Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[Island_Style]

West Virginia is "southeast".

So?

As stated earlier. FSU would have been better off trying to talk Notre Dame into joining with them. Or BYU.

Notre Dame, yes. BYU? Stop it.

[rams80]

West Virginia is "southeast".

So?

As stated earlier. FSU would have been better off trying to talk Notre Dame into joining with them. Or BYU.

Notre Dame, yes. BYU? Stop it.

The Cougars are pretty much Clemson with a TV network and market (so...better). They have the added bonus of being available without needing to dynamite a conference.

[DCDuck]

Why does everyone keep saying VT to the SEC? Virginia Tech is handcuffed to Virginia. There are powerful political forces keeping the two of them joined at the hip, and the SEC would have no interest in adding both.

Realignment is dumb. I just thought I'd put that out there. This whole thing is dumb.

Florida State really wants to be in the SEC. The Big XII would be their silver medal. The same is true for West Virginia. Incidentally, Mizzou really wants to be in the Big Ten. The SEC is their silver medal.

[rams80]

Why does everyone keep saying VT to the SEC? Virginia Tech is handcuffed to Virginia. There are powerful political forces keeping the two of them joined at the hip, and the SEC would have no interest in adding both.

They aren't handcuffed. The only thing is that Virginia (the state government) wants both schools to have a home in the event the ACC collapses. Those political forces would be satisfied by a hypothetical Virginia Tech to the SEC, Virginia to the Big Ten scenario.

[DCDuck]

Those political forces would be satisfied by a hypothetical Virginia Tech to the SEC, Virginia to the Big Ten scenario.

Why would the Big Ten want Virginia when they could have Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh instead? Virginia is far, far down the list of possible expansion candidates. Nobody wants a school where the two biggest sports on campus are baseball and lacrosse, even if the academics are top-tier. Why do you think Rice has been left out in the cold by both the Big XII and the Big East?

[rams80]

Those political forces would be satisfied by a hypothetical Virginia Tech to the SEC, Virginia to the Big Ten scenario.

Why would the Big Ten want Virginia when they could have Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh instead? Virginia is far, far down the list of possible expansion candidates. Nobody wants a school where the two biggest sports on campus are baseball and lacrosse, even if the academics are top-tier. Why do you think Rice has been left out in the cold by both the Big XII and the Big East?

Because Virginia is likely a better get than most of those schools you just named. Virginia is a major state school in a large-ish and growing state, which means it commands a sizable resource base the Big Ten would like to get. Additionally, while football and basketball is not convincingly the best-supported program there, there is better growth potential for the football and basketball teams than you would see at a place like Rutgers or Maryland.

[DCDuck]

Because Virginia is likely a better get than most of those schools you just named. Virginia is a major state school in a large-ish and growing state, which means it commands a sizable resource base the Big Ten would like to get. Additionally, while football and basketball is not convincingly the best-supported program there, there is better growth potential for the football and basketball teams than you would see at a place like Rutgers or Maryland.

Virginia plays second-fiddle to Virginia Tech because of their perception not only in the Commonwealth but nationally. UVa is seen as a school full of rich white kids who play soft in football and can't get their act together in basketball. In terms of student enrollment, UVa is something like sixth behind George Mason, VCU, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech and James Madison. UVa's academics are top-notch, yes, but since when was any of this realignment nonsense focused on academics?

Nobody in Virginia cares about the Big Ten. The SEC? Sure. But in the South (and Virginia is no doubt a "southern" state), the perception of the Big Ten is one of entitled kids who play second-rate football.

Maryland is located in a media gold mine, located between DC and Baltimore and commanding both markets. They have far more prestige in basketball and a higher ceiling for growth in football (remember: UnderArmour CEO Kevin Plank is like their personal ATM machine). If AD Kevin Anderson could ever get his act together and stop firing good coaches for "great" ones like Randy Edsall, Maryland has the potential to be a powerhouse in at least a half-dozen sports. Heck, in the past ten years they've won National Championships in Men's BB, Women's BB, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, and have been pounding at the door in Men's Lacrosse for at least the past fifteen years.

Oh, and Maryland's biggest rival in football already plays in the Big Ten (Penn State).

[rams80]

Maryland is located in a media gold mine, located between DC and Baltimore and commanding both markets. They have far more prestige in basketball and a higher ceiling for growth in football (remember: UnderArmour CEO Kevin Plank is like their personal ATM machine). If AD Kevin Anderson could ever get his act together and stop firing good coaches for "great" ones like Randy Edsall, Maryland has the potential to be a powerhouse in at least a half-dozen sports. Heck, in the past ten years they've won National Championships in Men's BB, Women's BB, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, and have been pounding at the door in Men's Lacrosse for at least the past fifteen years.

Oh, and Maryland's biggest rival in football already plays in the Big Ten (Penn State).

Ok, now let's pretend we aren't a Maryland booster for five seconds. The school is worse than Virginia in the national rankings; despite selling its soul to UnderArmor for cash$money as mentioned, the athletic department collectively is several degrees worse than broke and about to axe 8 different programs, the facilities suck, the Athletic Director is an idiot, football is a smoking crater, and basketball has been slowly drifting in a similarly wrong direction ever since Gary Williams broke through a decade ago.

Also nobody in Baltiwash gives a about Maryland unless they're any good and welp, they ain't good right now.

Oh, and Virginia (the state) is getting progressively less "Southern" every year. Yankee migrants seem to keep pushing south from Washington. You're going to get your people who care about the Big Ten, and thanks to Mike London you're going to get people to care about playing good football over there.

If the Big Ten were to drag in Maryland, it would only be as Virginia's partner, not based on any merit for Maryland.

PS. It's cute that Maryland thinks its Penn State's biggest rival in football. Is this kind of like how Illinois views Michigan?

[DCDuck]

PS. It's cute that Maryland thinks its Penn State's biggest rival in football. Is this kind of like how Illinois views Michigan?

First off, I never said Maryland was Penn State's biggest rival, I said Penn State was Maryland's biggest rival. There's a difference.

Second, who do people in the DMV care about if not Maryland? Virginia? Two hours away from DC. Georgetown? They play football in the Patriot League. Virginia Tech? Nobody around here even knows where Blacksburg is, let alone drives down there for games.

This isn't the same Virginia that was ranked year-in and year-out during the 90s and early 2000s. This Virginia has trouble generating enough interest for even regional TV coverage (living in Richmond for three years, I can recall exactly three times that Virginia had a football game on TV that wasn't broadcast on ESPN).

Maryland controls the DMV in terms of college sports. Georgetown comes in second. Virginia isn't even on the radar here.

[Geoff]

The PAC better not expand past 12! The conference needs to retain SOME sort of stability.

If they stay at 12 when the others go to 16, they're eroding the ground below them by standing still.

[rams80]

PS. It's cute that Maryland thinks its Penn State's biggest rival in football. Is this kind of like how Illinois views Michigan?

First off, I never said Maryland was Penn State's biggest rival, I said Penn State was Maryland's biggest rival. There's a difference.

Second, who do people in the DMV care about if not Maryland? Virginia? Two hours away from DC. Georgetown? They play football in the Patriot League. Virginia Tech? Nobody around here even knows where Blacksburg is, let alone drives down there for games.

This isn't the same Virginia that was ranked year-in and year-out during the 90s and early 2000s. This Virginia has trouble generating enough interest for even regional TV coverage (living in Richmond for three years, I can recall exactly three times that Virginia had a football game on TV that wasn't broadcast on ESPN).

Maryland controls the DMV in terms of college sports. Georgetown comes in second. Virginia isn't even on the radar here.

I'm not sure I'd use "control" there. "Steadily diminishing plurality" seems to be a better description. But here's the secret: the Big Ten doesn't need Maryland to get into DC. Just like they don't need Rutgers to get into New York. The current Big Ten schools have such large expatriate communities in those two cities that they have pre-existing footholds in the college sports consciences of those cities.

With regards to Virginia falling off a little in the 2000s, Al Groh does have a way with programs. But so does Mike London

[DCDuck]

But here's the secret: the Big Ten doesn't need Maryland to get into DC. Just like they don't need Rutgers to get into New York. The current Big Ten schools have such large expatriate communities in those two cities that they have pre-existing footholds in the college sports consciences of those cities.

... except nobody here gives two farts about the Big Ten except for Big Ten alumni (but then you could say that about any conference). The Big Ten is a decidedly Midwestern conference, whereas DC is a decidedly Mid-Atlantic (some would say Southern despite its strong progressive bearings) city. DC doesn't care about college football. That's part of the reason Maryland football has struggled to fill Byrd Stadium even during the early Fridge years when they were ranked in the top-10.

And if what you claim is true about the Big Ten not needing Maryland or Rutgers to expand influence to the Eastern Seaboard, then why would the Big Ten even consider expansion at all?

[rams80]

But here's the secret: the Big Ten doesn't need Maryland to get into DC. Just like they don't need Rutgers to get into New York. The current Big Ten schools have such large expatriate communities in those two cities that they have pre-existing footholds in the college sports consciences of those cities.

... except nobody here gives two farts about the Big Ten except for Big Ten alumni (but then you could say that about any conference). The Big Ten is a decidedly Midwestern conference, whereas DC is a decidedly Mid-Atlantic (some would say Southern despite its strong progressive bearings) city. DC doesn't care about college football. That's part of the reason Maryland football has struggled to fill Byrd Stadium even during the early Fridge years when they were ranked in the top-10.

And if what you claim is true about the Big Ten not needing Maryland or Rutgers to expand influence to the Eastern Seaboard, then why would the Big Ten even consider expansion at all?

Barring a doomsday scenario in which certain other conferences go to 16, they wouldn't. And even then it would be grudgingly.

[dfwabel]

The PAC better not expand past 12! The conference needs to retain SOME sort of stability.

If they stay at 12 when the others go to 16, they're eroding the ground below them by standing still.

Not at all since the Pac-12:

1- Owns their cable network 100% and is already set to be in 40 million households over 4 major cable systems (Comcast, Bright House, Time Warner and Cox) when they start on August 15. In those states with one of those four cable systems, the "local" Pac-12 channel will be on basic cable and the "national" channel to be on a premium tier. Example: If you live in Phoenix, you will receive the ASU/Zona channel on basic and the national on a premium tier of you want it.

They have not yet reached agreement with DirecTV and Dish Network. The subscriber rate is going to be between $0.90-$1/household. After initial startup costs, they will really bring in the cash from both subscriptions and advertising sales as they will control all of that too.

2-Their ESPN/FOX Sports contract is backloaded with at least a 4% increase each year for every year of the contract.

But here's the secret: the Big Ten doesn't need Maryland to get into DC. Just like they don't need Rutgers to get into New York. The current Big Ten schools have such large expatriate communities in those two cities that they have pre-existing footholds in the college sports consciences of those cities.

... except nobody here gives two farts about the Big Ten except for Big Ten alumni (but then you could say that about any conference). The Big Ten is a decidedly Midwestern conference, whereas DC is a decidedly Mid-Atlantic (some would say Southern despite its strong progressive bearings) city. DC doesn't care about college football. That's part of the reason Maryland football has struggled to fill Byrd Stadium even during the early Fridge years when they were ranked in the top-10.

And if what you claim is true about the Big Ten not needing Maryland or Rutgers to expand influence to the Eastern Seaboard, then why would the Big Ten even consider expansion at all?

Duck,

DC/Northern VA is really not a "native" population to begin, but it is also fairly transient. In general, those B1G grads will pay for the premium tier to get BTN. I do no live in the footprint, but I do pay for it monthly.

Not every new graduate from a Big Ten institution moves back home with his/her parents back in their hometown (as the economy may indicate), they migrate all across the country. If not that, they relocate across the country and still follow their alma mater.

[DCDuck]

Not every new graduate from a Big Ten institution moves back home with his/her parents back in their hometown (as the economy may indicate), they migrate all across the country. If not that, they relocate across the country and still follow their alma mater.

But again, that's true of graduates of just about every conference, not just the Big Ten.

That doesn't say anything about whether Maryland or Virginia would make a more attractive candidate for expansion.

[rvrdgsfn]

Butler decided to skip on waiting

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7984779/butler-bulldogs-move-atlantic-10-now-set-season

Butler will join the Atlantic 10 next season instead of waiting until 2013-14, the school announced Tuesday.

"We are grateful to the Atlantic 10 for welcoming us into the fold a year ahead of schedule," Bulldogs athletic director Barry Collier said in a statement. "Ultimately it was in our best interest to reach an agreement with the Horizon League for immediate departure."

"The unexpected circumstances that precipitated Butler's request to move immediately were unfortunate," A-10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said in a statement, "but we will welcome Butler into the A-10 as a valuable new member."

[dfwabel]

What to do now Florida State?

Where to turn to now Clemson?

?We did (discuss expansion),? Neinas said while answering the opening question. ?And the athletic directors confirmed their position that they?re comfortable with 10 members.?

[Island_Style]

What to do now Florida State?

Where to turn to now Clemson?

“We did (discuss expansion),” Neinas said while answering the opening question. “And the athletic directors confirmed their position that they’re comfortable with 10 members.”

Are you new at this? Lawyer talk to avoid tampering. Cant say anything till the programs they want leave their current conference. Big 12 said this before TCU and WVU. Bout to link some articles about the SEC saying no to 14 then picking up A&M a short time after. Tampering, DFW.

The SEC says no to A&M 8/14/2011

A&M leaves the Big 12 8/30/2011

A&M join SEC 9/26/2011

What is FSU and Clemson going to do now? Follow protocol to get in to avoid tampering.

Rookie

[dfwabel]

You're quick to jump offiside. Like we talking Oregon to "thespleenator" or Boise State to "LightsOut" quick.

Oh, is JAX working on the countdown clock for 2016 when they lose the cocktail party too?

[Island_Style]

You're quick to jump offiside. Like we talking Oregon to "thespleenator" or Boise State to "LightsOut" quick.

Oh, is JAX working on the countdown clock for 2016 when they lose the cocktail party too?

Embarrassed? Thought you have been keeping track of all of this. Hell, you started the thread. So do you disagree with me? Even though this was the protocol for Mizzou, A&M, WVU and TCU. Are you sold on 10?