We're going to 12 teams

[Bostonspider]

UR always has the option of playing their biggest games at the off campus Richmond Coliseum, like many of the Big East Schools. It seats 12,000.

[BillEsq]

I really think ten is the ideal number. You get home and home and its very managable. There really is no need to go to 12.

10 is far from ideal outside of personal prefference and its only benefit is the round robin. 12 teams makes for better travel, more flexibility in ooc scheduling, and provides the league with more opportunities for ncaa tourney appearences which in this day and age vital to the success of tthe league. it also keeps fox happy and gives the league more exposure. when you look at non revs 12 is basically a logistical necessity. if the rumors where true about the financial incentives fox was giving for 12 teams the financial windfall blows ten teams out of the picture. even if the money stays the same the ammounts saved by the conference in travel in all sports negates any potential financial advantage of 10 teams. at this point its time to abandon the round robin to pre modern sports and the ivy league amd realize that 12 teams is not only inevitable it is what is best for the league

[QueRico]

WooHoo!
Just thrilled to death that our AD started the "12 Team Debate" all over again.
While I'm pro-12 team ... let's just get the conference up & running before we worry about this,that & the other thing.

[yorost]

UR always has the option of playing their biggest games at the off campus Richmond Coliseum, like many of the Big East Schools. It seats 12,000.

By 'like many; you mean it would still be smaller than 7 arenas in the Big East? ...and how often do you use it for home games?

[BillEsq]

WooHoo!
Just thrilled to death that our AD started the "12 Team Debate" all over again.
While I'm pro-12 team ... let's just get the conference up & running before we worry about this,that & the other thing.

Lol i understand your concerns. Trust me guess what it feels like to be on the other side, in, out, not wanted, wanted, maybe, no, yes, he said, she said, sounds like the high school dating scene.

In reality while it might sound easy to get the thing up and rolling and then expand the reality is in order to have a manageable conference both compliance wise and logistically 12 teams is better which is why i am shocked at why they did the 10 team first then 12. Its far easier to start this league with 12 teams than it would be to start it at 10. My only guess is that they were holding out for some play for ND. Now that ND is off the table they can move on. While i don't think it makes much sense or think that ND was ever going to join the BE, i don't think pausing for a month to see what ND does is really detrimental so i can't blame them.

[Moliva]

Again, the 'Message Board Peacocking' and 'Arena Size Dissection' phases of the process have already concluded.

To summarize where we are:

The NBE will either take Saint Louis because they're playing really well with a team Rick Majerus built in a really nice Arena with a good TV market but with a seemingly disinterested School President or they won't.

The NBE will either take Dayton and their rabid, booger-eating fanbase and noted Arena and their Tire Plant and all the TV sets in the Tire Plant break rooms or they won't.

The NBE will either take VCU because their coach is the 'It Guy' and their band is enthusiastic yet crude sometimes although their 'arena' has fold out bleachers and they have to deal with State budgets and legislators or they won't.

The NBE will either take Richmond because it has only had bursts of basketball success and a dispersed, small fanbase but has lots and lots of money and geography and relationships with Georgetown and others or it won't.

Have I forgotten anyone?

[BillEsq]

I think those are your realistic candidates. However within 1 week expect to hear about every other catholic school east coast to west coast, add in possible FBS schools who may or may not be dropping football or who can place their teams in the MAC. Then add other schools that have had some recent run of success in the post-season for your flavor of the month what have you done for me lately candidates. And i think there are Canadian schools in the NCAA now... maybe we can waste a 9 page thread arguing over the merits of a school in Toronto?

[yorost]

WooHoo!
Just thrilled to death that our AD started the "12 Team Debate" all over again.
While I'm pro-12 team ... let's just get the conference up & running before we worry about this,that & the other thing.

Lol i understand your concerns. Trust me guess what it feels like to be on the other side, in, out, not wanted, wanted, maybe, no, yes, he said, she said, sounds like the high school dating scene.

In reality while it might sound easy to get the thing up and rolling and then expand the reality is in order to have a manageable conference both compliance wise and logistically 12 teams is better which is why i am shocked at why they did the 10 team first then 12. Its far easier to start this league with 12 teams than it would be to start it at 10. My only guess is that they were holding out for some play for ND. Now that ND is off the table they can move on. While i don't think it makes much sense or think that ND was ever going to join the BE, i don't think pausing for a month to see what ND does is really detrimental so i can't blame them.

I think you're just skipping some reasons for 10 teams to start.

- Home vs home gets everyone into all the gyms for a year or two. Hopefully, this helps get fans on board and feeling like a conference quicker.

- Helps establish the connection to Big East with 70% of teams being from this year's Big East and 50% being in it 30+ years. 12 off the bat makes it almost a 50/50 split, 5 (long) - 2 (Marq, DeP) - 5 new. Taking a few years at 10 can help establish all 10 as being Big East teams in the public's mind, to feel less like a new conference.

- None of the choices to 12 are that great. Short term great adds, but they all have question marks Even if 10 is rougher for bids, hopefully it helps establishes the conference on the lightest fall.

- More on that, it might give a year or two to get a better fell on the best next two for long term adds instead of hot at the moment.

- Commissioner might have a better feel. For now just get going on the easy choices and put off the more difficult ones.

Again, the 'Message Board Peacocking' and 'Arena Size Dissection' phases of the process have already concluded.

To summarize where we are:

The NBE will either take Saint Louis because they're playing really well with a team Rick Majerus built in a really nice Arena with a good TV market but with a seemingly disinterested School President or they won't.

The NBE will either take Dayton and their rabid, booger-eating fanbase and noted Arena and their Tire Plant and all the TV sets in the Tire Plant break rooms or they won't.

The NBE will either take VCU because their coach is the 'It Guy' and their band is enthusiastic yet crude sometimes although their 'arena' has fold out bleachers and they have to deal with State budgets and legislators or they won't.

The NBE will either take Richmond because it has only had bursts of basketball success and a dispersed, small fanbase but has lots and lots of money and geography and relationships with Georgetown and others or it won't.

Have I forgotten anyone?

250+ schools, most of which are just, "no."

Seriously, though, if you're going to post this every time someone 'peacocks' you're in for a long ride. This phase is over when nobody thinks expansion is coming, and even then it'll keep coming occasionally. Ignore it, you don't get to tell people what they can or cannot post just because you're sick of it or it's been beaten like a dead horse. That's why I wouldn't mind a subforum with threads dedicated to each possible team, not to discuss is all over in more detail, but to cordon it off from this main board.

[yorost]

I think those are your realistic candidates. However within 1 week expect to hear about every other catholic school east coast to west coast, add in possible FBS schools who may or may not be dropping football or who can place their teams in the MAC. Then add other schools that have had some recent run of success in the post-season for your flavor of the month what have you done for me lately candidates. And i think there are Canadian schools in the NCAA now... maybe we can waste a 9 page thread arguing over the merits of a school in Toronto?

I think the B1G should take a hard look at Toronto (...and I'm from an area rival) and McGill as long term expansion options. It would be a lot of prep and need legal changes, but the precedence is there. Simon Frasier is in the NCAA at DII, but scholarship issues with Canadian universities would cause problems in someone trying to move them to DI. Football might be able to survive in DI, if it was popular at the school, but most of their sports would have to be at 0 scholarships. Revenue programs can legally split money off to support the programs' athletes, so football could conceivably be a full scholarship program, as well as possibly basketball and lacrosse. Lacrosse seemed a lot more popular in Canada, I saw it on tv regularly at the pool place I played at.

[aughnanure]

Why can't we just add SLU and stay at 11?