Top 15 Things The Big East Should Do To Keep SU And Not Become Extinct

I will admit up front, I am pro-Big East. I do not want to see them fall apart. I do not want to see Syracuse end up in the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC or whatever other conference they may get rumored to join this week. I do however think that a majority of the issue could be resolved if the Big East would be proactive and stop letting people attack them without a fight. Here are the 15 things I think would help make the Big East more relevant and in some cases, appeal more to the Syracuse folks. Yes some are for my own cheap amusement but some I think are steps they need to explore.

Top 15 Things The Big East Should Do To Keep SU And Not Become Extinct

15. Split football into two divisions and have a Big East Football Championship Game either in a neutral city or rotating cities among Big East home towns.

14. Paint the field for the championship game orange.

13. Allow the athletes to be paid whatever compensation someone is willing to pay them.

12. Make the games more interactive by showing tweets at the bottom of the screen that use the hashtag #BigEastFootball and maybe have the announcers comment on them occasionally.

11. Rename New York City "South Syracuse" since it will appeal to SU administration and some of the so-called experts thinks its a home field advantage already. This will help ensure we get more "Syracuse" recruits.

10. Sell the naming rights for the Big East to the highest bidder. The Pizza Hut Supreme East? The Big Nike?

9. Offer Dr. Gross and Dr. Cantor executive jobs for life working for the Big East including a house in every Big East city loaded with Dome Dogs, Otto's snacks, and Cristal (and a few Labatt's Blue). Also rename all post season tournaments The Dr Daryl Gross Invitational.

8. Get Matt Park to do the weekly televised football game of the week along with Jim Brown and some of the Citrus TV students to help out in studio and on sidelines.

7. Night games will feature a strip show at halftime.

6. Make either Jim Boeheim or Coach Mac the Big East commissioner in waiting.

5. Tell Villanova they have 3 years to develop their football program into a BCS level contender and tell Georgetown, Seton Hall, and St. Johns to explore their options now or be left out when the league gets better.

4. Make Notre Dame a lucrative offer to join the football conference and inform them that if they turn it down, take all other sports with them on their way out the door.

3. Reach out to the military academies and make all three an offer to join (Army, Navy and Air Force). Getting all three will boost their rivalry games and make it a part of the Big East tradition as well as offer competitive games.

2. If you thought 3&4 would help, I am also going to include further EXPANSION ideas such as teams like ECU, UNC-Charlotte, Boise State, and maybe a Texas school or any other credible teams either developing their programs or with reputable names to join within the next 2-3 years. If it takes big money and the team is on the right track, spend it and it will pay off later when the Big East not only still exists but is a factor in college football again.

1. Explore the possibility of signing on with a network that already has major cable/satellite distribution and make that your premiere network instead of investing in the Big East channel. It will be cheaper and this rate, you will just need to maybe help get them more exposure, especially if its someone like SNY who has a good regional network but needs help getting a better deal with more cable and satellite companies. Many of these ideas may cost a lot of money but it's better to find avenues to get the money now than lose money later when teams leave and you are a step away from being a Division III conference.