COLLEGES Future of conferences determined by Miami

The Big East meetings ended the way they began.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- After four days of countless meetings, presentations and analyzation, the Big East Conference remains intact.
How long it stays like that is up to Miami.
The Big East meetings ended Tuesday much like they began: with the Hurricanes mulling a decision that will shape the future of the conference and college athletics.
Miami athletic director Paul Dee said he heard some "new ideas" during the four-day meetings, which focused primarily on the Atlantic Coast Conference's attempt to lure the Hurricanes, Syracuse and Boston College away from the Big East.
Now Dee will take those ideas back to university president Donna Shalala for consultation and consideration.
The decision
"This has become much more complicated," Dee said. "It's not black and white. ... We came here with an open mind, we came here to listen and we've done a lot of discussion. It's been productive. Those are not just empty words."
Dee said there was no timetable for a decision.
"You have to do things in a reasonable amount of time or it dies under its own weight," he said. "The sooner you can get everything done and get a decision made to move on, the better."
Everyone else is waiting for the answer.
"If a decision of this nature is going to be made, Miami is going to make it," Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel said.
"The rest of us will just do what we have to do."
The Big East held its longest session of the meetings Tuesday, then broke a day early after spending most of the four days addressing and assessing the most obvious topic: how to keep the Hurricanes from moving to the ACC and taking Syracuse and BC with them.
TV revenue
With television revenue one of Miami's biggest concerns, the Big East brought a television consultant to the final day of meetings. Athletic directors termed the discussions productive. None, though, gave details of what was said.
Miami feels it could do better financially in the ACC, which distributed about $9 million to its nine teams last year in revenue-sharing cash, and league officials believe they can command bigger money in their next TV negotiation with a 12-team league and a football championship game.
The ACC signed its last deal, worth $15 million, back when most teams in the league were down.
Tranghese thinks the Big East might be able to make more in 2005, when a window opens for renegotiation.