Realignment Evening Update: Conference Consolidation Might Include Not-So-Superconferences
by Year2 on Sep 19, 2011 5:52 PM EDT
in Conference Realignment
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PrintOKLAHOMA AND TEXAS
The OU board of regents had a meeting today and authorized president David Boren to take action on realignment. That's the same action Texas A&M's board took with its president Bowen Loftin prior to it joining the SEC. Boren says he's has conversations with the Pac-12 that were both "informal" and "constructive. He also said that staying in the Big 12 is "still on the table", while noting that litigation is not a good method for keeping a conference together.
Texas' board of regents did a similar thing with its president Bill Powers, and he also said staying in the Big 12 is a possibility. There is one key difference though: Powers can choose to stay in the Big 12, but the regents reserved the authority for changing leagues.
BIG EAST AND BIG 12 MERGER?
CBS is reporting that the Big East and Big 12 have been discussing a potential merger if Texas and Oklahoma both leave the Big 12. Such a merger clears up the issue of whether the Big 12 remnants would technically be joining the Big East or vice versa. It also would provide a home for all of the teams currently in BCS leagues that don't get invitations to the Pac-12, SEC, Big Ten, or ACC.
Whether or not that new league would get a BCS auto-bid is obviously unknown at this point, as we're a long way from that merger even happening. Heck, we don't even know if we'd have a BCS should that merger need to come to pass. It does go to show that the leadership of the two leagues know their conferences are in big danger right now and are acting to protect all of their members.
MOUNTAIN WEST AND CUSA FOOTBALL MERGER?
MW commissioner Craig Thompson said that he has once again been talking with Conference USA about a football-only merger of the two leagues. Such a "federation", to use Thompson's word, would provide some stability for the members and be beneficial in a number of financial dealings like TV deals and marketing. He also said it would be best if the leagues would be symmetrical, meaning the MW would need to add two more schools prior to going forward with the project.
Utah State is one school linked with a potential MW invite in the past. As far as inviting a former member goes, Thompson says he's opposed to bringing back TCU. He doesn't make those decisions, though. He mentioned that this CUSA merger is merely at a "conceptual" phase, and he's also reached out to some Big 12 and Big East schools.
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This is a disaster waiting to happen...
16+ member conferences will be built like a house of cards, and nobody will trust anyone else.
Fine by me
They’ll later fall apart and we go back to smaller leagues. There’s enough of a fascination with superconferences that people are going to try them at some point. They might as well get it out of their system now while I still have a blogging “career” so I can scrape a few pennies from Internet ads from it all.
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See that litigation comment
that was for you Baylor. Not that it will really matter to Ken Starr anyhow!
word is....SEC declined WVU
Have you guys heard anything? Saw a tweet from Greg Swaim a few minutes ago. I find it hard to believe that WVU wouldn’t be attractive if SEC went to 16, but maybe they stop at 14, regardless of what anyone else does.
if that is the case, it is entirely about academics.
I can’t imagine the SEC passing on them for athletic reasons or fan base. I imagine academics and lack of population in the TV market would be the reason. I doubt the presidents have voted yet, though.
agree
if the SEC declined WVU, it had to mean we’re stopping at 14.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Sep 19, 2011 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The source for the “SEC declined WVU” story is a Cincinnati site I’ve never heard of. At least the site that reported the application was relying on a source that nailed the Holgorsen hire. Until we get a better source, we’re in a holding pattern.
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by Year2 on Sep 19, 2011 6:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I didnt hear from a cincy blog
It was greg swaim “@gswaim” plus another dude
by WVU-Atlanta on Sep 19, 2011 7:25 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Well as long as another dude said it then I think we can believe it.
by Tractorr on Sep 20, 2011 7:10 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Here is the link to the tweet WVU-Atlanta is talking about
http://twitter.com/#!/GSwaim/status/115910150002454529
I seriously doubt the credibility of that Cincy website
But if we denied WVU, it means we have an ACC team lined up-my guess either VT or FSU.
I'm proud of my damn strong football team. Have a great day!
Yeah
I could definitely see us getting an ACC team first, and holding on WVU until we see if we can get/want a second ACC team.
by commodore_dude on Sep 19, 2011 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
A plan for Dan Beebe to save the Big XII
1. Immediately offer TCU, Boise State and BYU. TCU and Boise will say yes. BYU should say yes if they know what’s good for them. These three schools would replace Nebraska, Colorado and Texas A&M. They restore some semblance of order to the old North and South divisions – Boise and BYU in the North (along with KU, KSU, Mizzou and ISU) and TCU in the South. Frankly this makes so much good sense that I am stunned it has not happened yet.
1A. If BYU says no, then seriously consider Colorado State. Recently down, Sonny Lubick’s old team would jump at the chance to replace the CU, and it would drive the Buffs absolutely crazy. The Air Force Academy is another possibility. Either way, Dan Beebe must get two new northern members now. KU and ISU will salivate at the chance to actually get a division winning streak going.
2. Simultaneously enter into public negotiations with Notre Dame. The Big XII would be a great fit for the Irish who will ultimately need a conference home and they will salivate over the entree it gives to Texas recruiting, in addition to their national recruiting. You can sweeten the deal by giving them Texas-like revenue split. I personally like the idea of geographic integrity, but that’s ultimately a passe notion in the brave new world of re-aligned CFB, so the fact Indiana is isolated from the other states is irrelevant. Even if the Irish say no, offer them non-football membership and hold a 14th football slot just for them.
3. If the Irish say yes to full membership, then offer Rice or Houston. If the Irish say non-football only, then offer Rice or Houston. I’d vote RIce because every football conference needs a top flight academic school that has de-emphasized big-time football but still desperately craves to beat the big boys at their own game (e.g., Vandy, Northwestern, Stanford). Houston is probably more realistic.
4. Go to Austin. Tell UT it can keep its network, but that it needs to split the conference dole-out equally UNLESS It can get Notre Dame in the league. I think Texas realizes it overreached and has put itself in a situation where it has to leave its comfort zone (a conference schedule based heavily in the Lone Star State) to travel across three time zones. I don’t think it wants to go to the Pac-12/16 unless its forced to (though I could be wrong).
As long as Texas and OU remain in the Big XII it will live. Heck, it could even thrive again under the right circumstances. It really needs its championship game back. Get back to 12 teams and no one will care that the North is a bit weak. Boise State would give instant immediate cred. Notre Dame is the real catch out there. Being in a league with UT and OU, while still keeping its Southern Cal rivalry might be very enticing, and the other Big XII members will trade points for conference stability.
Here's a health, Carolina, forever to thee! UNIVERSITAS CAROLIN MERID. 1801 Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros (Ovid)
All of that is moot if Oklahoma leaves...
None of those schools you mention have the cachet of OU (by a long shot) except Notre Dame. And it contradicts logic for a school that values its independence and existing rivalries to abandon both for an unstable league with the ego-centric Longhorns at the helm.
"So I want everybody to think here for a second, how much does this game mean to you? 'Cause if it means something to you, you can't stand still. You understand? You play fast! You play strong! You go out there and dominate the man you're playing against, and you make his ass quit! That's our trademark! That's our M.O.... as a team! That's what people know us as!" - Coach Nick Saban before the 2008 LSU game.
by 12NationalChampionships on Sep 20, 2011 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions
ding ding ding!
Notre Dame does just fine as an independent, and the Big Ten would take them in a heartbeat if Notre Dame wanted in a conference. The cultural difference between working class Catholic’s from the Rust Belt and Texas is about as big as you can get too.
I only disagree with one point. Notre Dame has nothing to do with working class Catholics from the rust belt. I know several Notre Dame alum and they are elitist on a much higher lever than Texas will ever comprehend. That is the reason they are independent and will stay independent forever. Notre Dame does not believe they need a conference to rely on and have actually proven it for quite some time. Anyone that thinks they are going to get them into a conference is only fooling themselves. If conference realignment does play out and the big 4 go to 16 I will bet my last dollar that ND is still independent.
If ND stays independent,
then there’s really no reason for the B1G to expand. They don’t think Missouri should be part of their conference – they’ve denied them twice. Rutgers has good academics but no one in NY really follows them, not to mention the product on the field is severely lacking. Who else are they going to add, Iowa State? Cincinnati?
"When among evil companions, try to fit in." - Wild Bill Donovan
I agree with your point
I am not saying that they wouldn’t want ND, just that ND doesn’t want them. That is apparent.
And
I don’t know that they take anyone at this point. Everyone is acting under the assumption that there will be 4 – 16 team leagues but that is only an assumption. My guess is there is a lot more in play than conferences trying to be the first to reach 16. This could all shake out with B1G not taking anyone and a few conference realignments and it set for another year or two to see how things work out. My guess is no one really wants to be the first to hit 16. They want to get the top teams and get close then let another conference hit 16 and see how it plays out. But that is nothing more than an assumption on my part as well.
I just couldn't help looking at that proposition.
A merger of the Mountain West and CUSA? Even if it was practical to merge such large conferences how on earth would that monstrosity live to see a 2nd year? That may be the most bizarre idea yet I have heard in all this expansion mess and it actually came from an official!
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