Gonzaga to Big East?

[BYULV]

Gonzaga would need a "rival." I highly doubt the Big East takes Gonzaga without another western team to pair them with and of the available teams (legit programs that aren't already in a P5 conference) BYU really is the best option.

St. Mary's has no fans. Sure it's in the Bay Area, but that market has Cal and Stanford taking the lion's share of eyeballs. SJSU has more fans than St. Mary's. I lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and I can probably count on two hands the number times I saw someone walking around with a St. Mary's shirt. A lot of people in the Bay Area don't even know St. Mary's exists. So, should this new Big East conference happen, no way I see them taking St. Mary's over BYU.

We might have more fans in the bay area than St. Marys.

[hawkwing]

Gonzaga would need a "rival." I highly doubt the Big East takes Gonzaga without another western team to pair them with and of the available teams (legit programs that aren't already in a P5 conference) BYU really is the best option.

St. Mary's has no fans. Sure it's in the Bay Area, but that market has Cal and Stanford taking the lion's share of eyeballs. SJSU has more fans than St. Mary's. I lived in the Bay Area for 30 years and I can probably count on two hands the number times I saw someone walking around with a St. Mary's shirt. A lot of people in the Bay Area don't even know St. Mary's exists. So, should this new Big East conference happen, no way I see them taking St. Mary's over BYU.

We might have more fans in the bay area than St. Marys.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's no might about it. We have more fans in every area of the WCC than the local team, except maybe Gonzaga. That one might be close.

[ABYUFAN]

I'm not sure that the Big East gives Gonzaga anything that the WCC doesn't - except a larger travel bill. I can't think of one time they have been unable to get into the dance because of their WCC affiliation, or were given a bad seed because of the WCC.

[mormonrasta]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/21/sport ... coast.html

Creighton's coach also recently stated that public universities weren't off the list; he then stated that his preference is for the Big East to expand to 12 teams with Gonzaga and Wichita St.

If Gonzaga leaves for the Big East, and BYU isn't in the Big 12, BYU better be all over that!

May be BYU and Gonzaga could get St. Mary's and San Diego St. involved too.

[Expanded] BIG EAST

NORTH: Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova
EAST: Georgetown, Xavier, Butler, *VCU*
MIDWEST: Depaul, Marquette, Creighton, *Wichita St.*
WEST: *Gonzaga*, *BYU*, *St. Mary's*, *San Diego St.*

OR, move Villanova to the EAST, remove VCU, and put UCONN in the NORTH

18-game schedule, with 6 games (h-h) within your division and 12 other games (1 against each other school, rotating home-away each year). To limit costs and travel, stack the schedule so that only three 2-game road trips outside of your division.

OR, add VCU, UConn, and Cincinnati or Dayton, plus two additional MIDWEST and WEST schools

NORTH: Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, *UConn*
EAST: Georgetown, Xavier, Butler, *VCU*, *Cincinnati*
MIDWEST: Depaul, Marquette, Creighton, and *Wichita/SMU/Memphis/Tulsa*
WEST: *Gonzaga*, *BYU*, *St. Mary's*, *San Diego St.*, *Pepperdine/USF/SCU*

BYU, SDSU, UConn, Cincinnati and SMU/Memphis/Tulsa would be independent in football; but could collaborate for media deals, late-season scheduling, and bowl affiliations.

Love your ideas. I'd still prefer to keep it faith based.

North: Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Nova
East: G'town, Xavier, Butler, Davidson
Midwest: DePaul, Marquette, Tulsa, Creighton
West: Gonzaga, Portland, BYU, St. Mary's

[EM_Puma]

I'm not sure that the Big East gives Gonzaga anything that the WCC doesn't - except a larger travel bill. I can't think of one time they have been unable to get into the dance because of their WCC affiliation, or were given a bad seed because of the WCC.

Well the fact that the talk was that unless they won the WCC tournament this season, their consecutive invites to the Dance would end, and even with the WCC tournament championship they only garnered a disrespectful #11 seed says it a bit differently then what you perceive.

It would seem strange to me that the Big East would pull one school from the far west. That would be an extensive travel expense for Gonzaga.

[ABYUFAN]

I'm not sure that the Big East gives Gonzaga anything that the WCC doesn't - except a larger travel bill. I can't think of one time they have been unable to get into the dance because of their WCC affiliation, or were given a bad seed because of the WCC.

Well the fact that the talk was that unless they won the WCC tournament this season, their consecutive invites to the Dance would end, and even with the WCC tournament championship they only garnered a disrespectful #11 seed says it a bit differently then what you perceive.

It would seem strange to me that the Big East would pull one school from the far west. That would be an extensive travel expense for Gonzaga.

They've received a one seed, a two seed twice and a three seed twice and a four seed while in the WCC. Yes they had a down year, but look at Syracuse - just because they went to the final four doesn't mean that they should have been in the tournament in the first place. The Zaggs were given an appropriate seed, they showed that they were a better team than their regular season reflected and in the end had a good run. It's hard to argue that just because it was possible that they wouldn't have made the tournament all the way up until the end game that they, the Zags need to dump their conference for the Big East, and the exponential growth of their travel budget. The Zags have been in the tourney 18 straight years. I don't see how the Big East helps them out.

[BlueK]

I'm not sure that the Big East gives Gonzaga anything that the WCC doesn't - except a larger travel bill. I can't think of one time they have been unable to get into the dance because of their WCC affiliation, or were given a bad seed because of the WCC.

It's not just about getting into the tournament. It's about a lot more money and more exposure on the east coast which will lead to even better recruiting. I'm pretty sure Big East TV money dwarfs the added travel expense. Gonzaga has already been pretty clear about their desire to join the Catholic schools from the Big East, and I'm assuming they've figured that into the equation. It's the BE that hasn't been able to find a reason to pull in a team from the other side of the country yet. However, there has been some recent talk in Big East markets about the possibility of expanding the league into the west. Who knows how interested their leadership is in pursuing that idea, but if they do, Gonzaga and BYU would make sense. The complicated part is deciding who else.

[1967cougar]

BYU going back to the MWC is like a dog returning to its vomit. BYU should never go back to the MWC under any circumstance.

Nailed it!

[EM_Puma]

I'm not sure that the Big East gives Gonzaga anything that the WCC doesn't - except a larger travel bill. I can't think of one time they have been unable to get into the dance because of their WCC affiliation, or were given a bad seed because of the WCC.

It's not just about getting into the tournament. It's about a lot more money and more exposure on the east coast which will lead to even better recruiting. I'm pretty sure Big East TV money dwarfs the added travel expense. Gonzaga has already been pretty clear about their desire to join the Catholic schools from the Big East, and I'm assuming they've figured that into the equation. It's the BE that hasn't been able to find a reason to pull in a team from the other side of the country yet. However, there has been some recent talk in Big East markets about the possibility of expanding the league into the west. Who knows how interested their leadership is in pursuing that idea, but if they do, Gonzaga and BYU would make sense. The complicated part is deciding who else.

Besides the teams in the WCC, is there anyone else of any consequence that are a Catholic based team?