Navy looking for a conference home?

[EvilVodka]

http://www.examiner.com/a-881765~Navy_mulls_potential_conference_move.html

I could see them joining Conference USA...I think awhile back, they were interested in starting a conference with Rice, Tulsa, and SMU because they are private schools with similar academic missions

[JamesHowell]

The likelihood is that Navy and Army each play two home and two away games against Big East opponents together becoming the defacto ninth team for the Big East. A deal would likely make both eligible for all Big East bowls except the BCS autobid. It would fix the Big East scheduling problems and still allow eight non-conference games for Army and Navy.

[GatorGrad]

This would be good to see...

[buckeyejim]

This is MY opinion so take it for what it's worth. I don't think a conference should ever make concessions with a school. Either you're all the way in a conference or not at all. The only exceptions would be if a conference does not sponsor a particular sport (ice hockey comes to mind) so then a school could align with another conference but just under that case. I don't think Notre Dame should be an independent in football and still compete in the Big East for all other sports. I felt the same when Miami was in the Big East and their baseball team played as an Independent. If Army and Navy are not full-time Big East members then they should not play ANY Big East conference games (much less a partial schedule). Same with Temple who are ONLY MAC football members but not for any other sports.

[EvilVodka]

This is MY opinion so take it for what it's worth. I don't think a conference should ever make concessions with a school. Either you're all the way in a conference or not at all. The only exceptions would be if a conference does not sponsor a particular sport (ice hockey comes to mind) so then a school could align with another conference but just under that case. I don't think Notre Dame should be an independent in football and still compete in the Big East for all other sports. I felt the same when Miami was in the Big East and their baseball team played as an Independent. If Army and Navy are not full-time Big East members then they should not play ANY Big East conference games (much less a partial schedule). Same with Temple who are ONLY MAC football members but not for any other sports.

Agreed...all sports is the way to go...I know Big East fans cringe at the thought of getting passed over by a bowl for Notre Dame...

[Akahikea]

The MAC would be a good choice for them I think. Unless Western Kentucky is joining? I see lots of MAC schedules with WKU on them, and they have 13 right now. Navy scheduled a few of them anyway. That would be good level competition for them. They might take some lumps, but maybe the Big East wouldn't be the worst people for them. Got a few bottom dwellers in there too. Makes the most sense geographically if the MAC doesn't work. CUSA would have to raid the Sun Belt to get 14...the odd number is a killer for scheduling, which explains the MAC this season.

[buckeyejim]

The MAC would be a good choice for them I think. Unless Western Kentucky is joining? I see lots of MAC schedules with WKU on them, and they have 13 right now. Navy scheduled a few of them anyway. That would be good level competition for them. They might take some lumps, but maybe the Big East wouldn't be the worst people for them. Got a few bottom dwellers in there too. Makes the most sense geographically if the MAC doesn't work. CUSA would have to raid the Sun Belt to get 14...the odd number is a killer for scheduling, which explains the MAC this season.

Western Kentucky is in a transition situation right now and will compete for the Sun Belt title in 2009.

[EvilVodka]

The MAC would be a good choice for them I think. Unless Western Kentucky is joining? I see lots of MAC schedules with WKU on them, and they have 13 right now. Navy scheduled a few of them anyway. That would be good level competition for them. They might take some lumps, but maybe the Big East wouldn't be the worst people for them. Got a few bottom dwellers in there too. Makes the most sense geographically if the MAC doesn't work. CUSA would have to raid the Sun Belt to get 14...the odd number is a killer for scheduling, which explains the MAC this season.

JMO, but the way Navy has been playing, I think they'd roll over the MAC..also, Navy is a national program...geographically, the MAC would work, but I don't think Navy is necessarily constrained by geography...

Army was in C-USA for awhile, but left...so I'm not sure if conference affliation would work for Navy

Here's a couple articles about Army leaving C-USA:

http://www.usma.edu/PublicAffairs/PV/030711/ConferencefUSA.htm (http://www.usma.edu/PublicAffairs/PV/030711/ConferencefUSA.htm)

Anyways, if I'm the C-USA commissioner, I'd like Navy to join...and then I'd like to take a stab at adding Boise State to go to 14 :cool:

[Yoda]

"All or nothing" arguments aside, wouldn't Navy be just about the best choice out there for a football only membership in the Big East? If I'm Navy, then I'm saying "all or nothing" to the Big East as far as football goes. Why be a qualified, partly bowl eligible, de facto football member with Army when you could be a fully qualified, entirely bowl eligible, de jur football member without Army?

Of course, I guess they would have to leave an out, should ND decide that they will join the conference for football too -- and perhaps that is what is driving the partial thing. But still, if I'm Navy, I'm not compromising.

Yoda out...

[JamesHowell]

> If I'm Navy, then I'm saying "all or nothing" to the Big East

Navy doesn't want al all or nothing - they need more than four non-conference games since AFA, Army, and Notre Dame eat four of the spots.

Plus, on the Big East side, they would want the Army-Navy game to bear a Big East logo.