APFollowing up on reports yesterday that Memphis would be the newest all-sport member of the Big East, the long-time possibility of the marriage has indeed come to fruition.
The Big East announced in a release today that the Tigers will be a full member of the conference beginning in 2013. A press conference with the two sides is scheduled shortly.
“Over the past decade, the University of Memphis has demonstrated an unwavering commitment of competing at the highest level in college sports,” said Big East commissioner John Marinatto. “The University has positioned itself for long-term success by upgrading facilities and investing wisely in various areas of the athletic department including coaching and administration. We are confident that the addition of this outstanding athletics program located in a top 50 media market and in the heart of the nation’s largest conference footprint will further propel the BIG EAST and the University of Memphis to even greater levels of success in the future.”
“This is a historical day for the University of Memphis,” said UM president Dr. Shirley C. Raines. “On behalf of the faculty, staff, alumni, fans, students and especially, our student-athletes, we are thrilled to accept the invitation from the BIG EAST Conference to become a member in all sports in 2013. We are grateful to President Judy Genshaft and the entire BIG EAST Conference Board for their unanimous vote for the University of Memphis and Tiger athletics.
“We are pleased to be renewing some old rivalries that our fans enjoyed in years past, and we look forward to competing against other formidable opponents from the BIG EAST.”
The move, as the Big East puts it, brings in the 12th football member; the conference did not acknowledge Pitt, Syracuse or West Virginia in the release, all of which are leaving the Big East for the ACC and Big 12, respectively.
As CBS Sports‘ Brett McMurphy reported yesterday, a 2012 departure by WVU could spark an earlier exit by Pitt and Syracuse to the ACC, perhaps in 2013, and just as the Big East adds a slew of all-sport and football-only members. In 2015, Big East football plans to look as such: Boise State, UCF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Navy, Rutgers, San Diego State, SMU and USF. Only then will the conference stage a championship game.
So, yes. The Big East is essentially Conference USA. With some Mountain West and Big East/Independent sprinkled in.
Speaking of which, McMurphy also reports today that C-USA has reached out to former Big East and current MAC member Temple about possible membership. According to the report, “Temple thought it would receive the Big East’s invitation and was stunned the Big East invited Memphis.”
Whether or not the Owls would fly away from their home is uncertain. As we noted last year, C-USA and the Mountain West, both getting their best teams plucked as part of conference realignment, decided to look into a football-only alliance, the results of which have yet to be announced. The benefits, we were told from C-USA commissionerBritton Banowsky and MWC commissionerCraig Thompson, would be stability and exposure.
That sounds a lot like what the Big East is promising with its new membership. Come to think of it, the similarities are striking: conferences desperate for enough inventory to stay afloat in the changing college football landscape.
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The big east is shaping up to be, big in numbers but not much else I am afraid. I guess Memphis benefits from this because they get some revenue sharing money, but I think the BE will lose its automatic Qualifier status when the BCS meets again to decide who is in and who has to fight for it. It is really hard to imagine that they would keep their AQ status after that.
@woebegon – there will be no such thing as AQ status the next time the BCS meets. The Big East will have a different task to take care of: A decent bowl spot for thier conference champion. The Bowls are going to be making thier own contracts with the conferences. Where will the Big East champ fall in the pecking order? For that matter, the ACC needs to worry the same way. Because the so called prestigious bowls are going to go “shopping” in four conferences, and four conferences only: SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12. For better or worse (and as a general blanket statement – I know each of the other leagues have isolated rabid fan bases), thats where the rabid traveling fan bases are.
I have heard that this is one of the proposals but I think it depends on whether the majority of the NCAA schools want to change the present. It would be nice to do away with the BCS all together, but I bet it will not happen. Too much money involved and conferences like the ACC, and the BE would never willingly give it up. I would think they would most likely approve some kind of play off system, and then do the bowl thing.
I think it would take a majority of the member schools of the NCAA to vote any kind of drastic change like that proposal.
And, it a much less serious comment: I can’t believe I need to fix custom conferences once again on NCAA 12 video game. Thank god they put that flexible system in the game this year!
@woebegon – I think you are severely underestimating the power of Big 10 commish Delaney. The system they adopt will be exactly what he wants. Dude has sway over the other commishoners for some reason. He now wants the final four concept. He wants the Rose Bowl protected for the Big 10 and PAC 12. He’ll get both, and the latter is the domino that causes the rest of the major bowls to also do the best deal in their own self interests.
I guess time will tell. The SEC also has a pretty influential commissioner as well. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. No matter what, somebodies feelings are gonna get hurt, but they just can’t take their ball and go home or they will miss out on any chance to a decent bowl chance.
So, just about evey school in the country plays a sport in the Big East now?
Whatever they have to do to make money is just fine. Somebody needs to release a “where are they now” guide before school starts in the fall and each semester after that until the dust rests.
About that huge “geographic footprint” and the t.v. homes it includes…The NHL gets miserable ratings on Versus…er….NBCSports…
If no one cares, no one will watch. Sorry, Big East, no one cares about C-USA and no-one will care about C-USA II.
“And, it a much less serious comment: I can’t believe I need to fix custom conferences once again on NCAA 12 video game. Thank god they put that flexible system in the game this year!”
See, this guy gets it. This is how conference realignment affects us all.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Why-isnt-Temple-in-the-Big-East-or-the-ACC-for-All-Sports/167679216603228
Eventually Temple will be back in a BCS conference. The Philly market is too big to ignore and Villanova (a small private school in the burbs) isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Great basketball conference!
alex35332, the simple fact is that Philadelphians don’t care about college football. Temple is in Philly, but Temple doesn’t *bring* the Philly market. It just brings a handful of alumni who care about the games. Philadelphians are worried about the Flyers and the Phillies and the Eagles. The Temple Owls don’t even make the list. That’s why it’s more advantageous for the Big East to add teams with better college football followings. Sure, Temple is convenient, but they’re not popular or marketable. Maybe for basketball they would work great, but conference realignment isn’t really about basketball. Memphis got the nod over Temple, because at least they’re in the South and we all know the South is football territory. They’ll get better in that area soon.
I remember a few years back the Fed-Ex CEO said that he would donate something like $15 million to any AQ conference that added Memphis. Does anyone knew if that offer is still valid?
And a craptastic football conference just got even craptastic…i…er.
centexhorn says: Feb 8, 2012 2:29 PM
alex35332, the simple fact is that Philadelphians don’t care about college football.
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Hmm … guess I’ll have to explain this to all the guys from Philly and surrounding areas I know who are Nittany Lions fans, both alumni and non-alumni alike. They’ll be bummed to know that they don’t care about college football.
This just in, the Big East is morphing into Conference USA.
And in related news: If half of the conference you are leaving comes with you, are you really switching anything???
Didn’t add ANYTHING to their already dying conference. They should just merge with the WAC.
I think that Temple has to finally realize that if they haven’t been invited to the prom yet, they are probably not going to be invited.
The plus-one concept is just the latest sellout for money…nothing more.
CFB should be ashamed of itself.