Big East mailbag: Expansion madness

[Atlanta Bull]

The teams that should be worried right now are Cincinnati and South Florida. I honestly don't know what happens to them.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/9204/big-east-mailbag-expansion-madness-2

[tampabull]

The teams that should be worried right now are Cincinnati and South Florida. I honestly don't know what happens to them.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/9204/big-east-mailbag-expansion-madness-2

if fsu and clemson were actually invited to the sec like rumors are saying.  usf would have no problem getting into the acc.  the acc would follow suite and gobble up 4 of the remainding left over big east teams.  I think cinci will get screwed out of all of them.  If the big 10 takes uconn, pitt, rutgers like rumors say...syracuse, louisville, usf, wvu will go to the acc.

[Carolina_Bull]

If USF gets relegated to non-bcs, we should seriously consider ending football.  Cincy should do the same.  Don't see how we could get the Temple treatment and not read the writing on the wall that the deck is stacked.

However, I predict the crappiest possible scenario is that we end up in some far flung east-west conference made with CUSA, MAC, MWC and WAC teams (with like 30 teams) and that we'd play an entirely east coast schedule and then the champion advances to a championship game against the west coast champ. . . . . . . winner get s a BCS spot.  Kind of like the world series in baseball before interleague play.  that will be the way the BCS quiets all the have-nots.  By giving us one stinking BCS spot if we form a gigantic super league.. . . . .get ready for tuesday night football on the ocho.

The conference will suck and unity will be nonexistent as the member teams will all think they are too good for the conference and are going to be the next team called up into the ACC, SEC, PAC 10, Big 10 or Big 12. . . . . . like CUSA is today and the BE is quickly becoming.

Don't even get me started on UCF.  Their potential is largely unknown and we now have a five year track record.  There is always something enticing about the potential of the unknown (we cashed in on it in 2004).  Facilities aside, I am troubled by the way their fan base embarrassed our fan base when one compares each school's turnout to the St. Pete bowl. . . . at the risk of getting laughed off this board, I honestly see a scenario where the ACC takes a flyer on them and leaves us with the have-nots in Conference North America (CNA) which I have described above.

Further complicating this mess with regard to timing, I believe our football team is cycling into a down year this year (too much change and turnover/other BE teams improved).  In a related note, how the heck are we supposed to recruit a 2011 class with our future hanging in the balance like this?

I will not rest easy until this expansion mess passes. . . . . regardless of the outcome, limbo seems like it only damages USF.

Skip needs to stop shaking all the hands and kissing all the babies in Hillsborough and Piniellas counties and take his charm offensive to Tallahassee (again) and to DC to woo Florida's political leaders.

[Hurricane Mutiny]

Don't even get me started on UCF.  Their potential is largely unknown and we now have a five year track record.  There is always something enticing about the potential of the unknown (we cashed in on it in 2004).  Facilities aside, I am troubled by the way their fan base embarrassed our fan base when one compares each school's turnout to the St. Pete bowl. . . . at the risk of getting laughed off this board, I honestly see a scenario where the ACC takes a flyer on them and leaves us with the have-nots in Conference North America (CNA) which I have described above.

I know it will not sit well with many people here, but USF would be more powerful throwing in with UCF.

The combo of two HUGE state schools with two Top 20/30 media markets would be far more powerful a calling card than whatever last year's W-L record was.

[813knight]

Don't even get me started on UCF.  Their potential is largely unknown and we now have a five year track record.  There is always something enticing about the potential of the unknown (we cashed in on it in 2004).  Facilities aside, I am troubled by the way their fan base embarrassed our fan base when one compares each school's turnout to the St. Pete bowl. . . . at the risk of getting laughed off this board, I honestly see a scenario where the ACC takes a flyer on them and leaves us with the have-nots in Conference North America (CNA) which I have described above.

I know it will not sit well with many people here, but USF would be more powerful throwing in with UCF.

The combo of two HUGE state schools with two Top 20/30 media markets would be far more powerful a calling card than whatever last year's W-L record was.

I agree. I don't think it will hurt either schools recruiting/growth. If anything it would indirectly hurt other Southern SEC/ACC programs like Georgia, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech for example. You have high school prospects from Florida that would then have a choice of 5 BCS programs in their own state.