What the New ACC would look like

[MelK]

Friday, May 16

New league would help some, hurt others

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ESPN.com


Here's what an expanded Atlantic Coast Conference will look like if Miami, Syracuse and Boston College -- as expected -- defect from the Big East:
http://espn.go.com/ncaa/s/2003/0505/1549499.html

[MelK]

Tuesday, May 13
Updated: May 14, 1:59 PM ET

Miami the prize coveted by both the ACC and Big East

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By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com


Call up eBay, type in "Division I-A schools," and, as of Tuesday afternoon, the University of Miami should pop up. The Hurricanes are officially on the block, and as far as we know, there's no "Buy It Now!" price. The Atlantic Coast Conference will bid for Miami to come and bring two friends. The Big East Conference will bid for its perennial football champion to stay. Let the auction begin.

We all thought that when the ACC presidents voted, it would be the beginning of the end of this waiting game. Instead, it's the end of the beginning. So we wait. What will it take to lure Miami?

The ACC can offer the Hurricanes opponents who are closer to home, including an in-state rival, all of which would save considerable travel money in all sports. The ACC can offer more quality football opponents and an annual winter trip to Tobacco Road.
http://espn.go.com/ncf/columns/maisel_ivan/1553319.html

[MelK]

Whatever happens, Big East hoops will thrive
By Dick Vitale
SPECIAL TO ESPN.COM


May 14

What's going on in the wacky world of college athletics?

It's absolutely chaotic, with the talk of the ACC expanding to 12 schools. At the league meeting, the ACC voted 7-2 to expand, with North Carolina and Duke the only two schools voting against the proposal. Big East schools Miami, Syracuse and either Boston College or Virginia Tech were expected to receive invitations to join the ACC.

Wow, this is setting off all sorts of speculation about the future of the Big East. I was in Connecticut on Tuesday night, speaking before the Greater Jewish Federation. Time and time again, I was asked about how this would affect Connecticut's athletic programs.


Then there's the question of geography. What kind of logic is it for Syracuse to play in the ACC?


http://espn.go.com/dickvitale/vcolumn030514BigEast-ACC.html

[MelK]

Friday, May 23

Remaining schools 'willing to do whatever we can'

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Associated Press


STORRS, Conn. -- The five Big East football schools not invited to join the ACC are committed to keeping Miami, Syracuse and Boston College from leaving.


Connecticut Athletic Director Lew Perkins said Thursday he's hopeful the united front by UConn, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Rutgers is enough to persuade the three to stay put. A decision is expected by June 30, he said.


"We're willing to do whatever we can do to convince them,'' said Perkins, who recently returned from four days of Big East meetings in Florida. "We're loyal to the Big East. This is how we grew. Sometimes you have to stand up and say those kind of things. The four other schools are prepared to say that, too.''


Perkins said the three schools sought by the ACC, regardless of their decisions, still have to participate in the Big East until 2005.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0523/1558321.html

[MelK]

Friday, May 23

Football, money are biggest factors in decision

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ESPN.com news services


SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse athletics director Jake Crouthamel said there won't be only one reason for his university to leave the Big East Conference and accept an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

There would be twice as many.

"I would say there are two words: football and money," Crouthamel said Thursday at a news conference on campus. "You don't go to a conference of 12 for any other reason than to take advantage of current NCAA rules which allow you, with a conference of 12, to subdivide into two six-team divisions and then play a championship game. It's that championship game that has added newfound revenue to conferences of 12.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0523/1558286.html

[Dozerdog]

Big Ten may go to a dozen
Big East demise sparks discussion

By Ed Cavanaugh
Tribune staff reporter

May 15, 2003, 10:50 PM CDT


With the mortar of the 24-year-old Big East Conference beginning to crumble, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said it might be time to change the structure of his 11-team conference with the addition of another member.

Delany indicated that expansion will be offered as one of several items to be discussed at the Big Ten's annual meetings, held through Saturday at the downtown Chicago Marriott.

Scott Chipman, the Big Ten's associate director of communications, confirmed Thursday that although expansion is not officially on the agenda, it will be discussed.

"The question is, does this change of landscape change how we feel about ourselves?" Delany told the Ann Arbor News. "It's a good time for a commissioner to listen. … We'll resurrect a lot of analysis from previous conversations. … My job is to frame the issues, put it into context."

The review is in the wake of the Atlantic Coast Conference voting Tuesday to add three more schools.

The ACC openly covets Miami of the Big East and also is expected to offer slots to two more Big East schools from a group composed of Syracuse, Boston College and Virginia Tech. If three schools bolt the Big East, leaving its future uncertain, particularly in football, it could create an opportunity for the Big Ten to add an attractive 12th member.

Notre Dame likely would be the preferred choice, for geographic and historical reasons. But the Fighting Irish said no to a Big Ten overture in 1999, citing a desire to remain independent in football. They have their own TV contract and access to the Bowl Championship Series if they meet certain criteria. Notre Dame probably can remain a viable national program without conference affiliation.

But Notre Dame's Big East membership in all other sports except football has been a boon to those sports, most notably men's and women's basketball. If, for instance, its presence in a reconfigured Big East were to hinge on its willingness to enter into some type of football arrangement, the Irish might decide they're better off cutting a deal with the more prestigious Big Ten, where it has some well-established rivalries.

Athletic director Kevin White was not yet on the job at Notre Dame when the Irish last considered Big Ten membership. White said he would have no comment until after the Big East meetings, which begin Saturday in Florida.

Earlier this week Delany said the Big Ten "would not be proactive" in approaching Notre Dame about joining.

Pittsburgh, which hasn't been mentioned in the Big East-ACC transfer talks, is another possible candidate for membership in an expanded Big Ten if Miami's departure creates chaos in the Big East.

The Panthers have a strong basketball program, they're on the rise in football, they represent a good-sized media market by Big Ten standards and they're a natural rival for Penn State, which is somewhat isolated as the conference's newest and easternmost member.

Big Ten football coaches long have advocated the addition of a 12th team for scheduling purposes.

At last July's Big Ten kickoff meeting, Penn State's Joe Paterno said: "Eleven is not a real good number. A couple of years from now, we're not going to play Michigan. I can tell you right now, that's not going to go over real well with our fans."

The conference also could split into two divisions and play a lucrative championship game, as the Big 12 and Southeastern Conferences do, but Delany says the creation of a championship game isn't a strong enough reason to expand.

Meanwhile, Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese is trying to preserve the status quo, which depends on his ability to placate Miami.

Read the rest of the article here.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/cs-030515bigtenexpansion,1,7104713.story?coll=cs-college-headlines
(Free registration required)

[Dozerdog]

May 6, 2003
How Would the ACC Expansion Affect the Big Ten?
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Jon Miller
Publisher


As many of you may have seen in recent days, there are talks about the ACC expanding from its current nine-schools to 12 schools, with the additions possibly being Miami (FL), Syracuse and Boston College.

Those three schools currently belong to the Big East conference and if they did jump ship to the ACC, the Big East would be left scrambling to try and fill the that void.

Here is the current Big East football lineup: Miami, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Temple.

For Big East basketball, subtract Temple from that group and add Notre Dame, Georgetown, Villanova, Providence, St. John’s, Connecticut, at Seton Hall.

Some speculation would have the Big East conference trying to lure Louisville or Cincinnati, schools that have football and basketball programs, away from Conference USA to join their football league.

Continuing with this hypothetical domino effect, there is talk of a Catholic Basketball League being formed with Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, Dayton, Xavier, DePaul, Saint Louis and Notre Dame.

As you can see, this is a pretty big issue that involves a lot of schools and several conferences.

How could this affect the Big Ten plus One Conference?

If the ACC did add those three teams, they would have two divisions, similar to what we see in the SEC and the Big 12, where the divisional winners would play each other in a conference championship game. The ACC also becomes an attraction for the television networks to bid on, much more so than it was before. This is a big time money and prestige opportunity for ACC football.

As we all know, football is king and is the driving force of most Division 1 athletic department budgets.

http://iowa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=185140