Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[Bulls1181]

D. head has a point!

UCF, USF must try to bolt Big East for ACC or Big 12

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Mike Bianchi SPORTS COMMENTARY

2:20 p.m. EST, November 22, 2012

If UCF President John Hitt and USF President Judy Genshaft haven't already scheduled appointments with Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, then they are being seriously derelict in their duties.

Likewise, if Swofford and Bowlsby aren't at least intrigued with adding the tandem of UCF and USF, then they are hopelessly myopic and deserve to have their leagues ransacked by the ruthless raiders from the SEC and Big Ten.

But obviously this isn't the case because Hitt, Genshaft, Swofford and Bowlsby are smart people. They are university presidents and conference commissioners, for crying out loud. They surely can see what is clearly evident to even the most doltish college football fan: That UCF and USF would be insane to stand pat in the crumbling Big East; and the ACC and Big 12 would be equally shortsighted if they didn't consider the enormous potential of adding the monster TV markets that UCF and USF provide.

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UCF and USF certainly realize their conference — the Big Deceased, er, Big East — is disintegrating around them and that they'd better head for the exits as if somebody just yelled "fire!" in a crowded building. This is no time to sit by impassively and see what happens. Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia bolted several months ago. Then Rutgers left a few days ago. UConn and Louisville are planning their escape as we speak. And Boise State, like TCU did last year, might leave the Big East before it has even joined the Big East.

Hopefully, the word coming out of UCF — "The school is solidly committed to the Big East and is confident the conference has a bright future, blah, blah, blah." — is just a bunch of administrative gobbledygook. Such a stance would be suicidal in the Knights' quest to become major players in big-time college football. UCF needs to get out of the Big East before it has even officially played a game in the Big East.

If the Knights aren't pro-active and drag their feet, they will be in panic mode in a year or two when the Big East officially sinks like the Big Titanic. The only thing missing as the conference capsizes and plummets into the abyss will be the league's house band playing "Nearer My God to Thee."

As for the ACC and Big 12, these leagues need to prudently start looking 10 years down the road instead of 10 months down the road. Every time, the SEC or Big Ten pillage one of their marquee schools, they react instinctively and mindlessly by burglarizing the Big East and taking one of that league's so-called "marquee" schools.

Seriously, why would the ACC take UConn and Pitt instead of UCF and USF? And why would the Big 12 take TCU and possibly Louisville instead of UCF and USF? It's insanity.

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney has the right idea. You want to know why he just stole Maryland from the ACC and Rutgers from the Big East? Not because Maryland and Rutgers have "marquee" football and basketball programs. It's because they deliver big TV markets and millions of potential subscribers to the Big Ten Network. It's that network which allows Maryland and Rutgers to make tens of millions of dollars per year more in the Big Ten than they would in the ACC and Big East.

And don't think for a minute Florida State isn't considering following Maryland's lead and bolting for a conference (see Big 12 or SEC) that will pay the Seminoles significantly more money. This is why the ACC and Big 12 must come to their senses, start thinking out of the box and figure out a way to extend their footprint into the our football-fanatical pigskin peninsula.

Question for the ACC and the Big 12: What is the growth potential of UConn and Louisville when compared to UCF and USF? USF is in the 13th-largest TV market in the country and UCF is in the 19th-largest. When combined, they are the nation's 4th-largest TV market and dominate the I-4 corridor – smack, dabble in the middle of a college football hotbed and the fourth-most populous state in the union. In contrast, Louisville is in the 50th-largest market in the middle of a small basketball state, while UConn is considered part of the 30th-ranked Hartford market in a state that could not care less about college football.

Memo to the ACC and Big 12: Come to your senses. UCF and USF are two huge public universities with up-and-coming football programs located in major TV markets. Ten years down the road, these two schools have the potential to be the next Florida and Florida State.

Hopefully, Hitt and Genshaft realize that together they are a formidable force and an attractive package for a major conference.

Hopefully, they have already set up appointments with Swofford and Bowlsby.

Hopefully.

If not, their marching bands need to start learning the scales to "Nearer My God to Thee."

mbianchi@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.

[Brad]

mb:dr

[Breedwell]

Nah, UCiF can stay in the Big East and get left behind.

[Dhambuc]

Cpl things that stand out to me and may or may not mean anything but USF/Tampa has hosted the ACC BB tourney at the Forum a few years back( very few cities outside of the Carolina's have done this) We also hosted 2 ACC FB championship games in our stadium. We hosted the Mens final 4 in 1999, the womens final 4 a few years back and the frozen four last year. USF has shown they can host events along with the city of Tampa, The ACC folks seem to like the area. Not sure if it helps but it def cant hurt us. By adding us, the ACC also keeps a FLA presence if FSU bolts for Big 12 or SEC. We already outdraw Miami in attendance as well.

Lastly here is Bill Nelsons contact info( Senator for our area includes Tpa/Orlando) wont hurt us to start blasting him with emails to look into expansion and the possible ramifications to the state and USF/UCF if we are left behind and have to take more State money becuse FSU/UF is blocking us from thriving or if we lose TV revenue as a result. Just a thought. http://nelsonforsenate.com/contact

[Florida Bull]

Cpl things that stand out to me and may or may not mean anything but USF/Tampa has hosted the ACC BB tourney at the Forum a few years back( very few cities outside of the Carolina's have done this) We also hosted 2 ACC FB championship games in our stadium. We hosted the Mens final 4 in 1999, the womens final 4 a few years back and the frozen four last year. USF has shown they can host events along with the city of Tampa, The ACC folks seem to like the area. Not sure if it helps but it def cant hurt us. By adding us, the ACC also keeps a FLA presence if FSU bolts for Big 12 or SEC. We already outdraw Miami in attendance as well.

Lastly here is Bill Nelsons contact info( Senator for our area includes Tpa/Orlando) wont hurt us to start blasting him with emails to look into expansion and the possible ramifications to the state and USF/UCF if we are left behind and have to take more State money becuse FSU/UF is blocking us from thriving or if we lose TV revenue as a result. Just a thought. http://nelsonforsenate.com/contact

Interesting points. Regarding the latter, Tampa is a key constituent area for state-wide elections. I am sure the western part of the I-4 corridor is important in elections and political support.

[slick1ru2]

I think the biggest obstacle to the ACC isn't an OCS its academics and ranking of the university. The ACC has some of the top universities in the country and FSU is an outlier at around 100 on the US News ranking list. All the universities are tier one and USF is tier 3. Of course this is all money driven so academic perception may just be tossed out the window.

[DontPushMe]

Nah, UCiF can stay in the Big East and get left behind.

Agreed. I want them left for dead in the BE. I don't care about a pairing with them at all. I much prefer pairing with UL and UC. We have more history with the 2 of them anyway

[jvwvu]

If USF gets left out with ,UL, Cincy and UConn to ACC and Big East votes to dissolve does UCF/USF work together to get back in ConfUSA or go with MWC but have travel costs? Or does USF goes at it in one of the conferences alone.

[Mike Stuben]

If USF gets left out with ,UL, Cincy and UConn to ACC and Big East votes to dissolve does UCF/USF work together to get back in ConfUSA or go with MWC but have travel costs? Or does USF goes at it in one of the conferences alone.

No mountain west .... C-USA would be first choice, MAC or Sun Belt would be the back up.

Houston/SMU/Memphis would be the schools who would consider going West ... but that is all down the road.

And I don't care where UCF goes ..... as long as they don't end up better than us, I don't care if they end up with us, or left behind (no offense, just how I feel).

Edited November 23, 2012 by Mike Stuben

[Ghostofbigworm]

Our elected representatives should be pressuring FSU to get us in - the same way USF was pressured to get UCF in. Ok maybe not the same way as I am not a fan of that backwoods slime mentality, but the same general principle. It should be made clear by Tampa's delegation that future increases in funding for FSU will not be viewed favorably unless they assist another public state school in this transition!

Exactly. Elected officials should be active in this realignment because it involves public schools and millions of dollars. Threats of government involvement was the reason behind the playoffs, but that seems to have kind of backfired.

How about a list of who to start contacting to get them involved? Not living in the area though, I am not sure how those of us living out of the area are going to be received by Tampa representatives though.

I'm from the government and I'm here to help. LOL.

They are smooth talking blow hards with no skills other than being able to spout endless streams of BS. That's who we need to involve.