June 5, 2008

Big East's commish to retire, conference split coming?

I think it goes without saying that there won't be a dry eye in the room when Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese announces his retirement today, effective in June 2009, after the end of the 2008-2009 seasons.

Granted, some will be tears of JOY... but I digress.

Saying it was simply time to do something else, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese will announce his retirement later today, ending a reign of 19 years in which Tranghese guided development of the Big East basketball conference into a 16-team super league and oversaw the creation of the Big East football conference into a competitive 8-team league, which took a full body blow five years ago when three of its members -- Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech -- jumped to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but has still managed to survive, if not thrive.

"It was just the right time for me,'' said Tranghese, who has been with the Big East since it was created in 1979 as a seven-team basketball league. "The league has never been stronger in basketball. Everyone seems happy.''

The immediate question -- other than who will replace Tranghese -- is what will become of the Big East? There is a strong contingent of football schools who have clamored for football expansion and a distinct set of basketball only schools that are generally well-served by the conference's status quo.

I can definitely see the Big East dissolving into two new conferences - one for the Catholic basketball programs and one for the football-centric schools. Such a schism would have a substantial upside for the new football conference - as the eight member schools could quickly develop into a bonafied 12-team league and potentially retain the Big East's status within the BCS.

So... what would be the makeup of a new Big East?

The first goal should be to add teams that maintain/enrich the rivalries within the confernece. In my opinion, that means giving significant deference to the geographic mix, even if it means (potentially) passing on slightly more established football programs. The rivalries will serve to keep the conference intact. Without solid geographic rivalries, the conference tend to falter (ie the old WAC/MWC).

In evaluating the existing teams (West Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, USF, Rutgers, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse) geographically, the biggest exception is South Florida. Given the huge upside for increased television exposure & recruiting in Florida, adding a team in the Sunshine State is a no-brainer. The only question is... who??

Pick #1: Florida Atlantic
I would look long and hard at Florida Atlantic - an up & coming Sun Belt program - as it would give the new conference some much needed exposure in the Miami area. That's already a recruiting hot spot for Rutgers, but it would expose the entire South Florida area to the entire Big East.

Pick #2: Central Florida
The other option for a geographic rival for USF is Conference USA's Central Florida. The Knights have an established program at/near the top of C-USA. The school is passionate about the football team, boasts a new stadium, and is located within 90 minutes of the Bulls. While the Orlando TV market is much smaller than Miami, it would be hard to argue against picking UCF as a new member.

Pick #3: Memphis Tigers
As rumored last month, Memphis may be ripe for the picking and would be a great addition to the new Big East. While the Tigers don't bring a substantial TV market to the fold, it does offer some exposure deep in SEC territory. Memphis would bring instant mens & womens basketball credibility to the conference and would likely be a significant player in many of the conference's sports.

Pick #4: Southern Miss
If you're going to bring Memphis into the fold, then you're potentially leaving the Tigers without a natural geographic rival. Sure you have Louisville, but that's a six hour drive between the two. However, if you go just south, you can pick up one of C-USA's other dominant teams within 300 miles - the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Southern Miss has a great football tradition and brings a little more balance into the "southern" division of the new Big East.

So... let's look at that in total, with some potential divisional alignments:

BLUE:
West Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse

GRAY:
USF, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Southern Miss, Louisville

So.. is this pie in the sky, or will the Big East splinter without Tranghese at the helm?

HT: Robert with the tip to Fanblogs!

Comments:

Big East's commish to retire, conference split coming?
I think it goes without saying that there won't be a dry eye in the room when Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese announces his retirement today, effective in June 2009, after the end of the 2008-2009 seasons. Granted, some will be tears of JOY... but I digress.
Saying it was simply time to do something else, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese will announce his retirement later today, ending a reign of 19 years in which Tranghese guided development of the Big East basketball conference into a 16-team super league and oversaw the creation of the Big East football conference into a competitive 8-team league, which took a full body blow five years ago when three of its members -- Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech -- jumped to the Atlantic Coast Conference, but has still managed to survive, if not thrive. "It was just the right time for me,'' said Tranghese, who has been with the Big East since it was created in 1979 as a seven-team basketball league. "The league has never been stronger in basketball. Everyone seems happy.''
The immediate question -- other than who will replace Tranghese -- is what will become of the Big East? There is a strong contingent of football schools who have clamored for football expansion and a distinct set of basketball only schools that are generally well-served by the conference's status quo. I can definitely see the Big East dissolving into two new conferences - one for the Catholic basketball programs and one for the football-centric schools. Such a schism would have a substantial upside for the new football conference - as the eight member schools could quickly develop into a bonafied 12-team league and potentially retain the Big East's status within the BCS. So... what would be the makeup of a new Big East? The first goal should be to add teams that maintain/enrich the rivalries within the confernece. In my opinion, that means giving significant deference to the geographic mix, even if it means (potentially) passing on slightly more established football programs. The rivalries will serve to keep the conference intact. Without solid geographic rivalries, the conference tend to falter (ie the old WAC/MWC). In evaluating the existing teams (West Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, USF, Rutgers, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse) geographically, the biggest exception is South Florida. Given the huge upside for increased television exposure & recruiting in Florida, adding a team in the Sunshine State is a no-brainer. The only question is... who?? Pick #1: Florida Atlantic I would look long and hard at Florida Atlantic - an up & coming Sun Belt program - as it would give the new conference some much needed exposure in the Miami area. That's already a recruiting hot spot for Rutgers, but it would expose the entire South Florida area to the entire Big East. Pick #2: Central Florida The other option for a geographic rival for USF is Conference USA's Central Florida. The Knights have an established program at/near the top of C-USA. The school is passionate about the football team, boasts a new stadium, and is located within 90 minutes of the Bulls. While the Orlando TV market is much smaller than Miami, it would be hard to argue against picking UCF as a new member. Pick #3: Memphis Tigers As rumored last month, Memphis may be ripe for the picking and would be a great addition to the new Big East. While the Tigers don't bring a substantial TV market to the fold, it does offer some exposure deep in SEC territory. Memphis would bring instant mens & womens basketball credibility to the conference and would likely be a significant player in many of the conference's sports. Pick #4: Southern Miss If you're going to bring Memphis into the fold, then you're potentially leaving the Tigers without a natural geographic rival. Sure you have Louisville, but that's a six hour drive between the two. However, if you go just south, you can pick up one of C-USA's other dominant teams within 300 miles - the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Southern Miss has a great football tradition and brings a little more balance into the "southern" division of the new Big East. So... let's look at that in total, with some potential divisional alignments: BLUE: West Virginia, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse GRAY: USF, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Southern Miss, Louisville So.. is this pie in the sky, or will the Big East splinter without Tranghese at the helm? HT: Robert with the tip to Fanblogs!