Realignment Scenario

[SMUstang]

Realignment Scenario

Five 12 team BCS conferences and four 12 team regional non-BCS conferences with only a handful of leftovers can be formed as follows:

The ACC can add Boston College, Miami, and Syracuse and become the Atlantic Conference.

The Big 10 can add Notre Dame and become the Northern Conference.

The PAC 10 can add BYU and Utah and become the Pacific Conference.

The Big East can add Cincinatti, East Carolina, Louisville, Memphis, Army, and Navy and become the Eastern Conference.

Conference_USA can add Louisiana Tech, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, North Texas, and U La. and become the Southern Conference.

The MWC can add Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, UTEP, and Utah State and become the Western Conference.

The remaining teams would be Arkansas State, Idaho, M. Tennessee State, New Mexico State, San Jose State, U La-Monroe, and UCF. These teams may fill in the gaps when and if some conference members drop Div. 1A football. (Tulane/SMU model)

Everything else remains the same as it is now.

I know that this is far too easy and logical to possibly be done. But it makes a lot of sense to me. The BCS conferences will get 99% of the money, but the rest of the teams can reduce their expenses and have regional conferences with theoretically more support.

[FloridaMustang]

C-USA could take UCF. They're as successful a program as USF, if not moreso. I'd think they would rather go independent again than be stuck in a POS conference like you mentioned.

[The CPC]

CPC cannot help but notice that the SEC and Big 12 are not amongst your 5 proposed BCS conferences. Are you planning on demoting those 24 teams to the same level where you've put Middle Tennessee and San Jose State? They would be 2 of the 4 "12 team regional non-BCS conferences," then? That's probably the only way that the "Southern Conference" you are proposing will ever be a BCS league, and CPC feels compelled to point out that schools like Florida and Kansas State are unlikely to play along.

[Charleston Pony]

He didn't have to include the SEC or Big XII because they are already set with the 12 school format.

I like the idea of realignment resulting in 9 conferences of 12-14 teams, and his basic concept is workable, but some schools were omitted and the assumption that Notre Dame will join the Big 10 might be wishful thinking. Notre Dame has rejected offers to do so on at least 2 occasions and has proven they are the only Division I program that can be profitable as an independent because of their national following that allows them to negotiate their own network TV deal.

There is talk of the BCS adding a 5th game (championship game after the 1st 4 games are played to determine #1 and #2). There is also talk of including one representative from the "mid-major conferences in the 1st round of 4 games. If the BCS rules in 2006 require a mid-major to be the champion of a 12-14 school conference, then there's a good chance the Big East, CUSA, MAC, WAC, MWC & SunBelt conferences realign into 4 mid-major conferences (I'm assuming the ACC adds Miami, Syracuse & B.C., the Big East loses it's BCS status, the Big 10 adds Pitt and the PAC 10 adds two teams).

There are 117 I-A programs today so do the math: 9 conferences of 12 leaves only 108 I-A programs. The MAC has 14 teams, but some that might not choose to remain at I-A. San Jose is probably the most vulnerable of the WAC schools and La-Monroe is certainly questionable from the SBC. It wouldn't take much to realign as outlined in the original post and shrink down to 9 conferences. If less than 9 teams drop from I-A, some conferences play with 14 members (that format can be desireable in terms of saving travel expenses...providing revenue sharing isn't diluted). Revenue sharing can be controlled by giving each mid-major school a share of the TV money, as they do now. I'm all for that happening and SMU playing with a group of schools no more than 500 miles from Dallas. This all might just be too logical for it to happen.

[The CPC]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Charleston Pony:
<B>He didn't have to include the SEC or Big XII because they are already set with the 12 school format. </B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, he does. He said there would be 5 BCS conferences and 4 non-BCS. Then he listed the 5 BCS conferences and his 5 didnt include the Big 12 or SEC. So, if the BCS includes the 5 groups he listed, plus the Big 12 and the SEC, that would make...... 84 teams in the BCS? So, there would be enough leftovers to make up 2 1/2 conferences of 12 teams each. Maybe less, since some of those schools are teetering on the verge of moving down in division. So, it looks like everyone gets to be in the BCS, except the Sun Belt and the MAC? Ok. Fine, you guys are just too sharp for this poor poultry. The cartel that was created for the specific purpose of excluding half the teams in D1, in order to keep the largest bowl payouts and TV contracts in the control of a select few schools, is now suddenly going to reverse themselves and include almost everyone. Time to embrace the Great Unwashed. Why did CPC not see this before?

[SMUstang]

The 5 BCS conferences are SEC, Big 12, Big 10, PAC 10, and ACC. I am calling the Big 10 the Northern Conf., the PAC 10 the Pacific Conf., and the ACC the Atlantic Conf. Perhaps that confused you.

The non-BCS conferences simularly are the Big East which I call the Eastern Conf., Conference-USA which I call the Southern Conf., the MWC that I call the Western Conf., and the Mid-American Conf. The WAC and Sunbelt conferences go away.

Each conference has 12 teams except the Mid-American which already has 14.

CP, I guess I left out the 14th member of the Mid-American Conf. I don't know who that is.

[This message has been edited by SMUstang (edited 05-08-2003).]

[This message has been edited by SMUstang (edited 05-08-2003).]

[Charleston Pony]

Buffalo, Marshall & Central Fla were added to the MAC as they expanded to 14 teams. I also saw no mention of Troy State in your original post. At any rate, there are 117 schools playing I-A football today, but that number could drop as several schools look more carefully at budget considerations and Title IX implications.

I assumed after reading the original post that you recognized the Big East would lose it's BCS standing if it was to lose Miami, Syracuse and B.C. I really do like the idea of 9 I-A conferences with the 4 BCS conferences earning automatic bids and at least one of the remaining 4 bids being guaranteed to the highest rated of the other 4 conferences, with everyone playing at I-A getting at least some share of the TV $$$.

[SMUstang]

I like it too. Though the conferences are bigger, when you divide them into 6 team regions, the regions are tight geographically. And the conference championship games would be like bowl games but would stimulate a lot more interest than the average bowl game.

I have a more likely scenario though that has the BE, C-USA, and MWC staying at 9 teams, and the Sunbelt gobbling up the remaining teams making it 12 teams for fb. This of course after the ACC goes to 12. It's anybody's guess what will happen.

[Water Pony]

Interesting scenarios with a focus on basketball, catholic schools and a rebuilt Big East.

<A HREF="http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/6356329" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/6356329</A>