I enjoyed my time in Greenville, NC too, but that doesn't mean I think they belong in the Big East:
While he's back at East Carolina, [USF coach Skip Holtz] did a great radio interview with Pirate Radio 1250, which you can listen to here. He was asked about the potential for Big East expansion in football, and here's what he had to say:
"I think it's going to be really interesting. We're going to learn an awful lot Sunday when we go to the conference meetings (in Ponte Vedra). We'll sit down for three days and that will be a big part of discussions. I think the thing we have to continue to look at as the Big East is what do we need to do to strengthen our program, strengthen our league. There's been a lot of talk about do you go from nine to 10, which I don't know how much sense that really makes, when the Big Ten left the model of 10, the Pac-10 has left the model of 10. Both of them more or less said 'This model doesn't work. Let's go to 12.' I think we have to look hard at it. Having TCU come into the league will add an awful lot of instant energy when you look at the success they've had right now as a program. It gives you a balanced schedule with four (home) and four (road). I think we need to look hard at going to 12. Is that where we're going? Are we going to 12? And if we're going to 12 and we're going to add three, then I would love to see East Carolina as one of the additions in this league. I have fond memories of East Carolina and my time here in Greenville. I look at their fanbase and their following and the support they have here, and being located here in the Carolinas, I think East Carolina can pick up and really grow into the program Virginia Tech has become, with the opportunity to be in a (league) like the Big East. It's one of the things I'd love to see happen. It's going to be really interesting to see how this is going to play out here over the next couple of months, but I think it's definitely something the Big East needs to look at and consider."
via www.tampabay.com
Comments:
- As soon as ECU joined C-USA (and even before) the boosters started yapping about joining the Big East (and ACC). Ridiculous, IMHO (and I had season tickets to football and basketball).
- ECU has an awesome football atmosphere and baseball is always competitive. But, basketball can't even compete in C-USA. Do you really want to go ofer in the conference every year?
- ECU has always wanted to be VaTech.
- 10 football schools in a conference -- ludicrous!
- The biggest thing that bugs me is that ECU's primary color is purple, but the uniforms now look more blue than anything.
- The hope around Boone is that C-USA loses some schools and Appstate moves up from I-AA to fill the C-USA void (more likely Sun Belt teams move up and Appstate joins the Belt -- and then visiting teams find that there is more snow than sun in Boone).
- If there was anything decent on TV tonight (after 60 Minutes -- whoa, did you see the Hamilton interview [I agree, with the Armstrong camp, that guy is only motivated by profit /sarc)]), env-econ readers wouldn't need to delete all these posts!
Hat tip: Dr. Bo who says "Sounds good. That would take the league up to 151 schools playing basketball."
