Memphis to Big East?

I haven't read through the entire thread, but I have to comment on a few things.

To begin with, the ECU fans I have met on these boards and others are good people and they have solid knowledge of college football. To run them down is shameful.

2nd, I think ECU is a PERFECT fit for the Big East. I feel Memphis is a PERFECT fit also. What Memphis lacks in football, they bring to the table in hoops. ECU's football program is vastly making a name for themselves. Just a point, but WVU makes a trip to ECU in the 2nd week of the season. If that doesn't speak volumes on where that program is headed, I don't know what does.

3rd, if the Big east expanded by 3 teams in football, they'd be allowed a championship game. That means more money for ALL the schools, more exposure, and almost certainly another 1 or 2 bowl tie ins. What's not to love about that? The 3 teams you ask? ECU, Memphis, and UCF.

4th- I know...."What about Notre Dame?....I say to hell with them. Drop their asses like the BCS Trophy at the Orange and Blue Spring game. The Big east should run them off. Notre Dame seems to think that ALL of their sports are elite....then I say....let's see how well you do as a TRUE independant. Seems to me they have been holding the Big East hostage....and for that matter holding Big East football back from blossoming into a MAJOR player in the BCS. Either Notre Dame committs to ALL sports to the Big East, or they go and crawl back to that hole in South Bend and hope and pray that the Big 10 might take them somehwere down the road.

This is a crucial time for the Big east. they have the opportunity to make the football conference even better than it was before the Va Tech, Miami, and Boston College took their balls and went elswhere to play. Striking while the iron is hot on Memphis and ECU should be a priority for the Big east. Adding UCF would round it out.

Just my thoughts!

 I think the conference as a whole is pretty pathetic when it comes to attendance, adding Notre Dame's 80,000 seat facility would be a step in the right direction. I bet the Big 10's top three schools combined seat more than or close to the whole Big East does for the whole year. I mean only one school averages over capacity and I'm sure most Big 10 schools average to at least capacity every game.

110,000+108,000+104,000 x 6 games= 1,932,000 total attendance.

60,400+53,170+43,633+39,881+38,205+35,000+33,315+30,246 x 6 games= 2,003,100

Pretty close and pretty pathetic for a football BCS conference. I'm saying it and I'm a Big East fan. Something needs to be done about these low attendance marks.

Note that both Rutgers and WVU both averaged above Capacity in 2007.

Also note that Rutgers is already underway in expanding their stadium to 56k, which they will in all liklihood also fill to (and over) capacity each game. Rutgers has a waiting list of over 10k people waiting to get season tickets.

Greek, I completely agree with you, except for the fact that the Big East would have to add 4 schools to get to 12 because ND is not going to join.

I, personally think thats where this is going, pushing ND in or out, and expanding te football side.  The Big East can be a serious football conference, competitively, because in the BCS world, as we've seen with Va Tech, South Florida, UConn, and even Wake Forest, you can elevate your level of play just by belonging to the group.  Memphis, ECU, and UCF all have that potential. 

Assuming ND is not an option ( I personally think they fit well in the Big Ten to get a 12 team format).

I think if the Big East went to a 12 team, conf champ format in football, they would basically grab ECU, Marshall, Memphis, UCF and let the remaining western schools of CUSA merge with other schools that are geographically more feasible.

I saw this somewhere...

Big East North
UConn
Cincinnati
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse

Big East South
West Virginia
Marshall
East Carolina
Memphis
Central Florida
South Florida

That makes sense, the sticking point though will be West Virginia;

No.1 I dont think they want Marshall,

No.2 I dont think they want to be in the South.

But the biggest problem would be that this would mean the conference splits and thats easier said than done.