Conference Expansion/Realignment has popped up again

Miscellaneous
1

https://x.com/MUSSemeritus/status/1960797809537638432

I know, I know, the season starts and everyone is tired of this topic, but I consider it a win when a national guy says that we are still in the conversation for the inevitable shift coming in 5 years. I hope we play well enough to remain in that conversation.

I maintain that if the 2 big leagues move up to 20 teams each we are on the outside looking in but if they move up to 22 we have a decent shot and at 24, we are in.

Feels like some combo of UNC/UVA/Miami/FSU/Clemson will be the coveted dominoes and the big 10 could move westward once that is done.

2

AAU school out west, untapped market, geography doesn’t matter because the conference is coast to coast.

Bingo!

4 Likes
3

That’s a good argument, but if it’s only four, I would think they’d be looking at Colorado, the two Arizona schools and the two Bay Area schools.

1 Like
4

I don’t think anything happens until ACC blows up. ESPN exercised their media rights through 2035/36, but they can negotiate a buyout in 2030 … or do something that blows it all up. B1G would grab those teams first and then there might be a few more to round out the ‘western pod’. I don’t think they would just grab 4 like Utah, CU, and the AZ schools right now - it all comes down to what goes on with the ACC.

2 Likes
5

Inevitably if this discussion spread out a bit, BYU will open their big traps. At which point we bring up the AAU situation. And folks, we all know there is no way in hell BYU will ever be looked at in the slightest for that. Not with their long LONG history of academic suppression, faculty purges, and the entire spirit behind the Honor Code tyranny.

1 Like
6

I agree how much they expand is pivotal, how much eyeballs and academics count, and how big of a deal it is for the existing four schools out west to not get hammered by the travel.

UCLA’s Mick Cronin goes off on Big Ten basketball travel schedule

If the goal is a “western wing”, maybe it’s more than four?

3 Likes
7

I had an idea where you could do 12 teams in the west:
Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, and Washington State.

Then like in the plains states and dipping into Texas you do like 12 teams: Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

Maybe one in the midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

Then an Atlantic Coast one Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

Also, in the south do Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi (Ole Miss), Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

Maybe have some overflow conference in the east. Maybe give it a name like, Big East. That’s how I think conference realignment should go. I think making it bigger has watered it down. You could do a deal where each conference plays each other an kill in FCS team scheduling.

7 Likes
8

That all sounds eerily familiar. Like “Back to the Future” familiar. :wink:

Yeah, they shouldn’t have been consolidating anything. Maybe unraveling this mess back into the 5 Conferences for regional competition and traveling compactness would work better.

For the record, too many FCS teams creeping into FBS has devalued the product. The “Bottom 10” reads like a Who’s Who of former FCS schools. The worst part is most weren’t even competitive in FCS. This is a place where the NCAA fell asleep at the switch and added to the breakage.

6 Likes
9

FWIW, Greg Flugar, the minnesota guy who is infamous for being the first person to the USC-UCLA-Big10 news 3+ years ago, is live right now on youtube and says that per his sources, Kansas and Utah have been moved into the first row of the “Holy Smokes Theater”. He is quick to say that nothing is imminent, we haven’t taken anyone’s spot, and we probably arent above the top ACC candidates, but that we are the top 2 choices out of the big 12. We are above the arizona schools and colorado, and the bay area schools.

Im not celebrating by any means, but im simply relaying what an impartial source has said after talking to his sources. Im still hoping we go as a package deals with the other four corners schools.

3 Likes
10

What the hell is “Holy Smokes” in this sense? Im confused by that term.

11

I should have explained that, sorry. He puts teams in the “Holy Smokes” theater if he has intel that they could be on the move. To his credit, he was also one of the first to have Colorado headed to the big 12

12

well if we and Kansas are in that theater its due to academic Credentials more than Athletics I would think. I mean Kansas sure aint not big target for Football! Probably for Baskeball though

3 Likes