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On one hand people need to quit bashing eachother's school/conference preference...on the other hand, if your only grounds for arguing is your affinity for a team, don't argue if you don't have anything more substantial.
The deal is this...
When conferences are restructured, that restructuring can be mutualistic for the programs involved, or it can be parasitic.
The Big East is the victim of the latter...they've made horrible decisions, and have also be screwed by former member schools and other conferences (BC, Miami, ACC). They are also a victim of their own ego, choosing to reject Penn State's app to join the conference, as Penn State was a football school and the Big East wanted to focus on basketball. If the Big East would have accepted PSU, each would have benefited over time. Now that narrow-minded approach is biting the Big East in the ass. Many of its own members are suing the conference. There is no continuity between the schools, their sports programs, and conference---members are ACC for some sports, Big East in others...and to recover from losing quality programs, VT, Miami and BC, the Big East chose quantity, adding 5 teams.
The opposite is true for the old SWAC schools and original Big 8 schools and the Big 12. Take a look at Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri in baseball, basketball and football. There are many other sports and Big 12 schools that have benefited, but these four are the most obvious.
How many good basketball teams do you remember Texas or Texas A&M having before the Big 12?... it's pretty obvious that, to just survive against Kansas in basketball, you have to get better, and these programs have had the fortitude to commit to that...now Texas is a power and A&M has a very-good program with a positive future. Furthermore, Baylor's recovery has been tremendous, made easier and quicker because of the strength of the Big 12.
The impact of the SWAC schools on the Big 8 in football and baseball is mutual and equivalent. Nebraska baseball (suffering recently in football), Missouri baseball, football, and Kansas football would not be where they are at without the Big 12.
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