Navy Mulls Potential Conference Move

[MeanGreen61]

Navy mulls potential conference move

Aug 15, 2007 2:00 AM

by Ron Snyder, The Examiner

Navy coach Paul Johnson said a conference affiliation would not impact how he recruits. Annapolis (Map, News) - Navy athletics director Chet Gladchuck doesn’t want a conference affiliation for his football team, but he said he may not have a choice.

Gladchuck said Navy has no bowl agreement beyond this year’s Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, and the complex tie-in between bowl games and conferences makes it more difficult each year for Navy to schedule a postseason game.

Joining a conference comes with considerable concessions for Navy, which as an independent, develops its schedule and keeps all the money it generates from broadcast rights, ticket sales and other revenue streams.

“You’ve got to look at it two ways,” Gladchuck said. “Where are we today and is it working? But, you also have to be concerned about down the road. Dynamics can change in short order.

We’re comfortable today because we’re filling up the stadium, we’re playing a quasi-national stadium where we can play whoever we want. We have a great television package and a quality radio network. We have had tie-ins with bowl games and it’s working. Now, will it work tomorrow, I’m not sure.”

Gladchuck said since Navy’s resurgence in football four years ago, it has been fortunate to secure bowl invitations. In 2003, the Southeastern Conference’s University of South Carolina failed to qualify for the Houston Bowl, which opened a spot for Navy because the SEC didn’t have any more bowl eligible teams. In 2004, Gladchuck made a deal to get Navy into the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco.

Then in 2005, the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl wanted Navy because of its large following in San Diego. Finally last year, the Meineke Car Care Bowl made a one-year agreement with Navy to play in Charlotte, N.C., instead of taking its usual Big East team.

“The one area we have been able to manage, but not control, is the bowl structure,” Gladchuck said. “By managing that structure, we’ve been able to find five straight bowl games, but not being able to control it plays into us looking for a conference affiliation or trying to survive as an independent.”

Navy football coach Paul Johnson said a conference affiliation would not impact how he recruits. But he is concerned a wrong move could become a detriment to the program. He cited a rumored quasi-membership into the Big East as an example. Johnson and Gladchuk refused to comment specifically which conference would be most attractive, but the Big East Conference and Conference USA are the closest fits both competitively and geographically. The Atlantic Coast Conference is filled with football teams superior to Navy’s.

“You want to be able to compete and make sure the conference is the right fit,” Johnson said, “The Big East doesn’t make much sense since we don’t have a lot in common with those schools and we don’t recruit the same kind of players.”

One potential short-term answer for Navy is a playing in a new bowl game in Baltimore in December of 2008. The Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission considers Navy a prime candidate for the game, according to Wayne Edwards, the commission’s sports committee chairman.

Edwards said he is dealing with many of the same obstacles as Navy.

“Many conferences have tie-ins going seven teams deep,” Edwards said. “There just aren’t a lot of possibilities right now. Navy is a great fit, but we need an opponent for them and a backup in case they aren’t eligible.”

Edited August 16, 2007 by MeanGreen61

[NT80]

the Big East Conference and Conference USA are the closest fits both competitively and geographically......

“The Big East doesn’t make much sense since we don’t have a lot in common with those schools and we don’t recruit the same kind of players.”

humm....that would leave CUSA as their best option? Army decided not to stay in CUSA, why would Navy want in? Not good for UNT's chances if CUSA lost an Eastern division member to the Big East such as UCF or ECU; Navy could just step in there.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

--- Another factor and pressure on the Big East...... I keep predicting it to come apart... too many teams and too many that do not play football.

[Arkstfan]

Navy won't hook up with a 12 team league as a full member if at all possible because that means moving the Army/Navy game to a less lucrative date. Have no information about what might happen but I would expect that Army and Navy both would prefer a half membership where they play 4 teams from a conference each (half schedule) and are included as part of that conference's bowl agreements (ie Notre Dame and the Big East).

I think the MAC might consider such a deal because it helps them with the icky 13 team scheduling mess they have. The MAC could treat the two as a single member for scheduling. The Sun Belt I think would eagerly agree to such a deal because it could be leveraged to pick up a third or fourth bowl game (ie. New Orleans takes champ, #2 and #3 and even #4 if there were one would take their choice of SBC/Army/Navy). CUSA? I can't see CUSA agreeing to anything short of full football membership before they would give up bowl access.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I agree that Navy wouldn't want a 12-team league but what if 1) the commissioner was able to get both Army and Navy in the same league or 2) agreed to move a conference game earlier so that Navy could still play Army in the last week of the season? Yes, I realize that in an even number of teams league that one would have to be skipped each year.

What would concern me is that both would want to be football members only. They are more competitive with the members of the Patriot league for other sports. Yet, I that if Air Force can compete in the MWC then surely Army and Navy could compete in the SBC or the MAC.

If a third bowl commitment can be negotiated, Navy would have much better odds of being in a bowl in the SBC than with any other conference. They would definitely add a little prestige but I'm not holding my breath.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Navy and Army plus the football playing Big-East Members is only 10 members. If it expanded to 12 no big deal because then teams don't play everyone... Army-Navy game ruined...???... ..don't think so.. Texas and A&M still play Thanksgiving week even after joining the Big-XII.

[MeanGreen61]

Navy and Army plus the football playing Big-East Members is only 10 members. If it expanded to 12 no big deal because then teams don't play everyone... Army-Navy game ruined...???... ..don't think so.. Texas and A&M still play Thanksgiving week even after joining the Big-XII.

The TV rights & income could be a factor if they were both in a conference.

[DeepGreen]

If Navy moves to a conference I think it will be the Big East. It's an East coast media thing and more prestigious for Navy to join a BCS conference.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

It's absolutely where they belong but if they are joining a conference for a bowl bid they'll be hard pressed to even have a winning record. They can't consistently play with West Virginia, Louisville, and Pitt and maybe not with Rutgers. That leaves Syracuse, South Florida and Connecticut that they might be competitive with. Hardly conducive to a bowl bid. Now in the SBC, MAC or CUSA, that would be a different story.

The conference that they choose would likely have to let the two teams keep the entire proceeds from the Army/Navy game as a condition.