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Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 4:59 pm
by Left Seater
Not the best time for this news. A TV contract is to be negotiated this fall, and plenty of new members who were to join are not yet signed, sealed and delivered.

UH and SMU have both said they are reevaluating the move to the Big East since it appears there will be no more AQ conferences. Without AQ, the need to be in one of those 6 conferences is greatly reduced. When you factor in the increased costs of membership, travel, and lack of conference continuity while also considering the larger TV cut it isn't as cut and dry as when you were joining an AQ.

Also, reported this morning on Fox and ESPN is the fact that BSU might be reconsidering. UH AD mentioned on Sports radio 610 in Houston today that if BSU, SMU or SDSU were not to join the Big East, then UH would be unlikely to join as well. They don't want to be the only or one of two football schools west of the Mississippi.



In other news it was also reported that UH declined Texas' offer to finance some of their facility upgrades due to a lack of agreement on interest rates. :shock: That would be pretty wild if one athletic program were indebted to another. I guess UH decided it would be better to use credit cards instead of take Texas' money.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:21 pm
by Terry in Crapchester
I think a lot of this will hinge on two things: the TV contract, and the cut from revenue generated by the impending playoff. If the Big East is on the right side of the ledger on those two things, I think these schools will stay onboard. Otherwise, you could see them leave. That said, the Big East's exit fee ($10 million) is somewhat high by the standards of a number of the projected new members. Do they risk litigation over that, not to mention a possible loss on the merits, especially where their other options are no better than the Big East save for travel issues?

As for Marinatto, apparently the AD's of the Big East members asked him to resign. Interestingly, Tranghese has credited Marinatto with being the driving force behind saving the Big East in 2005.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:29 pm
by Go Coogs'
Left Seater wrote:In other news it was also reported that UH declined Texas' offer to finance some of their facility upgrades due to a lack of agreement on interest rates. :shock: That would be pretty wild if one athletic program were indebted to another. I guess UH decided it would be better to use credit cards instead of take Texas' money.
Texas is now handing out loans as if they were a financial institution for these other state schools. I'm sure the terms came with some sort of stranglehold on stadium rights. I bet it was some rediculous 10 year OOC game between the two schools where Texas takes in 90% of the concessions and gate for UH's home game. Hell, I bet Texas even recommended the Stadium be painted burnt orange and have a longhorn stenciled onto the new turf.

Fuck'em. We can raise the money on our own. Just gonna take some more time.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:48 pm
by Left Seater
Go Coogs,

Heard it had more to do with basketball facilities than it did with football, although UH is no longer getting the rent from soccer at Robertson. However, teams can't even shower at that barn they call a basketball arena. Visitors are bussed over from the swimming facility.

Thing is you guys screwed yourself with Texas. You had multiple year deals in football and basketball until y'all went and screwed it up. Then to top it off they gave us a sweetheart deal in all sports just to stick it to you even worse. How great would it have been for UH to have had Texas on the schedule the past two seasons?

All because your President was dumb and didn't fulfill a contract for one game.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:56 pm
by Go Coogs'
Left Seater wrote:Go Coogs,

Heard it had more to do with basketball facilities than it did with football, although UH is no longer getting the rent from soccer at Robertson. However, teams can't even shower at that barn they call a basketball arena. Visitors are bussed over from the swimming facility.

Thing is you guys screwed yourself with Texas. You had multiple year deals in football and basketball until y'all went and screwed it up. Then to top it off they gave us a sweetheart deal in all sports just to stick it to you even worse. How great would it have been for UH to have had Texas on the schedule the past two seasons?

All because your President was dumb and didn't fulfill a contract for one game.
It's gonna take some time. At least they're talking now and the new prez and AD will come to an agreement with them in the coming years.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:10 pm
by Terry in Crapchester
Here's a thought: could Jack Swarbrick be the next Big East commissioner?

Reportedly, he was in the running for the Big XII's commissioner spot. And it's worth noting that in this day and age, ND's AD wears two hats. Of course, he has to manage the nuts and bolts of ND's athletic department. But he also acts as a sort of de facto conference commissioner, given ND's independent football status.

From what I've seen of Swarbrick's skill set so far, it seems better suited for the latter job than the former one. Moreover, Swarbrick chaired the Big East expansion committee, and was the one that cobbled together what ultimately emerged as the expansion plan. For that reason, he may be better suited than anyone else to keep the prospective new members onboard.

Throw in the fact that if the Big East collapses, ND may be forced to give up its football independence, and it would seem that ND might support such a move.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:58 pm
by Left Seater
Sure he could do it and he is qualified. However, that does zero to help the basketball only schools that are pissed. Reports today say the basketball schools were not so much as even asked their opinion on expansion. If true it sure tells those schools where they stand in the eyes of the conference.

With the TV package to be negotiated this fall, the conference doesn't need this departure. Georgetown is angling for a 50/50 split not the 70/30 that the football schools want. Given that I think the conference should pick a new commish that the basketball schools support.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 1:35 am
by Screw_Michigan
Papa Willie wrote:The Big East just needs to go ahead and pull the plug.
Thanks for the insight there, tubby. Any other astute suggestions to make? Water needs to be drank? Fried chicken needs to be eaten? Your shit takes need to be TROTSED? Fuck off already and die in a construction accident.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 2:44 am
by Van
Screwball wrote:die in a construction accident.
:(

Now you're just mailing these things in. C'mon, get back on your horse and let's see some real effort.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 2:20 am
by MuchoBulls
Left Seater wrote:Not the best time for this news.
I wouldn't go that far. He was in over his head and it took the President's too long to figure it out.

He was forced out.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 4:03 pm
by Left Seater
I agree that he was forced out. It seems by the basketball schools.

But clown or not, this doesn't seem to be the time for a search due to the TV deal and all the new members that are not yet members.

What happens to the conf if BSU and SMU go TCU?

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 1:07 pm
by Terry in Crapchester
Here's an interesting article on the topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/sport ... .html?_r=1

A few points:

1. The author seems to insinuate that it wasn't the basketball-only schools forcing him out. Makes some sense, in a way, since Marinatto's background was similar to their own: he was the AD at Providence before joining the Big East's Commissioner's Office (as were both of his predecessors, Gavitt and Tranghese).

2. As of yet, there hasn't been any serious talk of the basketball schools leaving.

3. As the author insinuates, the recent expansion threatens to water down the Big East basketball tourney, which is its remaining crown jewel. But the expansion probably was necessary to keep the conference together.

4. An interesting fact pointed out by the author: if the Big East were to split along football/non-football lines, the football conference would not immediately get an automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tourney unless it were able to convince ND, or at least one of the non-football members, to stay with them. There would be a way around that -- the football conference could secure its automatic bid status by inviting two more members of C-USA to join -- but the window of opportunity for that is relatively limited, from a time standpoint.

5. Disagree with the author that the ACC is ND's only realistic alternative. We have a standing offer from the B1G, and I also think the Big XII would jump on us if we were interested (in fact, the Big XII reportedly is even willing to consider us as a member for everything but football). We also could form a new conference with the basketball-only schools in the Big East if they do leave. The ACC may be our best option other than the status quo, but it's certainly not our only option.
Left Seater wrote:What happens to the conf if BSU and SMU go TCU?
I think the two schools are in completely different positions in that regard.

SMU doesn't bring much to the table other than access to the DFW market (where they're hardly the #1 draw) and as a travel partner to Houston, since they're the only schools west of the Mississippi joining for all sports. Losing Boise could be fatal, though -- the most important thing for the Big East now is to negotiate the best TV deal it can get, as well as the best slice of the playoff revenue pie it can get. Boise gives them more leverage in those negotiations than any other member going forward.

I still think Swarbrick is the best candidate for the commissioner's job, for a few reasons. As chair of the Big East expansion committee, I'm guessing he had several meeting with the AD's of the prospective new members, and he might be in the best position to reassure those AD's moving forward. He's also an excellent negotiator as proven by the fact that he previously brought both a Super Bowl and a Final Four to Indianapolis, and also got Indianapolis a sweetheart deal with the NCAA where Indianapolis hosts either a men's or women's pod site or regional every year (except the year they had the Final Four). I'm not sure he'd want the commissioner's job, though.

Re: Big East Commish resigns

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 5:11 pm
by BSmack
Van wrote:
Screwball wrote:die in a construction accident.
:(

Now you're just mailing these things in. C'mon, get back on your horse and let's see some real effort.
Well he is dead you know. As I recall it was an AIDS related combine fire.