Maybe you didn't notice,
but the Southern Conference did something fairly significant recently.
It expanded.
With its announcement
March 15 that Samford was enlisting, the SoCon moved its membership to
12. And if you believe the words of new league commissioner John
Iamarino, it might not be finished.
In case you're wondering
about the relevance of Southern Conference expansion, the move is a
clear indication that reshuffling is still a percolating topic among
league commissioners and school presidents. Just what that means for
East Carolina's future remains to be seen.
What's for certain is that
ECU can't place all of its chips on an immediate Big East invitation,
much like it did in 2003. Doing so would make Conference USA the only
fallback option, and East Carolina is in no financial position to resign
itself to an either-or scenario.
Not that C-USA is a bad
fit competitively seriously, name one sport in which the Pirates have
been dominant but other factors hardly mesh with ECU's culture or
mission. If you think otherwise, consider East Carolina's lack of league
rivals, along with the unwieldy travel demands and poor fan support in
most C-USA venues.
(Trust me, the atmosphere
at Rice, Southern Methodist, Tulane, and UAB rivals a lecture on ancient
Egyptian cabinetry.)
That's why briefly
returning its football program to Independent status is one scenario
East Carolina should strongly consider. Though it likely isn't practical
over the long haul, it could be a workable solution for the next few
years.
AD Terry Holland's current
scheduling strategy makes that possible, if not more appealing than
C-USA. Granted, locking in dates with other desirable opponents is no
easy feat, but with Holland's rolodex and reputation it's hardly
impossible.
Among the drawbacks
packaged with that scenario are the lack of guaranteed bowl and
television partners. But with a healthy lineup of nationally recognized
opponents, the Pirates should have no problem securing TV dates or
postseason bids if their results prove worthy.
No doubt the biggest
hurdle is finding a conference home for all other sports, one that makes
sense both competitively and geographically. Though a return to the
Colonial might be most desirable, membership in the Southern Conference
or Big South is more likely given ECU's previous exodus from the CAA.
Such a move would make a
transition from an Independent to the Big East in football seamless.
But if the latter never
occurred, ECU could find itself in a scheduling quandary down the road.
Though building a 12-game schedule might be doable over a two-three year
period, doing so indefinitely is too much to expect for anyone not named
Notre Dame, Army, or Navy.
Of course, all of this is
moot if ECU is extended a football-only invitation to the Big East
sometime in the near future. But given the current climate, ECU would be
making too big a gamble if there were no Plan B in the fold.
There is absolutely no
indication that the Big East is itching to add to its eight-school
football roster, especially after the breakout season it enjoyed last
fall. Until the non-conference scheduling challenges catch up with
league members, school presidents could be reluctant to add another seat
to the table.
At best, a temporary shift
back to an Independent in football is an imperfect scenario filled with
unknowns. But there is no question that there are some very attractive
advantages in doing so, and each one of those contributes favorably to
ECU's bottom line.
A major reduction in
travel expenses among all sports along with more attractive schedules
with which fans can identify would fatten the coffers. That goes without
mentioning the increased media exposure ECU would enjoy in both regional
and national circles.
As long as East Carolina
has a fallback conference if the Big East doesn't eventually call be
it a current league or a newly created one it would be tough to
question a short return to Independent status.
Regardless of what the
future holds for East Carolina, history has proven that it can survive
on the football landscape in almost any scenario. It did so first as a
Division I-A Independent and later as member of a conference with
limited BCS access.
Most recently, ECU's
flagship sport has shown it can overcome a period of poor leadership and
shortsighted vision. With those handicaps out of the way, there is
comfort in knowing that both short-term and long-range scenarios are
likely under serious and thoughtful evaluation.
And a brief return to
Independent status is worthy of investigation. At the very least, it
offers a higher financial ceiling than C-USA.
