***Conference Realignment Thread***

[Deutschetiger 41]

National Football Post is reporting a huge exodous from the Big 12 to the PAC 10 eh 16.

article here

The conference realignment arms race is becoming serious. Dave Miller

September 18, 2011, 03:40 PM EST

So much for the ACC landing Texas.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the Pac-12 is working out details of a deal that would bring Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to the conference, with the deal allowing UT to keep its Longhorn Network despite the Pac-12's recently announced new television contract. The only caveat would be that Texas would need to add Pac-12 -- soon to have 16 members -- content to the LHN programming schedule.

While nothing is official as of yet, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott reportedly is doing his best to make sure that Texas can still keep the Longhorn Network and their revenue stream while making the move and becoming a new conference member.

According to the report, the conference would be aligned into four four-team pods in football. The Longhorns would be in the same pod as Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and play those schools every year.

The conference is discussing a scheduling system where teams would play nine conference games -- teams playing every other team in their pod along with two teams from each of the other three pods. The conference championship game would likely be decided by overall conference record.

The Texas board of regents could vote Monday to authorize university president Bill Powers to make a decision regarding conference realignment.

With this expected move by the Pac-12, it's only a matter of time before SEC commissioner Mike Slive brings in a few teams from the ACC and possibly West Virginia from the Big East while ACC commissioner John Swofford digs further into the Big East to find replacements for his league. Syrcause and Pittsburgh are already bound for Swofford's conference, while UConn and Rutgers are real possibilities to join as well. The Big East, sadly, is imploding.

The era of superconferences certainly will be upon us sooner rather than later, with all the rumors and innuendo soon to turn into reality.

Email dave.miller@nationalfootballpost.com or follow me on Twitter at Miller_Dave

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[AU alum 2]

I can live with the SEC being a 16 team conference - won't like it, but eventually it will work out, money-wise. I do not want West Virginia. I do want Texas A&M, FSU (that would tick Florida off), Georgia Tech (that would tick Georgia off), and maybe Virginia Tech. It would seem to me for the SEC to add 2 teams and see how that goes for a year or two, then add 2 more.

[dyehardaufan 0]

I can live with the SEC being a 16 team conference - won't like it, but eventually it will work out, money-wise. I do not want West Virginia. I do want Texas A&M, FSU (that would tick Florida off), Georgia Tech (that would tick Georgia off), and maybe Virginia Tech. It would seem to me for the SEC to add 2 teams and see how that goes for a year or two, then add 2 more.

There has been alot of speculation that USCe, UGA and UF have a gentleman's agreement to vote against each's respective in-state rival. I'm not sure what the % of schools must be to vote in a team but FSU, Clemson, and Gtech all are staring with 25% no vote.

[vatz22au 142]

Sheesh.. While I think the change in conferences was going to always be inevitable, it was sparked off with the unfair LHN. I'm not too sure most teams in the "PAC Whatever" are going to be too happy having games televised solely on the LHN or the extra revenue Texas gets from such a network which is already a huge advantage for them.

To think, ESPN basically sparked this debacle.

[au2004ece 30]

Looks like the Pac-X will be bending over for Texas just like the Big 12 wimps.

[Deutschetiger 41]

I can live with the SEC being a 16 team conference - won't like it, but eventually it will work out, money-wise. I do not want West Virginia. I do want Texas A&M, FSU (that would tick Florida off), Georgia Tech (that would tick Georgia off), and maybe Virginia Tech. It would seem to me for the SEC to add 2 teams and see how that goes for a year or two, then add 2 more.

If we ultimately add 4, my vote is for:

TAMU - done deal

Mizzou - great TV market in St. Louis and gives TAMU and Arky some closer rivals

VT - we make in roads into the Virginia TV markets and broaden the recruiting base; plus good Eng. school

GT - good Eng. school + it just seems right

[RunInRed 16,512]

Realignment update after getting some feedback from those who know: Pump the brakes on Tex/Pac-12. Might happen. Not imminent.

@Andy_Staples

[BZ770 2]

If all this happens will the big 10 expand and go after Kansas and others left in the Big 12. Maybe the SEC could hold out and see whose left, if we don't like whose left than stay at 13?

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

This is just my opinion but if Texas becomes an Independent and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State go to the PAC 12 then I think a new conference should be made for the remaining teams.

If they make a new conference they should add TCU and Boise State. The new conference could be a BCS conference. That way TCU and Boise wouldn't have to worry about losing 1 game and not getting to play in a BCS bowl.

The new conference would be 8 teams:

Baylor

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Texas Tech

TCU

Boise State

[BZ770 2]

There is still CUSA and the Sunbelt. I could see if Big 12 surviving going after Southern Miss, Memphis etc.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

There is still CUSA and the Sunbelt. I could see if Big 12 surviving going after Southern Miss, Memphis etc.

The Big East will probaby try to get some teams from C-USA before the Big 12 because they'll only have 6 teams left after Syracuse and Pittsburgh leave. I could see the Big East trying to get East Carolina and UCF.

The Big 12 would probably only take Houston from C-USA.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Quick observations: you can drop any speculation that the SEC will add an ACC team. They upped the buyout, and they are aggressively adding teams. There's no incentive for FSU or VaTech to leave. Frankly, I don't think the SEC has interest in anyone else.

My votes: Texas A&M, West Virginia (it's a better fit than most think... also, it's not far from Lexington; if you can make it to the bluegrass or the ozarks, you can make it Morgantown), South Florida, and Mizzou. That exands the SEC geographically, adds a few TV sets, and gives us some solid football programs on the rise. We're going to 16 teams. I don't love it, but this is a good result.

[Mikey 16,776]

Quick observations: you can drop any speculation that the SEC will add an ACC team. They upped the buyout, and they are aggressively adding teams. There's no incentive for FSU or VaTech to leave. Frankly, I don't think the SEC has interest in anyone else.

My votes: Texas A&M, West Virginia (it's a better fit than most think... also, it's not far from Lexington; if you can make it to the bluegrass or the ozarks, you can make it Morgantown), South Florida, and Mizzou. That exands the SEC geographically, adds a few TV sets, and gives us some solid football programs on the rise. We're going to 16 teams. I don't love it, but this is a good result.

That could be as good as any. Just pick up TCU or Baylor in place of WVU and it's got my (critical) vote.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

TCU would be interesting. Baylor... I don't get that one. Waco is further away than Morgantown, and similarly isolated for flights (best option: fly to Dallas and rent a car). Plus they suck. Historically and recently (one winning season since 1995... last year at 7-6), they suck. I can see the allure of adding another Texas team to keep A&M company.

That would push the West very far West. Theoretical alignment:

TCU, A&M, Mizzou, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, Alabama (West)

Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, South Florida (East)

The other option is the C-USA approach from a few years back, which is to make four-team divisions. Then, hold a four-team conference tournament. Tougher to make this work regionally, but here's a guess that it could look something like this:

Far West - TCU, A&M, Mizzou, Arkansas

Twin State - Ole Miss, MSU, Auburn, Alabama

South - LSU, Florida, South Florida, Georgia

North - South Carolina, Vandy, Kentucky, Tennessee

I'm not sure how you could avoid making a really easy division if it's done geographically. Vandy, Carolina, and Kentucky are the northern most schools. I guess you could shift Mizzou into the North, but that doesn't help a great deal.

The good thing about the four division set up is it allows the greatest schedule flexibility. I'm not sure how you make the four team playoff work, but that's the only fair way. Best record gets worst record at home? Winners play in Atlanta? It would be fun at least.

[Twentyeight_Twentyseven 0]

The Oregon fans wearing yellow and green knee high socks, with Converse Allstars and Nike Jerseys.

Oh, because the fans looked like they went to watch a college football game instead of dressing as though they were about to tee off at the country club?

[banditmwp 713]

The Oregon fans wearing yellow and green knee high socks, with Converse Allstars and Nike Jerseys.

Because the guy in the highlighter yellow suit with green necktie and tophat looked any less ridiculous because he was in a suit?

It's college football man...come as you are, there is no dress code as long as the goods are covered! I wear slacks and a button down all week so I'm coming to party in cargo shorts and a #5 jersey, like it or not.

[dyehardaufan 0]

Rutgers and Uconn are rumored to be joining the ACC as well which would IMO end the Big East as a BCS conference. I wouldnt be surprised if the remaining Big East Schools join with whats left of the Big 12 to form a new conference.

Looks like this may be happening:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6993604/big-east-big-12-talking-possible-merger-report-says

[AUTigerCourt 92]

Just saw BMatthews Retweet this:

Sources tell BearcatLair.com that the SEC has turned down #WVUapplication for admittance.

[AUTigerCourt 92]

Just saw BMatthews RT this:

Sources tell BearcatLair.com that the SEC has turned down #WVUapplication for admittance.

[WarTiger 3,927]

Just saw BMatthews Retweet this:

Sources tell BearcatLair.com that the SEC has turned down #WVUapplication for admittance.

excellent news..

[eibua12 81]

USF is a commuter school with minimal athletics not a good fit

[Mikey 16,776]

The problem with the four division thing is that without an extra game being approved by the NCAA, every SEC school would have to go with an 11 game schedule, losing the revenue from one game. I don't think the loss of 16 home games, even games against the Florida Atlantics of the world, will be made up with two playoff games.

[Tigermike 3,072]

Boeheim thinks UConn and possibly Rutgers will follow Syracuse to ACC

Published: Monday, September 19, 2011, 3:05 PM Updated: Monday, September 19, 2011, 3:06 PM

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, one day after his university and Pittsburgh officially became ACC members, said he believes Connecticut and possibly Rutgers will also join the ACC.

"I think UConn will be in the ACC, if I had to guess," Boeheim said today during a speech at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham. "I think Rutgers could be. I think some people are thinking of leaving. ... Why would Florida State want to go to the SEC when you're in the ACC and you win banners? Doesn't make sense."

Boeheim said there will be a "mad scramble" in the next few months around the country as super conferences emerge.

"It's kind of like a dance," he said. "You don't want to be the one standing up at the end with no chair to sit in."

Boeheim, who has been at Syracuse for 50 years as a player or coach, is a traditionalist. He prefers 10-team conferences based on geography and rivalries in which every team plays each other once in football and twice in basketball.

"If conference commissioners were the founding fathers of this country, we would have Guatemala, Uruguay and Argentina in the United States," Boeheim said. "This audience knows why we are doing this. There's two reasons: Money and football.

"We're going to end up with mega conferences and 10 years from now either I'm going to be dead wrong -- and I'll be the first to admit it -- or everybody is going to be like, why did we do this again? Why is Alabama playing Texas A&M this week and going to Texas Tech next weekend? And why is Syracuse going to Miami in basketball this week and next week they're going to play Florida State?"

During an interview prior to his speech, Boeheim was skeptical that conference realignment will actually result in more money for most schools once costs are considered.

"It's interesting because 30 years ago schools made X amount of money," he said. "Twenty years ago, they made 2X. Ten years ago, they made 4X. Now they're going to make 6X. And you know what? They're going to end up breaking even, just like they did 30 years ago.

"At the end of the day, there's a school with a billion-dollar budget and they're talking about making an extra $4 million. What does that really mean when your school's budget is a billion dollars? It's just what has happened. People feel like they have to get these mega conferences. Whether they're right or wrong, we won't know for a while."

How out of the loop was Boeheim on the ACC discussions? He said if someone had told him Thursday night that Syracuse was headed to the ACC, "I would have said you were crazy."

Syracuse is a charter member of the Big East, which was founded as a basketball conference in 1979. Boeheim said he's sure Syracuse will continue to try to play Georgetown and St. John's.

"We've played St. John's for the 50 years I've been at Syracuse, and Georgetown for 40, so yeah, there's some nostalgia there," Boeheim said. "There's some heartbreak, no question about it. But it is what it is. Things do change. The Big East changed over the years. It's not that frustrating now because we have a 17-team basketball conference. If we had a nice, 10-team league, I'd be more upset. But we don't have that anymore. We have Marquette, DePaul, TCU coming in and who knows who else coming in."

Boeheim said he expects the ACC Tournament will mostly be held in the South and occasionally come to Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Big East has annually held its tournament.

"It's a great place for a tournament," he said. "Where would you want to go to to a tournament for five days? Let's see: Greensboro, North Carolina, or New York City? Jeez. Let me think about that one and get back to you."

Boeheim, who has in-laws that live in Alabama, was a rare basketball coach to speak at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. Bob Knight, John Calipari and Rick Pitino have previously been speakers.

"Coach Knight is legendary," Boeheim told the audience, "and the other two think they are."

link

[madkat7 244]

I am following this fairly carefully. I believe this series of events, if allowed to transpire, will alter college sports unlike anything we've seen before. It significantly impacts the NCAA, BCS, bowl arrangements, other sports, and schools both on the inside and outside of the movers and shakers. This will shift almost every fundamental element that we've come to know as modern college football. I thought, like last year, that the re-alignment talks would end once the season started, but they've only accelerated. This will be fun to watch. I encourage everyone to post relevant news here as it's going to come fast and furious in the coming weeks.

9/20/11 Re-alignment news.

Congress: Stop TV-inspired realignment money grab ... like now

OU, Texas authorized to act on Pac-12

Sources: Big 12 mulling Big East merger

9/19/11 Re-alignment news.

MWC hoping TCU will decide to stay

[WarTiger 3,927]

I am following this fairly carefully. I believe this series of events, if allowed to transpire, will alter college sports unlike anything we've seen before. It significantly impacts the NCAA, BCS, bowl arrangements, other sports, and schools both on the inside and outside of the movers and shakers. This will shift almost every fundamental element that we've come to know as modern college football. I thought, like last year, that the re-alignment talks would end once the season started, but they've only accelerated. This will be fun to watch. I encourage everyone to post relevant news here as it's going to come fast and furious in the coming weeks.

9/20/11 Re-alignment news.

Congress: Stop TV-inspired realignment money grab ... like now

OU, Texas authorized to act on Pac-12

Sources: Big 12 mulling Big East merger

9/19/11 Re-alignment news.

MWC hoping TCU will decide to stay

It could be a lot of things, but fun to watch is FAR from being one of them. There are TONS of us out here that HATE all of this, and pencil me in as one of them. This is certainly NOT fun to watch for me.