http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spo...premature.html
Sources: Reports UCF is headed to the Big East are premature
Athletic Department, Conference USA, UCF Football — posted by Iliana Limón on June, 17 2010 10:03 AM
Multiple sources have told the Orlando Sentinel reports that UCF might be heading to the Big East as early as next week are premature.
While technically not inaccurate — we all could win the lottery next week — the reports imply a UCF move to the Big East is a done deal. We’re not there yet.
As I reported extensively yesterday, UCF is in excellent shape for a potential move to the Big East. However, I have been told Big East officials haven’t committed to preemptive expansion yet to secure the conference’s future if it ends up getting raided by other leagues. The issue will be discussed today during a teleconference by league officials. UCF may end up with a conditional invitation, meaning the Knights would be one of the top choices if and when the Big Ten or another league actually raids the Big East. It would mean no change in the short term for the Knights. The Big Ten could wait as much as 12 months to make its final decisions on expansion, potentially dipping into the Big East or another league that would refill its ranks from the Big East.
The situation remains fluid, and much could change in the next 24 hours. UCF could fall from its perch as one of the top expansion candidates or Big East officials could end up putting zero conditions on a potential UCF invitation.
It’s worth noting the only people reporting potential major changes in the Big East are in Orlando. Media outlets that cover the Big East year-around and have some of the best sources on the league’s decisions have not reported the conference is on the verge of such a big decision. The Memphis Tigers are widely considered to be another strong Big East expansion candidate. The Memphis Commercial Appeal and other Memphis-based media outlets have yet to do more than repeat the WKMG-Channel 6 report stating Sports Director David Pingalore was told a UCF invitation “is highly likely.” A Tampa radio station briefly reported Wednesday afternoon UCF to the Big East was a done deal before back-tracking, stating the invitation would depend on Rutgers or another school leaving the Big East.
The Big East is one of many groups that feels safer today thanks to the Big 12’s ability to survive the last raid. Big East Commissioner John Marinatto told AOL Fanhouse’s Brett McMurphy he sent 10 red roses and 10 white roses to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe with a card that read, “Unity.”
“The color combination signifies unity and 10 — rather than a dozen — represented their new membership number,” Marinatto told FanHouse Wednesday.
It’s safe to say the Big 12’s near demise got the Big East’s attention. However, the Big East’s big problem remains that it is a 16-team basketball conference and an eight-team football conference. The basketball schools feel like they can’t get any bigger without hurting their ability to win a national championship, and the football schools desperately want at least one more program for scheduling purposes.
McMurphy also posted a response to the UCF to the Big East rumors on his Twitter account. He wrote on Wednesday, “Soon, as in, not until Big Ten takes a Big East team RT @BigDogwdae: Coming soon?? UCF & Memphis to Big East? Rutgers going where”
And McMurphy just posted another Twitter update today stating, “Big East commish tells FanHouse reports of UCF/Memphis to Big East by Orlando TV station are `not true.’”
Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich, a close friend of UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble, told the Louisville Courier-Journal the Big East was a big winner after the Big 12 avoided implosion during the past week.
“The Big East is what we would love to see stay together, because we fit here,” Jurich told the newspaper. “As long as we can continue to go forward and look at how we can continue to improve ourselves, I think that’s the most important thing that we can focus in on right now.”
Does that mean adding teams now to protect the Big East’s future? Jurich didn’t say and it’s too soon to assume the Big East has already made that decision.