College football realignment

**CivilWars** · 09-18-11, 05:42 PM

So what do we know currently?

1. Syracuse and Pitt are joining the ACC.
2. A&M is likely to be voted into the SEC soon.
3. UT, OU, TTU, and OSU are more than likely heading to the Pac 12.

With that being said here is what I predict:

We will see 4 "Super" conferences, Pac 16, Big 16, SEC, and ACC.

That means the ACC needs 2 more, SEC needs 3 more, and Big 10(12) needs 4 more. I could see Iowa State (natural rival with Iowa), Kansas (great basketball addition), and Kansas State (will go wherever KU goes), and Missouri going to the Big 16. Then I see the ACC picking up 2 of UConn, TCU, and WVU (though they may go to the SEC instead). That leaves the SEC getting Louisville (natural rival with Kentucky, and a great basketball pickup), the leftover Big East school mentioned as going to the ACC, and one other random school. Possibly Central or Southern Florida, Southern Miss, or who knows.

Now, if that all happens, then do we see a 4 team playoff with the 4 "super" conference champions? I sure hope so.

**rock_lobster** · 09-18-11, 07:39 PM

If we are going to move away from the BCS system, then we just as well have a bigger playoff than just 4 teams. With only 4 teams you leave so many other great teams off the board, that could make an 8 or 16 team playoff a HUGE draw.

**flame** · 09-18-11, 08:34 PM

4 super confrences with two top teams in each conference play for conference champion to play in playoffs.

**rock_lobster** · 09-18-11, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by flame

4 super confrences with two top teams in each conference play for conference champion to play in playoffs.

Yeah, but at the same time, College Basketball still has conference championship along with a "playoff" (NCAA tourney). We could do a 16 team playoff, with the conference champions gaining higher seeds and just have a committee of some sort choose the rest of the teams.

**DR.F33LG00D** · 09-18-11, 09:35 PM

Just like I said earlier, Utah will be mega fucked to the nth degree if the PAC12 goes like this. They were already SOL entering the conference. Especially next year against Oregon!

**Red_Lizard2** · 09-19-11, 03:50 AM

Still not happy about having Texas in the pac-16, I DO NOT LIKE the Longhorn network, and Texas is going to probably do whatever they can to keep most of the revenue. Pre-Longhorn? I'd be happy with Texas. I'd rather the Pac go to 18 and get Kansas and K-State as well (or fuck it, 20 and throw TCU and Boise as well). I really want Kansas basketball in the Pac basketball.

ACC could be a nice basketball conference, if they add UCONN (who wants to go badly) with Syracuse you'd have: North Carolina, Duke, 'Cuse, UCONN, Clemson (I don't know how Pitt basketball is off hand, so they could be in here as well).

Rutgers is the current team that would join UCONN in the ACC when the ACC expands again. As for the rest, I think Cinci has a chance to find a home, partly as a way to get a foothold in Ohio. Louisville I'm not really sure on, TV market isn't terrible but I don't know. West Virginia I think could be the high-profile to get screwed in the break-up, never be world beaters in performance in any of the conferences, and they give you little in recruiting/tv money. USF will struggle to get a home as well I think, mostly as the two regional don't need them. I could see a mid-major wanting them for a foothold in florida and tv money though. TCU should have at the Big 10, SEC, and MAYBE ACC after them (just looking at the TV market they are in), and I think the Pac really should look at them as well.
TV markets (of remaining Big East schools):
Cinci-ranked 34th of 210
Louisville-50th
TCU-5th

I think we'll see (though it could get hairy if the Super-conferences pull out of the NCAA) 2 or 3 "mid-majors" as well for the teams who don't get an offer, maybe some of the current ones (like Mountain West and WAC) merging to have the not so super conferences. As a mock (for the non-picked up teams):

C-USA: Baylor, USF
Mac: ISU, WVU, Louisville and Cinci (if they didn't get picked)

Who I think the conferences should take (except in cases, like ACC its known) to get to 16:
ACC: Rutgers and UCONN
SEC: TCU (TV, 2nd texas team and decent football), Kansas (basketball), Kansas State (have to take them to get Kansas)
Big 10: Mizzou (tv, decent football), Kansas and K-State (see above), TCU (tv, texas team)

**CivilWars** · 09-19-11, 11:09 AM

@Rock

The reason I say 4 teams is you would have 4 power conferences, so the champion of each would play a 2 game playoff to determine the grand champion. The heads of the NCAA have argued against a larger playoff in part because it would supposedly mean too much missed school time if you added 3-4 more games/weeks for the winning schools. I don't necessarily buy it, but if you only really added one game/week for two schools I think it would kill that argument.

In regards to the new Pac I saw on ESPN where they are considering doing four "pods" instead of two divisions. So the former Big 12 schools would all be in the same pod, and would play each other every year. Not sure how that would work in terms of a conference champion, but it sounds like a pretty good idea.

I would love to see TCU join a&m in the SEC. I think it would work for the SEC as well to truly pick up the Dallas market, plus give a&m a natural rival. If that happens, and if the Pac and ACC additions happen as discussed, then the SEC would want/need to add 2 teams, and the Big 10(12) would need 4. I still say the left over Big 12(9) schools from the north go to the Big 10(12), so Kansas, KState, Iowa State, and Mizzou. Then have the SEC pick up LVille, and WVU.

That my friends would make for some power football all across the nation.

**Master_Magus** · 09-19-11, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Red_Lizard2

ACC could be a nice basketball conference, if they add UCONN (who wants to go badly) with Syracuse you'd have: North Carolina, Duke, 'Cuse, UCONN, Clemson (I don't know how Pitt basketball is off hand, so they could be in here as well).
I think we'll see (though it could get hairy if the Super-conferences pull out of the NCAA) 2 or 3 "mid-majors" as well for the teams who don't get an offer, maybe some of the current ones (like Mountain West and WAC) merging to have the not so super conferences. As a mock (for the non-picked up teams):

ACC is more about the basketball than football. When Syr and Pitt joined it gave a boost on the basketball side since the the conference was on the little decline b/c of NC State, Wake, Clemons, and G Tech hasn't really recover since losing their main players over the past 5 - 8 years. Clemens name does not belong with UNC, Duke, 'Cuse and UCONN in the same sentence, thats how bad they have been doing.

It is a given that if UCONN applies then they will be accepted to the ACC but the question is who will be joining them on that entry because the conference will be going to at 16 team conference. From what I heard is that ACC is looking first for an East Coast team and sadly Rutger name keeps appearing and I am hoping its not them. WVU wont be joining because from what people been telling me is thta they don't meet certain requirement in the research field for a univeristy to enter ACC.

Once UCONN joins, it will make the ACC the super conference of basketball as SEC is to football.

**rock_lobster** · 09-20-11, 05:47 PM

someone on local radio made a very interesting point about realigning the conferences. What happens when the Oklahoma women's basketball team has to go up to washington state to play? Out to Cali? And that's just one sport. I think we could very well see the shutting down of non revenue generating sports across many universities because they won't be able to afford to keep them running. Unless you take any excess revenue generated by the football programs to make up for it.

Plus I'm wondering, with all that money the conferences/schools were getting from the bowl games...where does it go if we move away from the BCS? You would have to have more games to accommodate for revenue sharing across bigger conferences.