Villanova football invited to Big East

[BlueHen86]

When I was at UD Villanova didn't even have a football program, so I really don't care if UD and Villanova play each other or not.

When I was a kid I lived in Conn., my parents both went to UConn and my father used to take me to UConn basketball games, as a result, I am a huge UConn fan - and Big East fan. I think Villanova joining the Big East may help the conference, hence my interest.

I know that you are trying to ruffle some BlueHen feathers, but you are just making yourself look stupid. If Villanova moves up to FBS UD will just replace them on the schedule with another opponent and most UD fans won't notice or care.

93 said it right; the UD - Villanova rivalry is a forced rivalty that can be easily replaced by another school.

If anything, it was a pretty big one-way rivalry. UD fans did and do love to hate nova. nova fans are the same, the problem is, there are so few of them right now for football. The big rivalry was always UD-Temple back in the day. nova was a big game, but it paled in comparison to that game.

I recall Lehigh being the main rival back in the early 1980's.

[henfan]

Agree with the comments. VU has only been THE rivalry in recent years. We didn't play VU once during my entire 5 years at UD. Prior to that, through my high school and middle school years, THE game was absolutely Temple and Lehigh. VU was always second or third fiddle to those two.

UD-VU has developed into a rivalry recently because of the geography but, most importantly, because the teams are conference partners. On top of that, the series has featured great games. It's got nothing to do with VU fans caring about UD or, for that matter, VU FB. The game has largely been fostered by UD fans, who've traveled in droves to fill VU's stadium. If it ends, it ends. It won't be the first or last time UD loses its chief rival. On one hand, I'd lament the loss of a rival but on another, I'd love not having to go to VU's rat hole.

And while UD's position is quite secure in the CAA, UMaine is about to pick up several new rivals in Bryant, Sacred Heart and Robert Morris. On the good side, their pending NEC move couldn't possibly make UMaine's attendance any worse.

[bluehenbillk]

I concur with GF, when I grew up, Temple was the big UD rival game.

[mainejeff]

And while UD's position is quite secure in the CAA, UMaine is about to pick up several new rivals in Bryant, Sacred Heart and Robert Morris. On the good side, their pending NEC move couldn't possibly make UMaine's attendance any worse.

UMaine will most likely drop football.......ho-hum. Then they concentrate on sports that they can actually excel at.

UD is in no-man's land. No ACC or Big East invites are heading your way. And let's face it.......keeping up with JMU, ODU, and Georgia State will be very difficult........even for a cash rich school like UD. Because you actually have admission standards and an alumni base that could pass for a giant nursing home........FBS will be a VERY tough sell. Good luck!

[Big McLargehuge]

And this is why no one takes the Big East seriously.

[BlueHen86]

And this is why no one takes the Big East seriously.

You are on the wrong thread. We are discussing the Big East, not the Big Sky.

[mainejeff]

And this is why no one takes the Big East seriously.

You are on the wrong thread. We are discussing the Big East, not the Big Sky.

Hey Cal-Poly and UC-Davis will make the Big Sky a national powerhouse!

[henfan]

UMaine will most likely drop football.......ho-hum. Then they concentrate on sports that they can actually excel at.

UD is in no-man's land.

You must be kidding me. What sports not played on ice with sticks does UMaine excel at? So UMaine will have more money to spend on sports that nobody on campus even pays attention to. Congrats. That will make you and the participants proud, I'm sure. You can go to the AEC softball message board and brag about it.

UD is in "no-man's land" in the middle of the CAA's Boston to Atlanta footprint. Sounds like a real nightmare. It's nice that JMU & ODU have plans to eventually catch up with UD and will have facilities that can seat as many as the Tub. Like ODU and JMU, UD is also planning its own facility upgrades to take its stadium up to 30K. The only ones who will have trouble keeping up are those with no plans and no means of carrying them out (see UMaine).

GSU, ODU, UD & JMU are conference partners, so why would admission standards be a concern? Admission standards for athletes are not significantly different at UD than they are at JMU or ODU or GSU for MBB, FB or field hockey. The ADs at schools have never been cited by the NCAA for a "lack of institutional control", unlike our former Olympic sport conference partners from Orono.

[mainejeff]

UMaine will most likely drop football.......ho-hum. Then they concentrate on sports that they can actually excel at.

UD is in no-man's land.

You must be kidding me. What sports not played on ice with sticks does UMaine excel at? So UMaine will have more money to spend on sports that nobody on campus even pays attention to. Congrats. That will make you and the participants proud, I'm sure. You can go to the AEC softball message board and brag about it.

UD is in "no-man's land" in the middle of the CAA's Boston to Atlanta footprint. Sounds like a real nightmare. It's nice that JMU & ODU have plans to eventually catch up with UD and will have facilities that can seat as many as the Tub. Like ODU and JMU, UD is also planning its own facility upgrades to take its stadium up to 30K. The only ones who will have trouble keeping up are those with no plans and no means of carrying them out (see UMaine).

GSU, ODU, UD & JMU are conference partners, so why would admission standards be a concern? Admission standards for athletes are not significantly different at UD than they are at JMU or ODU or GSU for MBB, FB or field hockey. The ADs at schools have never been cited by the NCAA for a "lack of institutional control", unlike our former Olympic sport conference partners from Orono.

LOL........you keep telling yourself that everything is alright in Blue Hen Land. Time will prove me right.

[GannonFan]

LOL........you keep telling yourself that everything is alright in Blue Hen Land. Time will prove me right.

What have you said that will be proven right? What are you exactly predicting so that we can make sure we're clear when it does or doesn't happen. No-man's land is kinda vague.

[henfan]

Time will prove me right.

Is this anything like your prediction that CAA FB would never happen or how about the one when you suggested that America East hockey and football was on the immediate horizon? By golly, you're a regular Nostrildamus.

[BlueHen86]

And while UD's position is quite secure in the CAA, UMaine is about to pick up several new rivals in Bryant, Sacred Heart and Robert Morris. On the good side, their pending NEC move couldn't possibly make UMaine's attendance any worse.

UMaine will most likely drop football.......ho-hum. Then they concentrate on sports that they can actually excel at.

UD is in no-man's land. No ACC or Big East invites are heading your way. And let's face it.......keeping up with JMU, ODU, and Georgia State will be very difficult........even for a cash rich school like UD. Because you actually have admission standards and an alumni base that could pass for a giant nursing home........FBS will be a VERY tough sell. Good luck!

Look at the bright side, dropping football won't make Maine's program any less relevant.

[Big McLargehuge]

And this is why no one takes the Big East seriously.

You are on the wrong thread. We are discussing the Big East, not the Big Sky.

Difference being the Big Sky is a FCS conference and the Big East somehow is a BCS conference. Slight difference.

[BlueHen86]

You are on the wrong thread. We are discussing the Big East, not the Big Sky.

Difference being the Big Sky is a FCS conference and the Big East somehow is a BCS conference. Slight difference.

Agreed. One has it's teams on national TV each week, the other is the Big Sky conference.

[Big McLargehuge]

And I'm still failing to see where the Big Sky plays into this...oh yes, I'm a Griz fan and therefore I only care about Montana, right?

The fact that the Big East has a BCS auto-bid is a joke. Pitt and WVU are the only programs in the conference worth half a damn that can ever have any consistency. Adding a school with no fan base and no stadium isn't exactly a recipe for earning some respect back. Ever since the ACC raided the Big East both conferences have been on a downfall. Its a recipe for adding another Temple all over again.

[BlueHen86]

And I'm still failing to see where the Big Sky plays into this...oh yes, I'm a Griz fan and therefore I only care about Montana, right?

The fact that the Big East has a BCS auto-bid is a joke. Pitt and WVU are the only programs in the conference worth half a damn that can ever have any consistency. Adding a school with no fan base and no stadium isn't exactly a recipe for earning some respect back. Ever since the ACC raided the Big East both conferences have been on a downfall. Its a recipe for adding another Temple all over again.

The whole BCS is a joke. I agree that the Big East is lucky to have a bid, as is the ACC. That said, the Big East isn't as bad as you think. Big East teams have done pretty well in bowl games the last few seasons. Also, South Florida and UConn are young FCS programs that are improving.

My guess is that the Big East will be raided again and will no longer be a factor as a major FBS conference. Some Big East teams may end up in the Big 10, others may join the ACC and others will be screwed.

I also don't see Villanova moving up, but there is no harm in 'Nova looking at the posibilites.

[BDKJMU]

.....

[aceinthehole]

I don't know what happened to this thread (MJ and the UD fans), but I think a couple of points are easy to understand.

- This is a BCS invite, and despite 'Nova's shortcomings (attendance, enrollment, and facility) they have to look closely to see if they can pull this off.

- This move is about BASKETBALL as much as it is football. As I said before, like UCONN, this move assures 'Nova a seat at the big table in years to come.

- This is not 1985 when 'Nova was I-A. Times have changed and the revenues out there are very large, even as a last place conference memeber. Sure costs are higher too, but they revenue potential is much larger than what they can do now.

- Of course this is about perception. FCS is a rebranded version of the old "College Division" and does not have the national exposures of FBS/BCS football. This has NOTHING to do with the quality or competativeness on the field. The national exposure of being a member of a BCS conference is huge and can not be achived as a FCS team. Our brand of football is great, but very few eyeball watch it or follow it when compared to BCS teams. It really is that simple.

- The Big East is willing and wants to make this work. They will have the full support and weight of the conference to help them in the transition and early years. The only thing slightly comparable is UConn. Nova, as a smaller private school does have some disadvantages, but they have a much stronger foundation to start with than the Huskies did.

- As a CCSU fan, I could really care less what 'Nova does, but as an impartial outsider you have to think Villanova pulls out all the stops and try to make this a go. What is the worst case scenario - They can't make it after 6-10 years and drop football? With the Big East's support and blessing they have no good reason to say no. Sure, this won't be easy, but this is their window of opportunity and like it or not, it makes sense to move ahead.

[henfan]

As I said before, like UCONN, this move assures 'Nova a seat at the big table in years to come.

How so, particularly if a bigger fish swipes Pitt, WVU, Rutgers and/or UConn. They aren't going to stick around simply because VU now has a FB program.

This is not 1985 when 'Nova was I-A. Times have changed and the revenues out there are very large, even as a last place conference memeber. Sure costs are higher too, but they revenue potential is much larger than what they can do now.

VU had a I-AA start up in 1985. The potential to lose money is much greater at the FBS level, unless you can sell tickets. Only 14 of 120 FBS schools make money on FB. Many lose money, a lot of it.

[url]ttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/08/23/ncaa-revenues.ap/index.html[/url]

Nova, as a smaller private school does have some disadvantages, but they have a much stronger foundation to start with than the Huskies did.

In what regard? Please explain because the exact opposite appears to be true.

[henfan]

Nova-Temple DIDN'T draw 30k. The attendance was 15,152 less than 2 weeks ago. There isn't much market in Philly for college football.

Indeed, the official attendance for TU-VU was over 32K for their game. Temple only got 15,152 for their game with Central Michigan the following week.

[LeadBolt]

This is a great opportunity for Villanova, but at a significant risk. It is as much or more about BB as it is about FB.

The Big East needs this badly and has publicly offered a carrot, could they privately be showing a stick as well? I don't see Villanova doing anything to put their BB program at risk in the Big East.

Attendance is an important issue, but it appears that large donors are the key to funding a BCS program. Does anyone have any insight into how they feel about the possibility of writing large checks for a break even/losing program for the first couple of years or more?

I really love the CAA, but it appears it may be a fleeting conference, as much or more so than the Big East. Villanova seems to be just one of the first dominoes for both conferences. It would seem that which direction they fall will determine the direction for the next couple that fall.

It will be interesting to see how the law of unintended consequences works.

[89Hen]

Maybe I missed it, but why is this considered a basketball decision? Is there a real threat that the BE will kick out the non-football members? Notre Dame?

[State Line Liquors]

Maybe I missed it, but why is this considered a basketball decision? Is there a real threat that the BE will kick out the non-football members? Notre Dame?

If Nova considers it a decision related to basketball, then I'll take their word for it. Whatever reason they want to use is fine by me.

[BlueHen86]

As I said before, like UCONN, this move assures 'Nova a seat at the big table in years to come.

How so, particularly if a bigger fish swipes Pitt, WVU, Rutgers and/or UConn. They aren't going to stick around simply because VU now has a FB program.

Agreed. I've heard rumors regarding Pitt and/or Syracuse and/or Rutgers joining the Big 10. I also wouldn't be suprised to see UConn and/or West Virginia and/or Syracuse end up in the ACC.

[jstclmet]

How so, particularly if a bigger fish swipes Pitt, WVU, Rutgers and/or UConn. They aren't going to stick around simply because VU now has a FB program.

Agreed. I've heard rumors regarding Pitt and/or Syracuse and/or Rutgers joining the Big 10. I also wouldn't be suprised to see UConn and/or West Virginia and/or Syracuse end up in the ACC.

When that magical day arrives when there is a mass exodus from the Big East, wouldn't that provide an window of opportunity for FCS schools to enter their name in the hat as replacements. Especially, those FCS schools aspiring to be a part of the Big East. You wouldn't know of a FCS school with those ambitions, would ya???