I think you might be referring to the Big East Tourney rights at Madison Square Garden. For the NCAA Tourney, here's the ESPN article: Without voting to dissolve, the seven schools are expected to move together to form a new league. They would keep their automatic berth in the NCAA basketball tournament because NCAA rules state that as long as a group of seven universities has been in the same league for five years, it keeps its bid after a move together to a new conference. The remaining Big East schools would probably retain their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after going through an NCAA process, according to NCAA vice president and former Big East associate commissioner Dan Gavitt. That would mean there would be 32 automatic bids to the field of 68, up from 31.
Yep. Not worried about the NCAA Tourney for those coming or going. I imagine they'll all have a seat.
Good for them. The Big East is becoming a joke. I think the western expansion was stupid and wil prove to be an enormous mistake. If I was UH, Boise and SDSU, I'd bail and join the Mountain West.
The reality is they had no choice but to expand Westward, so it's hard to call it a mistake. The mistakes were made years ago when they weren't proactive about protecting their brand around the turn of the century. The MWC, as nice as it sounds, is a terrible place to be. Not only are they locked into a terrible TV contract until 2016 (about 1 MM per school), but you're also banishing yourself to the pacific and mountain timezones, kissing most of your media exposure goodbye. The Catholic 7 added about 15% extra revenue to the pot, all told. So, losing them is managable IF they go balls to the wall with the West division and add the schools I just spoke of (which apparently is the plan the moment the ink dries on the C7's departure contract). The New Big East will net about $4-6 million per school. Yeah, it sucks compared to the 12-15MM they were aiming for this time last year, but it's still a windfall from the 1.5MM they were getting in CUSA.
Problem for the BigEast is that if the ACC gets raided any more, they are just going to steal the remaining Big East schools in the East.
Based on what I have seen of Belmont's competence thus far, I suspect the end result of realignment will be that Texas ends up in the Big East with UH, Hawaii, Boise, Cinci, uConn, Midwest Northwestern East Delaware, Westlake High School, and the London School of Economics. Boise will beat Texas every year to win the conference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Three sources told me today that Boise's depature from the Big East is inevitable. “I would be shocked if it didn’t happen.”</p>— Pete Thamel(@SIPeteThamel) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/status/282247711489671169" data-datetime="2012-12-21T22:14:32+00:00">December 21, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Colorado, New Mexico trying to coax BYU and Boise State into forming new league <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Before Boise State joined Big East, it commissioned a study on its options. Forming own league was No. 2 option behind joining Big East.</p>— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) <a href="https://twitter.com/murphsturph/status/282258457241989121" data-datetime="2012-12-21T22:57:14+00:00">December 21, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Breaking: MWC restructures deal with CBS. Next move is Boise's. <a href="http://t.co/LuxXnVQ3" title="http://cbsprt.co/UWJj4z">cbsprt.co/UWJj4z</a></p>— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/282296788847828992" data-datetime="2012-12-22T01:29:33+00:00">December 22, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> More on Boise, the Big East, Catholic 7, and general realignment
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Boise State remaining in MWC & will not join Big East in 2013, sources told @<a href="https://twitter.com/espn">espn</a></p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/285830459806601217" data-datetime="2012-12-31T19:31:06+00:00">December 31, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>W/Boise State remaining in MWC, San Diego State now is not required to pay exit fee if it decides not to join Big East</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/285831700137771008" data-datetime="2012-12-31T19:36:02+00:00">December 31, 2012</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Mountain West might not be done; Texas schools in discussion
http://www.statesman.com/news/sports/bohls-big-12-schools-striking-it-rich-aggies-expan/nT77w/ The rich get richer. A recent Forbes study revealed that Big 12 schools received more revenue last year from television contracts, bowl games and the NCAA basketball tournament than any other league’s members at $26.2 million apiece, and the 10 members will see an even bigger bonanza next year. “We’ll move past $30 (million) pretty quickly,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby told me. “And by the end of the contract (in 12 years), we’ll be in the mid-40s.”
The ACC has locked in all of their schools. The agreement makes it close to impossible for teams to leave. They joined the big 12, Pac 12, and Big 10 in that regard. This should quiet realignment. I doubt any SEC teams are going to leave. You can most assuredly bank on Connecticut leaving the American Athletic Conference, cementing the former Big East as Conference USA 2.0. In addition to losing their name, the AAC also lost the annual MSG tournament. IIRC the nail in the coffin with the Catholic 7 was the invitation sent to the garbage program of Tulane. What a disaster. The Big 12 will most likely stay at 10 teams since the only available schools would decrease the value of the conference instead of increase it. The "add schools in order to increase stability" argument expressed on this board is exemplified by the former Big East which has lost its place as an equal in opportunities with the other big conferences. It now competes with the other 4 lower conferences for a playoff spot. It finally feels good again to be a big 12 school. Hate subsides. With a giant TV contract that equally distributes money to all 12 schools, things seem more fair and stable. http://espn.go.com/college-football...media-rights-deal-lock-schools-okd-presidents
I care a little. Just sounds like we're at a spot where this will die down for a while. The incessant sounds of 16 team super conferences have diminished.
It's almost comical how much more TV money the major conferences are getting than the leftover dregs. Somehow a Brian Austin Gree-like Rutgers wins a lottery ticket, while more accomplished schools are receiving 10 times less money.
