Conference shuffling?

Post #161 » by **Icness** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:30 pm

Notre Dame joins the ACC...except in football. Yawn.

Post #162 » by **Icness** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:11 pm

When did UMass join the MAC?

Post #163 » by **DelaneyRudd** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 7:09 pm

After they were independent.

TSE · Post #164 » by **TSE** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:52 am

I was researching conference realignments earlier today and I found a really good link with lots of details. To the question about UMASS above, well apparently the MAC has an option to cut them next year only because Temple recently left them, so since UMASS is new to the MAC they can choose to go to 12 teams and kick them out if they want to:

http://collegesportsinfo.com/conference ... ment-grid/

And here's a link to all of the conferences so you can use that as a guide when going through the news updates. To simplify things it looks like the Mountain West and WAC are going to be eliminated with some of those teams going to fill in for Conference USA since they are losing teams to other conferences.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/standings

There were 121 teams a few years ago, now there are 124, and it looks like that number will grow by at least 1 next year as a team will be added to the SunBelt. There will only be 3 Independents remaining after Navy gets scooped up and BYU has some possible places to go. It's just a matter of time before Notre Dame joins the Big 10 in my opinion. So in the short term things will get much neater with 2 of those conferences going and soon after that the Independents will be no more and everything will be organized much better!

lcomitor1 · Post #165 » by **lcomitor1** » Fri Nov 9, 2012 8:58 pm

Our resident Big Ten writer goes around the conference and previews each game this week. For your Big Ten (and comedy) fix, click here: http://midwaymadness.com/2012/11/big-te ... re-coming/

Post #166 » by **Da Schwab** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:28 pm

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ources-say

The University of Maryland's Board of Regents voted Monday to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten and begin competition in the conference in the 2014-15 academic year, sources told ESPN. An afternoon announcement will be made in College Park.

Meanwhile, Big East Conference sources told ESPN that Rutgers will be announced as the 14th member of the Big Ten on Tuesday.

A source told ESPN that the Big Ten has been itchy about further expansion since Notre Dame made its official move to the ACC two months ago in all sports other than football. The source said the Big Ten can justify Maryland and then potentially Rutgers because they are in contiguous states to the Big Ten footprint.

The addition of the two East Coast schools would dramatically stretch the Big Ten's shadow. With Maryland holding down the Beltway, Rutgers, in New Brunswick, N.J., offering up the New York market and Penn State's strong eastern ties, the league has a solid anchor in the mid-Atlantic states.

The mega-conferences continue to build up. I'm still not sure why the Big Ten is expanding to the eastern seaboard, but this really opens up the recruiting landscape.

The departure of Rutgers may be the nail in the coffin for the Big East as an AQ conference. I really think Louisville and/or Cincinnati may jump ship in the coming months.

Post #167 » by **DelaneyRudd** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:56 pm

Big 12 will expand to 14. L'ville Cincy BYU Boise St.

Post #168 » by **Da Schwab** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:18 pm

I really wish there could just be four power conferences: ACC, SEC, Big Ten and PAC 12.

I say they dissolve the Big East and Big 12 and split those teams up where they geographically make sense. Then, put Boise, BYU and Notre Dame where they make sense and call it even.

Post #169 » by **DelaneyRudd** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:22 am

It's going to be 5. If they all had to go to 14 I don't know who the Pac-12 could pick up. They will not accept schools like BYU, any CSU school, Boise or UNLV.

They want high research flagship universities. Maybe Hawaii fits. Then there's no school out west that fits that and has at least a reasonable football program. New Mexico is way too bad. "Maybe Air Force could be the team.

Friend_Of_Haley · Post #170 » by **Friend_Of_Haley** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:04 am

DelaneyRudd wrote:It's going to be 5. If they all had to go to 14 I don't know who the Pac-12 could pick up. They will not accept schools like BYU, any CSU school, Boise or UNLV.

They want high research flagship universities. Maybe Hawaii fits. Then there's no school out west that fits that and has at least a reasonable football program. New Mexico is way too bad. "Maybe Air Force could be the team.

Texas and Oklahoma?

Post #171 » by **craig01** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:59 pm

Da Schwab wrote:I really wish there could just be four power conferences: ACC, SEC, Big Ten and PAC 12.

I say they dissolve the Big East and Big 12 and split those teams up where they geographically make sense. Then, put Boise, BYU and Notre Dame where they make sense and call it even.

But much of the passion in the NCAA is geographically oriented. Playing rivals regularly has been what has fueled football. Super-sized conferences lose the geographic appeal, as well as the consistent scheduling in some cases.

Attendance is already becoming an issue at normally near sold-out schools (82K at Fla, 68K FSU), just watch the TV and look for the sporadically empty bleachers at many games.....then, throw in the travel aspect for the fan bases of schools like West Virginia that used to travel well.....

MD, WV did their moves for the money, but they'll both give up a lot of what made them what they were.

If you are on the Women's dart team..... which they can now support, or in the accounting department at the school then the moves were worth it.

But, if you are an alumni, a fan that buys their stuff, attend games home and/or away, then the moves are likely regrettable from their point of view.

Post #172 » by **Da Schwab** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:12 pm

Good point.

Massive realignments would mean teams who just moved would have to move again. I would only do the realignment if I could make sure each conference would make sense geographically, meaning teams like Maryland and WVU and Rutgers would become part of the ACC, while teams like Texas and Oklahoma would become members of the SEC.

It's so damn easy on paper, but we all know that these conference board members and school presidents don't care about anything but the money.

Post #173 » by **craig01** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 3:37 pm

Da Schwab wrote:Good point.

It's so damn easy on paper, but we all know that these conference board members and school presidents don't care about anything but the money.

Looks that way now doesn't it?

Post #174 » by **GYBE** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:14 pm

Da Schwab wrote:I really wish there could just be four power conferences: ACC, SEC, Big Ten and PAC 12.

I say they dissolve the Big East and Big 12 and split those teams up where they geographically make sense. Then, put Boise, BYU and Notre Dame where they make sense and call it even.

Believe it or not, schools don't like to be told what conference they have to join.

Post #175 » by **Da Schwab** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:39 pm

I'm aware of that. I'm just speaking hypothetically.

Post #176 » by **Icness** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:08 am

Louisville and Cincy to the ACC will come by the end of next CFB season, I'd bet good $$ on it. Houston and UConn can go to the Big 12, which still is trying to get better and more national at basketball. Syracuse can go ACC, or I guess UConn could too.

I still maintain the best thing to do is for the BCS to separate itself from the NCAA completely. That way more geographically rational conferences can survive in all other sports, and the big boy football programs would be allowed to pay their players. It also removes the ridiculous Title IX issues that cost people like me athletic scholarship opportunities because there is no female equivalent of football and it's massive scholarship load.

Post #177 » by **GYBE** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 1:06 am

Icness wrote:Syracuse can go ACC, or I guess UConn could too.

That's already happened.

Post #178 » by **Icness** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:55 pm

GYBE wrote:
Icness wrote:Syracuse can go ACC, or I guess UConn could too.

That's already happened.

D'oh!

Post #179 » by **Da Schwab** » Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:00 pm

Well, Ic called this one correctly...

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ource-says

Louisville will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, becoming the sixth former Big East school to leave for the ACC, sources told ESPN.

The ACC's presidents and chancellors voted to add the Cardinals Wednesday morning to replace Maryland, which will leave for the Big Ten in 2014.

Louisville is expected to join the ACC in the same season, sources said. Big East rules require a $10 million exit fee and 27 months notice, but the Cardinals -- like several schools before them -- should be able to negotiate a higher buyout to leave before the 27-month period.

The ACC also considered UConn and Cincinnati for membership. However, sources told ESPN the league only wanted Louisville because there is a sense among league presidents that the ACC can add more schools at a later date if the ACC lost any other schools.

Dsharpyo · Post #180 » by **Dsharpyo** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:32 am

All these moved happened soon after ND announced they were joining the ACC for all sports but football. My thinking is the Big 10 is hoping the SEC and Big 12 take schools from the ACC (the Big 12 has already offered FSU and Clemson) in hopes that ND comes over the Big 10. We already know the Big XII and the SEC have an agreement not to take any schools from each other anymore...