Sports - Pitt and Syracuse starting a new re-alignment?

[LightPhoenix]

Being from Syracuse, I'm a big Orange fan, but I've always been a big fan of the Big East as well. As disappointed as I am that we'll (most likely) be leaving, I have to say I'm not surprised; the writing has been on the wall for the BE for a while now.

If I had to guess, I'd say what precipitated their departure was Marinatto walking away from the media deal. For most of the schools this was not a big deal, but both Cuse and Pitt have been sitting on large markets and probably lost the most from losing this deal. So my guess is they said forget it and made plans to leave.

It'll be interesting to see where the other Big East football teams end up. I figure Rutgers has a secondary in into the New York market, and USF has a good chance of being picked up for Florida (especially the way they're playing now). The one I see getting really screwed (besides TCU) is Louisville. In any case, it's more likely than ever the BE loses its AQ status and I'm thinking they eventually go to an all-basketball conference.

I'm more interested to see how the other conferences will react. It seems to me that the ACC has really been ahead of the game on this. Will this be the blow that finally makes the 16-team super-conferences happen? I admit I'm a bit tickled that Syracuse could be a major step along the way.

 

[Crothian]

For the ACC this is a great basketball move.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I'm definitely looking forward to future match-ups. I hope Cuse is able to keep some of its rivalries - Georgetown especially.

 

[fba827]

with the word "alignment" in the title I was expecting an entirely different type of thread

(/end off topic joke) We now return you to our regularly scheduled thread...

 

[LightPhoenix]

Double entendre intended.

 

[freyar]

For the ACC this is a great basketball move.

You're joking, I hope. I'm still bitter about the loss of the ACC's double-round-robin regular season

 

[Ahnehnois]

Honestly I don't understand the big deal with conferences at all (and I follow plenty of sports and went to an ACC school). Seems to me like an arbitrary group of schools that play each other more often than they play everyone else, determined loosely by geography. I guess it must be a money thing. Honestly, if my school were to change conferences I don't think I'd notice.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Honestly I don't understand the big deal with conferences at all (and I follow plenty of sports and went to an ACC school). Seems to me like an arbitrary group of schools that play each other more often than they play everyone else, determined loosely by geography. I guess it must be a money thing. Honestly, if my school were to change conferences I don't think I'd notice.

That's what it basically boils down to - a group of schools collaborating together in order to increase revenue. It's a good way of developing rivalries, which in turn increase attendance and thus money. In recent years, this has included media deals as well, the revenue of which is typically shared amongst all the member schools.

In the case of football (which is what drives conferences), this also includes an AQ bid for the largest and most successful. Automatically qualifying for a big bowl games means lots of money (they get paid for playing). That's why TCU joined the Big East; non-AQ schools have to do exceptionally well to even be considered for a bowl. UConn can lose four games and still get a major bowl game if they lead the Big East. TCU has no such luck.

 

[Welverin]

Will this be the blow that finally makes the 16-team super-conferences happen?

I don't think I'd call it the final blow, but I think we've reached the tipping point, especially with Texas Tech leaving, or at least trying, the Big Twelve, which will precipitate it's collapse.

 

[Crothian]

You're joking, I hope. I'm still bitter about the loss of the ACC's double-round-robin regular season

Nope, it brings in two schools that have a great basketball tradition into an already strong basketball league.