more conference expansion in early October?

[Innermind]

In the Spring, the Sun Belt seemed OK with remaining at 11 members despite receiving the membership application from Liberty, because apparently the Sun Belt was holding out for James Madison as its 12th member instead of Liberty:

Broderick: Expansion not in Conference USA plans | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

and

Sun Belt delays expanding to 12 football teams - Las Cruces Sun-News



Over the past few weeks, rumors have been flying around regarding James Madison possibly going to Conference USA, but now that has been shot down as James Madison supposedly prefers to join the MAC.

James Madison is apparently going to make an announcement of its plans on October 5th:

Reports that JMU will join Conference USA appear false | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com


The re-alignment carousel continues.

 

[tabascojet]

all those smaller schools making a push for FBS so when the SEC comes calling in the north carolina/virginia markets they will be ready...

 

[theboardref]

Eventually the smaller teams won't even be playing in the FBS. The smaller conferences will have their own separate champion once conferences go up to 16 teams.

 

[Innermind]

If James Madison does go to the MAC (currently consisting of an awkward 13 football members), I would guess the new MAC alignment would be:

MAC East:
Akron
Buffalo
James Madison
Kent State
Miami
Ohio
UMass

MAC West:
Ball State
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Northern Illinois
Toledo
Western Michigan


And would the addition of James Madison to the MAC mean UMass will finally go all-in and exercise their option to become full MAC members in all sports, rather than holding-out for an American (AAC) invite? Some folks believed UMass was hoping for Cincinnati and/or UConn to leave the AAC, and then being able to take their place in the American, but perhaps UMass will finally accept full membership in all sports in the MAC, and give up the possibility of joining the AAC.

If James Madison joins the Sun Belt or Conference USA, the MAC could look at some other possibilities for member #14 such as----Army, Delaware, Stony Brook, Towson, Eastern Kentucky, New Hampshire, Maine from the east...or Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State from the west.

We shall see.

 

[WABLTY]

No conference is going to want Cincinnati. Or probably UCONN, though I guess there's an outside chance the ACC goes for it. If the super conferences happen, the Big 12 will be cannibalized and Notre Dame will have to pick a side, and there probably isn't going to be room for anybody else unless Iowa State or TCU can be successfully told to fuck off. Baylor will be SOL for sure.

 

[tabascojet]

i think the MAC is desperately trying to expand their traditional regional footprint to make them a more viable conference. They need to do all they can do secure JMU and umass long term.

 

[Wild Turkey]

No conference is going to want Cincinnati. Or probably UCONN, though I guess there's an outside chance the ACC goes for it. If the super conferences happen, the Big 12 will be cannibalized and Notre Dame will have to pick a side, and there probably isn't going to be room for anybody else unless Iowa State or TCU can be successfully told to fuck off. Baylor will be SOL for sure.

It's a toss up if the Big 12 or ACC breaks up (assuming super conferences are formed).

Unless Texas decides to go to the Big 10 or Oklahoma to the PAC then really the most attractice targets are in the ACC. The Big 10 most likely would give serious consideration to Georgia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina or possibly even Maryland, Duke or Syracuse.

The SEC would have serious interest in NC, Duke, Virginia Tech or even NC State if no other North Carolina school would make the move. Note: The state of North Carolina would be the number one target for SEC expansion follow closely by the state of Virginia.

If those moves happen it wouldn't take much at all for Clemson, FSU, Miami, Louisville and one of the other left overs to jump to the Big 12.

The only way this happens though is if the Big 12, SEC and B1G all act at the same time and the conference basically folds completely overnight.

 

[tabascojet]

aac will fold before big12 or the ACC....

 

[BoiseStateFan27]

North Dakota State is one FCS team that should be FBS over several current FBS teams, even some in AQ conferences

North Dakota State has a great program, with great support as many saw during college gameday.

plus they're crushing the FCS teams right now, like it's actually unfair to the rest of FCS that they have to deal with North Dakota State, whoever has to play them basically is dealing with the experience of playing an AQ fbs team

 

[WABLTY]

It's a toss up if the Big 12 or ACC breaks up (assuming super conferences are formed).

Unless Texas decides to go to the Big 10 or Oklahoma to the PAC then really the most attractice targets are in the ACC. The Big 10 most likely would give serious consideration to Georgia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina or possibly even Maryland, Duke or Syracuse.

The SEC would have serious interest in NC, Duke, Virginia Tech or even NC State if no other North Carolina school would make the move. Note: The state of North Carolina would be the number one target for SEC expansion follow closely by the state of Virginia.

If those moves happen it wouldn't take much at all for Clemson, FSU, Miami, Louisville and one of the other left overs to jump to the Big 12.

The only way this happens though is if the Big 12, SEC and B1G all act at the same time and the conference basically folds completely overnight.

Texas and Oklahoma have functionally gone on record saying they're sticking together, and politics as they are, they almost certainly will have to bring Oklahoma State and a Texas satellite with them. A&M can stand on its own, but Texas Tech probably can't. The Pac 12 already almost grabbed them a few years ago. It went way past the flirtation point, and that would be their most likely destination (all of this presuming 4x16 Super Conferences became a thing).

The B1G already has swiped Maryland, which happens in a year or two. Virginia and Notre Dame would seem to be the ideal candidates to round out that conference to 16, though it's iffy as to whether or not Notre Dame would go along with it. Current rumor mongering says that ND would prefer to join the ACC if they absolutely, positively had to, because ND likes being a special little snowflake. That, of course, might change if teams are jumping ship.

If the SEC was interested in NCSU and Va Tech, the Wolf Pack being a bit of a surprise to me, that might set the ball rolling, but just because they poached the ACC doesn't mean I really buy that it's the ACC that would fold. I suspect the Big 12 would still be the conference eaten up, with various low clout orphans (Baylor, TCU, Iowa State, maybe K State) being left to fend for themselves.

aac will fold before big12 or the ACC....

They aren't even a factor anymore. The only team from that entire conference that has a prayer of maintaining AQ status is UCONN simply for their basketball clout or maaaybe Houston as an extreme longshot. Louisville and Rutgers are already headed to the ACC and B1G. The AAC might survive just because nobody is going to want their current members unless super conferences start steam rolling past 16 teams.

 

[tabascojet]

big 12 and acc arent folding. regardless of wether or not the ridiculousness of 16 team super conferences come to fruition. even if the big12 has to scrap from cusa or aac to do it.

 

[WABLTY]

big 12 and acc arent folding. regardless of wether or not the ridiculousness of 16 team super conferences come to fruition. even if the big12 has to scrap from cusa or aac to do it.

The Big 12 is Texas. Texas and Oklahoma are joined at the hip. Kansas does its basketball thing. The rest of the conference members are all lampreys suckling at Texas. If the Horns decide it's advantageous to them to stop being a whale in small pond at some point and opt for greener pastures, the conference dies. Instantly.

But we know this isn't likely any time soon. This is a "What if" game.

 

[geneh_33]

North Dakota State is one FCS team that should be FBS over several current FBS teams, even some in AQ conferences

North Dakota State has a great program, with great support as many saw during college gameday.

plus they're crushing the FCS teams right now, like it's actually unfair to the rest of FCS that they have to deal with North Dakota State, whoever has to play them basically is dealing with the experience of playing an AQ fbs team

If the MWC ever decides to go to 14 teams, NDSU should get an invite. Or maybe they could join the MAC?

 

[geneh_33]

big 12 and acc arent folding. regardless of wether or not the ridiculousness of 16 team super conferences come to fruition. even if the big12 has to scrap from cusa or aac to do it.

The 16 team conferences thing isn't ever going to happen. No one can "force" any conference to invite in schools they don't want. The Big 5 already have everyone they want. If they didn't they would have already invited them in.

5 "big boy" conferences will work if they ever decide to break away from the other conferences. One champion or more will just get voted out of the playoff.

The ACC and the Big 12 aren't going away. They are both going to be with us until the end of time.