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Two-way issue given top priority for league

Thursday, July 24, 2003

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Big East Conference Commissioner Michael Tranghese said yesterday that the conference presidents will decide within two months whether the conference will remain in its current form or split into a I-A football league and a basketball league.

That issue, according to Tranghese, must be settled before any others can be considered by the embattled league, which is still reeling from the loss of members Miami and Virginia Tech to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"It needs to get done sooner rather than later because it is the first step toward figuring out what our future is and who we are," said Tranghese at a news conference at Giants Stadium. "When I say sooner, I don't think it will be made in two weeks, but it won't take two months either."

If the conference does split into separate leagues as expected, Tranghese said he will resign as commissioner because he does not want to be forced to choose between constituencies. He said he would remain commissioner of the Big East for the next two seasons, since the changes will not be implemented until 2005.

Once the conference decides whether to split, it will plan to add at least two football members to replace the departed teams. A new NCAA rule mandates that any conference seeking Division I-A football status must have at least eight I-A members by 2005.

But Tranghese said the consensus among the presidents seems to be that the Big East football league will have nine members, which would indicate it is seeking three new members.

"A nine-team league works best because of scheduling considerations. With nine teams, you get four road and four home league games every year," he said. "But we have to have all of this done by September 2004 because that is when the BCS committee will begin its renegotiations. We have to know what we are by then so that [the BCS] can evaluate us."

Currently, the Big East has only six football members scheduled to compete in the 2005 season. They are Pitt, West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, Rutgers and Connecticut. Temple will compete for the next two seasons but was voted out of the league effective in 2004.

Two additions are almost certain to be Louisville and Cincinnati. Temple could end up being the third, particularly since the Owls probably will move into a new stadium this season. Navy, East Carolina and Memphis also are being considered.

"We have not spoken to any schools," Tranghese said. "We have spoken to commissioners of certain conferences and expressed our concerns and our needs. We don't want to blindside anyone, and at the end of the day we want to make sure we do this the right way. Once we know who we want to invite, we will go to their conferences first.

"It is not like conferences are lining up to tell us to take their members, but at least they can begin planning for what may take place and will not be left to scramble like we were."

Tranghese said the most important criteria for considering new schools is academic compatibility with the rest of the league and the school's commitment and ability to play football at the highest level.

"There are no Miamis out there for us to add," Tranghese said, "but there may be some Virginia Techs. When Virginia Tech joined us, they were 2-9 and coming off probation. But look what they've become, and that's what we are hoping we can add again. A school with potential that has made the commitment and can grow into a powerhouse."

Another issue is the football television package. The conference has a deal with ABC/ESPN that runs for the next five years. But Tranghese said the networks have indicated they would like to renegotiate the deal after this season because of the recent defections. He said the conference may have some leverage depending on what happens with the basketball leagues.

He also addressed the issue of the Big East's status as a BCS conference. The current BCS contract expires after the 2005 season and the Big East, absent its top two programs, may not be considered strong enough to retain its berth.

But he is confident the conference will retain its bid because of its standing as the sixth-best conference and that it still can deliver one of the most important television markets in the country.

Ultimately, it will depend on how much the remaining teams win during the next three seasons.

"Winning delivers markets," he said. "If a team is in a great market and doesn't win, it doesn't deliver the market. We have the market but we need to win and win now. It is that simple."