Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[DarkJourney]

A nice divisional setup for Sun Belt football in 2017:

East

Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy

West

Arkansas State, Idaho, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, Texas State

[2001mark]

NCAA should have a champions league format.

[Midway]

As for the other team... I think Cincinnati is a nice option. Gives West Virginia a nearby rival.

I'm not in love with the idea, but it would sell a lot of tickets here in Lubbock too.

[DustDevil61]

My take: BYU should be option number 1 no matter what.

Yes, travel will be a little difficult. But, as of now, the Cougars are in the literal no man's land in terms of playoff hopes. Being in the Big 12 for football can easily give them a chance to compete for a New Year's Six game on a yearly basis. Plus, the Big XII is just going to ask for football membership so any issues on the 'We don't play on Sundays' front can be deflected.

As for the other team... I think Cincinnati is a nice option. Gives West Virginia a nearby rival.

Late post (I know), but that's BYU's best (and probably only) shot at the Big XII. I don't see the other sports leaving the West Coast Conference as the WCC is one of the few NCAA conferences that don't play games on Sunday.

While I'm sure they'd find a way to deal with it, it wouldn't surprise me that if the Big 12 brought in BYU, they'd try to pull in Boise State for a (relatively) nearby addition. Granted, the same can be said for Cincinnati and its proximity to West Virginia...

[CLEstones]

Michigan insider @Bluevod is claiming major conference realignment will be announced in days:

 

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Expansion is RED hot it is beyond talk act will take place in days. A lot of headfakes be thrown out to keep people of guard. Change Coming.

 

Limited research has shown that he has actually had a few credible tips.

 

[chcarlson23]

Don't know/think that this means Notre Dame is moving in any other sport, but they're moving to the Big Ten hockey conference next year. I think it'll add a little more talent for next year. My top 3 teams next year are Michigan, Minnesota, and Notre Dame. No one else is really a threat. 

[dfwabel]

30 minutes ago, chcarlson23 said:

Don't know/think that this means Notre Dame is moving in any other sport, but they're moving to the Big Ten hockey conference next year. I think it'll add a little more talent for next year. My top 3 teams next year are Michigan, Minnesota, and Notre Dame. No one else is really a threat. 

Notre Dame hockey is moving for the 2017-18, not next season. The thought is thay Arizona State will become the 8th team.

[Gary]

I could never think of the Devils as a Big Ten team. They are too much of a Pacific12 team to ever think of them differently

[Seadragon76]

1 hour ago, Gary. said:

I could never think of the Devils as a Big Ten team. They are too much of a Pacific12 team to ever think of them differently

 

Problem is that they're really the only Independent program in D-1 ice hockey. They would need to find a home and if the Big Ten is the one that gives them the home, they aren't turning that down.

 

Although I think the NCHA might be a better option because of it's smaller travel footprint.

[HedleyLamarr]

7 hours ago, CLEstones said:

Michigan insider @Bluevod is claiming major conference realignment will be announced in days:

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Expansion is RED hot it is beyond talk act will take place in days. A lot of headfakes be thrown out to keep people of guard. Change Coming.

 

Limited research has shown that he has actually had a few credible tips.

 

If any expansion talk is true, the obvious place to look at is the Big XII.

 

Even though recent legislation now gives the Big XII the ability to play a conference championship game with 10 teams, there's going to be enough push from the other Power 5 conferences to add at least two schools to get to 12.  Looks like the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten have realized that 14 is probably the highest amount of schools you can have in a conference without murdering tradition (in terms of football).  The Pac-12 seems content with their current arrangement.

[Beckhamcantbendmiami]

It seems weird but that's the beauty of college hockey, everything you thought about college athletics gets thrown out the window. Where Division II and Mid Majors are powerhouses and the presence of the Big 10 actually hurts the sport.

 

Unless a major curve ball comes and the B10 pick anyone besides the independent Arizona State the domino effect won't be that huge. Hockey East picks a ECHA team like Quinnipiac (if they actually accept), ECHA picks a Atlantic Hockey team, and all those conferences will be at a even number. Or HE just picks a Atlantic Hockey team and we are still even.

[Totems!!]

 The Big 10 can have Arizona State. They've already messed with tradition by killing the best college hockey conference in the WCHA so adding a desert hockey team to be "rivals" with Minnesota and Wisconsin makes perfect sense. Kill me now please.

[CLEstones]

On 3/26/2016 at 11:19 PM, HedleyLamarr said:

If any expansion talk is true, the obvious place to look at is the Big XII.

 

Even though recent legislation now gives the Big XII the ability to play a conference championship game with 10 teams, there's going to be enough push from the other Power 5 conferences to add at least two schools to get to 12.  Looks like the SEC, ACC, and Big Ten have realized that 14 is probably the highest amount of schools you can have in a conference without murdering tradition (in terms of football).  The Pac-12 seems content with their current arrangement.

 

Money, money, money, and more money... it will always be money.  If the B1G and SEC think they can add 2 more schools that would increase payouts or improve recruiting, they are going to do it.  I still think they want to move farther down the east coast but it all depends what Texas/Oklahoma are doing.

Will be curious to see if these rumors come to fruition.  I checked his twitter and this is what he has to say:

 

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Second source tells me ACC in play first. GOR can not be enforced without ACCN. ESPN said no to it. Stay tune fun times ahead.

 

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Expansion update head fakes are effect and I am suppose to get Intel from a second inside source tonight. Stay tuned it's getting wild.

 

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As much as I hate it ND. May be in play. I will check with second source tonight.

 

And are you ready for the whopper, extra cheese, extra sauce:

 

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This is the latest my 2 sources in the know FLA state,GA Tech, UVA, UNC to the big10 and now ND is in serious play. Texas is split

 

 

That would make B1G truly a super conference.  I personally don't like it.  I understand FSU and GAT.  But don't know.  This could either be a disaster or awesome.  I would rather see Syracuse and Kansas/Missouri.

 

[Luigi74]

Wont politicians in Virginia and North Carolina get involved if Virginia Tech and NC State get left in the cold? There's precedent in Virginia since the state legislature got involved during the ACC's first raid of the Big East which lead to VT getting in over Syracuse. Something similar could happen in North Carolina with NC State and it wouldn't be surprising to see Duke and Wake Forest alumni with political power get involved too. Remember Texas Gov. Anne Richards and fellow Baylor alums in the Texas state legislature blocked Texas and Texas A&M from moving to the PAC-1O and/or SEC and got Baylor into the Big 12 over Houston which is a state school.

 

 

[BlackBolt3]

2 hours ago, CLEstones said:

This is the latest my 2 sources in the know FLA state,GA Tech, UVA, UNC to the big10 and now ND is in serious play. Texas is split

I'm not knocking you, I'm knocking the source. BUT FSU IN THE BIG TEN?!?!? WHAT?!? That's honestly even more ridiculous than them going to the Big 12. And all that's wrong because ND can't join any other conference other than the ACC in football until 2025. Unless all those schools got $50 million to blow, this ain't happening.

[dfwabel]

5 hours ago, CLEstones said:

 

Money, money, money, and more money... it will always be money.  If the B1G and SEC think they can add 2 more schools that would increase payouts or improve recruiting, they are going to do it.  I still think they want to move farther down the east coast but it all depends what Texas/Oklahoma are doing.

Will be curious to see if these rumors come to fruition.  I checked his twitter and this is what he has to say:

 

 

 

 

And are you ready for the whopper, extra cheese, extra sauce:

 

 

 

That would make B1G truly a super conference.  I personally don't like it.  I understand FSU and GAT.  But don't know.  This could either be a disaster or awesome.  I would rather see Syracuse and Kansas/Missouri.

 

The problem is that there is no relationship in more football inventory equals an increase in rights at the rate as before.  Even with periodic "contract look-ins", the cable money is drying up through cord cutters or those young adults who have/never will have cable/satellite. 

 

While two Big XII presidents, Boren (OU) and Gee (WVU) are hot on expansion and have looked at Cincinnati since late 2014, Boren told UC president that the school would not come close to having an equal share.

 

Also, even without a network, the ACC will be #3 in TV revenue passing the Big XII.  As for the ESPN/ACC Newtork, ESPN pushed back the $45M penalty for not establishing it pushed back to at least 2017 for the simple fact that it cannot get traction in terms of carriage despite that the ACC footprint has more households than any other Power 5 conference.

[Seadragon76]

One thing to add on football wise and it was passed over...

 

The Sun Belt is giving the boot to Idaho and New Mexico State after the 2017 season.

 

At least Idaho has a back up plan for football as they have an open invite to the Big Sky. New Mexico State... ugh... they are in no man's land. You can't survive as an Independent (unless your name is Notre Dame or BYU) and the only viable option in the area, the Mountain West, really nothing to do with them.

[CLEstones]

7 hours ago, BlackBolt3 said:

 

Hidden Content

 

I'm not knocking you, I'm knocking the source. BUT FSU IN THE BIG TEN?!?!? WHAT?!? That's honestly even more ridiculous than them going to the Big 12. And all that's wrong because ND can't join any other conference other than the ACC in football until 2025. Unless all those schools got $50 million to blow, this ain't happening.

 

No worries.  I knew the long term goal was to add Georgia Tech to the B1G.  The only think I can think of when it comes to Florida State, is that GT has agreed in principal to join, if they could have 3 schools within close proximity.  It may be one of those things that's like, you use each schools tentative/conditional agreement to coax the other schools.  So no school has officially said they will join, but GT will join if FSU joins, and FSU will join if UNC joins, and UNC will join if GT and 1 other school joins.

 

UPDATE

 

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Clarify no deal is done anything can still happen but was reported are serious talks with lawyers involved and 2 networks Texas ND unclear

 

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Close Family friend is former Prez at FSU says there are legs to this at least involving his school.

 

Sounds like he is backing off his guaranteed shake up.

[BlackBolt3]

Can I get a link to this source you have found? I assume it's a Twitter account, but I'll gladly be wrong.

 

None of this truly correlates, here's why:

1. None of these schools have $50 million to waste on leaving the ACC

2. Neither Florida State nor North Carolina have anything to prove being in the Big Ten. Both schools just won national championships in their respective sports that people know them for, and I'm not entirely sure they would want to uproot and destroy rivalries with fellow conference members.

3. If the end game is to get Georgia Tech, why? They don't fit amongst the rest of the land grant, flagship universities. The only conceivable reason is the Atlanta market, which might not even matter, due to the increasing popularity of "cable cutting" providers (a la Netflix).

4. If Notre Dame wanted to join a conference by now, I'm sure they would've. Obviously, they wish to stay independent, and probably will stay that way until forced. Also, they would have to pay up to the ACC as well for the remainder of their teams.

 

All this would've been plausible 5 years ago when the ACC was seen as vulnerable and on shaky ground, but at this point, I'm pretty sure everyone is locked in. But hey, I thought Maryland had some sense to stay.

[HedleyLamarr]

That $50 million exit fee, while steep, isn't a deterrent for a school that's looking to leave.  Athletic departments can do some fundraisers....