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[Rondo2287]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will dissolve  today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

[Fafnir]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will desolve today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

Makes sense, Big East has always been about Basketball and football has take over the realignment for all the other schools in the conference for years now.

[Rondo2287]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will desolve today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

Makes sense, Big East has always been about Basketball and football has take over the realignment for all the other schools in the conference for years now.

Yup, just crazy to think it could come to this.  I always trolled the uconn blog saying this would happen, but I didn't think it would

[Fafnir]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will desolve today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

Makes sense, Big East has always been about Basketball and football has take over the realignment for all the other schools in the conference for years now.

Yup, just crazy to think it could come to this.  I always trolled the uconn blog saying this would happen, but I didn't think it would

When the three non-catholic FBS schools that are left with voting rights in the league all just literally begged the ACC to take them in, what did they think would happen?

Similar to when Texas was flirting with the SEC/Pac-10 so hard so NE/MO/AM all left. Once you start flirting with a girl and begging her to call you what do you expect....

[action781]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will desolve today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

Makes sense, Big East has always been about Basketball and football has take over the realignment for all the other schools in the conference for years now.

Yup, just crazy to think it could come to this.  I always trolled the uconn blog saying this would happen, but I didn't think it would

LOL, nice admit there

[Rondo2287]

Report out there that this is the end of the big east and the conference will desolve today. 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8742607/seven-catholic-schools-leaning-leaving-big-east-sources-say

Would hate to be a athlete down in Storrs today.

Makes sense, Big East has always been about Basketball and football has take over the realignment for all the other schools in the conference for years now.

Yup, just crazy to think it could come to this.  I always trolled the uconn blog saying this would happen, but I didn't think it would

LOL, nice admit there

Been banned from there like 5 times haha

[mctyson]

Long time overdue in my opinion.  Schools that can't afford football and baseball teams have no business in the same conference as UConn.

[Moranis]

I just feel bad for my alma mater, Cincinnati.  Out in the cold with no where to go.  I do wonder if all of the schools that were going to join still will or if some back out. 

This conference would still be pretty good in football

Cincinnati (full)
Connecticut (full)
South Florida (full)
Temple (full)
Central Florida (full)
Houston (full)
Southern Methodist (full)
Memphis (full)
Boise State
San Diego St.
Tulane (full)
East Carolina
Navy

That is 13 teams with 9 full members, so one more full member would make sense.  Probably one of the CUSA schools, UAB, Southern Miss, Tulsa.  Possibly a school like UMass, La Tech, or Western Kentucky.  I don't think the need for 1 more full member really changes if Boise and San Diego decide to back out, but if a bunch of teams decide to not come then the conference is probably done and Cincinnati and UConn will go hard after an ACC invite.

[bdm860]

I’m going to miss Big East basketball.

I’m strictly a basketball guy, so I hate this conference realignment stuff, but mainly just because it messed up the Big East.  And I hate how teams were jumping ship to go to the ACC.

I loved Big East basketball, I loved how deep they were, I loved the style of play (though that was probably more in my mind).  Putting so many teams in the tournament, different teams a threat to win the conference and the national tourney every year.

The Big East was tough, gritty, and hardcore like 90’s New York hip hop.  The Big East was Wu-Tang, Nas, Mobb Deep, Public Enemy,  while the Pac 10 was the West Coast rappers like: Dre, Cube, Snoop, and then the ACC was the more mainstream hip hop, acts like Puffy, LL Cool J, Timbaland, Mase, Coolio.  Sure a lot of it’s preference, but I know which one I prefer, hands down.  Now with so many schools jumping ship (especially to the ACC), it’s like when my favorite hip hop acts sell out and go mainstream.

Or instead of hip hop I can compare it to the NBA. The ACC was where Kobe and LeBron would be playing, while the Big East would be the 2008-present Celtics, the Pistons from the 2000’s, the Iverson Sixers team that went to the Finals.  There were beasts like Kendrick Perkins and Ron Artest patrolling the Big East courts, along with underdogs with no fear like an Iverson. The ACC had the Lakers/Dukes and Miami/UNC’s that were always hyped beyond belief, even though the Big East heavyweights could always hold their own with them.  Phil Jackson coaches in the ACC, guys like Larry Brown, Doug Collins, Jeff Van Gundy coach in the Big East.

The Saturday night Big East championship in NYC, in Madison Square Garden, had such a special feel to it, like a hyped up, heavyweight boxing match that delivers an awesome fight.  While those ACC, Pac 10, Big 12 championships on Sunday afternoon felt so blah, like Sunday afternoon baseball.

I look at a team like Boston College, the best they ever did in the ACC was when they first arrived, fresh out the Big East.  To me, that’s because they were still playing that Big East style of ball.  They weren’t scared of Duke or UNC.  It wasn’t long before they lost that Big East toughness though, and haven’t been the same since.  You took them out the jungle and they forgot how to survive in the wild.

Though I like the idea of those 7 Catholic schools forming their own league.  It just won’t be the same without Syracuse, and Pitt, and UConn, and Louisville, etc.  They’ll probably retain that Big East style that I like so much, just on a much smaller scale.  Back to my hip-hop analogy: it’ll be like when someone big in the 90’s (Nas, Wu-Tang, etc.) releases an album now, even though I still love it, and it’s still getting critical acclaim, it’s just not making the same dent in the music landscape as it did in the past.  Like Cuban Linx or Illmatic compared to Cuban Linx II or Nas’s Untitled album.  Ya they’re all praised by critics, but those later albums will never be considered classics like those earlier ones, partly because the music landscape has changed so much.  Just like the college athletics landscape.

I’m going to miss the Big East.

[fairweatherfan]

It's a shame but not terribly surprising.  I think when it's all said and done we'll wind up with 4 major conferences - the Big 12 will be next whenever Texas finally decides to bail. 

It's too bad because I don't give a crap about college football and it's what's driving this move at the expense of one of the greatest college basketball environments of all time.  It'll be fun seeing my beloved Orange make its way in the ACC, but it'll never be the same as the old days.

RIP Big East...now go read BDM's post because he said it a lot better than I could.

[guava_wrench]

As I St John's fan, I have always been loyal to the Big East. I have hated BC since their departure. More so, I have hated the football money grab since it exposes college sports for what it is -- a money making machine, where only the schools, coaches, and TV networks are allowed to make ridiculous money while players risk their health for benefits that are way below market value.

As sad as I am to see the league go, this would at least give some stability to the basketball teams while the joke that is college football continues. College football really is an embarrassment among sports leagues with conference shifting and with the joke of a championship. Hopefully a playoff will fix the latter. Fortunately for college football, you can still make boatloads if you have loyal fans and degenerate gamblers.

[Moranis]

It's a shame but not terribly surprising.  I think when it's all said and done we'll wind up with 4 major conferences - the Big 12 will be next whenever Texas finally decides to bail. 

It's too bad because I don't give a crap about college football and it's what's driving this move at the expense of one of the greatest college basketball environments of all time.  It'll be fun seeing my beloved Orange make its way in the ACC, but it'll never be the same as the old days.

RIP Big East...now go read BDM's post because he said it a lot better than I could.

Big 12 might actually be more viable than the ACC as a conference capable of forming a 16 team super conference.  It is playing far more relevant football and unlike the ACC its two powers have not disappeared in the last decade.  That said I think they both get raided and the remnants will come together to form a much weaker 16 team conference than the other three.

If they really do go to 16 team super conferences, I think UNC and Ga Tech will go to the Big Ten, the Pac 12 will add Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma St., the SEC will add some combination of these teams West Virginia, Pittsburgh, NC St., Kansas, or TCU (WV the most likely), and the remnants of the Big 12 and ACC will combine.

[Brendan]

Football and non-football schools don't belong together.

Makes sense for the Catholics to stand together. If they started a league, I wonder if they could steal Holy Cross from Patriot and get them to bring back HC hoops.

Just have to say "HaHa" to the UCONN. Added a football program, tried to bail on Big East, and now they are homeless.

I REALLY hope the ACC doesn't over expand... they are solid right now, with decent southern presence and some NE media anchors. Don't over due it. Adding schools is a non-innovative way to improve the conf.

[slamtheking]

would be interesting to see if they combine with some Atlantic 10 basketball schools like URI, St Joe's, Xavier, Umass, St Louis.  Pretty good 12-team conference right there.

[Moranis]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/bigeast/2012/12/13/big-east-conference-basketball-split-catholic-member-schools/1767387/

It's apparently official.   They just have to work out the details, but the 7 non-football schools are gone.