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A massive WTF moment appears to have legs.
The Tigers would join the Big East with three other Conference USA members – Houston, SMU and UCF – for the 2013-14 school year. The Big East also will add Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members in 2013 and Navy in 2015.
When contacted by CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish about the move to the Big East, Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson declined comment. An official announcement of the Tigers' move to the Big East could be made as early as this week, sources said.
From a pure Football perspective this is a terrible idea. Memphis has had very little in the way of success on the Football field. Even relative to UC's record before entering the Big East the Tiger's resume is terrible. No bowl games prior to the 1971 Pasadena Bowl against San Jose State. After that it was another 32 years before the Tigers made a bowl. They haven't won a conference title in Football since that 1971 season, and they won the Missouri Valley with a 5-6 record. In short they bring nothing to the table for the only sport that matters in expansion.
The only two things that Memphis has is a historically strong Basketball program and the fact that it is located in the number 48 television market in the country. That will matter in the negotiations for the next TV deal for the conference. But again the Tigers aren't going to help with Football at all.
So we should all go ahead and thank Fred Smith for buying Big East membership for the Memphis Tigers. I hope the fiscal blowjob that John Marinatto just got was worth it.