If there were a split

If the BE were to split and add a 9th team who would it be?

The Candidates

Central Florida
FB: 2007 Record 10-4 (7-1 CUSA Champs)
BBall: 16-15 (9-7 CUSA)
Market: Orlando 2.7 million

They have potential in FB. But would having both UCF and USF in the BE prevent both programs from becoming Top 25 caliber? Also what happens with recruiting in Florida? UCF being a BCS team will hurt USF. But will it also hurt the other BE teams? UCF will steal some recruits they were not able to get before. But having UCF will make the other BE teams more attractive for recruits vs other conf teams. So is there a net gain or loss? BBall UCF adds nothing. However they do add a good media market and help Bowl tie ins.

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East Carolina
FB: 8-5 (6-2)
BBall: 5-11 (11-19 CUSA)
Market: Greenville 175K

They too have potential in FB but are a mess in BBall. They add only a small market. They have a history in FB with several BE teams.

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Memphis
FB: 7-6 (6-2)
BBall: 38-2 (16-0 CUSA Champs, lost Title game)
Market: Memphis 1.25 million

FB they dont add a whole lot, but could bring in a Bowl tie in. They have a decent market. But the real draw is the BBall team. The split will cause a void on the BBall side and Memphis would help fill that. This could be important for SU and UConn. Memphis has a relationship with UC and UL which helps their case. And finally USF wants anyone but UCF. So at least 5 teams look to be pro Memphis.

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Temple
FB: 4-8 (4-4 MAC)
BBall: 21-13 (11-5 A10)
Market: Philly 5.8 million

In FB Temple is the least attractive. And the BE just kicked Temple out. Adding them back makes the BE look foolish. However from a market perspective they are the most attractive. Losing cities in BBall like NYC, Philly, DC would hurt TV $. Keeping Philly would help a lot. The BBall team has a good tradition and will help with the loss from the split. Location wise Temple makes the most sense as they are a short trip. Money wise Temple has the least to pump into its programs.