Football family squabble holding up Big East deal

[Harry]

The divorce between the Catholic 7 group of Big East schools and the football side of the family has been settled, but an internal problem about distribution of the money remaining in the Big East reserve fund is holding up the announcement.

Welcome to the college version of the Hatfield and McCoys.

What should have been a perfunctory announcement that the Catholic 7Seton Hall, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, Providence, St. Johns and DePaulwas leaving the conference on June 30th form its own basketball dominated conference has spilled over into a family football fight among the old Big East schoolsConnecticut, Cincinnati, and South Floridaand the new group, who will be joining the league on a full-time basis on July 1.

The issue: the nearly $100 million of actual and projected money that the Big East has and will collect in terms of exit fees and NCAA basketball shares. When the distribution percentages are settled, the payments will be made over 5-to 7 year period, according to a report in USA Today

The argument: The new schools, headed by Memphis, SMU and Central Florida, objected to a distribution plan which would have given the old schools as much as 90 percent of that total. The new schools wanted a much more even distribution, arguing that the Big East conference which existed when they made the decision to join had change dramatically in the past several months. So much in fact, that they should be compensated on a more equitable basis.

Read more: http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=5580

[Harry]

Very telling statement:

"The new schools countered with the argument that had they known about all of the defections and the drastic reduction of the television deal the Big East signed–a drop from a previous offer by ESPN of $151 million a year to slightly less than $30 million–they might not have agreed to join the league and that without their participation, Big East football would not even exist."

[NM Green]

Meanwhile all over the airwaves in Vegas today was talk about the MWC's new partnership with ESPN. They couldn't be more excited about returning to the mothership after all of those years on the Mountain. They also talked about how the Boise football brand has netted the conference a nice windfall. Granted the ESPN deal is really all about Boise but all other programs are going to benefit from the 22 football games televised...It made me think that while SMU and Houston believed and possibly still do that they can land in the MWC if desired. I just don't see or have ever seen the love from the other way. SMU and Houston are in the bed they hae created and they have to make the A12 work to be relevant.

Lets get it on and let the competition begin!

GMG

[GrayEagle]

The new teams also knew at the time that they joined that they were not eligible for any existing money much like North Texas, La Tech, et al are not eligible for the existing CUSA money. Unless they were promised a part of the pie I don't see that they have a leg to stand on.

It's a moot point and hindsight is 20/20 but the C7 schools could have saved themselves a lot of grief if they had the foresight to simply vote to discontinue football as a Big East sponsored sport. The three remaining could have shared the windfall as long as their basketball teams remained in the conference. They wouldn't have had to pay for the name and they wouldn't have lost the money that several had contributed.

[SilverEagle]

Very telling statement:

"The new schools countered with the argument that had they known about all of the defections and the drastic reduction of the television deal the Big East signed–a drop from a previous offer by ESPN of $151 million a year to slightly less than $30 million–they might not have agreed to join the league and that without their participation, Big East football would not even exist."

And now that this is out in the open, I'm thinking that surely Tulsa would not be interested in joining this very dysfunctional group should they get an invitation.

[10Eagle10]

stupid is as stupid does

hopefully Tulsa isn't stupid

[Harry]

If I'm SMU, Houston and the new schools, I would threaten to go back to C-USA if they didn't "pony up" more money...

If I'm UConn and Cincy I would threaten to join the C7 for BBall and other sports and move football to the MAC etc...

Would be interested to know what Banowsky is doing right now.

Odds are this gets worked out but with this group who knows...

[Mean Green 93-98]

Question--what has happened in other occasions when teams join a conference as other teams leave? We know that the new C-USA teams are not getting a dime of exit fee money from Memphis, Central Florida, et al. What about when the Big East brought in all those new schools when Miami, BC, and VaTech went to the ACC--did those new schools get an even cut, or any cut, of the exit fees?

I just don't see why these new teams should expect to get a cent of the exit fee money. They are currently members of Conference USA.

[greenjoe]

I really really really want to see Tulsa stay in CUSA with us. I could see a real rivalry here. Tulsa is a great city and only a 4 or 5 hour drive from Denton. We had history with them in the old MVC. I hope we can begin again with Tulsa.

GO MEAN GREEN

[Harry]

My gut tells me Tulsa would take the offer, primarily due to the environment we are in today, ie everyone is looking to move up in the world even though the actual impact of that change is minimal.

Tulsa wants to be aligned with other private schools and getting SMU and Houston (former SWC participants) and Tulane (former SEC participant) could be attractive.

In the end result, Tulsa has to consider the fact that C-USA has been VERY good for their program and could continue to be so as where the America 12 provides some unknowns to that.

I also think recruiting plays a HUGE part of this stuff... you know that SMU, Houston and Tulane will try to sell the Murican 7 as a "step-up" recruiting wise just like they did with C-USA.

I would like for Tulsa to stay but it won't kill me if they leave -- there are some good programs that we could replace them with.

C-USA is taking the right position -- hey we want you to stay but if you think the grass is greener best of luck... we are seeing now with the squabble over dividing the money and the two top members trying to get out as quickly as they can.

For people like us who follow this stuff very closely -- we understand the differences between the conferences... but to a new recruit and his family, does Murican 12 mean much more if any over C-USA and the brand? I don't think so...

If you are a North Texas fan, even if Tulsa leaves you have a new conference that offers everything you need to build the program to new heights. So the conference is the least of my concerns -- we just need results, we need success to feed the masses with. The schools in C-USA really NEED us to be successful because it helps the conference overall.

[letsgiveacheer]

Is anyone else concerned that at some point, Rice may leave CUSA as well?

[untjim1995]

Is anyone else concerned that at some point, Rice may leave CUSA as well?

Not terribly--I think that the American 12 won't take Rice into their league as long as UH is there. The overlapping of TV markets for the A12 won't be allowed like it was in CUSA. The only possibility I could see--and it is remote--is if the MWC decided to come this way to get some Texas exposure and they went after UTEP and Rice. Of course, the MWC could go after UH instead and Rice would then be the logical replacement for them if UH did leave the A12 to go out west. I just don't see it, though, anytime soon. Their baseball is great and they have been better in football in the last 5 years than they probably have been in the previous 50, but their small enrollment in a huge professional market won't do them any favors, IMO.

[Harry]

Not terribly--I think that the American 12 won't take Rice into their league as long as UH is there. The overlapping of TV markets for the A12 won't be allowed like it was in CUSA. The only possibility I could see--and it is remote--is if the MWC decided to come this way to get some Texas exposure and they went after UTEP and Rice. Of course, the MWC could go after UH instead and Rice would then be the logical replacement for them if UH did leave the A12 to go out west. I just don't see it, though, anytime soon. Their baseball is great and they have been better in football in the last 5 years than they probably have been in the previous 50, but their small enrollment in a huge professional market won't do them any favors, IMO.

Agreed Jim -- Rice is sort of in the same boat with Houston as North Texas is with SMU.

[laxtonto]

Anyone consider the disastrous impact this is going to have for UTEP?

The mantra has always been, if things get bad we can always go with Tulsa to the MWC. Now what? Tulsa heading the the Murica-12 pretty much ensures that UTEP is staying in the CUSA and there is pretty much no real expansion options for the MWC in the near future.

Tulsa has options right now. The best scenario for them would be to stall as long as possible formally accepting and see what happens with the ACC. If the ACC goes, then what? The Murica-12 is going to get raided....

This is all about a stall tactic. Delay delay delay until you have no choice to sign.

[NM Green]

Yes, the more things change the more me thinks that UTEP will be our conference mate for a long time to come. I think that is great for us both because we are both large public universities and they have a ton of alumni in DFW that will truly grow to love Apogee and the Super Pit. I think UTSA stands a better chance of going somewhere before UTEP does. Lastly, I hope UTEP doesn't look at us and our new league as disastrous. There are some new rivalries to be made and they might be able to get on the winning side of things sooner than later. That certainly was not going to happen in the MWC as easily with Boise and SDSU and in bball with UNM, CSU, UNLV, SDSU, Air Force & Boise - all bball power forces this year.

Hello Miner. We've been expecting you.

Lastly, I think La Tech and us will be conference mates for quite some time as well.

GMG

[MeanGreenTexan]

Yes, the more things change the more me thinks that UTEP will be our conference mate for a long time to come. I think that is great for us both because we are both large public universities and they have a ton of alumni in DFW that will truly grow to love Apogee and the Super Pit. I think UTSA stands a better chance of going somewhere before UTEP does. Lastly, I hope UTEP doesn't look at us and our new league as disastrous. There are some new rivalries to be made and they might be able to get on the winning side of things sooner than later. That certainly was not going to happen in the MWC as easily with Boise and SDSU and in bball with UNM, CSU, UNLV, SDSU, Air Force & Boise - all bball power forces this year.

Hello Miner. We've been expecting you.

Lastly, I think La Tech and us will be conference mates for quite some time as well.

GMG

I'm really looking forward to this rivalry brewing.