Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Monday is going to be huge. We might have seen Texas and Notre Dame joining the B1G but in the end I do believe Notre Dame fanatics couldnt stand the idea of being tethered to the MidWesterners when in reality ND is an Eastern school located in a midwest state. Notre Dame truly belongs in the ACC now that Syracuse and Pitt have gone there. Great move by the ACC admins, guess they are proving they are the intellectual elite in this case. UConn is a fast growing football program and a top notch basketball program. I dont think BC will be able to block them from joining the ACC. UConn and Notre Dame will join this coming week.

Texas was waiting on word from Notre Dame and they probably got it privately thus why the move west was decided upon. When that joint conference announces for those four schools going to the PAC conference, soon after that the SEC will be able to announce the acceptances of A&M and WVU.

Its going to happen very quickly. Seems the B1G comes out the losers in this as far as growth goes but the conferences didn't need to be aggressive like the PAC and ACC did. Without scoring the Texas schools and the Oklahoma schools, the PAC had horrible choices for growth beyond 12. They had to act and offer up whatever was necessary to secure those four.

Unfortunately I don't think the B1G will be in any hurry to grab Missouri so its very possible the SEC will look to snatch them up in the second flurry to follow. With a 16 member ACC, I don't think we will see any defections from the ACC. That leaves the SEC expanding mainly west and they will definitely try to snatch up Missouri if Missouri cant get into the B1G as soon as necessary.

Since I do believe ND will be going ACC, that leaves Rutgers in the rain. After being outmaneuvered by the ACC the B1G will likely want to grab the last opportunity for moving to the eastern seaboard. Rutgers may be Missouri's ticket to the conference they want to be in. Beyond that Kansas and Kansas State/Iowa State need to prove themselves in the newly formed B12/Big East or over in the Mountain West conference and hope that perhaps they can build up their programs to the point that the B1G wont consider them too much of a draw on funds so that they can get a piece of that BTN pie.

I highly doubt any of this is true. The Big Ten is tied with the SEC as the most attractive conference to be in. I wouldn't even consider ACC schools safe from the Big Ten if the Big Ten decides to try to raid them. Even with the raised buyout, it would only take one or two years for a school to pay it off before it's making more money in the Big Ten. If the Big Ten wants a school and it's not in the SEC, they can get it.

It's all about biding your time and making sure that any expansion makes the conference better rather than simply expanding its size.

[sportzbro]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Conference realignment:

[superjames1992]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

More Twitter action...

http://twitter.com/#%21/Chris_Gates/status/115593057029730305

I was told to expect something official on #WVU to the SEC by Tuesday/Wednesday. Looks like we're on schedule.

[cdawg44]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Rutgers travels pretty well actually. One of the better big East teams in that regard.

Yeah, I saw a ton of Rutgers fans around town last week and at the Game here in Chapel Hill. I was actually impressed with their fans. Good People

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

It'll be Connecticut and Rutgers before Notre Dame. If they wanted to join a conference like you say, they would have joined the Big East in football years ago.

We are in an unprecedented situation here. Comparisons to a previous decision to not fully join the Big East doesn't really carry weight because back then there wasn't any talk of conferences maxing out at 16 or two AQ conferences possibly imploding. Its unprecedented territory so we are going to see differences in the decision making of schools such as Notre Dame.

The ACC line up has quite a few regular ND rivalries (yes they use the term very lightly in South Bend). If Notre Dame chooses the ACC over the B1G that is going to very possibly weigh upon the decisions of some institutions to join the B1G. Whatever the B1G has as far as money making machinations...the ACC can create so why wouldn't those schools wish to do such with their fellow East Coast schools rather then with MidWest schools? Everything the B1G has can be replicated but once the ACC has the east coast on lock down that Can't be replicated.

I highly doubt any of this is true. The Big Ten is tied with the SEC as the most attractive conference to be in. I wouldn't even consider ACC schools safe from the Big Ten if the Big Ten decides to try to raid them. Even with the raised buyout, it would only take one or two years for a school to pay it off before it's making more money in the Big Ten. If the Big Ten wants a school and it's not in the SEC, they can get it.

It's all about biding your time and making sure that any expansion makes the conference better rather than simply expanding its size.

The only thing the B1G really has over the ACC is the CIC. The BTN can be replicated by the ACC and a new contract can be signed with ESPN when the all those East Coast tv sets are locked down with the ACC.

Biding your time works if you hold the high ground but the high ground for the B1G is the BTN and the CIC. For schools looking mainly at increasing revenue that CIC membership isn't as big of a selling point. Notre Dame doesn't wish to share its research with the Big Ten and it could easily help the ACC build a Conference Network that would not only rival the BTN but it would surpass it easily.

[SPTO]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

With all this realignment forming super conferences perhaps it can lead to an actual playoff. You could have a mini-playoff or at the very least a championship game in all the conferences, have the winners face off in a playoff and voila a true National Champion.

That's my happy pie in the sky view of all this otherwise I think the greed of those involved is flushing history down the toilet for monetary gain.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

The only thing the B1G really has over the ACC is the CIC. The BTN can be replicated by the ACC and a new contract can be signed with ESPN when the all those East Coast tv sets are locked down with the ACC.

Biding your time works if you hold the high ground but the high ground for the B1G is the BTN and the CIC. For schools looking mainly at increasing revenue that CIC membership isn't as big of a selling point. Notre Dame doesn't wish to share its research with the Big Ten and it could easily help the ACC build a Conference Network that would not only rival the BTN but it would surpass it easily.

I'm sorry but this is just false. The ACC won't make the same money as the Big Ten on any TV deal. It's largely made up of private institutions and small public schools by Big Ten standards; they don't have near the size of alumni bases that the Big Ten has. Sure, there's some east coast TV market, but a huge chunk of the east coast didn't get their degrees from ACC schools and for the most part the east coast cares about professional sports.

And as for Notre Dame, they have a great undergraduate program, but they would be an inferior research partner in the Big Ten. They aren't ranked in the top 100 of the Academic Rankings of World Universities; every current Big Ten school except Nebraska is. They don't have a single Graduate/Professional School ranked in the top 20 by US News, so it wouldn't be "ND sharing their research dollars with the Big Ten", it would be the other way around.

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I'm sorry but this is just false. The ACC won't make the same money as the Big Ten on any TV deal. It's largely made up of private institutions and small public schools by Big Ten standards; they don't have near the size of alumni bases that the Big Ten has. Sure, there's some east coast TV market, but a huge chunk of the east coast didn't get their degrees from ACC schools and for the most part the east coast cares about professional sports.

And as for Notre Dame, they have a great undergraduate program, but they would be an inferior research partner in the Big Ten. They aren't ranked in the top 100 of the Academic Rankings of World Universities; every current Big Ten school except Nebraska is. They don't have a single Graduate/Professional School ranked in the top 20 by US News, so it wouldn't be "ND sharing their research dollars with the Big Ten", it would be the other way around.

You are right about ND research, hence why I said they dont care for the research sharing. It wouldn't get used. Notre Dame's fan base is largely east coast based and if they feel they will have to choose a conference sooner or later then they, in my opinion, will go with the conference that will have five or six teams that they like to regularly play.

The only rivalry they have in the B1G that they would truly miss is the Michigan one. Purdue? Yeah right....its not what it used to be and Indiana isn't really a home state to ND as a home state is to most institutions. Michigan State? Yeah its a rivalry with some history but a move to a conference is going to have a rivalry opportunity cost to Notre Dame one way or another and losing Purdue and Michigan State is much more acceptable than losing Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt, Miami, Maryland and surely they would love to build a rivalry with a resurgent Florida State. Playing against UConn and Virginia regularly isn't a bad deal for Notre Dame either. ACC is a much better choice for Notre Dame and that is coming from someone who was excited for a few hours upon seeing the possible story of Texas and Notre Dame coming to the B1G. I just don't see Notre Dame pulling that trigger.

I would love to be wrong in this, I would like to see Syracuse pulled from the ACC's grasp and pulled into the B1G. I would LOVE to see BTN games from that Dome. Then the B1G could pull in Missouri to go with Syracuse and that would put some serious heat upon the soles of ND and perhaps in the future we get them and Boston College to come over and that would be the best moves for B1G.

[TheGamingChef]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I would love ND in the ACC. Rutgers, too. Hell I hope Kansas to the ACC pans out. Fewer AAU schools for the B1G to choose from!

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I would love ND in the ACC. Rutgers, too. Hell I hope Kansas to the ACC pans out. Fewer AAU schools for the B1G to choose from!

If Iowa State COULD get an invite from the B1G they would take it in a heartbeat.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

You are right about ND research, hence why I said they dont care for the research sharing. It wouldn't get used. Notre Dame's fan base is largely east coast based and if they feel they will have to choose a conference sooner or later then they, in my opinion, will go with the conference that will have five or six teams that they like to regularly play.

The only rivalry they have in the B1G that they would truly miss is the Michigan one. Purdue? Yeah right....its not what it used to be and Indiana isn't really a home state to ND as a home state is to most institutions. Michigan State? Yeah its a rivalry with some history but a move to a conference is going to have a rivalry opportunity cost to Notre Dame one way or another and losing Purdue and Michigan State is much more acceptable than losing Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt, Miami, Maryland and surely they would love to build a rivalry with a resurgent Florida State. Playing against UConn and Virginia regularly isn't a bad deal for Notre Dame either. ACC is a much better choice for Notre Dame and that is coming from someone who was excited for a few hours upon seeing the possible story of Texas and Notre Dame coming to the B1G. I just don't see Notre Dame pulling that trigger.

I would love to be wrong in this, I would like to see Syracuse pulled from the ACC's grasp and pulled into the B1G. I would LOVE to see BTN games from that Dome. Then the B1G could pull in Missouri to go with Syracuse and that would put some serious heat upon the soles of ND and perhaps in the future we get them and Boston College to come over and that would be the best moves for B1G.

Oh I'm sorry I misinterpreted your research point.

I agree Michigan is probably the only rivalry ND would care to keep. I agree on Purdue-ND, we probably care about ND way more than they care about us (although that's probably true for most of ND's "rivals").

But it's not just about keeping existing rivals; you also have to think about future rivals. What atmosphere would be better for ND football: traveling around to private schools and relatively small public schools with 60k stadiums, or developing rivalries with fan bases that routinely fill 100k stadiums? The largest stadium in the ACC is the fourth largest stadium in the Big Ten (second largest ACC is 6th in Big Ten). I think there are a large number of reasons for Notre Dame to join the Big Ten.

Obviously I can't rule out any move to the ACC because they do seem rather aggressive right now and you can never definitively predict these things, but I feel that the Big Ten is still probably Notre Dame's best option.

And for the record, having been from Indiana there actually is a pretty big Notre Dame following there, especially in northern Indiana. With the history of the programs, there's a not-so-insignificant amount of Hoosiers that follow Notre Dame football in the fall and IU basketball in the winter.

EDIT: Big Ten, ACC talking to Rutgers.

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/32084100

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Oh I'm sorry I misinterpreted your research point.

I agree Michigan is probably the only rivalry ND would care to keep. I agree on Purdue-ND, we probably care about ND way more than they care about us (although that's probably true for most of ND's "rivals").

But it's not just about keeping existing rivals; you also have to think about future rivals. What atmosphere would be better for ND football: traveling around to private schools and relatively small public schools with 60k stadiums, or developing rivalries with fan bases that routinely fill 100k stadiums? The largest stadium in the ACC is the fourth largest stadium in the Big Ten (second largest ACC is 6th in Big Ten). I think there are a large number of reasons for Notre Dame to join the Big Ten.

Obviously I can't rule out any move to the ACC because they do seem rather aggressive right now and you can never definitively predict these things, but I feel that the Big Ten is still probably Notre Dame's best option.

And for the record, having been from Indiana there actually is a pretty big Notre Dame following there, especially in northern Indiana. With the history of the programs, there's a not-so-insignificant amount of Hoosiers that follow Notre Dame football in the fall and IU basketball in the winter.

EDIT: Big Ten, ACC talking to Rutgers.
http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs....56338/32084100

Well, hope you didn't take my Purdue comments to be harsh, just a matter of fact in the present day situation. Hopefully Purdue is on a good rebuilding path.

There is a very real faction within the Notre Dame institution that wants absolutely nothing to do with joining the B1G. The idea of them and Texas joining together was enough in my opinion for that internal faction to be overwhelmed but now that it seems Texas is going with a much more simpler plan presented by the PAC then the more difficult over time plan for the LHN to be turned into a BTN2 that was supposedly proposed by B1G officials to Texas officials.

In my opinion the only way ND gets enticed to the B1G is for the B1G to get aggressive in responding to the aggressive moves by the ACC to cut the B1G out of the East.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Well, hope you didn't take my Purdue comments to be harsh, just a matter of fact in the present day situation. Hopefully Purdue is on a good rebuilding path.

There is a very real faction within the Notre Dame institution that wants absolutely nothing to do with joining the B1G. The idea of them and Texas joining together was enough in my opinion for that internal faction to be overwhelmed but now that it seems Texas is going with a much more simpler plan presented by the PAC then the more difficult over time plan for the LHN to be turned into a BTN2 that was supposedly proposed by B1G officials to Texas officials.

In my opinion the only way ND gets enticed to the B1G is for the B1G to get aggressive in responding to the aggressive moves by the ACC to cut the B1G out of the East.

No worries. I understand the state of my alma mater's football program, haha.

[Cardot]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

The ACC is all high and mighty about academics.

So annoying when academics get in the way of college football.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Notre Dame would be absolutely foolish to turn down the B1G.

Michigan, Ohio State, and Notre Dame on the same network? Companies and stations would be fumbling over themselves to get them.

Hell, Ohio State on NBC alone would be great. NBC could actually show non-Notre Dame games!

The all mighty dollar will push Notre Dame to the B1G over the ACC...if they do not stay indy.

As for who I want the B1G to target, we can start with Notre Dame, Mizzou, Kansas, and Rutgers.