While college football fans sit and wait for any developments in the Big 10 expansion saga, not enough attention is being given to the impact on the entirety of the NCAA. How will other conferences respond? Will some otherwise powerful conferences disintegrate before our eyes?
My focus is the premiere basketball league in the land: The Big East. Granted, this is just a theory based on a major factor. What this article will attempt to accomplish is predict major changes in college sports, provided a few factors prove to be true. At the very least, it will be a fun hypothetical to play around with. First things first, though- this is all based on the assumption that Notre Dame declines the invitation and remains a football independent.
Although the Big 10 would be greatly disappointed at striking out on the Irish, this will not deter them from accomplishing their super-conference goal. To add to their short list of disappointments, Texas will also decline the invite. Well, Mr. Delaney, you still need five teams. So, who’s it going to be?
Missouri, Nebraska, and Rutgers are definite. They will be invited and they will accept. That leaves two more spots which could go in a few different directions. My guess is that both invites go to the Big East, and they come in the form of Pittsburgh and UConn. Pitt is an obvious decision, where as UConn is a bit more of a wildcard. Everyone knows what they’ll add to the conference’s basketball depth, but they are also strengthening their football program by the year and could be a steal for the future.
Assuming these last two accept the offer, the Big East will be left scrambling. First of all, to go off-topic, the SEC will have to respond in some way, probably offering Miami, Florida State, and at least one more (Clemson?) spots on their team. The remaining Division 1A football schools in the Big East (Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, and West Virginia) will be flying out of the door. The Big East may make a pathetic attempt to attract more local football schools, such as Buffalo and Temple, but the remaining schools will have no interest. With that said, I could easily see Syracuse, Louisville, and even West Virginia joining the ACC. Cincinnati will have to put their tail between their legs and limp back to Conference USA, officially ending their football resurgence in the process. Lastly, we have South Florida. Honestly, nobody besides South Florida people really care what they do, so I won’t waste your time with a guess. Here’s a spoiler, though; they’ll go somewhere and be mediocre in football and atrocious in hoops.
The Big East now has two options: 1. Fold, or 2. The reason for this article. My proposal, and my dream, for that matter, is simple in theory. The remaining schools in the conference have two things in common, the first of which being no major football (besides independent Notre Dame). Secondly, they are all proud Catholic universities. The best remaining option would be to completely turn their attention to basketball and put their efforts into a Catholic school league.
Before I go further, the New York post is my major source regarding the ‘rumblings’ from their Big East friends (http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/colle...h8zTA0eEjWnSzO).
As Lenn Robbins points out, the Big East is, at least casually, thinking ahead just in case. Four schools that will immediately be invited, according the Lenn Robbins source, will be Xavier, Dayton, St. Joseph’s, and Duquesne. All of these Atlantic 10 programs make perfect sense. The first three have very strong and proud basketball traditions. Duquesne, while probably the biggest question mark in the mix, keeps a Pittsburgh presence in the league. They are also in the process of implementing new facilities and really focusing on strengthening Duquesne hoops.
Xavier is the most obvious choice. They are a perennial Sweet 16 team, and perhaps joining the Big East will be enough to push them to that next level. My Dayton Flyers, who have painfully been on the cusp year in and year out of being a more consistent force, brings a talented young group of players, a remarkable fan base, and a great venue. St. Joseph’s made an upgrade from their glorified high school gym at Hawk Hill, and of course they bring another big name to the conference (thanks in part to the heroics of Jameer Nelson and MY MAN Delonte West).
Of course, Xavier and Dayton do not bring the firepower that Louisville and Syracuse do on a national level. Hey, nobody said the expansion wouldn’t hurt. Still, this is the best way to keep the Big East relevant and still powerful in all sports but football. And, they still hold on to the majority of their schools (Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame, Marquette, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Depaul, and Providence). With the four additions, there are 12 teams in this new, exciting (albeit less powerful) Big East.
The Atlantic 10 will most likely fall apart, unfortunately. They could feasibly make a run at a few schools, such as a long shot in Butler or more realistically try to pick some teams out of the Missouri Valley. It’s not worth going into it, but that would be an interesting development as well, though on a much smaller scale.
I would love to see the next few months pan out in this way. College basketball would be even more competitive, and football (RIP Big East) would be interesting as well. Change isn’t always good, but it is always interesting.
Written by James Polifroni, Tuesday May 25 2010
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