Before I post about the Big East question, I recommend that everyone read Jay Drew's article in the Tribune. Right now, I have nothing to say about it other than to grin and nod. BYU seems to have become college football's version of the LA Rams of the 60s and 70s....the teams that Merlin Olsen played for. They beat the teams that they should have beat, but could win the big games and could not get into the Super Bowl.
It took me a couple of days to work up to this. But what does BYU gain from joining the Big East vs. remaining independent? That is a good question. From a financial standpoint, probably not much unless the Big East allows BYU-TV to rebroadcast games and to televise live games that do not get chosen to be broadcast on ESPN and the Big East TV partners. But there are three advantages to the Big East that BYU does not have now.
1. BCS access
2. Late-season scheduling
3. Regional rivalries
The BCS access at this time is iffy. No team has ever been removed from BCS access to date. Certainly if a conference is "worthy" of that distinction, it is the Big East. I've asked this question before, and I ask this question again. Does this look like a BCS conference to you?
East Division
Connecticut
Cincinnati
Central Florida
Louisville
Rutgers
South Florida
Navy
West Division
Air Force
Boise State
Brigham Young
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
It is no worse than the MWC was when BYU, Utah and TCU were a part of it. May I remind you that the real problem the MWC has was not that the top teams were not good enough, it was that the bottom half, especially UNLV and New Mexico, were so bad. Ditto for the WAC. Cincinnati, Lousiville and Boise State have been legitimate BCS-worthy teams. And there is no one as consistently bad on this list as UNLV, New Mexico or New Mexico State. That may be good enough, and may not be. It stands a chance and it may be that as good of a chance as BYU will ever get. If that is the case, BYU will have no choice but to go for it. If it does not work, well, go back to independence.
3 comments:
Two things. First off, San Diego State is likely not going anywhere near the Big East. Two, the Big East has a lock on the AQ for the foreseeable future. Why? The BCS has stated that it needs six conferences to work properly. With the losses of Boise, Houston, SMU, UCF, and Air Force to the Big East the MWCUSA has no chance of taking the AQ from them.
In order to work properly, another team from the west needs to be in a 14-team Big East football conference. Otherwise, you have Louisville in the west and away from their natural rivals. San Diego State at this time is the only university that has been mentioned. And the last I heard, Air Force may be leaning toward remaining in the Mountain West. Other options out west would need to at worst not bring the conference down...Rice and Tulane would not work. Tulsa, Southern Mississippi might. Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate a respectful, sometimes dissenting voice.
I would love SDSU, but for the moment I prefer Tulsa to replace WVU. SDSU has great BB but with Boise, Air Force,and BYU being FB only schools in the new Big Weast, SDSU would have to travel too far to the other schools play BB, and their FB team isn't good enough to warrent bringing them in FB only. I just don't see it working.
I think at some point, IF the BB only schools break away then Boise and BYU (at least) might have their BB teams invited to join a Western BB division, and then SDSU might be considered.
This is how I envision a 14/16 team super conference Big Weast would someday look without the BB only schools.
UConn goes to the ACC in all sports. So does Notre Dame, taking its BB and Olympic sports out of the Big East. The BB only schools break away leaving only the FB schools.
* - FB only
East Division:
Rutgers
Navy*
USF
UCF
Louisville
Cinci
ECU
Temple
West Division:
Air Force*
Boise State
BYU
Houston
SMU
Tulsa
Memphis
Toledo (or maybe SDSU)
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