The Rise and Fall of the Big East Conference

🏀The Big East conference was known for its dominance in basketball, with teams like Georgetown and St. John's achieving great success.

🏈The Big East faced challenges in football due to the divide between football-playing and non-football-playing members, leading to instability and realignment.

💼The addition of Miami and Virginia Tech brought football success and increased media attention to the Big East, but their departure weakened the conference.

🔄The Big East went through multiple rounds of expansion and realignment, but struggled to maintain its identity and stability.

💥The Big East eventually split into two conferences, with the non-football schools forming the new Big East Conference and the football schools forming the American Athletic Conference.

Which teams were part of the original Big East conference?

—The original Big East conference was formed by Georgetown, St. John's, Syracuse, and Providence. Other schools, such as Seton Hall, UConn, and Villanova, joined in the following years.

What led to the decline of the Big East in football?

—The divide between football-playing and non-football-playing members, as well as the departure of key football schools like Miami and Virginia Tech, contributed to the decline of the Big East in football.

What happened to the Big East after the split?

—After the split, the non-football schools formed the new Big East conference, focusing on basketball, while the football schools formed the American Athletic Conference.

Why did the Big East struggle with realignment?

—The Big East struggled with realignment due to the changing landscape of college athletics, the desire for larger media markets, and the challenges of maintaining a multi-sport conference.

Is the Big East still a relevant conference today?

—The Big East conference, now focused on basketball, has regained some of its prominence and continues to be competitive in the world of college basketball.

00:00Introduction

02:00The founding of the Big East conference

08:00Expansion and success in basketball

14:30Challenges in football and realignment

21:45The departure of key football schools

25:15Multiple rounds of expansion and realignment

30:20The split and formation of new conferences

33:45Conclusion