Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

[cdawg44]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I'm glad it was UofL that was added, but hopefully the ACC is gone before they ever play a game

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Keep dreamin hoss. As long as UNC and Duke are in, the ACC isn't going anywhere. If you want your Noles to go, pay the 50 million and bounce.

[p_rushing]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I was thinking, the conferences need to be thrown away. Make 4 16 team conferences based on rivals and geography. Balance them out though as the west will be weaker than the south, etc.

Then do a regulation with the upper division of 16 teams and the rest of the teams in the region in the lower division. The bottom 2 teams in the upper division get sent down to the lower level and the top 2 teams in the lower division after a playoff get to move up.

That would make the games between the bottom feeders interesting, instead of never watching them. I know it will never happen though as schools couldn't count on the conference check they get every year while they continue to suck year after year.

[ehh]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Well, UConn is left out in the cold, for now at least.

I read that FSU and some other southern schools aren't happy with the "Yankee" additions to the conference and didn't want another school from up north added to the league. I guess it makes sense, Pitt/Cuse/BC already have poor followings, adding UConn wouldn't help from a football perspective. Lousville probably makes more sense since academics apparently meant nothing at the end of the day.

[tehova]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I have a question about the academics side of things.

When conferences are hesitant to bring in a school because of academics, is that in reference to the sports side of academics in which they could admit and recruit students that none of the others in the conference could offer and thus a competitive recruiting advantage.

Or is it the overall brand name of academics in the conference? Because ive never really thought of the conference overall as just a student evaluating colleges, its more so what that particular school has to offer. Its a weird concept especially with how spread out all these schools are from one another "in conference", you arent even competing directly for the same students

[Cardot]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

The ACC should create a division of former Big East teams. Might as well bring in UCONN and Georgetown while they are at it.

[cdawg44]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I have a question about the academics side of things.

When conferences are hesitant to bring in a school because of academics, is that in reference to the sports side of academics in which they could admit and recruit students that none of the others in the conference could offer and thus a competitive recruiting advantage.

Or is it the overall brand name of academics in the conference? Because ive never really thought of the conference overall as just a student evaluating colleges, its more so what that particular school has to offer. Its a weird concept especially with how spread out all these schools are from one another "in conference", you arent even competing directly for the same students

Its both. For example, the ACC does not allow partial qualifers and grey shirts like the SEC does and I think the Big XII did before Texas came on board. That is why South Carolina left the ACC in the 70s.

Also it the rep of your school, the amount of research they are involved in, the academic programs the school has and the culture of the campus. Even though what U of L does doesn't affect UNC, Duke or UVA does, those schools felt that it brought the rep of ACC schools down. It's like living in a neighborhood, even though you shouldn't be a reflection on what your neighbors do, who your neighbors are can affect the perception of you and "bring down the property value" of the brand. That is why West Virginia was never, ever going to be an ACC member. That would be like the hillbilly with couches and junk cars in the front yard living in the neighborhood with folks that go to the Opera and drive Mercedes and have well manacured lawns. Kinda of silly, but it matters.

However, U of L gets to move to a nicer neighborhood and automatically gets an upgrade on their academic reputation just from being in the same conference with UVA, GT, ND, Syracuse and the Tobacco Road schools.

Ideally, for conference realignment you want these 5 things:

1.) New TV markets
2.) Schools that are cultural fits (schools with similar missions: catholic schools, large public Universities (Big 10), rural, Agricultural and Large ROTC schools (SEC), etc.)
3.) Schools with a high academic rep
4.) Large and passionate fan bases
5.) Competitive athletic teams on the field

That is why Texas A&M was a no brainer to the SEC because they fill all 5 of those. U of L on the other hand only gives you two, three at most. And that is a change for the ACC. The first 3 were the bar before, not the last the last two. UCONN gives you the first three, not the last two and U of L gives you the last two but maybe not the first three. It is a paragim shift from the ACC.

[superjames1992]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I guess the ACC doesn't care about "academics" anymore. Desperation is the rule of the day.

[fistofrage]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I guess the ACC doesn't care about "academics" anymore. Desperation is the rule of the day.

I thought they threw those out the window when they let in FSU.

The conferences need to end the charade and get on with making 1 large national football conference with regional rivalries and keep the traditional conferences which were basded on geographic regions intact for the olympic sports. Ideally, the olympic sports should play in conferences where all members are within a few hundred miles of eachother.

[TracerBullet]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Middle Tennessee State to the C-USA.

Link

[ehh]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

UCONN gives you the first three, not the last two and U of L gives you the last two but maybe not the first three. It is a paragim shift from the ACC.

Three national championships in basketball in the last 13 years and two conference championships in football in the last five isn't "fielding competitive teams on the field"?

[caasoccer]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

There are some schools in the ACC that don't flat out respect U of L academics. University Presidents make these calls, not athletic directors.

Correct and the Presidents see the $$$$ and give the soundbite of "academics" as PR spin. These college presidents don't care about academics in the conference moves. They see a chance for their schools to make more money.

[caasoccer]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Well, UConn is left out in the cold, for now at least.

I read that FSU and some other southern schools aren't happy with the "Yankee" additions to the conference and didn't want another school from up north added to the league. I guess it makes sense, Pitt/Cuse/BC already have poor followings, adding UConn wouldn't help from a football perspective. Lousville probably makes more sense since academics apparently meant nothing at the end of the day.

sorry to hear this news ehh, I know you've wanted UCONN out for some time now.

[Jr.]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I thought they threw those out the window when they let in FSU.

The conferences need to end the charade and get on with making 1 large national football conference with regional rivalries and keep the traditional conferences which were basded on geographic regions intact for the olympic sports. Ideally, the olympic sports should play in conferences where all members are within a few hundred miles of eachother.

I don't know about the regional divisions aspect, but I think this is where this is all headed. The major programs separating from the smaller programs, and maybe even the NCAA, to form their own football league and keep all of the money for themselves. 15-20 years I'd say.

[TDenverFan]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

It's not like U of L has bad academics. They're ranked #160 ish nationally, not great but not bad.

[Noble Evildoer]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

This stuff just gets dumber and dumber.

Tulane adds yet another market where nobody cares about the hometown team (similar to Memphis, Cincy, SMU etc.) to the Big East.

Middle Tennessee gets added to C-USA and is the only semi-sensible addition. They've got pretty good football (lost to McNeese, but beat Georgia Tech and have a shot at a conference title this weekend) and are within the Nashville metro area. Though I don't see C-USA as much of a step up from the Sun Belt at this point.