Quote:
Originally Posted by Ksyrup
Particularly when Villanova appears to be what pushed Pitt and Syracuse out of the Big East.
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I actually wouldn't blame Villanova for that individually so much as all the basketball schools collectively. I think a nuance that the Toddzilla pasted Pitt post missed is how the football schools interpreted the basketball schools pushing Villanova as mandatory for any further football expansion. Villanova would merely be a way for the basketball schools to maintain a voting majority. They'd essentially be a basketball school in football school's clothing as they'd still vote right along with Providence and the others. Adding TCU made it so there will be 9 football votes and 10 basketball votes. That's all it was really about.
It also meant Big East football was probably never going to expand to even 12. The basketball schools just wouldn't take the stability concerns seriously and do anything to try to strengthen the Big East's position. Marinotto basically hung a "Raid me!" sign on the conference last summer.