Catholic 7 To Retain 'Big East' Name

[asugoapps]

It looks like the Catholic 7 might take the "BIG EAST" name and part of the network deal and money with them. Where does that leave ECU and the other old Conference USA schools?

Catholic 7 To Retain 'Big East' Name
The Big East's seven departing Catholic schools are expected to start their own league next season and will keep the Big East Conference name, sources told ESPN's Brett McMurphy, Andy Katz and Dana O'Neil.

Joining the Catholic 7 schools -- DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova -- in the new "Big East" this fall will be Xavier and Butler, sources said.

Creighton has emerged as the favorite to become the 10th team, and would also join next season, according to sources.

Xavier and Butler have not formally withdrawn from the Atlantic 10. To exit the A-10 with less than a year's notice would cost each school $2 million, Katz reported.

The Catholic 7's exit from the Big East is being expedited by Fox Sports Network. The network initially contacted the seven schools and laid the groundwork for them to leave the Big East with the promise of a lucrative media-rights deal, a source said.

Fox Sports Network is expected to announce the addition of the Catholic 7/Big East basketball league Tuesday in New York as part of the network's news conference announcing the addition of Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 channels.

Fox Sports Network's deal with the Catholic 7 is expected to be worth at least $3 million annually per school, sources said.

It's unknown how much it will cost the Catholic 7 to keep the Big East name.

The departure of the Catholic 7 schools, which would officially begin their new league on July 1, also could mean Notre Dame joins the ACC this summer instead of 2014.

Sources said Notre Dame has planned on remaining in the Big East for the 2013-14 academic year as long as the Catholic 7 schools did so. However, if those schools left before then, the Fighting Irish would also look to join the ACC this summer.

If unable to join the ACC in 2013-14, the Fighting Irish would consider spending one season in the Catholic 7 league before moving to the ACC in 2014, a source said.

It's unknown if the ACC could still add Notre Dame in 2013-14. However, Louisville, which also is leaving the Big East for the ACC, must wait until 2014 because it would disrupt the ACC's football divisions and schedules, a source said. Rutgers also would not leave the Big East for the Big Ten until 2014.

Last year, Notre Dame announced it was leaving the Big East to join the ACC in all sports, but football. Big East bylaws require 27 months notice before leaving, but multiple schools have negotiated an earlier exit. In the past two years, 16 schools have left or announced they were leaving the Big East.

As it stands, Connecticut, Cincinnati and South Florida remain the only holdovers not committed to either the new "Big East" or another conference.

The loss of the Catholic 7 schools also will impact the value of the media-rights deal with ESPN, a source said.

Last week, ESPN retained the Big East's media-rights deal by matching an offer from NBC Sports Network. The Big East's deal is worth $130 million for seven years, including $10 million for the 2013-14 basketball season, sources said.

However, if the Catholic 7 schools are not in the Big East in 2013-14, that $10 million amount would be reduced. The remainder of the deal -- $20 million annually from 2014-2020 -- was not dependent on the Catholic 7's membership and would not change, sources said.

The Big East's presidents still must vote and approve on the media-rights deal. The Big East's presidents and athletic directors meet Friday beginning at 11 a.m. in Atlanta.

It remains unknown which league -- the Catholic 7 or the remaining Big East schools -- would hold its basketball tournament in Madison Square Garden.

Once the Catholic 7 split is official, the new league will use a search firm to find a commissioner, a source said. The new league also expects to play 18 league games in its inaugural season.

While Butler, Xavier and, most likely, Creighton are expected to join the new Big East this fall, the Catholic 7 schools are also expected to add Dayton and St. Louis in 2014 for a 12-team league.

Even though the Big East will have to change conference names this fall, the football league will still remain an automatic qualifying BCS conference in 2013 -- the last year of the BCS -- and its champion will receive a berth to one of the BCS bowls

[AppfaninCAALand]

VCU is to basketball what ECU is to football, switch to a better league and watch all the good teams leaves - poor bastards.

[bcoach]

This is stupid. How do you leave a league and take the name with you. What you have really done is kick the other schools out of the league. How do you let that happen?

[AppGrad78]

This is stupid. How do you leave a league and take the name with you. What you have really done is kick the other schools out of the league. How do you let that happen?

As with everything else in college sports, it's about money. The Catholic 7 will purchase the Big East name from the remaining football-playing schools. ESPN has a hand in this, as well.

[1ASU78]

"ESPN has a hand in this, as well."

and there is hitting the nail on the head. ESPN controls sports with cash. Its disgusting how colleges / conferences have had to sell their souls to the ESPN devil. Well....... with the exception of the
Socon, Imamoron can't even sell the conf. to the devil.


0

[appstategrad2008]

Just when, after years of trying, ECU thought they had finally joined the Big East...

[appst89]

This is stupid. How do you leave a league and take the name with you. What you have really done is kick the other schools out of the league. How do you let that happen?

As with everything else in college sports, it's about money. The Catholic 7 will purchase the Big East name from the remaining football-playing schools. ESPN has a hand in this, as well.

I actually read that Fox Sports was the impetus behind them moving so quickly. Fox is going to have the TV deal with the Catholic 7. I believe the article said just over $3 million per school per year.

[sixtoes9134]

So the basketball deal at 3mm is better than the football deal at 2.5mm that the remaining football (Big Whatever) are getting?

Wowsers.

I guess the football schools truly will be the Big Least

[bcoach]

This is stupid. How do you leave a league and take the name with you. What you have really done is kick the other schools out of the league. How do you let that happen?

As with everything else in college sports, it's about money. The Catholic 7 will purchase the Big East name from the remaining football-playing schools. ESPN has a hand in this, as well.

Yes but the other schools have to be willing to sell so how do you let that happen? How do you sell your brand?

[bcoach]

"ESPN has a hand in this, as well."

and there is hitting the nail on the head. ESPN controls sports with cash. Its disgusting how colleges / conferences have had to sell their souls to the ESPN devil. Well....... with the exception of the
Socon, Imamoron can't even sell the conf. to the devil.


0

Kinda like us playing Michigan again.

[appst89]

This is stupid. How do you leave a league and take the name with you. What you have really done is kick the other schools out of the league. How do you let that happen?

As with everything else in college sports, it's about money. The Catholic 7 will purchase the Big East name from the remaining football-playing schools. ESPN has a hand in this, as well.

Yes but the other schools have to be willing to sell so how do you let that happen? How do you sell your brand?

I believe those schools were the ones who came up with the name Big East. It was a basketball legaue for many years before it started sponsoring football. I can't find the article right now, but I read somewhere that the name belongs to them.

[MAD Doctor]

So the Catholic 7 retains "Big East." The remaining football schools should retain CUSA (2.0) since that is who they are. The current CUSA could then rehash the "Metro Conference," since they care about large sized markets, not successful programs.

[Maddog1956]

Yes but the other schools have to be willing to sell so how do you let that happen? How do you sell your brand?

I guess the schools leaving still had voting rights, maybe they just had to votes to get the name anyway. It's hard to tell since they had so many teams coming in/going out. In the end I guess they thought that it was in their favor to move on and spend the season on the court (and field) instead of in it.

Plus the brand has lost a lot. It's kind of like the ACC unless it one of the old rivals UNC/Duke/State almost know cares unless they're in the top 5/10. Football is a little more important but not much.

I get your point, it is a shock.

[BeauFoster]

How does all this affect the remaining former-Big-East schools? Do they have enough members to meet the NCAA criteria for being a conference - number of years together, etc? Could this dump several programs back onto the market and muddy the expansion waters yet again?

[JTApps1]

The Cathloics getting the Big East name is best for both groups. When you hear Big East mentioned quality football isn't exactly the first thing you think of. The football schools should name their conference the Big America since they are all former members of both conferences.

[Kgfish]

The Big East was a made for TV basketball conference in the early 80's that added football as the years went by. The league is essentially returning to its roots. With UNCC, Butler, Dayton, St Louis and Xavier leaving the A-10 a JMU friend in Richmond says the scuttlebutt there is VCU and Richmond is considering going back to the CAA. Would not be surprised to see George Washington may make that move as well.

[hapapp]

Of course, the A-10 is likely going to go after some of the existing CAA teams like GMU or Drexel. A number of JMU fans are fearful that the CAA may be coming apart.

[Goapps15]

Of course, the A-10 is likely going to go after some of the existing CAA teams like GMU or Drexel. A number of JMU fans are fearful that the CAA may be coming apart.

Either the CAA or A-10 will be gone. It will likely be a merger for the most part. There could be a few teams that go elsewhere but for the most part those two conferences will join forces.