Boise to the Big East, or just the next step towards the first Super Conference?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=K6XUEE6Pxhk

While trying inform myself with all the information I can about the moves being made by Boise State, the where, how’s and why’s. We can easily sum this up to Boise joining the Big East officially as a football only member in July 2013 in an effort to save million in separation cost from the MWC.

Unlike most I’m not too concerned about whether or not BYU comes to the Big East simply because Boise State and BYU have signed  long term commitments to play each other, however like many I would certainly wouldn’t mind if those games would be rolled into conference games that would open up a non-conference game slot. As I dug deep in to any and all talk of BYU to the Big East I’ve stumbled on a few not so talked about ideas and apparently ideas the Big East has been floating with those who know.

In this piece by the Washington Examiner Bill Squadron of IMG a global sports marketing firm, confirms that he has been working on the viability of a Big East super conference, that get this  encompasses 32 teams! All of the MWC, C-USA and the Big East. The idea of creating a super conference of all Super conferences that crosses 4 times zones covers the entire nation that would be broke down in to 4 Division with a divisional playoff not only makes a ton of sense to this fan but brings real creditability to its champion! You all might remember that before MWC and C-USA made their merger announcement all three conference had a meeting, ask you self why?. To what ends, certainly not to talk about which teams the Big East was going to poach from them.

I’m a suspicious person by nature, and have always taken pleasure in watching people in groups perform dances with each other to achieve what to me are simple task. BYU is an important piece to this puzzle, but BYU is fickle, now off as an independent basking in their glow of self-dome. Everyone in the world knows BYU is not Notre Dame and it may take 200 years for them to get the fan base Notre Dame currently has, so the chance that they would get a shot at a BCS bowl in the near future is slim to none.

As one BYU writer recently attempted to point out to the BYU faithful they would need not only play a very ridged schedule but would need to be unscathed while doing so and BYU hasn’t had an undefeated season in decades. So after a failed courtship with the Big 12 and no doubt BYU offers the Big 12 way more than West Virginia does, the Big 12 just wasn’t interested In doing the dance and lost interest knowing they could just pluck what they wanted from a currently weakened Big East and moved on. The Big East however very much knows they need the dance if they are to get the proper agreements with BYU, so the courtship with BYU doesn’t start with direct talks but with landing Boise State and Air force as well as SMU and Houston all very viable teams to form a strong western division to lure BYU out of its” look at me aren’t I great I’m an independent with my own network” dream and into the fold of a future beast of a super conference. This even makes more sense when you consider the choice Boise State made in the way they approved Kustra’s goals in moving to the Big East. By putting off the transfer date Boise State saves the 21 million possible exit fees if it was to play in a BCS bowl. All things being equal July 2013 is a long ways off in time consider how fast conference changes has been moving over the last 24 months.  As well up front cost may be extreme for Boise to leave for the 2012 season but when you look at the numbers they would more than make up for it with just one season in the Big East. Don’t look at the shared revenue difference which don’t appear to be much 1.5 to 3.5 look at the total revenue picture which is more like this 22 million vs 44 million and one can see it really isn’t just about the money. If Boise States goal is to get into a BCS game every year in 2012 their best chance at that wouldn’t be in the MWC but in the Big East and everyone knows that! So why save that 21 million unless it would be 21 million you never had to really part with in the first place.

I hope you are following my logic here, to me this all makes sense. First you have the MWC and C-USA merging, you need BYU to come out of hiding and get into a conference, to do that you need to dance with them and that dance is multi-faceted, you need to provide them with as local a division as possible that has strength and good competition, Boise State, Air Force, SMU, Houston and Louisville make a very strong Western Division add in BYU and I dare say there is no doubt that would be a stronger conference division then the SEC east, certainly stronger than the Pac12 south.

Once you get BYU in the mix now you can move forward with the convergence of the MWC and C-USA creating the first 32 team Super conferences when you add in the Big East Bowl tie-in’s the media package becomes enormous.

For all the heat the Big East commissioner has taken for what has happened to the Big East I’m certain he is thinking in big bold stripes and from gleaning from what we know of the activities of these three conferences I have no doubt that they all didn’t have their meeting for kicks and giggles, I mean really why would the MWC and C-USA meet with the Big East during these times of rape and pillage? If they didn’t have something to offer them. When you consider that C-USA and the MWC have already started the completion of 2/3 of this marriage how hard is it really going to be finish that last stage by adding the final 3^rd.

Time will tell for now it looks like at the very least Boise State is off to the Big East so long as the Big East can dance Air Force into the mix as we all know SMU and Houston are not an issue to join, as the talk of Boise’s courtship comes to a conclusion the noise coming from the Salt Lake media starts to increase BYU is now on the clock!