It’s all about survival.
If the remnants of the Big East and Big XII are going to survive, it appears likely the two BCS Conferences will need to merge—and then hope it can retain a spot at the BIG BOY table.
The new look Big East/Big 12 might have enough juice to retain some privileges. If no one else bolts—and we all know how unlikely that is—here is the likely division breakdown:
- Big 12 Division: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and TCU
- Big East Division: Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, Rutgers, Louisville and West Virginia
It’s not bad, but it lacks a big hitter. The major players (excluding Missouri, TCU and West Virginia) have been poached already.
Naturally, this is no SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 or even an ACC. It is better than the Mountain West or even the potential merger of the MWC and Conference USA.
There’s nothing gained by trying to place blame, but clearly we live in a copycat environment and with football driving the train money is more important than integrity and loyalty.
What the ACC has done to the Big East over the past decade is downright unscrupulous. The initial poaching was the worst, when the ACC worked behind the scenes to steal away Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech.
That was supposed to be the end of the Big East, but Mike Tranghese worked some magic and it survived.
But the greed and survival mode of others has brought us to this point, and with no one really in charge everyone is free to screw over their conference partners.
If you’re in the club, you don’t really care. Look what Syracuse and Pitt just walked away from—decades of history and tradition. If every team in the Big East would have stood pat, the conference would have been in a power position.
What’s left of the Big XII is different.
Texas A&M was never going to be happy with the deal the Longhorns had that the dominoes began to fall and no one could stop that one.
It’s all about football. I get it.
It’s all about survival. I get it.
But no one is thinking of the long-term ramifications.
When all of the shuffling is done are we sure we’re going to be better off?
