McCall

ACC will still have better options than Memphis and UCF. Plus they won't do 3-team pods. Most conferences are going away from divisions in basketball. And why would they play teams in their pods only once then every other team twice? Doesn't make sense. Plus Navy and Army can do better than the MAC.

G'Town, Marquette and the other Big East non-FBS schools are forming their own conference. None of them are joining another established conference, at least not one with football schools.

Michigan and Ohio State are NOT going to be in the same division. Not sure why people think they are going to be in the same division... it doesn't make sense. As for the Big East... I don't see UCONN or Cinci NOT being added to either the Big XII or ACC. Yes, both have rather small stadium compared to Texas and Oklahoma... but they have access to NFL size stadiums that can hold the huge fan base of the big boys. Whether they go to the ACC or Big XII or what is going to depend on what the B16 TEN and SEC do. Hold your horses there. I didn't say this is how they should be divided. I just divided them for the sake of dividing them. They can divide them however they want. And I think UConn and Cincy will both end up in the ACC. I think the Big 12 would prefer having Florida State/Clemson, they're a much more attractive duo, and if they get them, the ACC would swoop in and swipe up UConn and Cincy to fill those spots.

Here's how I believe is the best possible way for all 5 power conferences going to 16 schools and yet all 5 surviving. Just a thought. Some school placements in conferences are just to fill a final spot, such as UMass in the ACC and UNLV in the Pac-12. Not really suggesting they'd end up there. And the Pac-12 additions are desperation picks if they are unable to secure any or all of the Oklahoma/Texas-4 schools. I also combined the Mountain West and Conference USA/Big East into one 24 school conference. EDIT: Divisions are just geographical for the purpose of showing divisions. Align however.

With the Big East non-FBS 7 officially leaving, Andy Katz put this in his blog about how the Big East will look in the next few years as of now, barring any other defections and early exiting teams. As we expected, just Conference USA with a couple Mountain West schools and only a few legitimate Big East schools that, in all likelihood, are just trying to find some place else to go.

Don't think 32 teams would work, especially one that keeps the Coyotes in Phoenix. I do agree with your 28-team plan, though that could be because I posted the exact same thing a few posts before.

Columbus, Florida and Phoenix. Maybe even Nashville. Phoenix and Miami, for all their myriad flaws as hockey towns, are at least large enough population centers and media markets that you can halfheartedly defend having given them a whirl. Raleigh gives you roughly the population of Hartford or Milwaukee with none of the hockey culture and three college teams to stand in line behind (though admittedly, their roommate is kind of the Shemp of the three). Nashville and Columbus, I'll happily give you, but I dunno, at least Nashville is something in the great quilt of America and not just a bunch of office parks and ring roads where people flee from Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Your 28-team alignment is intriguing, but the costs and logistics of merging three organizations into one kinda makes my head spin. Then move one and contract the other two. I was just saying some form of going from 30 to 28. And markets aside, you look at what teams are having success, financially and such. Now I don't religiously follow hockey, but it appears to me that Carolina is in better shape than the other ones.

St. Joe's is still a contender for the Catholic League if Creighton, Gonzaga and St. Mary's say no. While as a hawks fan, I would love St. Joe to play Georgetown at least once a year, I don't think it will happen. There's always the possibility though. St. Joe'd, IMO, would be a reasonable choice. Gonzaga and St. Mary's are just too far of a distance away. Hell go after LaSalle and Duquesne to try and take in as many Catholic schools as possible. (Only a small percentage serious there)

And with the superconferences possibly forming, that may very well be the case. And ND would definitely be the regular favorites to win the ACC. Assuming FSU, Clemson, GT, UVA, VT and NC State leave and, say, the ACC gets back to 14 by adding Cincinnati, UConn, South Florida, Army and Navy in addition to ND, the conference could look like this: Boston College UConn Syracuse Pittsburgh Louisville Cincinnati Notre Dame Army Navy Wake Forest UNC Duke USF Miami Notre Dame has a chance to dominate. Miami's only relevant, it seems, every so often. Louisville will tough at times but, all-in-all, the Irish could take a playoff spot almost year-in-year-out.

Columbus, Florida and Phoenix. Maybe even Nashville. Contract or merge Phoenix, Columbus and Florida into Quebec and go 28 teams, 4 divisions/conferences of 7. Quick geographical alignment West: VAN, CLG, EDM, SJ, LA, ANA, COL Central: STL, MIN, DAL, CHI, DET, NSH, WIN North: TOR, OTT, MON, BOS, PIT, QUE, BUF East: NYI, NYR, NJ, PHI, WAS, CAR, TB

Why are you disenfranchising so many teams? Some of them, Stars, Canes, Lightning and Ducks are rather successful. And why relocate the Isles when they just agreed to a move to Brooklyn? Did you just randomly choose teams?

ACC may not only lose FSU/Clemson to the Big 12, but also Georgia Tech/Virginia to the Big 10 and possibly Virginia Tech/NC State to the SEC. Some of those combos may be interchangeable with UNC and/or Duke, but the number remains the same, possibly 6. They're gonna need more than 2 schools to make up that. Army/Navy has been mentioned. Those 2 combined with UConn/Cincy would bring them to 12. If they are able to convince ND to go all in, then USF becomes a player for #14.

Not if they lose FSU. Plus they may just need numbers by that point and could be losing up to 6 more schools if some speculation comes to fruition . And especially if all the other conferences are trying for 16.

Doubt VCU. Seems this will be, if not strictly Catholic, then at least an all private school league. And more than likely UConn, Cincinnati and South Florida will all end up somewhere else. My guess is the ACC since they were being considered at the time Louisville was added and also since they themselves will probably be losing more schools. Boise State and SDSU will probably back out and stay in the MWC.

Honestly, the Big East should just cut its Football ties. Soon it's just gonna be Conference USA, but under the Big East title. Just let the schools that can be picked off to fill the 15th/16th spots in the superconferences go and the rest back to CUSA. Then focus on what you really were all along, a basketball conference. Sure some of your key members have left, but they can still salvage the chance of being a pretty respectable basketball league. If anything, partner with CUSA to "sponsor" the football conference as the "Big East" and then separate into two different basketball conferences.

ND is already happy. The ACC gave them a sweet deal. That isn't the key. The only way for the ACC to survive is for ND to be a full time member. That's kind of my point. Make them as happy as possible so they'll want to become a full-time member.

Here's my rough prediction. Clemson/Florida St to Big 12 Georgia Tech/Virginia to Big 10 Virginia Tech/NC State to SEC Now, from an ACC standpoint, they're best option is to immediately add Cincinnati and UConn (both discussed before adding Louisville) and maybe South Florida just to finish off the relevancy of the Big East and to get membership up. Next get Navy and Army. Now you've set up a good chance at making Notre Dame happy and getting them to become a full member. And assuming, a big hypothetical, they do, they'd be fine at 14. Put ND and BC in a division (a traditional game for ND) so they play every year. Army-Navy in a division so they're big game becomes and annual ACC conference game (more money for the conference?). Make that the opposite division for ND and it allows them to keep Navy as a permanent cross-division rival (or put all 4 schools in the same division I guess). Then, with 4 non-Conf games available, 3 can be taken up by USC, Michigan and Michigan St. The ACC's key to success isn't fending off the other conferences. It's making Notre Dame as happy as possible.

SEC, PAC-12 and Big Ten are all safe, whether they reach 16 or not. I think the ACC and Big 12 are gonna survive, just that one of them (I'd guess Big 12) is gonna be weaker and a mix of the conference leftovers plus remnants from the Big East. Also, I think the Mountain West (especially if any combo or all of Boise St, BYU and SDSU returned) could line itself up to take the Big East's AQ slot... if there are AQ slots left once the playoff kicks in, that is.

Southern Miss will be one of the contenders for the 16th spot in the Big 12... after they raid everything salvageable from what's left of the Big East/Conference USA when all the other power conferences have taken everything worth anything.

So I guess take any of the academic concerns the Pac 12 would have in getting to 14/16 and shoot them out of a cannon into the Pacific Ocean. Also the absurdity of the Pac 12 raiding the Big East would just be the most conference realignment thing to happen in conference realignment. "Will look at Boise St and San Diego St" translates to "we're desperate to add teams and we're not sure we can get all of or any of the Oklahoma/Texas 4."

Why would they take the "Metro" conference name when Big 12 and ACC would be available and carry more weight from a branding standpoint?

Kansas State is an AAU school with respectible basketball and football programs, in the contiguous footprint of the BIG 10, while being in a state that doesn't already have a school in that state. That's the criteria to join the BIG 10. Virginia also meets this criteria Kansas is an AAU school. K-State's not. KU has a top tier basketball program. K-State has a good football program and an average to decent basketball program. Each has some of the "qualities" but neither has all. That's why their best bet is a paired invite.

Kansas's only hope is getting a paired invite with K-State. KU doesn't have the football program to warrant its own. But K-State doesn't quite have the academics. Together, with KU's basketball, they could be the 15th and 16th members, but not individually.

Any Big East team leaving is leaving for all sports.

UConn's already expected to replace Maryland. There's no indication Louisville would be going to the ACC. As of now their most likely destination is the Big 12.