However, there will be a Big East. And it looks as if the conference is headed for a deal with the NBC Sports Network. Money aside (and it ain?t great), the conference would do well to follow the lead of the NHL, and become the main college game in town on NBCSN. The full-court (ice?) special treatment has helped hockey, and it could do the same for the Big East.
Former Boston Globe reporter Mark Blaudschun, now writing for his own blog ajerseyguy.com, does an excellent breakdown of things broke down for the Big East and where it goes from here.
Blaudschun assigns the blame for the conference passing up a mega-deal with ESPN:
Marinatto?s moves were dictated by the Presidents, particularly those at Pittsburgh and Georgetown, who were his prime backers when he was selected to replace former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. Both argued strongly that the ESPN offer could be and would be topped by outlets such as NBC and Fox, who were desperate for programming.
The theory was that since the Big East was the only available BCS league without a long-term television deal, it would be a seller?s market. The Big East was the only game in time. That was the argument Marinatto was using, even though his inclination was to take the ESPN deal and run and run with it.
Throw in West Virginia, Rutgers and Notre Dame as other conspirators in the move away from ESPN and you have the ring leaders. Add former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue who was a consultant also arguing that expanding to other networks and other parts of the country were better and you have the major players pulling the strings behind the curtain.
But it gets better. Consider the schools that were yelling the loudest to turn down a deal which would have given each school approximately 13 million per year, which was 10 million more per year than the current Big East football contract, which has one year remaining.
Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Rutgers and Notre Dame. All have left or leaving the Big East.
As for the future, Blaudschun writes:
So next year look for Big Monday to be on NBC cable. Look for the Big East tournament to be on NBC and NBC cable. Prime time exposure with prime time teams, a great starting point for a new network needing exposure.
In two years, when the Catholic 7 leave and Rutgers and Louisville head to the Big Ten and ACC, the football deal will kick in.
Look for NBC cable having a Big East game of the Week each Saturday. Look for prime time non-conference games such as a UConn-Michigan showing up on the main NBC network when Notre Dame is not playing at home.
Look for promotion and more promotion.
But what about the money? Or lack of it. At first, it will be very low. But it?s not a long-term deal. There will be ?look in?s? clauses every couple of years. If takes off, the deal will be re-done for more money.
This could really work..
The Catholic 7?again led by Georgetown?will take their balls and sign a long-term deal with Fox to start their own 10 or 12 team play group, beginning in the fall of 2014. Maybe they will invite Xavier, Butler, St. Louis, Dayton, Creighton, VCU or Richmond or any combination that brings the total to 12.
The current Big East will emerge as a 10 team football league without a true dominant Top 10 contender on a consistent basis. It will be part of the non-BCS pack.
But it will have potential to get bigger and better. And it will have NBC promoting and cross promoting.
Source: http://www.shermanreport.com/nbc-sports-network-best-bet-for-big-east/
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