Tom Dienhart of Yahoo! Sports picks up on this week's big story about the University of Memphis hiring a consultant to help it join a Bowl Championship Series-affiliated conference and looks at the flip side: "But does any elite conference want the Tigers?"
Dienhart talks to an unnamed Big East athletic director who seems pretty unenthusiastic about bringing in the U of M:
Dienhart talks to an unnamed Big East athletic director who seems pretty unenthusiastic about bringing in the U of M:
"If we are going to add someone, it has to be someone who is really special," said a Big East athletic director who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "You tell me - would you add Memphis?"That quote pretty much echoes John Marinatto, the Big East commissioner, in a Sports Illustrated interview that was quoted by Geoff Calkins this week:
Here's Marinatto, Tranghese's successor, in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated: "I don't think our membership has an appetite for (expansion) at this point unless it happens to be something that brings value in football. If Penn State was interested in moving back to the East, we'd be interested in that because they bring value."Dienhart's Big East AD source also shoots down the importance of adding a ninth football team for scheduling purposes, and leaves us with this kicker:
Memphis is not Penn State. You may have noticed the difference last Saturday.
"I can say that Memphis never is mentioned in any discussions we have about expanding," the Big East A.D. said. "I just never hear their name."Elsewhere, The Memphis Edge has a roundup of reaction to the Memphis/BCS story.
So they need someone "special" like maybe DePaul, Louisville, South Fla, Rutgers...baloney. Give me a break. That Big East A.D. sounds like a real ass.
So they need someone "special" like maybe DePaul, Louisville, South Fla, Rutgers...baloney. Give me a break. That Big East A.D. sounds like a real ass.
is the big east speacial enough to have fed-ex as a sponsor after losing aeropostle
Meanwhile, a number of big east brass were on the campus of Memphis TODAY, as confirmed by multiple reliable reports.
And when Dienhart's article can pass a simple fact check, it might be more convincing. The facts in question are distorted as part of making his case against Memphis.
Now, isn't that special?
Look, the only thing "special" the Big East really wants to hear is $$$. Fed Ex is $$$. They have BIG influence with the BCS and the only reason things are moving now is that Fred Smith's son will play for Memphis and he wants him to play in a major conference. Really. Also, once the see the potential expansion in the heart of SEC country for more tv coverage & recruiting, why would they resist? Neither ECU nor Central Florida can bring that. Fred Smith is laying it out on the table a potential sponshorship of the Big East Championship Vame with fen Big East teams (preferably Memphis). So, they can talk about Penn State and we can talk about SEC, but neither dream will happen.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting tired of reading comments tinged with provincialism coming from "unnamed" sources, in this case a supposed athletic director. This comment attributed to the "unnamed" source also taints the heft of Dienhart's comments, as well.
The ultimate question will be (when the time comes): What can a possible expansion school bring to the table? My guess is that $$$ will likely trump what a lot of the other candidates will be able to bring. If Dienart expects Penn State to throw its considerable hat in the ring, then he's more out of touch than his sarcastic comment suggests. Same with Notre Dame. It's enough to make me want to question whether Dienart even made the comment.
Great blog and I hate to interupt but did you guys hear about David Huff? He threw a pitch to A-rod and it was hit back and knocked him out. Check out espn for the story. Again sorry to interupt just wanted to let everybody know.
Roberto Givhan
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