ECU & Tulane to leave for 2013 instead of 2014?

          There have been rumors going around that Tulane and ECU may be willing to pay an extra fee to Conference USA in order to leave for the Big East a year earlier. This is at first did not seem to be true, however with FAU and Middle Tennessee leaving for C USA a year earlier it may make since. Currently for the 2013 season the big East will comprise of Houston, SMU, UCF, USF, UCONN, CINCY, Temple, Memphis, Louisville, and Rutgers. If East Carolina University and Tulane leave for the 2013 season they may receive a lot of early benefits.

          It has been rumored they may  both have to  pay a 1 million dollar fee to leave the conference a year earlier. It may be a steep fee and yet they are guaranteed to make that money back, and more joining a year earlier. The quality of football in Conference USA is just not there any more. ECU and Tulane would face opponents such as FAU, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, and a few other schools that will not gain the media attention that has been lost.


           The only schools that will continue to bring in crowds for ECU and Tulane are Rice, Southern Miss, Tulsa, and possibly LA Tech. Yet Southern Miss, Tulsa, and Rice have all been linked to possibly leaving C USA for the Big East in 2014.

          In all honesty the two schools should just pay the fee and move on early. They will receive more money facing some of their old opponents from Conference USA, and teams like Temple, UCONN, USF, and CINCY. As well as the possibility of competing with schools like Louisville and Rutgers for at least a year are definitely enticing possibilities.

           There has not been any ink on the dotted line yet, but this is still a possibility. As well as no one can say that Conference USA is more stable than the Big East. Especially with schools like Tulsa, Rice, and Southern Miss desperately hoping to move to the conference.

          ECU and Tulane make the right decision and leave the sinking ship a year earlier. It helps your football programs facing better talent, and old rivals. Helps with recruiting basketball talent going against teams like Uconn, Memphis, Cincy, USF, UCF, and an SMU squad coach by the legendary Larry Brown who is attracting a lot of attention. In the long term it may be a 1 million day fee each, but why wait for greener pasture later than sooner.