Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 4:55:02 GMT -5
November 1, 2011
League going ahead with expansion plans
By Mitch Vingle
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - The Big East issued a statement Tuesday making it clear it will fight the lawsuit West Virginia University filed Monday and will attempt to keep the Mountaineers in the conference for the next 27 months.
Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the Big East intends to enforce the league's 27-month notification period and will hold WVU in the conference until July 2014.
"I quite frankly was stunned when I heard the news that they were filing a lawsuit,'' Marinatto said. "I couldn't understand under what grounds.''
While WVU hosted a press conference to announce it will join the Big 12 next season, the Big East office issued the following statement attributed to Marinatto after its annual presidents meeting in Philadelphia:
"In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia [Monday], the Presidents also discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the conference's 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave. The conference believes these claims to be wholly without merit and will explore all its legal options to protect its interests and to ensure that West Virginia lives up to its obligations."
Marinatto said the 27-month notification period also applies to Pitt and Syracuse, which left the league to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC has said it will not challenge the Big East's rules.
The Big 12, however, needs 10 teams to fulfill its television contracts in 2012 and has said it expects West Virginia to join the league next year. West Virginia's lawsuit challenges the Big East's waiting period and asks the court to speed up the school's divorce from the league.
Marinatto's statement also addressed Big East expansion.
"Our presidents voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the Big East Conference," it said. "I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the Big East. The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our conference is known for."
According to the Associated Press, a person familiar with the decision says the Big East will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference was not ready to announce which schools were extended invitations to join the Big East.
Marinatto said he expected the targeted schools to accept, but added that there are still details to work out with each institution.
"As we've learned over the last two months, don't believe anything anybody tells you," he said. "Nothing's done until it is over. So I'm obviously being very cautious and that's why I'm reluctant to say names of schools."
Boise State and Air Force, current members of the Mountain West Conference, and SMU and Houston, members of Conference USA, would be in the Big East's western division. Navy and UCF would be part of the league's eastern division and the Big East would likely play a conference championship game.
"We have not received an invitation from the Big East. However, we understand the things are moving in that direction,'' UCF spokesman Grant Heston told the AP.
The Big East is looking to add those six schools and reconfigure as a 12-team football conference since not long after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced on Sept. 18 that they would be leaving for the ACC.
TCU, which had made a commitment to join the Big East next year, backed out of that commitment after Pitt and Syracuse announced their intentions to join the ACC. TCU instead accepted an invite to the Big 12.
Temple and Memphis are also being considered for inclusion in the Big East, the person with knowledge of the league's decision told the AP.
League going ahead with expansion plans
By Mitch Vingle
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - The Big East issued a statement Tuesday making it clear it will fight the lawsuit West Virginia University filed Monday and will attempt to keep the Mountaineers in the conference for the next 27 months.
Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the Big East intends to enforce the league's 27-month notification period and will hold WVU in the conference until July 2014.
"I quite frankly was stunned when I heard the news that they were filing a lawsuit,'' Marinatto said. "I couldn't understand under what grounds.''
While WVU hosted a press conference to announce it will join the Big 12 next season, the Big East office issued the following statement attributed to Marinatto after its annual presidents meeting in Philadelphia:
"In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia [Monday], the Presidents also discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the conference's 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave. The conference believes these claims to be wholly without merit and will explore all its legal options to protect its interests and to ensure that West Virginia lives up to its obligations."
Marinatto said the 27-month notification period also applies to Pitt and Syracuse, which left the league to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC has said it will not challenge the Big East's rules.
The Big 12, however, needs 10 teams to fulfill its television contracts in 2012 and has said it expects West Virginia to join the league next year. West Virginia's lawsuit challenges the Big East's waiting period and asks the court to speed up the school's divorce from the league.
Marinatto's statement also addressed Big East expansion.
"Our presidents voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the Big East Conference," it said. "I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the Big East. The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our conference is known for."
According to the Associated Press, a person familiar with the decision says the Big East will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference was not ready to announce which schools were extended invitations to join the Big East.
Marinatto said he expected the targeted schools to accept, but added that there are still details to work out with each institution.
"As we've learned over the last two months, don't believe anything anybody tells you," he said. "Nothing's done until it is over. So I'm obviously being very cautious and that's why I'm reluctant to say names of schools."
Boise State and Air Force, current members of the Mountain West Conference, and SMU and Houston, members of Conference USA, would be in the Big East's western division. Navy and UCF would be part of the league's eastern division and the Big East would likely play a conference championship game.
"We have not received an invitation from the Big East. However, we understand the things are moving in that direction,'' UCF spokesman Grant Heston told the AP.
The Big East is looking to add those six schools and reconfigure as a 12-team football conference since not long after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced on Sept. 18 that they would be leaving for the ACC.
TCU, which had made a commitment to join the Big East next year, backed out of that commitment after Pitt and Syracuse announced their intentions to join the ACC. TCU instead accepted an invite to the Big 12.
Temple and Memphis are also being considered for inclusion in the Big East, the person with knowledge of the league's decision told the AP.
