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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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College
Notebook No. 6
Monday, May 2, 2005
By Denny O'Brien |
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New dynamics increase
pressure on Big East
©2005 Bonesville.net
The Big East's residence in
football nirvana is no longer secure. The decisions made last week at the annual
meetings of the Bowl Championship Series generated that unnerving prospect
for the reconfigured league.
After more than a year of
speculation about the Big East's status at the BCS table, the answer now is
clear: If the league proves it can provide the bacon, it is more than
welcome to partake in the feast.
The free meal pass the Big
East once owned has been revoked.
"There's no guarantee there
will be seven automatic (bids)," BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said last
week. "There could be five, there could be six, there could be seven for
that two-year block.
"So we're set through the
first two years of the new agreement with the same six conferences having
automatic qualification berths. This evaluation will occur, and it could
change for the final two years for this agreement. That's years three and
four of the new agreement, which is the regular seasons of 2008 and 2009."
Landing a BCS bid during and
beyond those two seasons is far from a guarantee under the Big East's new
set-up. Not only has the league lost its primetime programs, its overall depth has been
depleted as well.
Compare that with the new
dynamics of major college football — the requirement that leagues compare
favorably at both the top of the heap as well as the bottom — and it is
difficult to find a valid reason for celebration within Big East circles.
"We're pleased," Pittsburgh AD
Jeff Long said last week in putting a positive spin on the turn of events. "There's going to be a fair assessment of all
conferences. We, as a conference, will
stack up to those standards.
"Having Louisville count obviously will help
us."
The same can't be said for
Cincinnati or South Florida. While neither is a bottom-of-the-barrel
program, they do little to boost the Big East's national perception.
Likewise for Rutgers and
Connecticut. Though the Scarlet Knights and Huskies reside in
appealing markets, neither has been accused of strengthening the Big East's position in
the human or computer polls.
With only eight programs, it
will be interesting to see how that foursome balances against the other
four, which has had more success historically. The immediate outlook is
pessimistic considering the ground Syracuse has lost over the past couple of
seasons.
Not to be lost in this is the
additional headache a 12-game season is certain to introduce. Seven league
games leave five holes on the schedule and provide little negotiating
power for most Big East schools.
That Cincinnati, Rutgers, or
South Florida can court an additional home game that generates appeal is
unlikely. Adding a I-AA opponent that produces a modest turnout and little
profit would seem par for the course.
As would a steady decline in
the Big East's position in the national power structure's pecking order. Voters look more favorably on
schools that schedule aggressively, a notion that is magnified when the
league slate is below the desired standard for consideration of mention
among the power conferences.
Such is the scenario for the
Big East.
Logic suggests the Mountain
West Conference at some point will court Boise State. With the addition of
Texas Christian this year, that would boost the league to 10 members, easing the
non-conference scheduling burden and likely distancing the MWC from the Big
East on the food chain.
The Big East simply can't
afford to lose more ground. The pressure to multiply has become too
intensive to ignore.
Poll-itics
The BCS is entertaining sales
pitches from organizations interested in filling the void left by the
Associated Press' decision to yank its poll from the equation.
Though a decision likely won't
be concrete until sometime this summer, the criteria for voters is growing
more clear.
"We had presentations here
from the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame as well as the
Division I-A Athletic Directors' association," Weiberg said. "We continue
to look at a poll that we would potentially include a panel of voters that
would be comprised of individuals who have had experience with the sport,
either as administrators, coaches or perhaps former players. That's where
we're putting most of our focus on at this point."
Splendid idea.
Let's take a group that is
somewhat removed from the sport and is unlikely to view enough games to
provide a fair gauge. Moreover, make sure that group has intimate ties to
specific schools or current coaches, and thus has a strong emotional element
that could influence the voting.
With a group of current
coaches already casting ballots, there needs to be a media poll that would help
provide balance. The media has access to more games and typically is far
more knowledgeable about the nation as a whole.
Whichever route the BCS goes,
it should wait until at least October before the first opinion poll is
revealed.
Cardinal rule
You have to hand it to those
BCS suits. They certainly know how to think outside the box.
With the Big East's future
status as an automatic qualifier for one of the big-money bowls in jeopardy, the BCS
devised a way to give the league a boost.
"What we're taking forward as
a recommendation is that your conference membership at the time of
evaluation is what will be evaluated," Weiberg said. "The reason for that
is that we're trying to get an assessment looking forward of the prospective
strength of the conference, even though it will be based on past
performance.
"So Louisville will count
under that provision, assuming the report is accepted, in the Big East
Conference. That is, assuming it is still there when the evaluation is taken
four years from now."
What's next? The Big East
cashing the checks from Louisville's appearance in the Final Four?
Luck of the Irish
Don't expect Notre Dame to
relinquish its Independent status anytime soon.
The new BCS arrangement gives
the Irish an all-access pass as if they were a member of a power league,
despite their modest position in the national pecking order over the last
several seasons.
"Under the new structure,
we're going to give Notre Dame an annual share of revenue that is similar to
what an annual share would be for a member of any conference that would have
automatic qualification," Weiberg said. "In that year when they do qualify,
they would receive an at-large share, not a full-conference share.
"That share is currently $4.5
million. They would get an annual share, whether they play in a game or not,
and an annual share, if I'm not mistaken, is a little over $1 million."
Add to that the hefty paycheck
Notre Dame receives from NBC and the scheduling freedom it enjoys. That
alone is a sound reason to remain in a league of its own.
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02/23/2007 01:59:56 AM |
