NCAA NCAA Re-Alignment

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Looks like WVU has the all-clear to jump to the Big 12, but some even bigger news from my perspective involving Boise State possibly jumping to the Big East this coming year to replace West Virginia's opening.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7561213/report-west-virginia-mountaineers-big-east-agree-settlement-ends-battle-conference-withdrawal

Meanwhile, Boise State has had talks with the WAC, a source said, about placing the rest of the teams in the league a year early if it were to leave for the Big East in football a year early to replace WVU.

The source said the move is up to Boise State and that the WAC would accept the Broncos a year early if they were to ask.

 

[usalion]

Reports are that the remnants of the Mountain West and Conference USA will merge in 2013 in a conference that could have 18 to 24 teams, including such schools as East Carolina, Marshall, UAB, Rice, UTEP, UNLV, Fresno State and Hawaii.

Here's a press release

http://www.themwc.com/genrel/021312aab.html

The possibility of football conference semi finals and championship game boggles the mind. Soon we will have year round college football- which, down here in Georgia, might not be that bad an idea, apart from the summer heat.

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Soon we will have year round college football- which, down here in Georgia, might not be that bad an idea, apart from the summer heat.

Obviously never going to happen. All it means is that instead of having college football's regular season ending on December 1st, it'll end around December 15th. Personally I hate the long gap between the end of the regular season to the beginning of bowl week anyways.

I like what the MWC and CUSA have done, because realistically it was the only thing they could have done to survive. I still see some of that membership as very volatile, because I don't think this expansion stuff if over until the Big 12 gets back to 12 teams.

 

[usalion]

Speaking of the Big 12, West Virginia has bought their immediate freedom from the Big East (a cool $20m) and will be playing in the Big 12 this fall.

Money talks....

By the way, I was being facetious about year round football. But it is the big money maker for the schools because of the crowds it attracts.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Less than I thought.
I was thinking something in the range of $30-$35mill for immediate departure.

I like how the Big East has roudned it out for 12 teams now after the 3 departures.

Leaves Air Force on the outside as #1 replacement for when Louisville and or Cincinnati run to the Big XII

 

[Dirty Bird]

Since the last comment in this thread things were going pretty slowly with only 2 changes in 2 1/2 months.

Temple has joint the Big East, and Georgia State has announced they're upgrading to FBS and the Sun Belt.

But in the last 9 days things have gone hectic.

The Wac has self destructed leaving it at 2 football schools.
The WAC defections have been
Texas State ---> Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech ---> C-USA
San Jose State ---> Mountain West
Utah State ---> Mountain West
USTA ---> C-USA

C-USA also poached another 3 shools from the Sun Belt or FCS football, North Texas and Florida International from the Sun Belt and Charlotte from FCS.

Moves havn't finished yet, the WAC is just about dead, so Idaho and New Mexico State will need to do something for football, then there's the whole situation for the non-football stuff.

I kinda think Boise State might be able to blackmail their way into the Big East still. We don't want to send basketball to the Big Sky, Big West, the West Coast Conference don't want us (they're all religious private institutions)

Leaves Big East all sports, Mountain West all sports (they wont take non-football, so they're blackmailing us to get us back) or the Big East + rebuilt WAC/Big Sky/Big West.
Could be any in reality any of them, obviously BigEast for everything is the way to go, they have a good setup actually, you only have to play them in regular season matchups in team sports. That would just be Football, Basketball (M + W) Soccer (W) and Softball (W). Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field, Swimming and Volleyball could all play local games vs the Idaho's, Oregon's, Washington's, Utah's etc in the regular season and just go over to take on the Big East in the conference title's whereever they're played that year.

We do offer 2 sports that the Big East doesn't cover, Wrestling can stay in the Pac-12 as an affiliate..... just need to find a home for Gymnastics (pac-12 does offer that as well....)

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Since the last comment in this thread things were going pretty slowly with only 2 changes in 2 1/2 months.

Temple has joint the Big East, and Georgia State has announced they're upgrading to FBS and the Sun Belt.

But in the last 9 days things have gone hectic.

The Wac has self destructed leaving it at 2 football schools.
The WAC defections have been
Texas State ---> Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech ---> C-USA
San Jose State ---> Mountain West
Utah State ---> Mountain West
USTA ---> C-USA

C-USA also poached another 3 shools from the Sun Belt or FCS football, North Texas and Florida International from the Sun Belt and Charlotte from FCS.

Moves havn't finished yet, the WAC is just about dead, so Idaho and New Mexico State will need to do something for football, then there's the whole situation for the non-football stuff.

I kinda think Boise State might be able to blackmail their way into the Big East still. We don't want to send basketball to the Big Sky, Big West, the West Coast Conference don't want us (they're all religious private institutions)

Leaves Big East all sports, Mountain West all sports (they wont take non-football, so they're blackmailing us to get us back) or the Big East + rebuilt WAC/Big Sky/Big West.
Could be any in reality any of them, obviously BigEast for everything is the way to go, they have a good setup actually, you only have to play them in regular season matchups in team sports. That would just be Football, Basketball (M + W) Soccer (W) and Softball (W). Cross Country, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field, Swimming and Volleyball could all play local games vs the Idaho's, Oregon's, Washington's, Utah's etc in the regular season and just go over to take on the Big East in the conference title's whereever they're played that year.

We do offer 2 sports that the Big East doesn't cover, Wrestling can stay in the Pac-12 as an affiliate..... just need to find a home for Gymnastics (pac-12 does offer that as well....)

Is that Mountain West-CUSA merger going to happen or not? I had thought that there was an agreement on it months ago, but I've literally heard nothing since.

 

[Dirty Bird]

nah, that fell apart.

 

[usalion]

Rumors about that Florida State may abandon the ACC for the Big 12

VCU leaving the CAA- think it was Atlantic 10 they were heading for. Old Dominion may follow them.

Realignment getting stranger and stranger

 

[Dirty Bird]

Old Dominion is expected to be the last team into the C-USA I thought.
Florida State surely wouldn't move. The ACC buyout is like 20million.

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Rumors about that Florida State may abandon the ACC for the Big 12

VCU leaving the CAA- think it was Atlantic 10 they were heading for. Old Dominion may follow them.

Realignment getting stranger and stranger

From what I've read, the reason its being considered is because the ACC's new TV deal was significantly less than than they expected, and it's much less than the Big 12's TV deal.

I don't see it happening because the Big 12 doesn't really have the stability that you'd want out of a conference, while the ACC is pretty much rock-solid.

 

[bjtoby]

Been watching this play around for a while and the FSU thing plays a little weird for me. Only last year they were talked about as a mover to the SEC. Over the past two year (mainly due to a shift away from geographical alignment of conferences) Notre Dame's natural Conference home, when/if it joins one has gone from the Big Ten (with lots of its traditional rivals) to the ACC with a very similar culture academically.

This thing would probably settle pretty quickly (i.e. stop within the next year or so for the top conferences) IMO if Notre Dame Picked a conference. They may no longer be a perennial contender but they are a behemoth in the College football world with TV contracts, merchandise and a national following. If Notre Dame was to join the ACC they'd take one other Big East Football school and go to 16, 2 at least would probably go to the Big 12 and the east even with its new teams would collapse pretty quickly.
If Notre Dame goes to the Big 10 then they most likely take Rutgers with them.
If Notre Dame goes to the Big 12 (not out of the realms of possibility) then they will laugh all the way to the bank with arguably the two/three of the biggest brands in college football in one conference.

Opinions Dirty Bird?

 

[Dirty Bird]

No chance for the ACC, they only went to 14 to keep ESPN happy and get the tv contact. That league is settled (FSU is ridiculous from whoever is spreading the rumours). $20million buyout? The ACC will only be able to get teams if it's a Rutgers-UConn duo in the next 4 months, come September, Big East gets their new tv deal and then the 27 month $10million buyout, they wont leave. After that, even if they want Notre Dame, it'll be too hard to get team #16.
No chance for the Big XII, they're too proud to be assoiated (on an academic level) with all in that conference bar Texas.

They're going to remain indy, there's only 2 conferences they'll join.

BigTen - If they want in, they'll say and then it's the BigTen's choice to take them or not.
If the BigTen declines them and Notre Dame is desperate for a conference (wouldn't be out of the realms of possibility in around 2017 onwards) then it's Big East, they're already hosting their non-football, they have a great affiliation with half the league (All the basketball schools are private religious schools......) so it's a chance.

 

[juddy_Like]

Can this re-alignment issue die already.

It was interesting at the start with all the super-conferences. Now its just ridiculous.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Boise State - changing the face of college football

 

[usalion]

Can this re-alignment issue die already.

It was interesting at the start with all the super-conferences. Now its just ridiculous.

Afraid you have universities in the chase for the almighty buck. You are talking about very big business with the big football schools like Alabama, Ohio State et al. The revenue they bring in from getting 90 000 folks per game seven times a year pays for the other sports in the school's athletic department.

Schools like Florida State will go where the bucks bring the most bang. And with the ever expanding conferences, it is not much different for them to go to Austin for a football game as it is to go to Boston.

You're right- it would be nice to have it all over, but the blanket still needs a bit of shaking, apparently.

 

[Dirty Bird]

And the WAC is dead for football.
Idaho and New Mexico State both indys now.
Idaho moved non-football to Big Sky too. Don't know where New Mexico State are moving their non-football.
Reports that they'll play each other home and away in the same season. Yawn.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Happened a few days ago, I even knew it a few days ago. But didn't think about putting it here, but what the heck.

 

[Dirty Bird]

The big one has landed.
Notre Dame joins ACC as a full member (non-football)
Though, there is an agreement for 5 matches vs ACC opponents.

 

[usalion]

Two things are of real interest here:

1) What traditional opponents the Irish will keep on their schedule. With 5 games set for the ACC, they could schedule seven more. Maybe three of those would eb ones they rotated in various deals- so who re the four schools? USC and michigan would be naturals- they are games that will draw national attention no matter what the records of the two teams are. Plus, they are usually at different times of the year- Michigan in September, USC in late October or November depending on the venue.

Who else? Navy? Stanford? Purdue? One wonders if the debt from WW2 has been paid to the Middies yet.....

2) The other thing is, what will this do for television deals? The ACC will obviously get a bit more dosh for having the Irish in their midst, but there will only be two or three games each year where the older ACC team hosts Notre Dame (and I'm hearing rumours they will not be on the campus sites- Syracuse in NYC, Maryland at Fed Ex etc. Not that that matters to television..... Also, will the Notre Dame deal with NBC change in any way?

Interesting times- the locals down here in georgia are apoplectic about it- they don't want larger conferences, and in fact were opposing Missouri and TAM coming to the SEC.

 

[drd23]

Apparently there is some serious talk around that Maryland is set to join the B1G in 2014 and that Rutgers might join them to even up the numbers as well as give the conference a team in the NY TV market to go along with the (potentially) newly acquired Washington DC TV market

 

[Dirty Bird]

I just can't see Maryland doing it, as much as they'd want to do it and it would suit them as a university, the costs would be huge for minimal gain.

If it were 2010 I think they'd do it if the BigTen had a door open for them. 2011 maybe, but upping the buyout from $20,000,000 to $50,000,000 is huge. What do they gain from the tv contract? ACC is pretty big, maybe not in the same range as the BigTen, but it's close enough.

It'd take ~7-10 years to make up the loss to just simply move.

I just smell this is in the same ilk of Missouri in 2010. They're sniffing around trying to keep their options open incase their conference falls apart.

I doubt Maryland would make this move, but I do feel they think there's a threat of ACC falling apart. Maybe Florida State and the other ACC school (was it Clemson or Virginia Tech?) are seriously considering going to the BigXII?

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

If it were 2010 I think they'd do it if the BigTen had a door open for them. 2011 maybe, but upping the buyout from $20,000,000 to $50,000,000 is huge. What do they gain from the tv contract? ACC is pretty big, maybe not in the same range as the BigTen, but it's close enough.

I can't find the article now, but something I was reading yesterday that said that Maryland was fairly confident they could challenge the legality of the $50 Million buyout, something they did not vote for in the first place. I think if they vote to join the Big Ten, the fee will be negotiated down, and the Under Armour Guy will foot the majority of the bill.

 

[Tannehill17]

Vote was unanimous so Maryland are off to the Big Ten pending approval. Rutgers and Georgia Tech rumoured to get the 14th spot. Getting a foothold in the New York and DC area could see the B1G make an extra $100 million a year in subscriptions to the B1G Network.

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Vote was unanimous so Maryland are off to the Big Ten pending approval. Rutgers and Georgia Tech rumoured to get the 14th spot. Getting a foothold in the New York and DC area could see the B1G make an extra $100 million a year in subscriptions to the B1G Network.

It's almost a dead lock it'll be Rutgers. They're announcing it tomorrow morning to make it official. The real question now is who does the ACC turn to for it's 14th all-sports member? Conventional wisdom says UCONN, but I think Louisville is a chance. And also there's this............

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ztecs-byu-cougars-talk-mwc-return-sources-say

Boise State, San Diego State and BYU have had conversations with Mountain West membership about the possibility of returning to the league, sources told ESPN.

All I'm going to say is this: If the Big East wasn't in mortal danger before, they surely are now.