thespleenenator

........ ...You can't be serious can you? You are? Congratulations. You trotted out one of the few athletic organizations in this region that does an even poorer job of catering to the well being of the people involved in it than NCAA Division I-A. I'm sorry rams, but:

I do, and they have approached, as Gary. said, to join Division II. This isn't the first time a non american school has joined the NCAA. Saint Francis, from Canada, joined Division II recently, and there are schools from Puerto Rico already in the NCAA. Notice how ESPN is not jumping all over them. That is because those countries don't really care about college football. There is a reason there aren't many none american schools in the NCAA. Um, don't you mean Simon Fraser? Derp. Yeah I did. I was think of the Saint Francis Terriers. Meh, their colors are the same, close enough

I do, and they have approached, as Gary. said, to join Division II. This isn't the first time a non american school has joined the NCAA. Saint Francis, from Canada, joined Division II recently, and there are schools from Puerto Rico already in the NCAA. Notice how ESPN is not jumping all over them. That is because those countries don't really care about college football. There is a reason there aren't many none american schools in the NCAA.

Ummm....doesn't the SEC already HAVE two teams in Tennessee? To go with the two in Mississippi and the one in Arkansas? I think the SEC pretty much has Memphis covered. Especially now that Calipari is gone. UT is located in Knoxville - a good six-hour drive from Memphis (and in a different time zone). Vandy is located in Nashville, which is three hours away. Fayetteville (Arkansas) is five hours away, at least. Oxford (Ole Miss) is a good seven hours from Memphis, and Starkville (Miss State) is about a three-hour trip. None of those locations "cover" Memphis by any means, and trying to tell recruits that they'd be "close to home" or that their parents would be able to watch them play would be ludicrous. When it comes to college hoops, Memphis exists by itself. They have been yearning for an opportunity to join a conference like the Big East to renew their rivalries with teams like Louisville and Cincinnati. But their football program has been what has been holding them back. Their stadium is by far the worst in D-1 FBS, and the product they put on the field isn't much better. And the fact that they fired the only coach to take them to a bowl since 1971 after one bad season only adds to the perception that they have a Napoleon complex when it comes to football. Memphis basketball is big in Memphis. Memphis football in not. I've been to Memphis numerous times in the last couple years. Despite having a Conference-USA school down the street, the SEC (mainly Tennessee and Ole Miss) is king in Memphis for football. Tennessee has a medical school there, and in general, UT football is #1 in every Tennessee city, Nashville included. FYP Has it been confirmed that they'll be playing in the East? Even so, they'll have to compete with the likes of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida on a yearly basis. Those might not be on the level of LSU, Alabama or Arkansas but they are still definitely not teams that will lay down for Mizzou by any means. How many conference/national championships was Missouri winning in the Big XII? Missouri isn't going to the SEC because they believe they'll contend better (right away, that is). They're going because it's a better solution for them long-term, as well as the SEC being an equal-in-revenue-sharing conference and getting away from the Texas-slanted Big XII. Just because Mizzou wont compete today, doesn't mean they wont compete tomorrow. If you would have told someone in the 80's that Florida would be a force, they would laugh. Hence, why people shouldn't be laughing at the PAC-12 for picking up Colorado. They'll be back eventually.

Wow, you actually made a good point. Yes, if NYU wanted to create a D1 football program, while it wouldn't happen over night, they probably could. However there are two major roadblocks in the way. 1. Academics: NYU has incredibly high academic standards, and if they wanted to compete, they would have to lower their standards, and even then, they would be competing with other high academic schools like Stanford, Duke, and the Ivy League schools. I don't think that's something NYU would want to do. 2. They don't need to start a football program. LIke you said, they're one of the richest schools in the nation. You don't fix it if it's not broken. Bottom line is NYU could start a football program, but they won't.

And people thought I was crazy because I said UCF should join the ACC... Whatever you're smoking should either be illegal, or distributed amongst the populace so we may forever live in imaginary harmony, along with the ghost of John Lennon and pink elephants genies.

never mind, already been mentioned.

The Big Leftovers Conference The Big Mess.

Apparently, this is a vey unpopular opinion, but I love these WSU uniforms.

No, we hate Boise because they keep on saying how they "killed" us when they won both games by a combined 16 points. Forget OU, this would be one hell of a rivalry game.

The rub is more with the Pac-10 replay officials after their 2006 game. There's also the 2005 holiday bowl. And the time when we got killed in Norman back in 2004. And the fact that everyone calls us OU, when we're actually UO. It's kinda like how we don't like Boise. Although, I think there might be more bad blood between the two. But both could turn into legit rivalry games.

God I want Oregon vs Oklahoma to be a rivalry sooooo badly. Already a lot of bad blood between those schools. Plus, in terms of style of play and uniforms, they are polar opposites.

Now its just getting ridiculous. If that is the direction this realignment is going to take place, then what is the point of even having conferences? It's just their last ditch effort to maintain their BCS AQ status. May it fail miserably. Ai Obviously... but wouldn't it almost be better to try and pick up some MAC schools that going out to Boise State and Air Force? I mean, are they really thinking that flying across the country can maintain conference stability? MAC schools aren't going to help them retain AQ status when it runs out in 2 years. After the 2013-14 season, they'll basically be reevaluated. These schools give them a better chance at saying an AQ conference, however I think they're gonna end up losing Louisville, Cincinnati and UWV to probably the Big XII, maybe UWV to the SEC if they go 16, and even possibly USF to the Big XII. So I think they're gonna end up losing they're AQ status or folding as a football conference altogether. What is UWV? UWV is an autonomous administrative authority (ZBO) and is commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) to implement employee insurances and provide labour market and data services. The Dutch employee insurances are provided for via laws such as the WW (Unemployment Insurance Act), the WIA (Work and Income according to Labour Capacity Act, which contains the IVA (Full Invalidity Benefit Regulations) and WGA (Return to Work (Partially Disabled) Regulations)), the Wajong (Disablement Assistance Act for Handicapped Young Persons), the WAO (Invalidity Insurance Act), the WAZ (Self-employed Persons Disablement Benefits Act), the WAZO (Work and Care Act) and the Sickness Benefits Act.

There's a famous cover of The New Yorker that depicts "The New Yorker's Concept of Geography" or something, which consists of Manhattan in painstaking detail, followed by an abstract "Jersey" and the rest of America being inconsequential. We need to come up with The Rays Fan's Concept Of Geography, wherein St. Petersburg is separated from the rest of greater Tampa by a vast ocean marked "Here There Be Monsters," because apparently this is THE ONLY FREAKING PLACE IN AMERICA where it's moderately difficult to get to a sporting event. Does that comparison kind of fail when you think about the transportation system in each city? Honestly, if you live in the Metro NYC area...you're only a short walk away from a ride to the stadium. The Tampa Bay area is in desperate need of a public transportation overhaul...it ranks among the worst in America of air quality because of all the commuting on highways within the bay area. Unfortunately, it is a spread out area so public transportation takes a backseat. Your idea of the NYC public transportation system humors me. Huh? Citi Field's right next to a 7 Train/LIRR stop, Yankee Stadium's right next to a 4/Metro North and I wanna say another subway line (one of the 1 2 or 3?), MSG's on top of Penn Station, there's a NJ Transit stop at the Meadowlands, and the Prudential Center's also about a block or two away from a NJ Transit/Amtrak station Now the Nassau Coliseum, on the other hand.... The stadiums are close to the transits, but how many people live close to the transits? A ton. There's a subway line on every other street in Manhattan, there's 10 LIRR lines, there's 8 NJ Transit lines, there's bus service in practically every town in NYC, Nassau County, and much of Jersey. You're never really further than 5 minutes away from mass transit in the NYC area, save for maybe Northwestern Jersey or Rockland County That was not my experience. Of course, living in Riverdale might have had something to do with it.

There's a famous cover of The New Yorker that depicts "The New Yorker's Concept of Geography" or something, which consists of Manhattan in painstaking detail, followed by an abstract "Jersey" and the rest of America being inconsequential. We need to come up with The Rays Fan's Concept Of Geography, wherein St. Petersburg is separated from the rest of greater Tampa by a vast ocean marked "Here There Be Monsters," because apparently this is THE ONLY FREAKING PLACE IN AMERICA where it's moderately difficult to get to a sporting event. Does that comparison kind of fail when you think about the transportation system in each city? Honestly, if you live in the Metro NYC area...you're only a short walk away from a ride to the stadium. The Tampa Bay area is in desperate need of a public transportation overhaul...it ranks among the worst in America of air quality because of all the commuting on highways within the bay area. Unfortunately, it is a spread out area so public transportation takes a backseat. Your idea of the NYC public transportation system humors me. Huh? Citi Field's right next to a 7 Train/LIRR stop, Yankee Stadium's right next to a 4/Metro North and I wanna say another subway line (one of the 1 2 or 3?), MSG's on top of Penn Station, there's a NJ Transit stop at the Meadowlands, and the Prudential Center's also about a block or two away from a NJ Transit/Amtrak station Now the Nassau Coliseum, on the other hand.... The stadiums are close to the transits, but how many people live close to the transits?

There's a famous cover of The New Yorker that depicts "The New Yorker's Concept of Geography" or something, which consists of Manhattan in painstaking detail, followed by an abstract "Jersey" and the rest of America being inconsequential. We need to come up with The Rays Fan's Concept Of Geography, wherein St. Petersburg is separated from the rest of greater Tampa by a vast ocean marked "Here There Be Monsters," because apparently this is THE ONLY FREAKING PLACE IN AMERICA where it's moderately difficult to get to a sporting event. Does that comparison kind of fail when you think about the transportation system in each city? Honestly, if you live in the Metro NYC area...you're only a short walk away from a ride to the stadium. The Tampa Bay area is in desperate need of a public transportation overhaul...it ranks among the worst in America of air quality because of all the commuting on highways within the bay area. Unfortunately, it is a spread out area so public transportation takes a backseat. Your idea of the NYC public transportation system humors me.

I go to Montreal a lot because of all the family I have there. To put it simply: They want the Expos back. Badly. You know the expression "You don't know what you have until it's gone"? Montreal has a severe case of that right now. If they built a new stadium, I would bet that a lot of fans would show up. And yes, I've been to Olympic Stadium, and it's terrible for baseball. Football? It's ok. But not baseball. In fact, most people in Montreal don't like Olympic Stadium, except for the fact that it's basically what they're most know for (that and poutin, which is delicious). A Rays move to Montreal would not be a bad idea.

Can't link anything? That's a stretch then... especially with everything we have heard about the ACC upping their buyout fee. Everything that is showing up on Google results is from August of 2011... some as early as November of 2010. I wouldn't say this is a done deal. It looks like more hear-say. If this is true, I'm assuming they are taking Mizzou as the 16th member if Florida State is done and West Virginia is likely? Remember. The ACC buyout hike was cut from $34 million to $20 million at the insistence of Florida State (and Maryland) Oh Oh. I thought the buyout fee was RAISED from $20 million to $34 million. I didn't realize is was actually decreased. I guess this rumor could have some weight. It was rumored before that the Big 10 is enthralled with getting into the Baltimore and Washington DC markets. All of these rumors are so great and its so much fun, but its hard for me to get excited about it because for every 1 rumor that actually comes to fruition, there are 25 rumors, quoting some sort of source, that never materializes. There is really an interesting dynamic at play here. I think all these conferences are getting their ducks in a row, in the case that there is some sort of landslide realignment coming. But it seems like no conference wants to be the first one to really cause the seismic shift. I mean, think about it... The Big 10 brought in Nebraska, while Rutgers and Mizzou were dying to get in to the Big 10 as well. The SEC is bringing in Texas A&M when Clemson and West Virginia would love to join. The Pac 12 just brought in second or third tier schools with Colorado and Houston... when more recently, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech where interested in joining the Pac 12. I honestly thing that no conference wants to be left out in the cold when realignment really jumps off... but no conference wants to be the one responsible for changing the college landscape. Well this is news to me.

How do you think Oregon got with Nike?

Well, Louisville could still jump ship. It's not like they've ruled out the SEC entirely.

I hate Oregon's Carbon helmets with a passion. Not really an unpopular opinion here, but amongst Duck fans, everyone loves them, and I don't get it. There was a reason Oregon waited until last year to wear them, when they were presented to them in 2006. The only uniform that has ever looked good with that helmet, and ironically the one I first thought was the worst, was this: This seems to be a really unpopular opinion, but one of my least favorite Oregon looks ever was their Pro Combats. I hated them as soon as I saw them on the field. Too much neon green/yellow. It was just blinding. Sorry for the homerism. Continue on.

What's wrong with BYU? Now if BYU told the Big XII "Piss off Laddie", then there'd be trouble. Nothing, but the fact that that's there first team they approach tells you something. Plus, BYU is almost certainly going to stay indy, so it's pretty fruitless really. Well who else are they going to approach? Technically the first team they approached was Arkansas and Arkansas told them to get lost. BYU is good academically and athletically. BYU's biggest problem is not playing on Sundays and it's been noted before the Big XII won't make them do that. Other than that, I really don't see who you'd have them approach first. SMU? Houston? Please. And that's my point. It's just another example of oh how the mighty have fallen, when the Big XII's only option is BYU. They are even willing to overlook the fact that they don't play on Sundays, one of the major reasons the Pac-12 has repeatedly turned them down, and not expressed interest in them.

What's wrong with BYU? Now if BYU told the Big XII "Piss off Laddie", then there'd be trouble. Nothing, but the fact that that's there first team they approach tells you something. Plus, BYU is almost certainly going to stay indy, so it's pretty fruitless really.

Yeah, the BIg XII is desperate

A few steps? That would be the WAC. That's like saying the Central Hockey League is significantly lower than the ECHL. There's a dropoff but it's only slight. Define "meaningful". Last season: ECU beat NC State SMU beat Washington State Southern Miss beat Kansas Tulane beat Rutgers Tulsa beat Hawaii UCF beat UGA UTEP beat New Mexico This season: Houston beat UCLA Rice beat Purdue UCF beat BC Those lists include wins against AQ schools and current (or future) MWC schools. For reference, UTEP was the only C-USA team that played a MWC school (New Mexico). There's already 3 on the list for 2011 and we're just entering week 4. And since you're a fan of analyzing a current team's success, or lack there of, and what it means for a league they're no longer in, BYU is currently losing to UCF. BYU can walk off the cliff for all i care Ironically, i'm pulling for UCF!! TCU's Rose Bowl win dwarfs all those little C-usa victories in one fell swoop and on close inspection, I'll give you the ECU-NCSC game as a good victory, however no better then say Utah over Pitt or say TCU's victories over Oregon St,Baylor. I dunno, C-USA definetly jackboots the WAC. How can anyone say C-USA compares favorably with MWC? BCS appearences:(Yep, counting Boise here) MWC-5 or 6, depends on how you look at that one CUSA-Goose eggs Need i say more.... NC St was better than all three of the after mentioned teams combined last year. Oregon St didn't even make a bowl game, and Pitt barely did.