Oct. 20, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - An official invite from the Big East has yet to come for UCF, but Athletics Director Keith Tribble said Thursday night that talks with those in the league and surrounding college football's ever-changing dynamics continue on a daily basis.
UCF president Dr. John Hitt and Tribble met with Big East officials in Cincinnati last Thursday to pitch the positives of the school and the athletics program. UCF has been given no timetable on when a potential invitation to the Big East could come, so for now the school is forced to play the waiting game. Not that the Knights are sitting idly by by any stretch of the imagination, Tribble said.
``It's more like a political campaign in that you are talking to everybody and everybody is talking to you. From every different side of the equation whether it's conference commissioners or athletic directors and TV people, there are a lot of moving parts in this,'' Tribble said. ``At some point it will all stop and we'll move forward. But until that happens we have to be on top of all of it and be in conversations with anybody and everybody who has some knowledge of the situation.''
UCF is closely monitoring the status of the University of Missouri, which reportedly is on the verge of moving from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers' departure could cause the Big 12 to raid the Big East for teams with West Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati mentioned as possible replacements. That, in turn, could affect UCF's possible invitation from the Big East.
UCF, football champions of Conference USA last season, has actively sought a move to a conference with an automatic qualifier bid into the Bowl Championship Series. The process has been a long, arduous one for UCF's leaders and needless to say to be on the precipice of a potential Big East now is a tense time for the school.
``You want resolution because you want this for your fans, for the team and for anybody associated with UCF and the city of Orlando. If we can do something that's positive and continues to bring us to a national level of course you feel good about it,'' Tribble said. ``At some point something will happen, and we just want to be in a good position to get something that will be long-lasting for us.''
Tribble said that he and Dr. Hitt collaborate on the intelligence and talk of conference realignment almost on a daily basis. Tribble said he tries to keep UCF's name in the forefront of AD's minds, while Dr. Hitt does the same with other school presidents.
Tribble said it's the not knowing that causes the most anxiety, but he added that fans can rest assured that the school will do whatever is best for the program for both the short term and for years to come.
``Gosh, I wish I did (have a timetable) because I'd be the great prognosticator,'' Tribble said. ``All I know is each and every day, we're just trying to follow and monitor it, Dr. Hitt and myself.
``I don't think there's any good time for this to happen, but there's just a lot of reaction sometimes. Somebody makes a move and someone reacts to it,'' Tribble continued. ``But as far as UCF is concerned, we've been steadily and strategically looking at where we want to take this program and it didn't just happen this year. The growth of it has intensified since we got into Conference USA. Our goal is to play at the highest level possible. If we have an opportunity, we're not going to rush into something. We're going to study it and what will be in the best interest of UCF not just today, but also in 20 or 30 years from now.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.