February 25, 2009

A Brief History of the Big East

When fans talk college football teams they most usually talk about the Alabama's, Florida's, Florida St's, Georgia's, LSU's, Michigan's, Ohio St's, Oklahoma's, Penn St's, Texas's, or USC's of the world. When they talk college football coaches, it's usually Bobby Bowden, Bear Bryant, Pete Carol, Lou Holtz, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, Tom Osborne, Mark Richt, Bob Stoops, Joe Paterno, or Nick Saban, to name a few. When fans talk about college football conferences, well, if they're not talking about the SEC, they're talking about the Big-12. If they're not talking about the Big-12, they're talking about the Big-10 (which has 11 members - go figure). If they're not talking about the Big-10, they're talking about the Pac-10 (which actually has 10 members), or Notre Dame (which is not affiliated with a football conference). And, when they talk rivalries, it's always AL/Auburn, FL/FL St, MI/OSU, OK/TX, or UCLA/USC (again, among others).

So, what's missing? Here's a hint. College football may have begun at Rutgers, but rarely is anyone talking about the Scarlet Knights, let alone teams like Cincinnati or South Florida. For that matter, when fans talk college football, rarely are they talking about the Big East. That is, unless it's to debate whether or not the Big East, Big Least, or Big Easy (among other nick names) qualifies for an automatic BCS bid.

To understand why that is, we have to consider the history of the conference. Established in 1979, the Big East originally began as a basketball conference. Its inaugural member teams weren't even considered among the nation's elite. In fact they were strategically picked from geographical areas considered to be lucrative TV markets. It was all about the money. Fortunately for the Big East's founding commissioners, it worked. Not to mention, many a prominent basketball team sprung forth from the Big East, and with them were garnered 10 national championships.

As the Big East commissioners were rewarded for their teams' successes in basketball, so it was decided the time had come for the Big East to delve into other sports markets. Enter Big East football. Formed in 1991, it consisted of eight teams: Boston College, Miami, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. Like basketball, these teams were picked from what were considered to be lucrative TV markets. Miami, and to some extent Pitt & Syracuse, would lend legitimacy to the conference, given each had earned at least one National championship.

Throughout the 90's, Miami dominated with a surprising Virginia Tech, not to mention Syracuse, running a close second & third respectively. WVU had a few good years in that span, but BC & Pitt began making a case for contending with the top three between 2000 & 2003. So, as rivalries went, BC wanted Syracuse & WVU; Pitt wanted Syracuse & WVU; WVU wanted Pitt, Syracuse & VA Tech, and every one of them wanted Miami. In fact, most of the Big East TV telecasts featured these six teams. That is, until 2003.

The older, wiser ACC took a page out of the Big East's marketing strategy book and made a play for BC, Miami, & Syracuse. The ACC wanted in on the rich Boston TV market, that portion of the NY market which Syracuse could bring (not to mention its basketball tradition), and of course Miami's football prowess including its five National Championships. The addition of these three teams would bolster ACC football, expand the conference to 12 teams, and there-by allow for a "lucrative" conference football championship game. Again, it was all about the money.

In the months that followed there were accusations of a plot by the ACC to destroy the Big East. The Big East approved payments of $ 9 M over 5 years to Miami, if Miami would remain. One too many ACC member schools threatened to vote against expansion. The governor of Virginia made a plea to bring VA Tech into the mix, and the Big East sued the ACC…to no avail.

When the dust settled, BC, VA Tech, and Miami would be the three teams brought in for ACC expansion. The Big East was reduced to only five members, and fell under threat of losing its BCS affiliation. As if that wasn't bad enough, Temple (the perennial Big East door mat) continuously struggled, season after season, to meet the conference's home game attendance requirements. As a result, effective the end of the 2004 regular season, exit Temple, stage left.

In the mean time, Big East commissioners were impressed with UConn's progress, having made the leap from an FCS affiliate to the FBS ranks in 2000. Despite the ousting of Temple, despite the defection of BC (a promising rival), Miami, and VA Tech to the ACC; despite the subsequent law suit against the ACC, UConn joined the Big East in 2004: a move UConn hasn't regretted, especially in recent years.

Following UConn's entry to the Big East, Cincinnati, Louisville & South Florida were offered and accepted memberships as well. They would join in 2005, brining the Big East conference back to the minimum eight teams required for automatic BCS consideration. All was well with the world. Right?

In the infamous words of a certain ESPN guy we all know and love, "Not so fast, my friend." The 2005 season didn't turn out well for the inaugural "New" Big East. Though Louisville lived up to its billing as a solid conference championship contender and WVU stepped up as another (setting the stage for one of the conference's better rivalries), as a whole, the Big East didn't fair well.

While enjoying a 15-2 record against non-BCS opponents, the Big East only managed 4 wins out of its 15 game non-conference BCS schedule. Worse yet, season's end found only 4 of its 8 members with winning records. Though all 4 went bowling, WVU's survival against SE Champion, GA, the Sugar Bowl was the lone Big East victory. It was, however, enough to lend sufficient legitimacy to the tiny conference, keeping it within the ranks of BCS affiliates.

Armed with the momentum of that historic win, Big East teams improved markedly throughout 2006. Not only did five of its members attend bowls, but all five won them, including Louisville's BCS victory over ACC Champ, Wake Forest. The wacky 2007 season not only turned out to be a step back for many a BCS team throughout the country, but was a big step back for the Big East as a whole. With Pitt's upset of WVU in Morgantown, the tiny conference's 1st legitimate shot of sending a team back to the National Championship was lost. Though only 3 of the 5 teams sent bowling would win, WVU's convincing victory over 5th ranked Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl proved once again that the Big East was BCS worthy. In 2008 the Big East saw a changing of the guard with ever improving Cincinnati winning the conference title outright; not to mention, 6 of its 8 members went bowling. Though Cincinnati's loss to VA Tech in the Orange Bowl ended the Big East's BCS victory streak at 3, the Big East still managed a 4-2 bowl record.

So, where are the rivalries? Given the conference is technically only 4 years removed since its last transition, given the constant scrutiny sustained year-after-year as to whether or not the Big East continues to be BCS worthy, and given the number of coaches lost from the Big East to other conferences, the answer is quite simple. The Big East is surrounded by rivals.

When Michigan State needed a HC, who did they take? Cincinnati's, Mark Dantonio. So, after Cincinnati took Central Michigan's, Brian Kelly to replace Dantonio, who did Central Michigan get to replace Kelly? WVU WR Coach, Butch Jones. When the Atlanta Falcons needed a new HC, who did they pick? Louisville's, Bobby Petrino. Was he replaced with a BCS coach? No, he was replaced by Tulsa's, Steve Kragthorpe. When FSU needed to replace part of its coaching staff, including its Offensive Line Coach, who did they call? WVU's Rick Trickett. WVU didn't even go outside the Big East to replace him; they took S Florida's OL Coach. (and I know everyone has been waiting for this one; so, here goes.) Before Alabama picked Nick Saban as their "Four Million Dollar Man," who did they want first? WVU's, Rich Rodriguez, who played Bama's bid for an $800,000.00/year raise, only to leave home and his "Dream Job", for his "Once In a Life Time Job"; that is, when Michigan lured him with even more money. With whom was Rodriguez replaced? West Virginia home-boy, Bill Stewart, who, in fact, did pull together a fine coaching staff, some of whom were obtained from the likes of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Wake Forest. (Hey, if ya can't beat em, learn from em. Then, steal their coaches.)

Bottom Line: Though having gained some respect with the media, rightly or wrongly, the Big East is still trying to find its identity as a conference within the brotherhood of college football conferences. So long as the Big East can continue to persuade non-conference BCS teams to play its member schools, so long as Big East members are respectably successful against such schedules, the Big East will remain among the nations Top-6 conferences. After all, and I don't know who said it first, but the only way to shut up the critics is to keep on winning.

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A Brief History of the Big East
When fans talk college football teams they most usually talk about the Alabama's, Florida's, Florida St's, Georgia's, LSU's, Michigan's, Ohio St's, Oklahoma's, Penn St's, Texas's, or USC's of the world. When they talk college football coaches, it's usually Bobby Bowden, Bear Bryant, Pete Carol, Lou Holtz, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, Tom Osborne, Mark Richt, Bob Stoops, Joe Paterno, or Nick Saban, to name a few. When fans talk about college football conferences, well, if they're not talking about the SEC, they're talking about the Big-12. If they're not talking about the Big-12, they're talking about the Big-10 (which has 11 members - go figure). If they're not talking about the Big-10, they're talking about the Pac-10 (which actually has 10 members), or Notre Dame (which is not affiliated with a football conference). And, when they talk rivalries, it's always AL/Auburn, FL/FL St, MI/OSU, OK/TX, or UCLA/USC (again, among others). So, what's missing? Here's a hint. College football may have begun at Rutgers, but rarely is anyone talking about the Scarlet Knights, let alone teams like Cincinnati or South Florida. For that matter, when fans talk college football, rarely are they talking about the Big East. That is, unless it's to debate whether or not the Big East, Big Least, or Big Easy (among other nick names) qualifies for an automatic BCS bid. To understand why that is, we have to consider the history of the conference. Established in 1979, the Big East originally began as a basketball conference. Its inaugural member teams weren't even considered among the nation's elite. In fact they were strategically picked from geographical areas considered to be lucrative TV markets. It was all about the money. Fortunately for the Big East's founding commissioners, it worked. Not to mention, many a prominent basketball team sprung forth from the Big East, and with them were garnered 10 national championships. As the Big East commissioners were rewarded for their teams' successes in basketball, so it was decided the time had come for the Big East to delve into other sports markets. Enter Big East football. Formed in 1991, it consisted of eight teams: Boston College, Miami, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. Like basketball, these teams were picked from what were considered to be lucrative TV markets. Miami, and to some extent Pitt & Syracuse, would lend legitimacy to the conference, given each had earned at least one National championship. Throughout the 90's, Miami dominated with a surprising Virginia Tech, not to mention Syracuse, running a close second & third respectively. WVU had a few good years in that span, but BC & Pitt began making a case for contending with the top three between 2000 & 2003. So, as rivalries went, BC wanted Syracuse & WVU; Pitt wanted Syracuse & WVU; WVU wanted Pitt, Syracuse & VA Tech, and every one of them wanted Miami. In fact, most of the Big East TV telecasts featured these six teams. That is, until 2003. The older, wiser ACC took a page out of the Big East's marketing strategy book and made a play for BC, Miami, & Syracuse. The ACC wanted in on the rich Boston TV market, that portion of the NY market which Syracuse could bring (not to mention its basketball tradition), and of course Miami's football prowess including its five National Championships. The addition of these three teams would bolster ACC football, expand the conference to 12 teams, and there-by allow for a "lucrative" conference football championship game. Again, it was all about the money. In the months that followed there were accusations of a plot by the ACC to destroy the Big East. The Big East approved payments of $ 9 M over 5 years to Miami, if Miami would remain. One too many ACC member schools threatened to vote against expansion. The governor of Virginia made a plea to bring VA Tech into the mix, and the Big East sued the ACC…to no avail. When the dust settled, BC, VA Tech, and Miami would be the three teams brought in for ACC expansion. The Big East was reduced to only five members, and fell under threat of losing its BCS affiliation. As if that wasn't bad enough, Temple (the perennial Big East door mat) continuously struggled, season after season, to meet the conference's home game attendance requirements. As a result, effective the end of the 2004 regular season, exit Temple, stage left. In the mean time, Big East commissioners were impressed with UConn's progress, having made the leap from an FCS affiliate to the FBS ranks in 2000. Despite the ousting of Temple, despite the defection of BC (a promising rival), Miami, and VA Tech to the ACC; despite the subsequent law suit against the ACC, UConn joined the Big East in 2004: a move UConn hasn't regretted, especially in recent years. Following UConn's entry to the Big East, Cincinnati, Louisville & South Florida were offered and accepted memberships as well. They would join in 2005, brining the Big East conference back to the minimum eight teams required for automatic BCS consideration. All was well with the world. Right? In the infamous words of a certain ESPN guy we all know and love, "Not so fast, my friend." The 2005 season didn't turn out well for the inaugural "New" Big East. Though Louisville lived up to its billing as a solid conference championship contender and WVU stepped up as another (setting the stage for one of the conference's better rivalries), as a whole, the Big East didn't fair well. While enjoying a 15-2 record against non-BCS opponents, the Big East only managed 4 wins out of its 15 game non-conference BCS schedule. Worse yet, season's end found only 4 of its 8 members with winning records. Though all 4 went bowling, WVU's survival against SE Champion, GA, the Sugar Bowl was the lone Big East victory. It was, however, enough to lend sufficient legitimacy to the tiny conference, keeping it within the ranks of BCS affiliates. Armed with the momentum of that historic win, Big East teams improved markedly throughout 2006. Not only did five of its members attend bowls, but all five won them, including Louisville's BCS victory over ACC Champ, Wake Forest. The wacky 2007 season not only turned out to be a step back for many a BCS team throughout the country, but was a big step back for the Big East as a whole. With Pitt's upset of WVU in Morgantown, the tiny conference's 1st legitimate shot of sending a team back to the National Championship was lost. Though only 3 of the 5 teams sent bowling would win, WVU's convincing victory over 5th ranked Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl proved once again that the Big East was BCS worthy. In 2008 the Big East saw a changing of the guard with ever improving Cincinnati winning the conference title outright; not to mention, 6 of its 8 members went bowling. Though Cincinnati's loss to VA Tech in the Orange Bowl ended the Big East's BCS victory streak at 3, the Big East still managed a 4-2 bowl record. So, where are the rivalries? Given the conference is technically only 4 years removed since its last transition, given the constant scrutiny sustained year-after-year as to whether or not the Big East continues to be BCS worthy, and given the number of coaches lost from the Big East to other conferences, the answer is quite simple. The Big East is surrounded by rivals. When Michigan State needed a HC, who did they take? Cincinnati's, Mark Dantonio. So, after Cincinnati took Central Michigan's, Brian Kelly to replace Dantonio, who did Central Michigan get to replace Kelly? WVU WR Coach, Butch Jones. When the Atlanta Falcons needed a new HC, who did they pick? Louisville's, Bobby Petrino. Was he replaced with a BCS coach? No, he was replaced by Tulsa's, Steve Kragthorpe. When FSU needed to replace part of its coaching staff, including its Offensive Line Coach, who did they call? WVU's Rick Trickett. WVU didn't even go outside the Big East to replace him; they took S Florida's OL Coach. (and I know everyone has been waiting for this one; so, here goes.) Before Alabama picked Nick Saban as their "Four Million Dollar Man," who did they want first? WVU's, Rich Rodriguez, who played Bama's bid for an $800,000.00/year raise, only to leave home and his "Dream Job", for his "Once In a Life Time Job"; that is, when Michigan lured him with even more money. With whom was Rodriguez replaced? West Virginia home-boy, Bill Stewart, who, in fact, did pull together a fine coaching staff, some of whom were obtained from the likes of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Wake Forest. (Hey, if ya can't beat em, learn from em. Then, steal their coaches.) Bottom Line: Though having gained some respect with the media, rightly or wrongly, the Big East is still trying to find its identity as a conference within the brotherhood of college football conferences. So long as the Big East can continue to persuade non-conference BCS teams to play its member schools, so long as Big East members are respectably successful against such schedules, the Big East will remain among the nations Top-6 conferences. After all, and I don't know who said it first, but the only way to shut up the critics is to keep on winning.