Conference discussion

[davidlee]

For Discussion Purposes

After surfing various message boards and articles from newspapers and magazines, here is a possible scenario of what could happen:

The BE needs 2 football teams. Louisville seems like the most likely candidate for one of the slots. Cincinnati could be the only other viable football school left with a good BB program too boot(even though some say the BE doesn't want Cincinnati. There really aren't any other schools that would fit into the BE, that I see).

If the BE adds 2 football programs they may add 2 schools with BB only. The 2 possible candidates could be Marquette and DePaul. I know SLU fans think they should go before DePaul, but DePaul is in Chitown with better transportation and much bigger media market.

If this would happen, then CUSA seems to be dead in the water.

And if Tulane, Houston and TCU decide to jump to the WAC or some other conference, then the CUSA is done.

Then SLU and Charlotte are looking for a home. One scenario is trying to put together a league with a variety of teams. SLU, Charlotte, Creighton, Butler, Valpo, and several others. Some people mention Xavier and Dayton, but I am not sure they would jump the A10 with what else is left to develop a new conference. Another could be go back to the Missouri Valley after all these years. One other scenario could be SLU and Charlotte join the A10. This could be an alternative if Xavier and Dayton don't won't to start a new league.

There a lot of things that can happen and the things I mentioned above are just a few ways things could turn out. Something that is very important and doesn't get discussed very often is how all of this conference realignment is effected by the minor sports.

I do think the BE has a better chance of surviving than the CUSA. I also think the BE BB schools would rather stay in the BE than try to start a new league with some midwest schools.

Just a few more thoughts to what should be interesting times.

[Quality Is Job 1]

If it gets so bad that there is no possibility of SLU's being in a league that features schools from major Midwestern media markets and the best apparent option is joining the Missouri Valley (into which SLU doesn't really fit) or the Horizon, then I would advocate being independent. Marquette and DePaul were independent in the Eighties.

[Basketbill]

All the above reasons you state for the BE taking a patchwork of teams seems to be bandaids for the problem. The problem being that the money associated with a 12 team football division, and its associated playoff or payoff is driving the issue. This leaves basketball schools at the mercy the temptation of financial rewards.

Five years from now 5 super conferences will be wielding an enormous amount of power in the NCAA. Currently they are only demonizing football, but in five years what would happen if the 5 super conferences said we want more teams in the NCAA, or we will run our own tournament.....perhaps that is extreme, but minor rules to change the playing field in their favor with regard to recruiting will be even more of a problem in the future.

Therefore Basketball only schools need to get together, or they will be marginalized in the future. If that means St. John's will have to fly to their conference games instead of driving fine, St. Johns, seton hall etc have to face up to this fact.

[ACE]

The problem with being an independant is scheduling. Putting together a credible schedule in Jan. and Feb. while other teams are in the middle of their conference schedules would be near impossible. Also, being in a conference gives you one more avenue to make the Tourney, the conference tournaments. There are fewer independants than ever, most of those teams are very weak, and the good ones like DePaul, Notre Dame and Marquette saw the value in joining conferences.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I'll grant that it's not the most favorable situation, but an independent has the opportunity to put together a stronger schedule than a member of the Horizon or MVC.

I'm advocating being indepenent as a worst-case scenario better than the worst-case scenario of joining the MVC, OVC, or Horizon.

Hey, the WAC is also an option, as I mentioned a while back. If they take Tulane and the Texas C-USA schools, they might take SLU, too. If the problem for the Big East is that SLU is too far west, as opposed to Marquette and DePaul, then maybe SLU should look to the west.

[billiken_roy]

the talk of the wac chasing c-usa schools indicates to me that c-usa maybe has put the word out to those schools that a reconfiguring of sorts is in the works and the likes of southern miss, houston and tulane might get left behind.

i still am of the belief that c-usa is being proactive and actually may be the one calling the shots in this affair not the big east.

burwell's column today is very positive imo and reading between the lines of it, i have to believe that the billikens are well positioned.

[cheeseman]

No to MVC and WAC - I have not read Burwell's article yet so I am anxious to see it given what has been referenced. One thought that I think is important is that the cost of travel for minor sports will enter into these conferences final decisions - don't kid yourself. Teams in the Midwest will not want to travel extensively if a viable alternative can be created. MU and DP are better off traveling to St. Louis, Ohio, IL, WI, and MI or even PA. Farther east adds more costs. Times are tight and funding for everything is being scrutinized in all institutions. Schools will stay with CUSA unless something much better comes along and cost savings is one of those reasons as is more revenue.