Big East No More. Now Big Hybrid

So my beloved Big East for now has come off life support and truth be told as a critic of the Big East Commissioner John Marinotta he has salvaged something for now. What that something is is still evolving. As Louisville head coach Rick Petino declared after Boise St,San Diego St,Houston,Central Florida,and SMU announced partial or full entry into the league that Marinotta should get a substantial raise. Not sure the commish deserves that after he sat back and watched team after team exit but at least the league didn't just disappear. The question is now is the big east still viable and to be taken seriously? In basketball the Big east is far worse. You can't replace Syracuse and Pitt basketball no matter who you bring in. the 2 long time Big east members are leaving to riches in the ACC but Football wise the Big East is a better conference today then it was yesterday. Boise has been a growing power for  a decade now,SD State has had some great players over the years including Marshall Faulk and the Aztecs are going bowling this year. Houston almost qualified for a BCS bowl,SMU is going to a bowl and C.Florida is a decent club as well so Football wise the Big east is in a better place. If Navy joins so much the better.

However hoops wise this conference is far worse off. Also gone is Bobby Huggins and his Mounties of West Virginia a recent final 4 participant. Now while people will say and correctly that Football is the bell cow and primary bill payer of college athletics the Big East made their name and reputation on hoops. The fierce battles between Georgetown and Syracuse. The intense and riveting matchup between Nova and Pitt and other long standing rivalries will be no more and that's a loss for all fans of the Big East. So yes the conference did salvage itself for now and might add on to it but overall as a Big East fanatic today the conference is a little lesser then what it was