Custom Conference Changes for Season 2

Here is a list of Custom Conference changes - those that will happen in real-life and those strongly rumored.

We need to decide if we will make no changes in the OD, only the confirmed changes, or confirmed & rumored moves.


Year One - 2011

None

Year Two - 2012

TCU to the Big East
Fresno State to the Mountain West
Hawai'i to the Mountain West
Nevada to the Mountain West
Texas A&M to the SEC


Future - Year Unknown

Pittsburgh to the ACC
Syracuse to the ACC


Rumored

Oklahoma to the Pac-12
Oklahoma State to the Pac-12
Texas to the Pac-12
Texas Tech to the Pac-12
Missouri to the SEC
UConn to the ACC
Big East & Big 12 Merger

What the heck might as well go with Strongly Rumored. I would add UConn to the ACC as ESPN has reported and it makes since for them to leave the Big East and join the super basketball conference.

EDIT: I'd also HIGHLY consider stripping the Big East of its automatic BCS Bowl Birth.

my hunch is that West Virginia goes to either the SEC (or ACC) as well.


My guess is the Big East does not survive at least as a viable football conference.

Good call, CLW. I added those to initial post. I also voted to live it up. ;)

if WVU does go to ACC they'll have the state on lock maybe could add new conference rivals.

Even though Pitt/ Syracuse have been accepted by the ACC, it's not at all clear that they'll be joining the conference next year. The Big East requires that they give 27 months notice before leaving.

Dukie is correct. The ACC has indicated they want Cuse and Pitt to wait the full 27 months. However, it is not clear whether the Big East would want effectively 2 lame duck years of sports with Pitt/Cuse/Uconn/Rutgers involved. It's probably the best medicine for the Big East to just rip the band aid off and hope they can survive.

EDIT: If we are going to go under this "strongly rumored" rout. It seems that if the ACC doesn't get WVA it would likely go for one of the Big East Schools that has a football program. (most likely Rutgers or possibly Louisville).

The ACC would then be divided into a likely North/South format

North
1. Pitt
2. Cuse
3. Rutgers
4. UConn
5. BC
6. Maryland
7. Virginia
8. Virginia Tech

South
1. UNC
2. NC State
3. Duke
4. Wake
5. Georgia Tech
6. Florida State
7. Miami
8. Clemson

The theory we are following seems to think whatever is left of the Big XII (Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State) might combine with what is left of the Big East (USF, Cinci, Louisville, TCU)to form some kind of glorified C-USA.

I don't think that league would keep an AQ.

Of course, this theory assumes the Big 10 doesn't take in some of these teams like Notre Dame, Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State, Cinci (all of which make sense at least geographically). However, none of this has been rumored at least credibly that I am aware of.

ESPN reporting that :Baylor: :Kansas: :Kansas_State: :Missouri: :Iowa_State: :USF: :Cincinnati: :Louisville: :TCU: :West_Virginia: may form a conference and save the AQ status (at least temporarily).

Also :CUSA: and :Mountain_West: may merge.


http://espn.go.com/college-football/...er-report-says

Personally there are too many rumors flying around that I'd rather go with ones that have somewhat solid commits. That and since we can't dump conferences altogether, it could get ugly in some really small conferences.

ESPN/CBS reporting :West_Virginia: turned down by :SEC: and :ACC: and thus will stay with the :Big_East: / :Big_XII:

ESPN also reporting :Missouri: has offer from :SEC: to be the 14th member and it appears the plan is to simply let the :Big_XII: implode itself and thus avoid any lawsuit issues.

Well, since this poll the 'Strongly Rumored' moves appear to be off the table. However, we've moved all of the confirmed and also Pitt and Syracuse to the Big East.

For this year at least, we went with what David Teel of the Daily Press suggests for divisional moves in the ACC:

“I’d advocate Pitt in the Atlantic, where it could forge an annual football rivalry with Maryland similar to the Terps’ 1970s and ‘80s battles with Penn State. Syracuse to the Coastal would reunite the Orange with Virginia Tech — they had some wild Big East encounters.”