Sayonara, Big East Football

 

Let's not kid ourselves and claim leaving the Big East had anything to do with something other than money.  As much as the NCAA tries to claim college athletics is about STUDENT-athletes, we all know money drives college athletics.  The program that brings in the most money is football.  Be it from television deals, bowl games, concession sales, or the simple fact that in most cases four or five times the number of fans attend football games than other sports, football brings money into the universities.

When Syracuse had the opportunity to leave the Big East for the ACC it really was not a tough decision.  The Big East is and will always be a basketball conference and for most of the last five to ten years, arguably, the best basketball conference.  The power that football holds over the conferences is illustrated by the simple fact that even in non-football sports the major conferences are referred to as "BCS Conferences" which only really applies to football.  Of the major football conferences the Big East, fairly or not, has been viewed as the weak link.

If you have read any of my previous blog postings, you know that I am not convinced the ACC is that much of an upgrade over the Big East in terms of football competition.  Granted, this is a dangerous thing to say since tomorrow we could find out that next year's expected Big East never comes to fruition.  San Diego State, Houston, and Boise State certainly don't fit the geography of the Big East and they could very well find a way out of joining the conference much like TCU. 

The ACC does offer a high level of competition in all major sports (even with the loss of Maryland) and should bring more money into the university than the Big East.  Moving to the ACC was and still is a great decision.  However, with the ever changing landscape of college conferences, things could certainly change quickly.  After all Rutgers and their decade of "success" have been invited to join the Big Ten!

As a lifelong Syracuse fan and 2002 graduate, I will always have a love of the Big East.  As I type this Pittsburgh is leading Rutgers at the half and UConn is leading Louisville at the half.  These are two of the three things that would have to happen in order for the Orange to earn a share of the Big East Championship.  I can think of nothing more fitting that leaving the Big East as Champion.