Confernce Realignment Chaos is Here!!!!!! (maybe ... probabbly not) (Rumor Texas and OK reach out to SEC about joining)

[MplsGopher]

TCU produces about the same athletic revenue as Minnesota, is in a great market and has good academics.

Also, simply the fact that it has "Christian" right in its name = non-starter.

 

[MplsGopher]

Houston is an upside play, it's not that difficult to see them surpassing TCU in terms of prominence.

Maybe TCU, but that's a very low bar when it comes to research.

Neither of these are anywhere close.

 

[MplsGopher]

I believe what they mean by the 8 game schedule is you would play your 3 non-conference, schedule 8 conference games.
Then you could take top 4 for a Big Ten playoff to make 12 games while the lower 12 (non-playoff) teams play a peer cross over. (5v6, 7v8, 9v10, 11v12, 13v14) but ensuring no duplicate games are played.

Then the playoff winners would advance to the Big Ten Final.
Home teams for the week 12 if still in divisions would alternate east/west, or would just be predetermined as best as possible.

There's no aspect of a TBD cross-over playoff in the last week, element to it.

It's just switching back to 8 conf games a year, to match the SEC and ACC. Gives each team 4 non-conf games to schedule themselves. Actually likely leads to a slight increase in total home games per year, and thus more games that the Big Ten controls the media rights to and can sell to their TV partners.


I like it, a lot.

- No divisions, conf champ is the conf champ and that's it
- 4 home / 4 away conf games per year, guaranteed (no lopsided 4/5 5/4)
- 4 non-conf to schedule as you please, to meet your program's needs
- Each team sees 3 other teams every year (so for Minn, hopefully would be Wisc, Iowa, and Mich)
- then with the 5 other games, and 10 remaining teams, you see everyone else home/away over four years

 

[noamfromm]

There's no aspect of a TBD cross-over playoff in the last week, element to it.

It's just switching back to 8 conf games a year, to match the SEC and ACC. Gives each team 4 non-conf games to schedule themselves. Actually likely leads to a slight increase in total home games per year, and thus more games that the Big Ten controls the media rights to and can sell to their TV partners.


I like it, a lot.

- No divisions, conf champ is the conf champ and that's it
- 4 home / 4 away conf games per year, guaranteed (no lopsided 4/5 5/4)
- 4 non-conf to schedule as you please, to meet your program's needs
- Each team sees 3 other teams every year (so for Minn, hopefully would be Wisc, Iowa, and Mich)
- then with the 5 other games, and 10 remaining teams, you see everyone else home/away over four years

I really hope we can convince Michigan it's in their best interest to play us every year. We're beatable! C'mon just let me get a crack at that jug every year! I doubt we ever play a Pac12 or SEC team again while this schedule is in effect. We always schedule 7 home games so we would have 4 home B1G games, 1 home Alliance game, and then probably a couple of MAC/FCS schools to round it out.

 

[Goldmember]

So the AAC is basically what CUSA was 15 years ago anyway. Just like the MWC is what the WAC used to be. So who cares?

 

[swelna]

I really hope we can convince Michigan it's in their best interest to play us every year. We're beatable! C'mon just let me get a crack at that jug every year! I doubt we ever play a Pac12 or SEC team again while this schedule is in effect. We always schedule 7 home games so we would have 4 home B1G games, 1 home Alliance game, and then probably a couple of MAC/FCS schools to round it out.

Honestly, I think Mich would take us over Penn state or someone like that, just because it would be perceived as an easier route. And as far as easier games, the Jug does help us as we have some history. The only hitch would be if they want to cement the quadrangle of hate and have Minn, Wis, Iowa, and Neb all be each others "rivals".

 

[noamfromm]

Honestly, I think Mich would take us over Penn state or someone like that, just because it would be perceived as an easier route. And as far as easier games, the Jug does help us as we have some history. The only hitch would be if they want to cement the quadrangle of hate and have Minn, Wis, Iowa, and Neb all be each others "rivals".

I'm fine with leaving our "new" rival for a chance to win the damnable Jug

 

[MplsGopher]

Wild guess/proposal for each team's three:

Minn - Wisc, Iowa, Mich
Wisc - Minn, Iowa, Neb
Iowa - Minn, Wisc, Neb
Neb - Iowa, Wisc, Ill

NW - Ill, Ind, Pur
Ill - NW, Pur, Neb
Pur - Ind, Ill, NW
Ind - Pur, NW, Mich St

Mich - Mich St, Ohio St, Minn
Mich St - Mich, Penn St, Ind
Ohio St - Mich, Mary, Rut
Penn St - Mich St, Mary, Rut
Mary - Rut, Penn St, Ohio St
Rut - Mary, Penn St, Ohio St


Could not get the Illibuck Trophy game in there, though I'm not sure Ill fans would prefer that one over Neb. Lot of in's, lot of out's.

Wisc might also prefer to play in Chicago at NW, but who doesn't? Both Indiana schools are huge into Chicago.

If Ill and NW didn't care that much about playing each other yearly, that would open those up.

 

[MplsGopher]

- Southern Miss, Old Dominion, JMU (fellow Virginia public school with ODU, will be moving up from FCS), and Marshall officially will all join the Sun Belt (last two voted today)

- CUSA is in talks to add New Mexico St (very close to UTEP) and Liberty as all-sports members, and UConn as football only, as a first step to restructuring. This isn't as far-fetched as it may seem, because the league will have a lot of $$$ from exit fees, for the schools leaving for the AAC and Sun Belt.


Also some news on the new CFP model, which will come up again for official discussions next week I believe.

- The Alliance (PAC-12, Big Ten, ACC) wants an 8-team model
- heads of Bowl games want a 12-team model and want bowl games to be the sites for Quarter-Finals as well as Semi-Finals (previous discussions had QF's on campus sites)

 

[MplsGopher]

Clearly a push to kill CUSA all the way, so they don't have to pay exit fees.

If the conf can survive, adding as many teams as necessary to do so, then those schools are going to be rich off all the exit fees.

 

[disco]

It seems now that Sam Houston State (TX) and Jacksonville State (AL) will be moving up to FBS to join C-USA along with current FBS independents NMSU and Liberty. If WKU and MTSU move to the MAC (that's a lot of acronyms - whew) they will need one more full member to keep C-USA alive.

Meanwhile, up in Fargo, some delusional Bison fans seem to be up in arms about the other top FCS teams in Sam Houston and James Madison moving up, yet nobody wants the Bison...

I would LOVE it if South Dakota state moved up and NDSU didn't. Those peoples' heads would explode.

 

[PMWinSTP]

There's no aspect of a TBD cross-over playoff in the last week, element to it.

It's just switching back to 8 conf games a year, to match the SEC and ACC. Gives each team 4 non-conf games to schedule themselves. Actually likely leads to a slight increase in total home games per year, and thus more games that the Big Ten controls the media rights to and can sell to their TV partners.


I like it, a lot.

- No divisions, conf champ is the conf champ and that's it
- 4 home / 4 away conf games per year, guaranteed (no lopsided 4/5 5/4)
- 4 non-conf to schedule as you please, to meet your program's needs
- Each team sees 3 other teams every year (so for Minn, hopefully would be Wisc, Iowa, and Mich)
- then with the 5 other games, and 10 remaining teams, you see everyone else home/away over four years

Two of the four nonconference games would be scheduled by the alliance.

 

[MplsGopher]

Two of the four nonconference games would be scheduled by the alliance.

Good point.

And I like it. I'm good with 10 total P5 games, with home/away on the two Alliance games each year. The remaining two can be lower buy games, to get to 7 home games per year.

Especially if the Alliance can also try to work it out so that the stronger teams in each conf tend to play the stronger teams, the middle to the middle, and the weak to the weak.


Ohio St vs Oregon added a lot of value to the regular season, early on this year. If it was Ohio St vs Arizona ... not so much.

 

[MplsGopher]

As was probably to be expected, given the wealth of exit fees they'll be sitting on, CUSA is not just going to roll over and die.

 

[MplsGopher]

So with the 3 remaining members (UTEP, Louisiana Tech, Florida International) and these four, you have 7 all-sports members, which I believe is the minimum to be an NCAA Division I all-sports conference.

The rules then say you have to have 8 members that are FBS football schools, to be an FBS conference.


So guessing they'll be looking at adding UMass and/or UConn as football-only members.

 

[disco]

So with the 3 remaining members (UTEP, Louisiana Tech, Florida International) and these four, you have 7 all-sports members, which I believe is the minimum to be an NCAA Division I all-sports conference.

The rules then say you have to have 8 members that are FBS football schools, to be an FBS conference.


So guessing they'll be looking at adding UMass and/or UConn as football-only members.

You need 8 full members that also play FBS football. Unless they get a waiver, football-only members don't count. They are one short.

 

[Goldmember]

You need 8 full members that also play FBS football. Unless they get a waiver, football-only members don't count. They are one short.

They’re going to add more FCS schools. One of the effects of an expanded playoff that includes G5 teams is that there will be a wave of teams that move from FCS to FBS. CUSA is the choice destination for the 10-20 schools that will make that move.

 

[goldengophers]

They’re going to add more FCS schools. One of the effects of an expanded playoff that includes G5 teams is that there will be a wave of teams that move from FCS to FBS. CUSA is the choice destination for the 10-20 schools that will make that move.

Might as well add all 4 Dakotas.

 

[disco]

Might as well add all 4 Dakotas.

From what I know, that's difficult for a number of reasons. Geography is a big one. The Dakota schools are a long way from anywhere else making it difficult to justify the move if it was to be from an all-sports perspective. There are only two football-only affiliate teams in all of FBS right now. Navy and Hawaii, and both are unique circumstances.

Politics is another. NDSU and SDSU could move tomorrow and compete and win at the G5 level. UND and USD, not so much, and they both play in domes that can't really be expanded to meet the (not really enforced but still...) stadium and attendance requirements for FBS. I'm less familiar with politics in SD, but I don't know if NDSU would be allowed to move up alone like they did from D2 without UND being able to do the same.

 

[MplsGopher]

You need 8 full members that also play FBS football. Unless they get a waiver, football-only members don't count. They are one short.

You are correct, I was wrong there.

Here is the NCAA Bylaw from the Division I Manual:

20.02.6 Football Bowl Subdivision Conference.
A conference classified as a Football Bowl Subdivision conference shall be comprised of at least eight full Football Bowl Subdivision members that satisfy all bowl subdivision requirements. An institution shall be included as one of the eight full Football Bowl Subdivision members only if the institution participates in the conference schedule in at least six men's and eight women's conference-sponsored sports, including men's basketball and football and three women's team sports, including women's basketball. A conference-sponsored sport shall be a sport in which regular-
season and/or championship opportunities are provided, consistent with the minimum standards identified by the applicable NCAA sport committee for automatic qualification. (Adopted: 10/31/02 effective 8/1/05, Revised: 12/15/06)

 

[MplsGopher]

Eastern Kentucky wants to move up, possibly Illinois State, Southern Illinois, and/or Missouri State could be persuaded to consider it.

Would UMass give up A10 membership to have a football/basketball home? Guessing unlikely. Obvious UConn wouldn't leave the Big East.

 

[MplsGopher]

From what I know, that's difficult for a number of reasons. Geography is a big one. The Dakota schools are a long way from anywhere else making it difficult to justify the move if it was to be from an all-sports perspective. There are only two football-only affiliate teams in all of FBS right now. Navy and Hawaii, and both are unique circumstances.

Politics is another. NDSU and SDSU could move tomorrow and compete and win at the G5 level. UND and USD, not so much, and they both play in domes that can't really be expanded to meet the (not really enforced but still...) stadium and attendance requirements for FBS. I'm less familiar with politics in SD, but I don't know if NDSU would be allowed to move up alone like they did from D2 without UND being able to do the same.

NDSU and SDSU could compete in football in pretty much any of the G5 confs, now that the American is basically just the old CUSA. They could compete in the Mountain West.

I think the only G5 they'd agree to move to in all-sports is the Mountain West. Otherwise, football-only makes the most sense for them. The Summit League is actually a very good spot for their other sports.

Far less sure that UND and USD could tag along and survive in G5 football. Maybe

 

[MaxyJR1]

 

[disco]

Otherwise, football-only makes the most sense for them. The Summit League is actually a very good spot for their other sports.

And football-only at the FBS level is practically non-existent. Like I said, only Hawaii and Navy are football-only affiliates.

 

[MplsGopher]

And football-only at the FBS level is practically non-existent. Like I said, only Hawaii and Navy are football-only affiliates.

Sure.

I'm just saying it doesn't really make sense for NDSU and SDSU to join the new CUSA in sports other than football.

Football is a weekly thing, and they're chartering Airbuses to fly to almost every game anyway, so it doesn't matter frankly which conference in the country they join, so long as it's an FBS upgrade.

Not so with other sports.

 

[disco]

Sure.

I'm just saying it doesn't really make sense for NDSU and SDSU to join the new CUSA in sports other than football.

Football is a weekly thing, and they're chartering Airbuses to fly to almost every game anyway, so it doesn't make frankly which conference in the country they join, so long as it's an FBS upgrade.

Not so with other sports.

No, it doesn't. Like you said, the MWC is really the only good fit, and even that's not great (UND struggled financially in the Big Sky, which has a similar footprint). The Dakota schools are just so geographically isolated from any FBS conference it makes it difficult.

 

[noamfromm]

Good to see Liberty's budding rivalry with NMSU will stay alive

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

No, it doesn't. Like you said, the MWC is really the only good fit, and even that's not great (UND struggled financially in the Big Sky, which has a similar footprint). The Dakota schools are just so geographically isolated from any FBS conference it makes it difficult.

Geography doesn't seem to be much of a priority in conferences these days.

 

[fmlizard]

All the realignment stuff is kinda boring when the Gophers are a founding member of the oldest and richest conference and ain't going anywhere.

Fox is going to drive a dump truck full of money up to Big Ten HQ and we'll go head-to-head with the SEC/ESPN pairing as the two main circuits in CFB. Life's good.

 

[MplsGopher]

All the realignment stuff is kinda boring when the Gophers are a founding member of the oldest and richest conference and ain't going anywhere.

Fox is going to drive a dump truck full of money up to Big Ten HQ and we'll go head-to-head with the SEC/ESPN pairing as the two main circuits in CFB. Life's good.

I'm kinda a realignment nerd, going back to the crazy 2010 days. So I care somewhat.

But you're correct, the point now where it has trickled down, means absolutely nothing to Gophers/Big Ten fans.