Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

[Sportsbuck]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

There's talk of UNC being #15 to the B1G down the line...

[CelticPride17]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

There's talk of UNC being #15 to the B1G down the line...

If that does happen, Duke will be 16. I can almost guarantee that.

[cdawg44]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/dennis-dodd/21058110/expansion-fallout-houston-can-get-out-of-deal-with-big-east-without-penalty

Houston has a get out of the Big East without penalty card it seems. Boise does too, depending on how much the tv deal works out to be. And with every passing day, their TV deal value is dropping like Facebook stock.

[Juce734]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

There's talk of UNC being #15 to the B1G down the line...

That would be fantastic. NC isn't great in football but they have gotten better in recent years. The basketball team would be amazing to have part of the Big Ten though.

If that does happen, Duke will be 16. I can almost guarantee that.

I disagree because Jim Delaney is about bringing in more money. Due to both Duke and North Carolina being the same market (only an hour apart) I don't see them both coming into the Big Ten together. If anything I see it as one or the other which would be ashame for that rivalry. I think one of the Virginia teams would be the 16th school but I am hoping for Oklahoma.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...ithout-penalty

Houston has a get out of the Big East without penalty card it seems. Boise does too, depending on how much the tv deal works out to be. And with every passing day, their TV deal value is dropping like Facebook stock.

I could see Houston and Boise joining the Pac 12 to be honest.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I said it before and I'll say it again. Money doesn't drive anything.....WINNING drives everything. Since Maryland drove out Ralph Friedgen and Gary Williams, the school's athletic department has been in shambles.

You should drive to Raliegh and ask Debbie Yow why this is the case.

[ehh]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Maryland and Rutgers to the B1G...meaning their conference football-wise is going to be even more dreadful.

[T-Moar]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I could see Houston and Boise joining the Pac 12 to be honest.

Houston isn't good enough for the SuperPac (especially after this year, and Boise isn't a large enough market. I think the Mountain West might be imminent, though, especially with the talk about SDSU, BYU, and Boise going back. All the pieces are falling nicely into place.

-Houston needs a good football conference, and it is quickly becoming clear that that description does not apply to the Big East.

-If they add Boise and BYU, the MWC will be the BEST football conference that isn't in the 5 power conferences (arguably better than the ACC, too). The addition of Houston would only help that profile.

-Houston wouldn't have to deal with East Coast travel anymore.

-Houston's basketball team would be in a better conference overall, while not getting competitively over their heads like they would have been in the Big East.

-The MWC gets to replace the portion of the Texas market that they lost when TCU left with a team that was preparing for "big-time" college football.

The only problem I see with it is that it would give the MWC 14 teams, and leave SMU out, which might make travel more difficult for UH or be unsustainably large. Some teams would need kicked out to make this work. Personally, I'd like to see The Teams That Were Supposed To Go To The Big East keep the WAC alive, maybe with Hawaii and Nevada in the mix too, but that might be a pipe dream.

[Ziza9Noles94]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

There's talk of UNC being #15 to the B1G down the line...

And give up their Tobacco Road stranglehold on the ACC? I doubt it happens.

[Tovarich]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I could see Houston and Boise joining the Pac 12 to be honest.

No, no, no, no, no and no. That's my response about Boise State.

Boise is in a lowly populated state, does not help the TV market. They might have a good football team, but that does not matter. Really, it doesn't. I don't know if this is EA's fault for years of moving teams up to better conferences just because you dominated the WAC or what, but really, everyone, get over the quality of the football team. Really, it doesn't matter? Want proof? We haven't kicked Colorado out of the conference and the Big 10 is still accepting Maryland. It's not a big deal. More important than TV markets, is academics. Yes, that might stun you, but research grant money is the most significant factor. That's why it is the first requirement to join the PAC 12, and if you are not a research institution, you are absolutely not considered for one more second. Boise State's academics are on par with that of a junior college. Sorry, but they would absolutely not be considered for one second.

I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it until people stop making suggestions that the PAC add random Mountain West schools for NO REASON AT ALL. Why would the PAC add more teams just because other people are? The PAC schools are making over 20M per year from ESPN and FOX. Adding smaller conference schools does ZERO to improve that number. It lowers it. Therefore, there is no reason to do it. Just because the Big 10 and SEC and ACC have 14 does not mean the PAC will do it. 14 teams does not make you better than you were with 12. It just means you have 2 more teams.

[T-Moar]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

No, no, no, no, no and no. That's my response about Boise State.

People aren't excluding Houston based on academics anymore? I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[Juce734]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

No, no, no, no, no and no. That's my response about Boise State.

Boise is in a lowly populated state, does not help the TV market. They might have a good football team, but that does not matter. Really, it doesn't. I don't know if this is EA's fault for years of moving teams up to better conferences just because you dominated the WAC or what, but really, everyone, get over the quality of the football team. Really, it doesn't matter? Want proof? We haven't kicked Colorado out of the conference and the Big 10 is still accepting Maryland. It's not a big deal. More important than TV markets, is academics. Yes, that might stun you, but research grant money is the most significant factor. That's why it is the first requirement to join the PAC 12, and if you are not a research institution, you are absolutely not considered for one more second. Boise State's academics are on par with that of a junior college. Sorry, but they would absolutely not be considered for one second.

I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it until people stop making suggestions that the PAC add random Mountain West schools for NO REASON AT ALL. Why would the PAC add more teams just because other people are? The PAC schools are making over 20M per year from ESPN and FOX. Adding smaller conference schools does ZERO to improve that number. It lowers it. Therefore, there is no reason to do it. Just because the Big 10 and SEC and ACC have 14 does not mean the PAC will do it. 14 teams does not make you better than you were with 12. It just means you have 2 more teams.

You don't see the PAC 12 adding anymore teams at all? If the BCS makes it a requirement to have a 16 team conference for automatic bids in the playoff system they will do it eventually. Now I know it isn't talked about right now but it could happen someday. Things are always changing.

I never expected the Big Ten to expand past 11 but they went and got Nebraska. That move was huge and I think made the conference better and more valuable.

From a money making sports perspective I don't see why conferences wouldn't want to improve their competition by going after the good teams out there. Bowl Games make conferences money and lots of it. So if the PAC 12 for example went out and got a team like say Texas that would bring the conference a lot more money. I don't think that will happen but I think the PAC 12 will add teams eventually.

[superjames1992]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Virginia Tech's athletic director pretty much came straight out and said that the Hokies would be interested in an SEC offer. He has since retracted those statements, but I'd have to speculate that there's some dialogue between Virginia Tech and the SEC now.

[Hooe]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

No, no, no, no, no and no. That's my response about Boise State.

Boise is in a lowly populated state, does not help the TV market. They might have a good football team, but that does not matter. Really, it doesn't. I don't know if this is EA's fault for years of moving teams up to better conferences just because you dominated the WAC or what, but really, everyone, get over the quality of the football team. Really, it doesn't matter? Want proof? We haven't kicked Colorado out of the conference and the Big 10 is still accepting Maryland. It's not a big deal. More important than TV markets, is academics. Yes, that might stun you, but research grant money is the most significant factor. That's why it is the first requirement to join the PAC 12, and if you are not a research institution, you are absolutely not considered for one more second. Boise State's academics are on par with that of a junior college. Sorry, but they would absolutely not be considered for one second.

I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it until people stop making suggestions that the PAC add random Mountain West schools for NO REASON AT ALL. Why would the PAC add more teams just because other people are? The PAC schools are making over 20M per year from ESPN and FOX. Adding smaller conference schools does ZERO to improve that number. It lowers it. Therefore, there is no reason to do it. Just because the Big 10 and SEC and ACC have 14 does not mean the PAC will do it. 14 teams does not make you better than you were with 12. It just means you have 2 more teams.

The academics line of thought is reason number one why I think the ACC is a lot stronger than anyone is giving it credit for.

[p_rushing]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Virginia Tech's athletic director pretty much came straight out and said that the Hokies would be interested in an SEC offer. He has since retracted those statements, but I'd have to speculate that there's some dialogue between Virginia Tech and the SEC now.

The SEC wants a Virgina and NC school. So that is very likely. If the SEC wants to stay the best conference, they need to take FSU and Clemson. If the ACC dies, then look for the left over good schools to join the Big 12 to make an east/mid-west divisions. Depending on which teams the SEC takes, the Big 12 could be better taking FSU, Clemson, VT or UM, and ND.

The SEC has shown that they want to take lower level teams though, so the existing members don't have to worry as much about being replaced. A&M messed with that though. We will see if they want to just expand to expand or expand to get more good teams.

Big 10 expanded just to expand. They made their conference even more watered down, just to expand their market size.

[p_rushing]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

The academics line of thought is reason number one why I think the ACC is a lot stronger than anyone is giving it credit for.

I don't think what sports conference the school is in has anything to do with academics. FSU bot and professors said they didn't want to leave the ACC because of academics, that was total crap. Does the conference control the level of professors that are hired, does it control the majors available, does it raise test scores, does it make companies want to hire graduates?

The answer is no to all those questions. The school can impose whatever standards they want for academics in any conference they are in.