Wouldn't Give Them a Nickel

Football rules in the new Big East

The football conference will pocket a grand $250,000 a game for up to 12 gridiron tilts a year, according to a posted report on CBS Sports last night.

Yippee. 

However, when you look at the 2014 basketball lineup, it's just a complete farce. The lineup of schools, which includes UConn and Cincinnati with both looking for the first train to the Krzyzewski-ville, might make Big EAST founder Dave Gavitt do a cartwheel in his grave, never mind what it'll do to Larry Brown, the new SMU hoops coach.

Please note:

Starting in 2014, the league's basketball lineup will include Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Tulane. The football side will include 12 teams by 2015 with the addition of Navy and Tulsa.

My viewpoint:

1. Poor Temple. Aside from the fact the "Little East" already has Philly-based Villanova, the addition of Temple to the basketball-centric new conference would've been a nice fit, to me much better than the likes of Creighton (Omaha, Nebraska) or St. Louis, (well, St. Louis!).

2. UConn is going backwards. A year or two from now, the basketball tradition of UConn will be on par with the basketball tradition at NYU. That is once great, but now - GONE. Thus, the new name - U-GONE.

3. No auto berth?

4. Where - on earth - is this conference going to play its basketball tournament and how will it possibly draw a single soul? New Orleans might be the only chance to attract fans for travel.

5. It's a total disaster.

See this CBS Sports story by football columnist Dennis Dodd which was posted last night:

The soon-to-be renamed Big East will collect $3 million per year from CBS for the network to televise up to 12 games beginning in 2014, according to industry sources.The seven-year deal in basketball will total $21 million to $22 million, and comes after the announcement of a $126 million contract with ESPN to televise football for the new league. Both deals are for seven years.

ESPN.com reported there is an out clause in the football deal for the network if the league loses two members. It is not known if the same clause exists with CBS. ESPN.com also reported that language was put in an original deal with NBC Sports Network that stated Connectiuct and Cincinnati are "next in line" to move to the ACC if that league loses any more members to the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12. The language passed to the ESPN deal when it matched NBC's offer.
Cincinnati and UConn officials have not been shy about wanting to join a higher-profile conference. The reconstituted Big East does not get an automatic berth in the upcoming playoff era beginning in 2014.

Starting in 2014, the league's basketball lineup will include Connecticut, Cincinnati,Temple, South Florida, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Tulane. The football side will include 12 teams by 2015 with the addition of Navy and Tulsa. CBSSports.com reported on Tuesday that the addition of Tulsa was "a matter of when, not if."

The league said it will rename itself this spring. CBS will have the first selection from conference and non-conference games, including those played at neutral sites.
Half of those games will be league games.

Ahhhh!