Darn.

When it focused on b-ball in the '80s, the Big East was a close-knit, powerhouse conference. They had three of the Final Four teams one year and two in another.  But when they decided to juice up the football side in the '90s, basketball suffered.  Yes, they may have 8-10 teams make the NCAA tourney most years, but if you have 16 teams, you should have a bunch make it.  They really lost their sense of identity by playing 3/4 of the conference only once in b-ball.  Plus the travel.  And when your HQ and conference tourney are in NYC, the schools in Chicago, Milwaukee, South Bend and Florida have to feel a bit isolated.  The ACC is starting to feel some of that strain, and I'm sure the new teams in the Big Fortnight will too.

If Ohio ever had a shot in this whole conference realignment thing, the time is now.

I was thinking this morning about how to measure conferences that are looking to just survive.  When the Big Twelv lost four schools (Nebraska, Colo, Tx A&M and Mizzou), they went out and got two schools -- WVU and TCU -- whose football programs are at least as good as any that left.  Really, the only thing they may have lost in the bargain was a conference championship game.  Eight or nine of the ten teams will be bowl eligible.  Although they were scrambling to survive, they pretty much maintained the status quo.

The Big Least, on the other hand, turned to teams that they wouldn't even have considered for membership two years ago.  They replaced 10-3 WVU with 4-6 Temps, a team they booted out a decade ago.  When UCF comes in next season, they'll likely be under a bowl ban.  And the others who are scheduled to join did so only to be part of an auto qualifier for the BCS bowls, but two years from now the BL won't be an AQ conference.  They'll be part of the "Group of Five" conferences, which include the conferences the new BL teams are coming from.  That's a giant step backward.  Last year, the BL had five bowl eligible teams and the other three were 5-7.  This year, they'll be lucky to get five.  Plus, four of their teams -- including two of their top three -- lost to MAC schools.  And with the loss of Rutgers and probably L'ville, UConn and Cincy, they won't even have enough to have a conference title game, unless they go after more teams that they didn't consider for membership this year.  They're grasping at straws. 

What would you do for football? 

The Big East is not dissolving so you can stop worrying about that.

Read this article to understand why

http://www.vuhoops.com/2012/11/22/3680688/speculation-not-report-says-big-east-could-dissolve

Also.. 4 Big East teams are bowl eligible right now with UConn and Pitt still having shots.

Stop hating on the Big East.  You would die to be a member.

and 7 MAC teams are bowl eligible, 4 of which have been in the top 25. I think we're fine. 

So, Monday morning... an invite comes to Ohio University with let's say...$5 million dollars per year in TV revenue and a better chance at the BCS than you have now.... you say no thank you?

In a heartbeat.  First of all, the Big Least has no better chance at the BCS than we will come '14.  Plus, not only would there be the MAC buyout, but two years from now we'd have to look for another conference when the BL folds.  And who in their right mind wants to travel thousands of extra miles every year to play games that our fanbase has little access to and against teams we have little in common with.  Marshall is regretting their situation with CUSA because of the travel and little fan recognition of rivalries.  Plus, the MAC has shown great improvement this year, and will likely get even better over the next few years.  The BL is just not worth it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boise-san-diego-state-still-200019618--ncaaf.html

What you seem to forget is that NBC is still itching for programming...college sports programming.. and there is only one free agent left.  Big East might not get 15-17 million per all sports school originally projected... but even cutting that in half is 7 times what the MAC pays.

Also...  BYU is now in an even worse situation BCS wise...do you not think they aren't rethinking things?

But enjoy the MAC it is a nice little regional conference that everyone enjoys watching with a smirk.. "aren't they cute" comment. It's not a bad thing to know your place in the world and not strive for more.. you never get hurt that way.

How many games did TCU play in the big east after saying they were coming?  Big east is now a negotiating chip for schools to get into better conferences.  SDSU, Boise, and BYU will pay a small fee (more for BYU due to ESPN contract) and will be Mountain West bound.  Again, put the bong down if you still think this little miracle of a 3000 mile conference is actually going to happen.  Sit down with the previous conferences I have mentioned and hammer out a league that makes sense.  TV opportunities will follow.

NBC is itching for programming because their cable service doesn't have the coverage to attract any big conferences.

And I'd rather be 4-4 in an "aren't they cute" conference than 2-5 in the biggest joke in college football.  Enjoy your cash while it lasts.  But two or three years from now, when the BL is history, Temps will be back on the street, begging for handouts.

Enjoy the MAC...it's nice to know you'll be here to accept us on our terms if all else fails.