If the Catholic 7 breaks from the Big East, who should be invited to join?

[Mr. Nielsen]

Dayton? Really?
For the life of me, I can't figure why some see Dayton as more attractive than Gonzaga. In every important measure - other than distance, which I don't see as being all that important - Gonzaga is better. Better team. Better national profile. Better coach. Better market (in that Gonzaga is the Catholic program in the Pacific Northwest).

Not better in term of travel. These teams would be for all sports.

[brewcity77]

Not better in term of travel. These teams would be for all sports.

Someone already did some quick calculations and the difference between traveling all sports to Dayton and Spokane is about $48,000 per year, which is less than 0.2% of Marquette's annual athletic budget. If the Zags want to come in all sports and suck up their end of travel costs, it is absolutely 100% worth it to have them over Dayton every day of the week, twice on Sundays, and four times on Leap Day.

[Earl Tatum]

I think Gonzaga would be terrific, but to far out of the way.

[Earl Tatum]

I still like Memphis, but not catholic with Gonzaga

[Groin_pull]

I still like Memphis, but not catholic with Gonzaga

Sorry, but no schools with a football team. Only exception to this: Notre Dame.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Someone already did some quick calculations and the difference between traveling all sports to Dayton and Spokane is about $48,000 per year, which is less than 0.2% of Marquette's annual athletic budget. If the Zags want to come in all sports and suck up their end of travel costs, it is absolutely 100% worth it to have them over Dayton every day of the week, twice on Sundays, and four times on Leap Day.

There is a cost in hours, productivity, etc, however.  Four hours on a plane vs 1 hour, then the return trip.  University Presidents, at least when I was in the department, do harp on how many hours \ days they are away from school. 

[Pakuni]

There is a cost in hours, productivity, etc, however.  Four hours on a plane vs 1 hour, then the return trip.  University Presidents, at least when I was in the department, do harp on how many hours \ days they are away from school. 

Kids can study and do other coursework on a plane. Heck, send a tutor along if need be.
I just have a hard time believing a few extra hours on a plane once a year really ought to be the difference between a perennial top 25/30 team like Gonzaga or a team like Dayton.
Nothing against Dayton ... but they're not Gonzaga (regardless of what UDPride happens to believe).

[Blackhat]

nm

[Blackhat]

St Mary's should only be invited if they are seriously considering Gonzaga.  Also why is nobody considering Belmont? They're traditionally really good and fit in the geography plus I'm sure they be desperate to get into this league

 one of St. Mary's, Santa Clara, and San Francisco to go with Gonzaga.

[martyconlonontherun]

I love Nashville. Sign me up

[Blackhat]

[buckchuckler]

OK, so, who are the 4 people that don't want Xavier, and why?

[mikekinsellaMVP]

I don't see Gonzaga as a viable option.  Not from our end, from theirs.  Spokane isn't Seattle -- flying in and out of there is expensive.  For them to afford 7-9 conference road games a year in this league -- not to mention for their other sports -- would be rough.  Also, we've said our guys could handle the four hour flights out west, but I don't think Gonzaga or Providence/Georgetown/Villanova/SH/SJ would be too thrilled with 12-hour round trip travel in conference.  All this would likely come at the cost of Gonzaga's current OOC scheduling philosophy.  Games against Eastern Washington, Boise St, and Idaho don't do much to bolster their non-conference resume, which is the opposite of what most of us want to see if they were to join.

[Blackhat]

Wouldn't bet against air flight becoming more efficient 25-50 years from now.     I'm talking supersonic Jumbo Super Duper Jets.

[brewcity77]

I don't see Gonzaga as a viable option.  Not from our end, from theirs.  Spokane isn't Seattle -- flying in and out of there is expensive.  For them to afford 7-9 conference road games a year in this league -- not to mention for their other sports -- would be rough.

I think this ignores one very simple fact: Gonzaga is in Spokane and a member of the West Coast Conference. Does anyone believe their soccer team is taking a bus to any of the three road games they play 876 miles away in San Francisco? Or maybe we think the baseball team is driving 764 miles to Provo for games against BYU? Or is it the rowing team, packing up the boats for their 1,325 mile drive to San Diego?

Gonzaga's sports teams already all have to fly to their road games. This is nothing new for them. Some of the trips would be a little longer, but if you batch it together it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe they make two to three significant trips per year while catching a few road games on each trip east.

Not only is Marquette making a trip to Gonzaga barely more significant than Marquette making a trip to Dayton, but it wouldn't be that big a deal for them either. You fly out on Thursday morning for a night game at Milwaukee, take a bus to Chicago for the Saturday game against DePaul, then finish that trip with a Monday game in Cincinnati against Xavier. Later in the season you make the deep east trip, again a five-day trip encompassing visits to DC for Georgetown, New York for St. John's, and Providence for the Friars. Beyond that, three road games mixed in at Creighton, St. Mary's, and St. Louis (or whomever) and your entire road schedule is done with only 2 big trips.

It's really not as big a deal as people make it out to be.

[lalumiere]

Sorry, but no schools with a football team. Only exception to this: Notre Dame.

I think the new Big East would be served well to at least consider basketball centric programs who happen to have football.  For example, Memphis, Cincinnati, Temple, and UMass could provide tremendous value with its nationally recognized basketball programs.

Prospective members who have football would certainly have to house its football programs else where because the new Big East will not sponsor football.  These members would have to compete in football as:

• an independent
• an associate member of a conference which sponsors football

[Dawson Rental]

OK, so, who are the 4 people that don't want Xavier, and why?

There's only one reason not to want Xavier and that's if you think that the league won't take Xavier and Dayton and you want Dayton instead.  BTW, I'm just giving the reason, not agreeing with it.  I voted for Xavier, but not Dayton.  I left the league at ten with Xavier, Butler and St. Louis as the adds.

[warriorchick]

Crazy Conspiracy Theory Alert:

The whole concept of the C7 is picking up steam nationwide, and the media is already throwing out terms like "powerhouse" to describe a conference that hasn't even been formed.  No fewer than a half dozen teams are suspected to be candidates for an invitation, any of which add value and cachet (unlike Tulane) to a to-be-formed conference.  Four months ago, this was a bad idea.  Today, it's the best idea since the three-point line.  Is it unreasonable to think that this wasn't foreseen six months ago?

Sure, the Big East was doomed, but could we have got to the current scenario - where the C7 is basically in control - if the Big East only lost one team a year for the next 4 years?  If a couple teams depart and a couple are added here and there, would the C7 ever be in control, or worse, might it lose what little control it had?

Just think.... would this have been possible if not for our good friends, the Domers?  Remember when Notre Dame - perhaps the most prestigious university in the Big East - announced its intent to leave?  What was the reaction from any of the C7 schools?  Where was the outrage?  Where was the, "dang it Notre Dame, you screwed us royally... again?"  Frankly, the response was pretty congenial.  Good luck, best wishes, do what's best, and the like.  Maybe that was the Catholic heritage of the C7 taking form, remembering that while we may hate our brother, he's still our brother.

Maybe, just maybe, Notre Dame has been in on this scheme all along.  Perhaps they have no intention of joining the ACC.  How do you blow up the Big East without blowing it up and make it look like an accident.  Easy --- get the least likely member of the C8 to set the first charge.  And when once the building has deteriorated to the point of being condemned, nobody will blame the other seven when they have no other choice but to simply implode the thing.  Beyond that, they'll be honored and applauded for doing so.

"You know, Notre Dame, just when I think you couldn't sink any lower, you go out and do something like this.... and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF."

You forgot the most important part:  Larry Williams, ND alum, masterminding the entire evil plan.  Mwa-ha-ha!  (rubs hands together)

[brewcity77]

I think the new Big East would be served well to at least consider basketball centric programs who happen to have football.  For example, Memphis, Cincinnati, Temple, and UMass could provide tremendous value with its nationally recognized basketball programs.

If we do, I would say there are two conditions. First, they sign on to a non-negotiable $30M exit fee that allows them to leave with one year's notice. While that seems dangerous because they can leave quickly, it should also ensure they actually pay the full amount and there won't be a long drawn-out saga over their departure.

Second, they agree to forfeiture of all NCAA shares earned while in the league as well as for 10 years after their departure, as well as sacrificing 10% of any media deal they receive in a new conference for 10 years. Which means if a conference adds them, not only do they give us additional money for years to offset their departure but their added value as a basketball program is greatly depleted.

If they want to agree to that, take them. Otherwise, I'm warming to the idea of telling all the football schools to go screw.

[Benny B]

OK, so, who are the 4 people that don't want Xavier, and why?

Just find the three Scoopers with the fattest fingers. The fourth is UDPride.

[mikekinsellaMVP]

I think this ignores one very simple fact: Gonzaga is in Spokane and a member of the West Coast Conference. Does anyone believe their soccer team is taking a bus to any of the three road games they play 876 miles away in San Francisco? Or maybe we think the baseball team is driving 764 miles to Provo for games against BYU? Or is it the rowing team, packing up the boats for their 1,325 mile drive to San Diego?

Gonzaga's sports teams already all have to fly to their road games. This is nothing new for them. Some of the trips would be a little longer, but if you batch it together it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe they make two to three significant trips per year while catching a few road games on each trip east.

Not only is Marquette making a trip to Gonzaga barely more significant than Marquette making a trip to Dayton, but it wouldn't be that big a deal for them either. You fly out on Thursday morning for a night game at Milwaukee, take a bus to Chicago for the Saturday game against DePaul, then finish that trip with a Monday game in Cincinnati against Xavier. Later in the season you make the deep east trip, again a five-day trip encompassing visits to DC for Georgetown, New York for St. John's, and Providence for the Friars. Beyond that, three road games mixed in at Creighton, St. Mary's, and St. Louis (or whomever) and your entire road schedule is done with only 2 big trips.

It's really not as big a deal as people make it out to be.

It's a bigger deal than you think.  True, they're flying already, but it's quick trips to Portland, San Fran, LA, all regional flights.  For kicks, compare the cost of a commercial ticket out of Spokane to San Diego -- their current far-flung conference affiliate -- against one from Spokane to D.C.  On average, that's a 60%-80% cost hike.  On top of that, would you want to endure a five-day, three-game, four hundred mile bus trip bookended by six-hour flights?  What are the odds they finish that swing 2-1 vs 1-2?  Same goes for the Midwest trip.  I just think at they end of the day when their president and AD look at the numbers, it'll be "Thanks, but no thanks."

[chapman]

They fly commercial?  I kind of doubt it.

[mikekinsellaMVP]

Eh, that was the "for kicks" part.  Figured it'd just be a good measuring stick.  And I lied: that was comparing D.C. to LAX, not San Diego.  Needless to say, their travel costs would spike.

[Pakuni]

It's a bigger deal than you think.  True, they're flying already, but it's quick trips to Portland, San Fran, LA, all regional flights.  For kicks, compare the cost of a commercial ticket out of Spokane to San Diego -- their current far-flung conference affiliate -- against one from Spokane to D.C.  On average, that's a 60%-80% cost hike.  On top of that, would you want to endure a five-day, three-game, four hundred mile bus trip bookended by six-hour flights?  What are the odds they finish that swing 2-1 vs 1-2?  Same goes for the Midwest trip.  I just think at they end of the day when their president and AD look at the numbers, it'll be "Thanks, but no thanks."

Spokane to LA is a regional flight?
In that case, so is St. Louis to Boston.
Because it's about the same mileage.

[Knight Commission]

OK, so, who are the 4 people that don't want Xavier, and why?

Their inferiority complex over the DiUlio departure.