Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[ESTONES6]

Also, Notre Dame. I don't want them in the Big Ten-they wreck every league they are in solely because they are hellbent on looking out for themselves alone; their loyalties within the league would always be suspect; and they make unreasonable demands that would instantly cause the league to fly apart.

I'm not sure every conference will be going to 16 if the Big XII survives and the ACC collapses. The B16 TEN and SEC will have 16 but I don't think the teams will be there for the PAC, XII, and new east conference.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

Hint: In this modern college landscape, every school is looking out for themselves. No one wants to be left behind in the also-ran conferences that will exist when the dust settles. Notre Dame is no different than any other school that's not tied down in this regard.

To a point. If you're already in one of the safe power leagues, you are going to feel a decent amount of loyalty to the overall institution and marching to the same drummer. Unless you're Notre Dame that is. The Irish would want too many breaks for that to work out.

Just curious -- what are the safe leagues? By my count, it's Big Ten and SEC, and maybe the Pac-##. If you're in the Big XII and ACC, it seems like there's a very good chance you're not feeling too confident of the long-term health of your league.

Just those 3. (Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12)

I'm not even sure the Pac 12's a safe league. They aren't going to be raided, but if the Big XII becomes stronger than it already is, who is the Pac 12 going to add to get to 16? I can never see the Pac 12 adding Boise State or even BYU.

[McCall]

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.

[4_tattoos]

It'll be interesting to see which teams from today's "power conferences" may have to join a lesser conference.

[BBTV]

I know next to nothing about college sports, nor do I really care (from a competition standpoint), however, I appreciate the history of these conferences and find it fascinating that the world is changing so drastically in the past few years since I can remember how big a deal it was when the Big 10 expanded for Penn State, and now that kind of thing is happening every other day.

So keeping in mind that I don't know much, I will pose three questions in the form of an enumerated list. Please answer:

1. Could these 16-team "super leagues" just make up their own rules, have their own conference semi-final and championship games, then agree with each other to sell the rights to games against the winners of the other super leagues? Like what could the NCAA do about it if these leagues just wanted to go rogue and govern themselves?

2. I realize there's existing TV deals that the NCAA signs (and presumably the conference leadership agrees to) but if say the "Big 10" were to dissolve or close up shop, would that void a deal? Then they just come back as Big 10 2.0 or something like that (same with the other super leagues?) It seems like there could be ways that everything that's currently in ink could be thrown out if these leagues wanted to do things on their own.

3. I was wondering why the season starts before labor day but ends around Thanksgiving, creating (in some cases) a 6+ week layoff for some big-time bowl teams. I guess it's because as you get in to finals weeks, many schools have them on Saturdays which could create conflicts for students and faculty who attend games, and the athletes themselves (though i'm sure their schedules could be worked around.) Is there a better reason? If #2 were to happen, there would have to be some December games, unless the "playoff" started in January, right?

So along with these questions, if these 4 super conferences are able to start dictating the rules (which I think they could be able to do) and become the defacto governing body for college athletics (at least football), could we see the end of Division 1 and 1-AA (FBS and FCS or whatever) as we know it, since for all intents and purposes, the 64 teams in the super leagues are really the 1st division? Like aren't FCS and FBS NCAA sanctioned designations? Couldn't the NWO of college athletics just say "look - it's us and only us."?

[Red Wolf]

Jumping conferences can kind of screw you in the present. Apparently the Sun Belt had a conference call to vote on whether to send Middle Tennessee or Western Kentucky to Little Caesar's Bowl. Obviously, the conference chose against future C-USA member MTSU. Also, losing 45-0 in the Sun Belt Championship probably had something to do with it.

[rams80]

Jumping conferences can kind of screw you in the present. Apparently the Sun Belt had a conference call to vote on whether to send Middle Tennessee or Western Kentucky to Little Caesar's Bowl. Obviously, the conference chose against future C-USA member MTSU. Also, losing 45-0 in the Sun Belt Championship probably had something to do with it.

Also, they owed Western Kentucky after last year.

[Cujo]

You could probably include the MAC. Since the last realignment when the ACC picked up BC, Miami, and VT, the MAC has only lost UCF (well outside the rest of the conference geographically), Marshall, and Temple (football only anyway, and returning to their old conference). They're still at 13 and I never see rumors about their teams going anywhere.

And there's a good reason for that -- Nobody wants any of those podunk schools!!

But I'm sure the Big East will come calling after another six of their schools get picked off by the Big Ten and ACC.

[Island_Style]

IMO, I don't think we will see any more ACC defectors until the Maryland suit is settled. I do think that will be sooner than later. The ACC mucked up the language in that thing. I bet it will be reduced to 20 to 24mil.

[Red Wolf]

Jumping conferences can kind of screw you in the present. Apparently the Sun Belt had a conference call to vote on whether to send Middle Tennessee or Western Kentucky to Little Caesar's Bowl. Obviously, the conference chose against future C-USA member MTSU. Also, losing 45-0 in the Sun Belt Championship probably had something to do with it.

Also, they owed Western Kentucky after last year.

True enough. Just two years straight leaving the 2nd place team in the Belt at home. Wonder why anybody would try to leave?

[ESTONES6]

Any news on the Georgia Tech and Virginia rumors? I haven't seen any of the major outlets even reporting "Sources".

[Island_Style]

Any news on the Georgia Tech and Virginia rumors? I haven't seen any of the major outlets even reporting "Sources".

I wouldn't get my hopes up. Not today, anyway. Not enough leaks. GT to the Big10 would produce more media chatter, IMO. I still say everyone waits on the Maryland suit. If things go Maryland's way, the flood gates will open.

[ESTONES6]

I understand WHY the B16 TEN wants Georgia Tech, but I think most of GA is spoken for with the Bulldogs. I think adding GT would really be a bush league move, in my opinion (as if poaching other conferences isn't bush league enough). I think they should add Virginia, which would be a great add, and either Kansas State or North Carolina. NC is another school littered with rule breaking and sanctions. Sure they will make the biggest impact in both football and basketball but I think the conference may need more balance, since Virginia, Rutgers, Maryland, and Penn State will occupy the "East Division"... and putting Michigan and Ohio State in the same division is out of the question.

[Geoff]

The main person behind the UVa/GT to B16 is a sports blogger for a TV station in DC with 500 Twitter followers trying to stir up crap and get more readers and followers. So far it has worked a bit as he is up to about 640.

He hasn't mentioned it since except to defend his source. This is just funny:

@Mr_KevinJones

Source: Georiga Tech and UVA will announce decision to leave ACC by Monday. Will join Big 10

@DavidGlennShow

@Mr_KevinJones that's a big story to break spelling one of the schools wrong, homey. Hope for your sake you're right but I doubt it.

@Mr_KevinJones

@DavidGlennShow source too credible not to report it

If it has legs, he may have just broken it too early or he misunderstood his source. Could have been they're talking and he said they're joining.

[ESTONES6]

The main person behind the UVa/GT to B16 is a sports blogger for a TV station in DC with 500 Twitter followers trying to stir up crap and get more readers and followers. So far it has worked a bit as he is up to about 640.

He hasn't mentioned it since except to defend his source. This is just funny:

@Mr_KevinJones

Source: Georiga Tech and UVA will announce decision to leave ACC by Monday. Will join Big 10

@DavidGlennShow

@Mr_KevinJones that's a big story to break spelling one of the schools wrong, homey. Hope for your sake you're right but I doubt it.

@Mr_KevinJones

@DavidGlennShow source too credible not to report it

If it has legs, he may have just broken it too early or he misunderstood his source. Could have been they're talking and he said they're joining.

I dunno. I don't know much about Journalistic Integrity, but one would think you don't "break" a story about 2 major universities leaving their conference to form the first Super Conference, when really all that has happened is either the conference has contacted the schools or the schools have contacted the conference. I would be willing to bet that just about every major college has had some sort of contact with a major conference. Whether its been a quick hey, hello, or hey we might be interested kinda sorta, would you guys be interested in us, or a flat out advertisement of why their school would fit within a new conference.

Again, the fact that this a twitter guy with barely enough followers to fill an elementary school should say something. One would think that the major networks/sites would not only get the scoop first, but would have the resources to acquire such information WELL before a local guy could. Virginia and Georgia Tech very well could be on their way to the B16 TEN, but I don't think they guy would be the one to break it, nor would I be able to consider him breaking it.

Anyone on websites with significant followings - such as this one - could start a rumor and it could pick up steam quickly. Just because one guy says it, doesn't mean he has a source. He could just be calling his shot. Everyone gets lucky.

[Island_Style]

He just posted this.

GT/UVA

On Friday I tweeted a report about Georgia Tech and Virginia, which turned out to be inaccurate -- for the time being. I can only offer my apologies to the people I misled. Changes in the ACC are on the cusp of fruition, but today is not that day.

The reality is that NCAA conference realignment is one of the more complex issues today in sports. Powerful people inside various universities have certain agendas. My sources, no matter how influential and credible they may be, indeed were not enough to run with a story of this magnitude. I found out the hard way.

I vow to not be defined by this error in judgment and look forward to interacting with all of you through various media platforms.

KJ

Like I said, I don't know why anyone else would try to move until the Maryland suit is over.

[BlackBolt3]

Here's a thought. What if Maryland loses its case, but doesn't come with the money? Under Armour might pay the bulk, but I can't see them paying more than 15 million.

[Saint Zephyr III]

Yeah I think many of us are underestimating that $50M amount; at the end of the day, even though they're acting like corporations, these schools can't just foot that much money without some severe ramifications.

[ESTONES6]

Here's a thought. What if Maryland loses its case, but doesn't come with the money? Under Armour might pay the bulk, but I can't see them paying more than 15 million.

Yeah I think many of us are underestimating that $50M amount; at the end of the day, even though they're acting like corporations, these schools can't just foot that much money without some severe ramifications.

The B16 TEN pays each school equally for the revenue gerated from the BTN. If memory serves, the BTN generated $280 million+ last year, which is about $22-$24 million per school. Even in Maryland can negotiate SOME sort of reduction in fee and/or Under Armor - which would love to get its product on the BTN more than just Northwestern - they have a legitmate shot at paying off the fee in 2 years. That's going by old figures, not including the influx of revenue that will be generated from the New York, Baltimore and Washington DC markets in 2014. Again, that would assume that they would use 100% of the revenue from the BTN to pay off its exit fee from the ACC, instead of reinstituting sports that they had to get rid of due to lack of funds.

Sure, $50 million may be 1, or even 2 steps back, but after that, they will be hitting the ground running. Know what I mean?

[FiddySicks]

Yeah I think many of us are underestimating that $50M amount; at the end of the day, even though they're acting like corporations, these schools can't just foot that much money without some severe ramifications.

Ok, so I remember the ACC upping their exit fee from $10 million to $20 million, but where did this $50 million come from?

[Burkell007]

when the golden gods of college sports wanted to play in a conference but still play by there rules, im talking about YOU Notre Dame