The JBHuskers NCAA Conference Realignment Plan

[CLW]

I admittedly haven't followed this situation that closely at first as I figured they were just rumors and nothing would come of it. Now I am convinced that we are headed to 4 "super" 16 team conferences eventually (Pac 16, Big 16, ACC, SEC). Once these 4 conferences are formed they will leave the BCS system and create their own national championship. Each conference champion goes to the semi-finals.

My best guess as to the final conference lineup is:

Big 16

West
1. Nebraska
2. Iowa
3. Minnesota
4. Wisconsin
5. Illinois
6. Michigan
7. Northwestern
8. Missouri

East
9. Notre Dame
10. Rutgers
11. Ohio State
12. Penn State
13. Indiana
14. Purdue
15. Michigan State
16. Pitt

Pac 16

West
1. Oregon
2. Oregon State
3. Washington
4. USC
5. California
6. Stanford
7. UCLA
8. Washington State

East
9. Arizona
10. Arizona State
11. Texas
12. Texas Tech
13. Colorado
14. Oklahoma
15. Oklahoma State
16. Utah

SEC

East
1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Tennessee
4. South Carolina
5. Vanderbilt
6. Virginia Tech
7. Louisville
8. Kentucky

West
9. LSU
10. Mississippi
11. Arkansas
12. Auburn
13. Mississippi State
14. Texas A&M
15. Baylor
16. Alabama

ACC

Atlantic
1. Boston College
2. Florida State
3. Wake Forest
4. NC State
5. Maryland
6. West Virginia
7. UConn
8. Clemson

Coastal
1. Georgia Tech
2. Miami
3. North Carolina
4. Duke
5. Virginia
6. South Florida
7. UCF
8. ECU

[JeffHCross]

In order to keep The Game, I don't see how they split OSU and UM into separate divisions.

Follow the SEC's method of splitting the two but keeping a yearly rivalry game between them. The downside being that it drastically increases the likelihood of a rematch. But I can't see any split of the teams that doesn't split Michigan and Ohio State without being ridiculous (like PSU and Nebraska in the other division), which admittedly would be silly.

[JBHuskers]

Yeah you're right on Michigan and Ohio State....just an oversight by me when I was putting that together yesterday.....could flip flop them and Notre Dame.

[ebin]

Anybody else seen this? It's an interesting way to contextualize many of the factors affecting expansion. Shows just how much Oklahoma and Texas would be bringing to the PAC-16.



Larger version

[JeffHCross]

Until you get down to the TV markets, Oklahoma seems like the bigger get than Texas. Very good graphic.

[JeffHCross]

From that other forum ...

I've just been elected the new commish of the ACC and here is my plan....

1st I'm trading the SEC in a 2 for 1 deal, FSU & Miami for South Carolina.

Then I'm raiding the Big East boosting ACC football while making the best basketball conference in the country even better!

Gentlemen, the new ACC....

ATLANTIC
Boston College
Clemson
NC State
Wake forest
Maryland
Connecticut
South Carolina
Pittsburgh

COASTAL
Virginia Tech
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Duke
Virginia
West Virginia
Syracuse
Louisville

I actually really like.

[Kingpin32]

That conference would be a beast in basketball.

[morsdraconis]

I would be ALL over that except it makes WVU vs Pitt tough to do every year in football without limiting what other teams play each other every year.

[AustinWolv]

Follow the SEC's method of splitting the two but keeping a yearly rivalry game between them. The downside being that it drastically increases the likelihood of a rematch. But I can't see any split of the teams that doesn't split Michigan and Ohio State without being ridiculous (like PSU and Nebraska in the other division), which admittedly would be silly.

Yeah, that was my point. It would be retarded to have a rematch scenario IMO; I'd be disappointed to see that happen. Not a big fan of the SEC method.

[ebin]

Until you get down to the TV markets, Oklahoma seems like the bigger get than Texas. Very good graphic.

Thanks. To be clear, I didn't make it, but unfortunately, I don't know who did. It'd be cool to see something similar for the other BCS conferences.

[ebin]

From that other forum ...

I actually really like.

Same here.

I would be ALL over that except it makes WVU vs Pitt tough to do every year in football without limiting what other teams play each other every year.

Yeah, I'd solve that by swapping Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Either way, it'd definitely be a murderers row in basketball.

[Holc]

Now that expansion has settled down, I am somewhat surprised that the Big Ten did not invite at least two other schools and offer Notre Dame the same type of membership it currently holds in the Big East. Don't get me wrong, I think that 12 universities will work great, but by expanding further, the Big Ten would have really enlarged its footprint. Having a fourteen school league in hoops means that each team would play 19 games in a two division conference format (12 division + 7 interdivision = 19), which is an odd number and likely one too many conference games. Allowing ND to remain an Independent in football, but join the conference in all other sports would do three things: 1) The conference would have an even number of teams in its two football divisions and still garner recognition from Notre Dame as an Independent. 2) Having a fifteen school league in hoops means that each team would play 18 games in a three division conference format (8 division + 10 interdivision). 3) Generate more revenue!

[JBHuskers]

Yeah it definitely didn't get as nuts as it could have been. Down the road it will I bet.

[Holc]

I must say that I am happy that Big East football has been spared thus far. Regardless of what happens with the eight full-time Big East football schools, the conference will remain because it was founded as a basketball league and will go back to its roots if necessary. League officials are going to have to get very creative if the Big East hopes to maintain its BCS status.

[JBHuskers]

I must say that I am happy that Big East football has been spared thus far. Regardless of what happens with the eight full-time Big East football schools, the conference will remain because it was founded as a basketball league and will go back to its roots if necessary. League officials are going to have to get very creative if the Big East hopes to maintain its BCS status.

Especially when the Mountain West looked more like a BCS conference than the Big East.

[Holc]

Especially when the Mountain West looked more like a BCS conference than the Big East.

I agree.

[Holc]

When Colorado and Nebraska bolted, I was hoping that the Big East would immediately invite Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State to join the Big East. Although conferences membership would have grown to 20 teams (12 football + 8 hoops), the Big East could have added a conference championship game in football and strengthened its already elite college basketball status. The gridiron side of the conference would remain somewhat week, but it was not that long ago when K-State was a national power. In addition, the conference would remain geographically connected. I would have split the two divisions in football in the following way:

West
Kansas State
Kansas
Iowa State
Missouri
Louisville
Cincinnati

East
Connecticut
Syracuse
Rutgers
Pitt
West Virginia
South Florida

[JeffHCross]

Allowing ND to remain an Independent in football, but join the conference in all other sports would do three things: 1) The conference would have an even number of teams in its two football divisions and still garner recognition from Notre Dame as an Independent. 2) Having a fifteen school league in hoops means that each team would play 18 games in a three division conference format (8 division + 10 interdivision). 3) Generate more revenue!

Allowing Notre Dame to remain an Independent would do absolutely nothing for the Big Ten.

[JBHuskers]

Allowing Notre Dame to remain an Independent would do absolutely nothing for the Big Ten.

What if Notre Dame continues to be mediocre, do you think the next NBC deal won't be as lucrative, or are they in a win-win situation with the fan base they have built in?

[JeffHCross]

I'd answer that multiple-choice question with "Yes".

I think their next NBC deal shouldn't be as lucrative, though I fear that with the bidding wars that have escalated over College Football TV rights that it will just increase again. I don't think Notre Dame's fanbase is as entrenched as they would like to think. They still have a large fan base, but the Catholic demographic at large is shifting away from the traditional Notre Dame fan base. So while I think they'll still have most of their traditional fan base, I think it's going to decrease every year if they continue to not be in the limelight.

That said, Brian Kelly at Notre Dame scares the crap out of me. I loved him at Cincinnati and I think he'll have the Domers contending very, very fast.