Is Today the Day for Big East Membership?

Usually, I don't go live with rumors I hear via email, but four different sources have reported to me via email that the Big East membership vote will happen "late Wednesday/early Thursday morning" and will be announced Thursday afternoon.  At a minimum, one source reported that the news "will hit the papers Friday."

Since we've heard that membership will happen before the end of the month, I thought I would give you a heads up and let you know that today could be the day that Virginia Tech achieves an objective it has been working towards for arguably decades.  Today could be the day that Jim Weaver fulfills his primary job objective of gaining all-sports membership for Virginia Tech.  And today could be the day that the Big East conference demonstrates to Virginia Tech and Tech fans everywhere that as a conference, it can do something right and make a move to stabilize the conference and plan for the future.

Of course, today could also be the day that the conference earns the undying scorn and hatred of Hokie fans everywhere by rejecting Tech for membership.  But all indications are that won't be the case.

Keep an eye on the message board today, because if a press conference is called, the news will hit the message board first.  If the conference invitation does occur, I'll be up late Thursday night writing up any details I can find and linking to articles that you can read on Friday.

Of course, this all comes as Big East conference members are starting to wring their hands over whether or not the Miami Hurricanes will bolt to the Atlantic Coast Conference next month (see News and Notes for June 21st), a move that would prompt Hokies everywhere to queue up Alanis Morrisette's "Ironic" and play it at top volume.

Since I refuse to address this topic on the day that Tech gains entry into the Big East, I'll comment on it now.  As you can imagine, I have spent the last day or two digging for information and conversing with knowledgable people via email to try to get a grip on what's going on with the Canes and the ACC.  My information is second hand and third-hand (remember, it's not like I have the ear of any ACC athletic directors), and here's what it's telling me:

The ACC is most definitely discussing inviting the Canes in.  As a matter of fact, they're fighting over whether to expand to twelve teams or just concentrate on the Canes.  What is not clear is who the other two teams would be in a twelve-team scenario.  The Canes do appear to be the topic of discussion right now among league members, though.

As you can imagine, the topic is splitting the conference into two factions, and it's hard to get a read on whether or not the Canes will be invited.  It's also hard to get a read on whether they would accept if invited.   I have found out that the Canes are currently getting more money from the Big East football TV contract than they would in a ten-team ACC, and the basketball money is about the same, so that's a good-news item that would probably push them to stay in the Big East for the time being.

When the Big East TV contracts are renewed, though, will the money be the same?  Probably not, and it may be less.  CBS, the Big East's major network, has strengthened its commitment to the SEC in the coming years and doesn't seem very committed Big East football.

But that new contract has not been negotiated yet (I think it won't be until some time in the year 2000), and all the Canes have to go on are the current numbers, which are favorable to the Big East, especially when you factor in the Big East exit fee.

One source flat told me, "The Canes aren't going anywhere soon, and probably not ever," but the quote was second hand and means little more than Doug Doughty's "semi-reliable" sources that started this whole mess.

So there's very little there to report to you, other than the fact that the Canes are indeed being talked about by the ACC athletic directors.   Doug wasn't totally off the wall with this one, and this Canes are playing coy by not addressing the subject with the Big East.  They're smart - they're taking a wait and see approach, because you never know what will happen.

Throughout all this investigation, I have learned a heck of a lot about the ACC and its member schools, including what drives them and guides their decision-making.  I don't know everything about every school, of course, but I have learned a lot.

Part of what I have learned indicates that Virginia Tech may not be a dead issue with the ACC.  Conventional wisdom says We'll never be in the ACC, so stop thinking about it, but the fact is, there is some support there for Tech, and in the right scenario, the Hokies could actually wind up in that league.  In my own personal opinion, the Hokies are only a dark-horse ACC candidate, sure, but it's not the totally dead issue that everyone would have you believe.   That's my story, viewed through orange and maroon glasses, and I'm sticking to it.

However, let me make it perfectly clear that all else being equal, the Big East is the best place for us right now, and that's where I want to be.   The conference is working to strengthen itself, and if it succeeds, then I think that's great, and BE membership is an exciting thing, the best thing to ever to happen Virginia Tech sports.  So don't interpret this discussion of being in the ACC as my desire to be in the ACC, because that's not it.

But if the Big East ever folds or starts losing teams, as has been discussed for years now, then a 12-team ACC that includes Miami, Tech, and another team is certainly an attractive destination.  As an exercise, I'd like to sit down and crunch the numbers and factors and try to figure out if it's ever possible.   It would make an interesting article, one rooted more in fact than the radical ACC expansion scenario recently written up by Doc Ryan over at the UNC web site known as The Tar Pit.

For now, though, for today, Big East membership, and an invitation that could be announced before the end of the day, is what we should all be thinking about.  And hopefully, celebrating.

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