Could this save college basketball?

The Big East was originally formed as a basketball first TV conference back in the late 70s, and got into football in the early 90s, when football season ended with a smattering of bowls and nobody really cared about finding a true national champion. Then, football became a money making powerhouse (remember, when the Big East started there were concerns about the NFL) and all other sports were relegated to second tier status. Football now supersedes all other college athletics.

The restructuring of college conferences has been entirely driven by football and the associated TV revenue. It’s to the point that there is some thought that several larger conferences might leave the NCAA to avoid sharing revenue with the lower tier teams. I hope this doesn’t happen, because like everyone, I like to see the underdog with a shot. It’s sort of lame if the underdog is Mississippi. The greater concern is that it will ruin other collegiate athletics, particularly college basketball.

Well, fortunately, there is a plan in place that might just disrupt the NCAA exodus. The 7 Catholic schools of the Big East are looking at jumping ship from the dying conference, and at the same time joining 5 other Catholic schools in a new, well, Catholic conference. This would spell the end of the Big East, but spell the beginning of a new, basketball first conference (well, after the Catholocism) featuring Marquette, Georgetown, DePaul, St. John’s, Villanova, Providence and Seton Hall, as well as new additions like Xavier, Butler, Dayton, St. Louis and Creighton. 

Notice anything? All of those schools have strong basketball traditions. A television contract could be worth several million for the schools, and an association with these schools would be profitable and lend credibility to the basketball programs of football based schools that might otherwise want to break away from the NCAA. We might continue on with a viable NCAA, even if only for the the basketball tournament. That’s OK with me.

Thanks, pope!