Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[jkrdevil]

I'm hoping those 4 join the Pac. Do you guys think they'd keep North/South divisions, and move Utah and Colorado to the North, and put the new 4 in gthe South?

My guess they go 4 pods. The Cascadia teams in one, the California teams in another, The Arizona and Mountain teams in another, Texas and Oklahoma in the 4th. You play every one in the pod every year and then some sort of rotation among the other. Depending on how the rules for a championship game work you could have some sort of floating divisions based on the pods.

[Cooleyvol]

4 super conferences using the pod system fits very nicely into a national 16 team playoff.

Each conference could have the 4 pod champs play in the first round.

Two winners play in the second round for a conference championship, setting up the final four (conference champions) very nicely.

I could see these four supercons breaking away from the NCAA to do this.

[MC2]

I'm really pissed that those teams joined, now its harder for Oregon to dominate the Pac-12.

[LetsGoOakland9]

4 super conferences using the pod system fits very nicely into a national 16 team playoff.

Each conference could have the 4 pod champs play in the first round.

Two winners play in the second round for a conference championship, setting up the final four (conference champions) very nicely.

I could see these four supercons breaking away from the NCAA to do this.

I've always been against a playoff system, but if that were to be the system in place, I'd be all for it. I really like this idea.

And Oregon hardly dominates the Pac

[MC2]

4 super conferences using the pod system fits very nicely into a national 16 team playoff.

Each conference could have the 4 pod champs play in the first round.

Two winners play in the second round for a conference championship, setting up the final four (conference champions) very nicely.

I could see these four supercons breaking away from the NCAA to do this.

I've always been against a playoff system, but if that were to be the system in place, I'd be all for it. I really like this idea.

And Oregon hardly dominates the Pac

Stanford is the only thing standing in Oregon's way if anything.

[LetsGoOakland9]

"Dominating" is a lot different from "we've been good the last few years"

[thespleenenator]

nvm, let's not start his again.

Edited September 19, 2011 by thespleenenator

[McCall]

Anyone else get the feeling that LetsGoOakland9 is becoming the new KevinW.?

Could be worse. He could be the next thespleenenator.

[NatsFan2004]

Apparently West Virginia has applied to join SEC.

At this point, what options do the SEC have other than West Virginia? It seems like Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State are not options due to the increased buyout money the ACC wants to let a school leave, plus general lack of interest from those schools. Maybe Mizzou?

Of course, this assumes that the SEC won't fold on their position about the Longhorn Network to get Texas in the mix. Do they really think that a conference without Texas but with the precedent of disallowing school-specific TV networks is worth more than having Texas and working out the TV revenue piece so everyone wins?

[rams80]

Apparently West Virginia has applied to join SEC.

At this point, what options do the SEC have other than West Virginia? It seems like Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State are not options due to the increased buyout money the ACC wants to let a school leave, plus general lack of interest from those schools. Maybe Mizzou?

Of course, this assumes that the SEC won't fold on their position about the Longhorn Network to get Texas in the mix. Do they really think that a conference without Texas but with the precedent of disallowing school-specific TV networks is worth more than having Texas and working out the TV revenue piece so everyone wins?

Let's ask ourselves again what has happened to the last two conferences Texas was in. Yeah, umm, that particular cuckoo bird isn't worth inviting into your nest.

[NatsFan2004]

Let's ask ourselves again what has happened to the last two conferences Texas was in. Yeah, umm, that particular cuckoo bird isn't worth inviting into your nest.

You're saying that the University of Texas was the direct reason for the dissolution of the SWC and potential dissolution of the Big 12?

[Seadragon76]

Anyone else get the feeling that LetsGoOakland9 is becoming the new KevinW.?

Nope. Personally, I don't care. Let's stick to the thread's main topic, OK spleen?

I guess I ought to throw out my two cents on what's going on.

-The ACC made a proactive move by getting Syracuse and Pittsburgh. With everyone else in a 'wait and see' mode, the ACC made this move to say that it will do something. Syracuse has been on the mind of the ACC for quite a long time. Remember, Syracuse was the team the ACC wanted alongside Miami and Boston College in the last round of expansion before the Virginia Legislature butted in for Virginia Tech. Pitt is just the extra cherry on top for the ACC.

-The Big East isn't as buried as many are saying. To me, the one team that can save the Big East in football is Villanova. As it stands, there will be seven football schools (this includes incoming member TCU) and 15 overall members. Villanova making the jump to FBS would give the Big East the necessary eight members to survive in football. But, should Villanova say no to making that jump, the Big East might be in big trouble and may have to take in the scraps of the Big 12 to make things work.

-What about the non-football schools (outside of Villanova, of course. This group also includes Georgetown because I don't think they are going to make that jump to FBS football in my, or anyone else's, lifetime) in this whole issue? Sooner or later, those schools are going to start wondering if they really matter in the whole scheme of things? History has taught us that super conferences don't work in the Division I level (Looking at you, WAC). Those schools may just jump ship and form some sort of non-football conference that would make them all happy.

[NatsFan2004]

-The Big East isn't as buried as many are saying. To me, the one team that can save the Big East in football is Villanova. As it stands, there will be seven football schools (this includes incoming member TCU) and 15 overall members. Villanova making the jump to FBS would give the Big East the necessary eight members to survive in football. But, should Villanova say no to making that jump, the Big East might be in big trouble and may have to take in the scraps of the Big 12 to make things work.

But if the Big East were a 7-team conference, they'd lose their BCS bid. That alone would destroy the conference by lowering its stature, and potentially sending its other football schools running to conferences that would give them a chance at a BCS bowl.

Even if Villanova were to opt into 1-FBS ball, would such a small school without stature in the football world be enough to keep schools like Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville from bolting? In that scenario, bringing Villanova into the fold would be for naught.

-What about the non-football schools (outside of Villanova, of course. This group also includes Georgetown because I don't think they are going to make that jump to FBS football in my, or anyone else's, lifetime) in this whole issue? Sooner or later, those schools are going to start wondering if they really matter in the whole scheme of things? History has taught us that super conferences don't work in the Division I level (Looking at you, WAC). Those schools may just jump ship and form some sort of non-football conference that would make them all happy.

It seems like this alone would potentially force the Big East to refocus as a basketball only conference, lest they try to save both football and basketball and tear apart the conference completely by making no one happy.

[TampaBayEverybodyLovesRays]

Anyone else get the feeling that LetsGoOakland9 is becoming the new KevinW.?

Nope. Personally, I don't care. Let's stick to the thread's main topic, OK spleen?

I guess I ought to throw out my two cents on what's going on.

-The ACC made a proactive move by getting Syracuse and Pittsburgh. With everyone else in a 'wait and see' mode, the ACC made this move to say that it will do something. Syracuse has been on the mind of the ACC for quite a long time. Remember, Syracuse was the team the ACC wanted alongside Miami and Boston College in the last round of expansion before the Virginia Legislature butted in for Virginia Tech. Pitt is just the extra cherry on top for the ACC.

-The Big East isn't as buried as many are saying. To me, the one team that can save the Big East in football is Villanova. As it stands, there will be seven football schools (this includes incoming member TCU) and 15 overall members. Villanova making the jump to FBS would give the Big East the necessary eight members to survive in football. But, should Villanova say no to making that jump, the Big East might be in big trouble and may have to take in the scraps of the Big 12 to make things work.

-What about the non-football schools (outside of Villanova, of course. This group also includes Georgetown because I don't think they are going to make that jump to FBS football in my, or anyone else's, lifetime) in this whole issue? Sooner or later, those schools are going to start wondering if they really matter in the whole scheme of things? History has taught us that super conferences don't work in the Division I level (Looking at you, WAC). Those schools may just jump ship and form some sort of non-football conference that would make them all happy.

I'm a student at Villanova. Throughout the whole FCS/FBS nonsese, the adminstration has kept the student body update. FWIW, we were given the impression that 'Nova did say YES to going to the invitation to move upD, but not until after much deliberation. By the time the answer was given, the Big East basically gave us an "uhh, maybe we'll let you in."

[Seadragon76]

But if the Big East were a 7-team conference, they'd lose their BCS bid. That alone would destroy the conference by lowering its stature, and potentially sending its other football schools running to conferences that would give them a chance at a BCS bowl.

Even if Villanova were to opt into 1-FBS ball, would such a small school without stature in the football world be enough to keep schools like Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville from bolting? In that scenario, bringing Villanova into the fold would be for naught.

Good point. Now, I don't know for sure if this whole situation would finally force the BCS to revoke the Big East's bid (it probably would), but the NCAA has stated that you need eight members to be a football conference (the WAC is currently facing this issue with the losses of Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii and the additions of two football schools Texas State and UTSA along side non-football members Denver, Seattle and UT-Arlington). To me, Villanova holds all the cards. I understand your point that little Villanova might not be enough to save the Big East in football, but I think that in order to survive, Villanova may need to make that jump.

It seems like this alone would potentially force the Big East to refocus as a basketball only conference, lest they try to save both football and basketball and tear apart the conference completely by making no one happy

It may be the only way, man. Saving both of them could be possible, but at what cost?

[rams80]

Let's ask ourselves again what has happened to the last two conferences Texas was in. Yeah, umm, that particular cuckoo bird isn't worth inviting into your nest.

You're saying that the University of Texas was the direct reason for the dissolution of the SWC and potential dissolution of the Big 12?

Not the only one, but Texas' insistence on wanting to pretty much dominate its conference in all things administratively and financially has not exactly been helpful to keeping conferences together. Please note how the most stable conferences are the ones in which even the big fish are willing to behave more or less as equals with the small ones.

[thespleenenator]

Yeah sorry rams. I regretted that the second i posted it.

Anyway, apparently, UT, TT, OU, Ok St to the Pac-12 is a done deal (again). Oregon vs Texas in Autzen? Yes please.

[Chicageaux]

Now the SEC has to get off their rearends and start adding teams.

[McCall]

But if the Big East were a 7-team conference, they'd lose their BCS bid. That alone would destroy the conference by lowering its stature, and potentially sending its other football schools running to conferences that would give them a chance at a BCS bowl.

Even if Villanova were to opt into 1-FBS ball, would such a small school without stature in the football world be enough to keep schools like Connecticut, West Virginia and Louisville from bolting? In that scenario, bringing Villanova into the fold would be for naught.

Good point. Now, I don't know for sure if this whole situation would finally force the BCS to revoke the Big East's bid (it probably would), but the NCAA has stated that you need eight members to be a football conference (the WAC is currently facing this issue with the losses of Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii and the additions of two football schools Texas State and UTSA along side non-football members Denver, Seattle and UT-Arlington). To me, Villanova holds all the cards. I understand your point that little Villanova might not be enough to save the Big East in football, but I think that in order to survive, Villanova may need to make that jump.

It seems like this alone would potentially force the Big East to refocus as a basketball only conference, lest they try to save both football and basketball and tear apart the conference completely by making no one happy

It may be the only way, man. Saving both of them could be possible, but at what cost?

You're assuming that UConn and Rutgers stay, which there's already been talk that UConn has already reached out to the ACC, which could pull Rutgers in with them. This would only leave Cincinnai, Louisville, South Florida and the incoming TCU. You could pair those 4 with the remaining 5 Big XIi schools to form an AQ conference, but there's a big possibility of Mizzou going to either the Big Ten or SEC and possibly Louisville to the SEC. If a Big XII/Big East merger were to come to fruition, I'd probably keep the Big XII name because there'd be more of their teams in it and regionally, it would be more appropriate as USF would really be the only eastern school.

Though, as mentioned on twitter, they could just call it the Big Mess. Might be more fitting.

[McCall]

Now the SEC has to get off their rearends and start adding teams.

They have to add at least one more in to go along with aTm. They could just decide to go 16, too.