Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[TrueYankee26]

Adios Pac 12 conference. 

 

[Red Wolf]

I would guess that the Pac will continue to exist in some form. Maybe the remnants merging with the Mountain West but keeping the Pac name for the better brand recognition. I mean, the Big West, WAC, and CUSA still exist, just not in ways that people are particularly fond of anymore.

[Germanshepherd]

Washington could play Rutgers but not Washington State. 
 

Good job everyone. 

[Gary]

9 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

I would guess that the Pac will continue to exist in some form. Maybe the remnants merging with the Mountain West but keeping the Pac name for the better brand recognition. I mean, the Big West, WAC, and CUSA still exist, just not in ways that people are particularly fond of anymore.

UA, ASU, and Utah go to Big 12, Stanford goes Independent, but what happens to Cal, Washington State and Oregon State?

[buckeye]

Just now, Germanshepherd said:

Washington could play Rutgers but not Washington State. 
 

Good job everyone. 

I'd imagine they keep a non-conference matchup going moving forward

[Seadragon76]

I wonder where some of the state legislatures feel about these moves, because they could potentially force something for Oregon State and Washington State, similar to how (if I remember correctly) certain rivalries had to exist thanks to the legislatures.

[Germanshepherd]

6 minutes ago, buckeye said:

I'd imagine they keep a non-conference matchup going moving forward

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State decided to kill their series. Washington already cares about Oregon more anyways. It’s not without precedent. 

[McCall]

8 minutes ago, Gary said:

UA, ASU, and Utah go to Big 12, Stanford goes Independent, but what happens to Cal, Washington State and Oregon State?

I would imagine if Stanford and Cal don't end up in the Big Ten, they'll get into the Big 12. Stanford at least. Add in San Diego State, and the Big 12 could take the California coast, minus UCLA and USC. 

[McCall]

4 minutes ago, Seadragon76 said:

I wonder where some of the state legislatures feel about these moves, because they could potentially force something for Oregon State and Washington State, similar to how (if I remember correctly) certain rivalries had to exist thanks to the legislatures.

They won't. Washington and Oregon have the opportunity to bring in Big Ten money. They're not gonna risk that by forcing the conference to take WSU and OSU as well. They'd decline it pretty quickly. Those two's only shot at staying in a power conference is the Big 12. But Mountain West/Pac-MWC weakened merger is their most likely outcome.

[TrueYankee26]

I don't think this was posted yet but this is going to be interesting in light of how Florida State feels about the ACC lately.

 

FLORIDA STATE TAPS JPMORGAN FOR EQUITY RAISE AS ACC DECISION LOOMS https://www.sportico.com/business/finance/2023/florida-state-athletics-jpmorgan-private-equity-funding-acc-1234733152/

[TrueYankee26]

But wait, there's more! 

 

[gosioux76]

Looking at this from a different perspective, this continued alignment of big schools into a super conferences really transition of so many DII schools into FBS, or Division 1-A, seem somewhat farcical. 

 

It doesn't matter what label you give it, they're still essentially DII schools in the grand scheme of things. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I've always hated college football, but I really hate college football.

 

What a farce.

[SeaTac]

I guess Boise State-Washington State will be the new rivalry

[aawagner011]

52 minutes ago, TrueYankee26 said:

I don't think this was posted yet but this is going to be interesting in light of how Florida State feels about the ACC lately.

 

FLORIDA STATE TAPS JPMORGAN FOR EQUITY RAISE AS ACC DECISION LOOMS https://www.sportico.com/business/finance/2023/florida-state-athletics-jpmorgan-private-equity-funding-acc-1234733152/

I feel like this is mostly just posturing. Not only do they have a massive exit fee, they granted their media rights to the conference. They are not entitled to media payouts for a long time. Unless they can convince over 50% of the conference to blow it up, but that seems unlikely. A school like Wake or Syracuse have no incentive to blow it up because the ACC in the current format is likely their best option. FSU (and Clemson and Miami) is stuck for a long time.

[tBBP]

This probably won't make a lick of sense to anyone who hadn't been in the industry prior to all the corporate raiding, but I watched this same thing happen to the airline industry going back as far as '06, and even before then...the big boys make power plays to snatch up the smaller boys whom they feel can somehow add value to their outfit—in the case of the airlines, in terms of desirable routes. The most recent example deals with the power play made for Spirit Airlines, which Frontier wanted but JetBlue ultimately won out for...a / to acquire Spirit's western presence, which helps JetBlue expand their footprint (same reason America West acquired USAir way back in the day) and by virtue b/ to create what I believe will be the fifth biggest airline in the country (there was a time when US Airways—the birth child of the aforementioned merger—occupied that spot). 

 

The same thing is going on in the trucking industry right now, too...bigger companies are looking to acquire smaller outfits they think, be it freight lanes or assets or both, will add to their value somehow.

 

I'm only saying all that because I understand the business aspects of what these conferences are doing. Doesn't mean I necessarily like nor agree what they're doing—not that anyone would care whether simple ol' me did or didn't, I aint the one holding the bags —I just get it. It's really all a reflection of what's going on in this country elsewhere from a business perspective. 

 

Having said all that, two things: one, I'm really curious, especially since I understand the, um, *unique* financial pickle Florida State is in and has been in for a while now (edit: explained one post above), and two, all this makes me real glad I'm also a pretty big fan of Marshall University. Now if any of these big boys start picking on MACtion, THEN Imma have a problem.

[Ted Cunningham]

1 hour ago, buckeye said:

I'd imagine they keep a non-conference matchup going moving forward

Each situation is unique, but I'm sure the same was said for Texas/Texas A&M, WVU/Pitt, etc., at least unofficially.

 

Edit: That is to say, I would be surprised if they spent a nonconference game on maintaining a former conference rivalry (even if it's THE rivalry for the given school) when there has been very little precedent for that in the modern realignment era (2010ish to present).

[Ted Cunningham]

18 minutes ago, tBBP said:

...the big boys make power plays to snatch up the smaller boys whom they feel can somehow add value to their outfit...

This is a great analogy. I remember Southwest buying AirTran, in large part, because it gave them Atlanta. But Southwest only flies 737s, so all of AirTran's 717s were sold off. I'm not saying Rutgers is the AirTran of D-1A college football, but the B1G brought them in for New York.

[DustDevil61]

44 minutes ago, Ted Cunningham said:

Each situation is unique, but I'm sure the same was said for Texas/Texas A&M, WVU/Pitt, etc., at least unofficially.

 

Edit: That is to say, I would be surprised if they spent a nonconference game on maintaining a former conference rivalry (even if it's THE rivalry for the given school) when there has been very little precedent for that in the modern realignment era (2010ish to present).

One rivalry I do look forward to, with the Pac-12’s likely demise and Utah likely going to the Big 12, is making the Holy War a yearly, Novembertime thing again.

 

But oh, how so many other rivalries will have fallen by the wayside because of the collapse of the Pac 12.

[chcarlson23]

Are these additions to the B1G just for football, or the entire athletic departments?