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Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

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Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???



Conference expansion: Should the Big East invite UCF, other schools this month?

My colleague Mike Bianchi wrote a column for today’s paper calling UCF one of the biggest winners in the first round of conference expansion.

With the Big 12 avoiding complete implosion, it seems more likely the Big Ten will have to look to the Big East and ACC if it wants to move forward with expansion plans. There has been significant chatter that the near death of the Big 12 has spooked the Big East into more openly considering preemptive expansion. The Big East has always had a significant hurdle since it expanded to its current lineup, with 16 basketball schools feeling they are already as big as they can get and eight football schools desperate to expand by at least one team to solve scheduling issues. If the Big Ten expands again, it could potentially take one or more Big East teams. Notre Dame would likely walk away from the unstable lineup and the Big East as we know it could implode, losing its automatic Bowl Championship Series game bid. That’s a big problem for the basketball schools that also play football, such as Louisville.

Did the Big 12’s near demise finally convince the Big East basketball schools it would be worth moving to 18 teams in basketball and 10 in football? For more a week, there have been rumors circulating out of Memphis that the Tigers and one other team, possibly UCF, have a conditional invitation to the Big East. Similar rumors reversing the order of priority, with UCF the first team expected to join the conference, have been circulating in Orlando. No one has been any able to confirm these reports.

article continued…
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_ucf/2010/06/conference-expansion-should-the-big-east-invite-ucf-other-schools-this-month.html
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

and
http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/where-ucf-fits-in-the-national-college-football-conference-expansion-1.2275070


Unconfirmed sources have said that Big East will be holding a conference call with its schools’ athletic directors and presidents later this week.

The Daily Athenaeum, West Virginia University’s student newspaper, talked with the new athletic director, Oliver Luck, who said that “any conference calls that take place at this time will talk about realignment.”

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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

Sporting News: Big East looking to expand with Central Florida, Memphis
Sporting News staff reports

Orlando, Fla., television station WKMG reported Wednesday that the Big East Conference will issue invitations to Central Florida and Memphis as early as next week. The station cited multiple college football sources.
Under that scenario, the Big East would become a 10-team football league and an 18-team basketball behemoth.

UCF and Memphis are currently in the 12-team Conference USA. Memphis reportedly is interested in joining a larger conference. Both teams have been rumored to be Big East targets. In Memphis' case, an invite was expected only if the Big Ten or Atlantic Coast Conference were to raid the Big East.

Central Florida would provide the Big East with a Top 20 television market, WKMG reports, and Memphis would strengthen an already powerful basketball league.

The station had no comments from UCF, Memphis or Big East officials.

http://www.sportingnews.com/college-football/article/2010-06-17/report-big-east-looking-expand-central-florida-memphis
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

Certainly Plausible.

Out of all us Non-AQ schools UCF is the most ready to move up in terms of attendance, facilities, and support.

Were just to young to make a move this time around.

Lets get the facilites up to snuff, dominate the Sun Belt and whenever the merry go round comes again well be ready.

I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$ and I'm out of bubble gum.

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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

I wonder why Troy is not in the picture?

(kidding)

Well, sort of…Memphis is not as good a football team, but they have MUCH better facilities, and location.
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

Rick said

I wonder why Troy is not in the picture?

(kidding)

Well, sort of…Memphis is not as good a football team, but they have MUCH better facilities, and location.

Agree,

Memphis Football is in the crapper, but we all know the basketball is terrific.

As good as Troy is and will continue to be, Im afriad theyre location will probably doom them forever to be in a non-AQ confrence.


I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$ and I'm out of bubble gum.

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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

Rick said

I wonder why Troy is not in the picture?

(kidding)

Well, sort of…Memphis is not as good a football team, but they have MUCH better facilities, and location.

and $10 Million* to buy their way in!  ;)




*allegedly
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

Troy's problem is location.  They have good facilities and and a good football program, but they don't fit geographically into the Big East and the BCS conferences that they would fit in geographically have better options.  I'm sure they'll be a CUSA candidate if this rumor is true though.

Hopefully we will also get consideration from CUSA.  We are in a very similiar position as UCF was a few years back facilities wise (playing off campus waiting for a stadium, old BBall arena, etc.), and we offer a big media market.  If this is true, it'll be interesting to watch this play out. 
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

fauowls44 said

Hopefully we will also get consideration from CUSA.

Agree…That's pretty much it at this point in time.
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Re: Big East to make the next move? Memphis and/or UCF???

CUSA might not be as good of an option as the SunBelt though.

It all depends on who goes where?

If Memphis, Houston, ECU, and UCF go to other confrences, is CUSA any better then the Belt?

Lets say those 4 leave and Cusa Invites: FAU/FIU/LaTech/MTSU

So now the confrence is:

FAU
FIU
MTSU
LA Tech
Southern Miss
Marshall
UAB
SMU
Tulsa
UTEP
Rice
Tulane

Other then number of Bowl games and a Championship game is this confrence better in perception then the 'Belt?

Im not sure.

I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$ and I'm out of bubble gum.

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