Conference Realignment

[Mike A. S.]

When will be the next round of conference realignments? And who will be going where when it does happen?

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

mercy plorst

 

[GoldRusher]

End of the TV contracts. As far as who is where when it all shakes out... that's anybody's guess.

 

[Chewbaccer]

Get rid of the Big 12, bring the SEC, ACC, B1G and Pac to 16 teams, and then you can make it cut and dry that the 4 conference champions make the playoff, and if ND doesn't join a conference, treat them like a G5 team.

 

[tabascojet]

No 16 team conferences ever......

 

[wazzu31]

Washington to the Mountain West conference

 

[Innermind]

I see a possibility of:

A few years before the Big XII GOR expires, schools from the Big XII will be negotiating exit strategies, and seeking entry into other P5 conferences... hell, the 'feeler' process is perhaps already in motion for some Big XII schools.

So...look for schools to perhaps begin leaving the Big XII a couple years prior to their GOR expires in 2024-25. This means that schools will probably be willing to negotiate a settlement for the final 2 or 3 years of the Big XII GOR.

So, perhaps schools will begin to leave the Big XII approx 2021-22.

Of course if all Big XII schools find a spot in another P4 conference, then there will be no need to honor any settlements as the Big XII will cease to exist. So, I think an effort will be made to attempt to get all Big XII schools a place in other P5 conferences, although the small, private religious schools who are members of the Big XII (Baylor, TCU) might find it difficult to find a new P4 home.




That being said, I'll play around and try to get most of the Big XII members a new P5 home. The basic scenario I will follow is that the other P4 members (B1G, PAC, SEC, ACC) will all increase to 16 members, and eventually get rid of divisions. These division-less P4 conferences will still play a conference championship game, but that game will be held between the two best teams from the conference based on each conferences internal tiebreaker system.

Starting with the B1G, I have them going to 16 members by adding Oklahoma and Kansas. Yeah-yeah, I know Oklahoma is not AAU (at least not yet), but their brand name is big enough to get them into the B1G without having AAU status.... after all, AAU membership is preferred by the B1G, but not required for B1G membership.

Next, I have Notre Dame and West Virginia to the ACC... no surprise here... it just feels right to have WVU joining Pitt as members of the same conference, doesn't it?

The PAC will seek Texas/Central time zone representation by adding the Longhorns, but Texas will also bring along little brother, Texas Tech to the PAC. The PAC will now be at 14 members, with two more members pending.

The SEC will swoop-in and grab Oklahoma State prior to allowing the PAC to get Okie Lite. The SEC is now at 15 members.

Back to the PAC --- With Oklahoma State gone to the SEC, and already two new PAC members from the state of Texas (Texas and Texas Tech), the PAC will look at increasing their Central time zone presence in states other than Texas. Remember that the PAC covets AAU membership almost as much as the B1G... so... Iowa State's AAU membership will be the deciding factor in getting the Cyclones into the PAC as member #15. PAC member 16 will be a travel partner for Iowa State.....so.... the Manhattan, KS proximity to Ames, IA will be a big factor in getting K-State a place in the PAC as its 16th member.

If you're keeping count, I have already placed 8 of the 10 Big XII teams into new P4 conferences:
- Oklahoma and Kansas to B1G.... B1G is at 16 members
- West Virginia to ACC (along with Notre Dame).... ACC is at 16 members
- Oklahoma State to SEC.... SEC is only at 15 members (for now)
- Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and K-State to PAC.... PAC is at 16 members

This leaves TCU and Baylor remaining... so, to avoid GOR payments from the other departing Big XII schools, let's try to get these two schools a P4 home.

The SEC supposedly has a tradition/policy of not wishing to add new members from existing SEC states. However, I see this gentlemen's agreement as primarily between the 'old school' SEC members, and not necessarily the new SEC members.... so.... let's look at the state of Texas for member 16. The SEC has a strong presence in the Houston area with Texas A&M.... but how about north Texas and the Dallas area? Simple... add TCU for an SEC presence in North Texas/Dallas area. The SEC will now be at 16 members. Texas is such a high population state that this would probably be the only allowable exception to the SEC guideline of not adding new members from existing SEC states.

This leaves poor Baylor as the only school without a P4 home.

But..... in order to avoid messy GOR legalities involving the other former Big XII members and Baylor (the other former Big XII members wouldn't want to pay-off a disgruntled Baylor, as the Bears will be pissed-off about having to settle for MWC or American membership).... perhaps one of the P4 conferences will increase to 17 members in order to accommodate Baylor. I can see the ACC or the B1G possibly looking into adding Baylor because those two conferences do not yet have a presence in the state of Texas. An odd number of members (17) is not really a problem, as we are now using a division-less conference system under this scenario.

So.... since the ACC is obviously already comfortable in having small private schools as members (Syracuse, Boston College, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Miami, Duke), I will then have Baylor go to the ACC as member #17.

Everyone is now happy as all 10 former members of the Big XII have new P4 homes.

The End.




Epilogue:

God hates Baylor.... so...

...an asteroid hits the earth and destroys Waco.

 

[wazzu31]

I'm sorry but laughing, but BYU has a better chance of getting a unanimous vote into the conference than Iowa State or Kansas State ever reaching the table.

 

[Innermind]

I'm sorry but laughing, but BYU has a better chance of getting a unanimous vote into the conference than Iowa State or Kansas State ever reaching the table.

You missed the point... my funsy play around scenario was about dismantling the Big XII and placing all those members into the other P4 conferences of 16 members each (with one 17 member conference), while also ensuring Notre Dame a spot at the table too.

 

[wazzu31]

You missed the point... my funsy play around scenario was about dismantling the Big XII and placing all those members into the other P4 conferences.

Did, I just concentrated on the Pac 12..well put those schools into the FCS and give us BYU and Boise State.

 

[Innermind]

Did, I just concentrated on the Pac 12..well put those schools into the FCS and give us BYU and Boise State.

I do like the idea of both BYU and Boise State getting a seat at the big boy table... and under my previous funsy play around scenario, 17 member conferences are viable under a division-less system. So.... let's make some more of the P4 conferences increase to 17 members (remember, I already had the ACC increase to 17 members with the addition of Baylor under my funsy scenario).

So....

- PAC increase to 17 members by adding Boise State (in addition to the previous additions of Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and K-State).

- B1G increase to 17 by adding BYU (in addition to the previous additions of Oklahoma and Kansas)

- SEC remain at 16..... or.... if they want to cross the Ohio River and get a presence into the 7th most populous state in the Union (not a terrible idea) by adding Cincinnati, the SEC could possibly also increase to 17 members by adding the Bearcats.


Tada!


But....

.....Waco is probably still eventually destroyed by an asteroid.

 

[wazzu31]

I'd rather have Montana and Montana State than Iowa State or Kansas State

 

[Olyduck]

planned realignment or unplanned?
planned stuff will be happening in 2017 and2018 with Coastal Carolina joining the Sun Belt and with Idaho dropping to FCS and and New Mexico going to Independent from the Sun Belt.

 

[UtahUte]

I'm sorry but laughing, but BYU has a better chance of getting a unanimous vote into the conference than Iowa State or Kansas State ever reaching the table.

False- their honor code will never change they will not rewrite what
Has been written. Also they do not support LGBT COMMUNITY.
They have baggage. Ad's don't want to deal with that.

 

[Destroydacre]

Epilogue:

God hates Baylor.... so...

...an asteroid hits the earth and destroys Waco.

Everyone wins

 

[fishinabarrel]

Don't know about realignments but I would love to see a third tier in college football and "floating conference members" Group of Five competes for their own national championship but they also compete for a spot at the big boy table. While bottom of the barrel Power 5 teams must compete to keep their spot.

Example with this year: Western Michigan (MAC) trades spots with Rutgers (B1G)
Western Kentucky (CUSA) swaps with Virginia (ACC)
San Diego St (MW) trades with Arizona (PAC)
Temple (AAC) switches with Kansas (B12)
Appalachian St (Sun Belt) switches with Missouri (SEC)

This would of course require college football to be placed into its own little bubble. Obviously schools couldn't be completely lose membership based on a football game. Would make those G5 championship games very exciting and even add a little more zest to those end/middle year matchups between Rutgers and Indiana or Kansas and Iowa State.

Disclaimer: I know this will never happen

 

[HuskerinBig10]

come back in six years

 

[4down20]

Does it not occur to people that college football is just about fucking perfect the way it is now?

Everyone bound and determined to fuck it up.

 

[blazer prophet]

Washington to the Mountain West conference

WSU needs some reason to hope they will beat UW again.

 

[wazzu31]

WSU needs some reason to hope they will beat UW again.

Mostly so we could be the dominant team in the North since you were all piss ants this year