Frustrated betting fans will continue to be so at least until 2012 as the Big East commissioner has refused to get rid of the double-bye format. The double-bye format was created in the 2009 season and has been causing nightmares for Big East coaches and sports betting fans alike.

What’s more unbelievable about maintaining this mind boggling format is that all 16 coaches in the Big East voted in favor of getting rid of the double-bye format. Nevertheless, there vote was not even considered as we noted above. Here is how the double-bye format works.

The top four teams in the conference get a bye to the quarter finals which lands on the Thursday of Championship Week. Meanwhile, teams nine to 16 play on the Tuesday of Championship Week with the four winners facing teams five to eight on Wednesday in second round action. The winners of the second round then meet the top four seeds in the quarter finals.

Since this tournament was adapted, only one top four seed has advanced past the quarters. That team was the Big East tournament winner West Virginia in the first season of the format. Last season’s losses by top four seeds Syracuse, Villanova and Pitt sparked a domino effect amongst the 16 Big East team coaches agreeing that the format needed to be changed.

Essentially the two arguments to being in favor include, the long layoff for the top four teams making them rusty, and too many games played by lower seeds making them tired as well. By formatting the tournament into a March Madness like bracket, where number one faces 16 and so forth, it would even out each team’s chances of winning. As well, a double-bye only helps balance out the television schedule and does nothing to benefit the teams involved in the tournament.