone else (the SEC, ACC, B1G & P-12 primarily)?