OT: Realignment?

[Waquoit]

Media: "UConn is now in the AAC!!"

UConn fans: "YAY!!!"

This happened never.

 

[Stinger92860]

No more slots unless 20 teams is the end game.

4 pods of 5 teams. That‘s 9 games with rotating pods. They have to keep the rivalry games so that makes 10. Once they break from the NCAA, they can expand the schedule. Heck, these kids need to earn their NIL.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Their will be no new Big12 as the Pac 12 will go to 16 and the Big 10 will go to 16 to follow suit and we will have 4 -16 team conference’s for football. Some Big 12 teams will go to PAC 12 or ACC. Others will be out in the cold . Notre Dame will be interesting as a go to ACC full time or stay independent. Should be interesting. The end game is a Power 4- 16 teams for football with Big 12 out. Without Texas and Oklahoma the networks will not pay that conference to add weaker teams.

Actually, the other rumor is the B1G poaching USC and UCLA from the Pac. Could lead the rest of the Big XII to merge with the Pac.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Having Kansas join the Big East for basketball would be a pipe dream, but I have trouble seeing them going to a basketball-only conference and then joining a different conference (or going independent) for football.

But back to the pipe dream:

Big East West: Kansas, Creighton, Marquette, DePaul, Butler, Xavier (630 miles from Kansas to Xavier)

Big East...East?: Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall, St. John's, UConn, Providence (420 miles from Georgetown to Providence).

I mean, those divisions look bellisimo!

KU will never go to the Big East or the ACC. They would have the same problems UConn had in the AAC. The fans aren't interested in playing any of those teams other than maybe Nova and UConn. Plus, football does matter. KU won the Orange Bowl and finished top 5 in 2008. Bad now, but haven't always been bad.

 

[polycom]

This move makes sense. Now that the façade called amateurism is over college sports is basically over. This will start to look a bit like formula 1 without the cost cap but much worse because you add an additional layer known as recruiting. I think Texas sees the writing on the wall that Big12 will suffer in a recruiting world that is NLI driven...

 

[JMick]

Actually, the other rumor is the B1G poaching USC and UCLA from the Pac. Could lead the rest of the Big XII to merge with the Pac.

They will probably come up with some sort of scheduling alliance for football. I believe that was in the works in 2010 when Texas was threatening to leave

 

[tzznandrew]

KU will never go to the Big East or the ACC. They would have the same problems UConn had in the AAC. The fans aren't interested in playing any of those teams other than maybe Nova and UConn. Plus, football does matter. KU won the Orange Bowl and finished top 5 in 2008. Bad now, but haven't always been bad.

I mean, they've been to 12 bowl games in their history. Total. That's pretty embarrassing and by far the least of any of the old Big 8 schools.

For comparison, UConn has been to 6 despite being FBS for like 100 years less then them.

 

[WestHartHusk]

KU will never go to the Big East or the ACC. They would have the same problems UConn had in the AAC. The fans aren't interested in playing any of those teams other than maybe Nova and UConn. Plus, football does matter. KU won the Orange Bowl and finished top 5 in 2008. Bad now, but haven't always been bad.

Don’t disagree with most of this, but Kansas football is nearly the definition of always bad. I think they have won 21 games the last 10 years.

 

[superjohn]

KU will never go to the Big East or the ACC. They would have the same problems UConn had in the AAC. The fans aren't interested in playing any of those teams other than maybe Nova and UConn. Plus, football does matter. KU won the Orange Bowl and finished top 5 in 2008. Bad now, but haven't always been bad.

Oh come on, Kansas football is horrendous. They've had two good seasons in over 50 years. They're 21-108 the last 11 seasons.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Don’t disagree with most of this, but Kansas football is nearly the definition of always bad. I think they have won 21 games the last 10 years.

They were actually good when I was there. The Glen Mason era. But yes, they have mostly been bad. I'm simply saying, they aren't going to go independent in football and would have no interest in playing in an east coast based league, whether Big East or ACC. The few middling midwestern terms in the Big East aren't of interest to those fans. Creighton is close and they've played only 16 times, before last year the last time was 1974, also in the tournament. Kansas fans view them the way we view Memphis. Not interesting.

 

[McLovin]

I wonder how long until the conferences realize that they don’t need to be splitting their revenue with the wake forrrests, vanderbilts and northwesterns of the world. Media markets mean nothing anymore, it’s all about fan bases.

FWIW, Nashville is one of the largest media markets in the SEC footprint (only Atlanta and Gainesville/Orlando are bigger). But No one here in Nashville watches Vanderbilt football, this city only cares about University of Tennessee. The Vandy stadium is filled with 80% of visiting fans every game. Not going to be long until Bama and LSU realize that they shouldn’t be getting the same revenue split as them and cut the cord on them.

 

[McLovin]

Louisville fans must be very happy that the Big 12 took WVU over them. Couldn’t imagine being a WVU fan right now left holding that bag of . You thought you were going to be playing Oklahoma and Texas every year and now you’re hoping Memphis and Cincy can save the conference (while they desperately beg the big 10 or acc to take them) lmao.

edit: I do think that WVU is probably the most well suited among any remaining Big 12 team - fan base, football strength and geographiclly - to be the top choice for any future expansion by the big 10 or acc. The question is do those conferences extend them the olive branch or let them rot while they try to poach each other’s conferences first. WVU is now in the same position of “you will always be there when we want to add you” that we were / are in when it comes to P5 expansion.

 

[Durks07]

Oh come on, Kansas football is horrendous. They've had two good seasons in over 50 years. They're 21-108 the last 11 seasons.

KU's all-time record in football is 588-650-58 (.476). Since 1890, KU has won six (6) bowl games. They are Rutgers-level bad historically. Worse even.

Kansas Jayhawks football - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[superjohn]

I wonder how long until the conferences realize that they don’t need to be splitting their revenue with the wake forrrests, vanderbilts and northwesterns of the world. Media markets mean nothing anymore, it’s all about fan bases.

FWIW, Nashville is one of the largest media markets in the SEC footprint (only Atlanta and Gainesville/Orlando are bigger). But No one here in Nashville watches Vanderbilt football, this city only cares about University of Tennessee. The Vandy stadium is filled with 80% of visiting fans every game. Not going to be long until Bama and LSU realize that they shouldn’t be getting the same revenue split as them and cut the cord on them.

Yes, that will be the next step along with cutting every sport besides football and basketball, and cutting all women's sports. Supreme Court will be hearing a lot of cases.

 

[tcf15]

 

[Ajs120102]

This grinds my gears. UConn is better academically by a mile and woulda shored up the women’s game which is not nothing these days. Could also be perennial top 25 in basketball. Just so frustrating. I love our situation now though. From the looks of it the Big 12 is not dissolving in the way the AAC would want it to. Lots of poaching going on.

 

[JohnFSilver]

The problem with conferences is the bottom of them. Why should texas subsidize Baylor and Kansas football? Iowa State, why are then joined with Oklahoma and UConn and Cincinnati aren't. Things like that.

There are a lot of Power programs that are lifted because of their association with the top 30.

 

[JohnFSilver]

This grinds my gears. UConn is better academically by a mile and woulda shored up the women’s game which is not nothing these days. Could also be perennial top 25 in basketball. Just so frustrating. I love our situation now though. From the looks of it the Big 12 is not dissolving in the way the AAC would want it to. Lots of poaching going on.

Politics and the media framed Louisville as the underdog. Makes no strategic sense, but they got the pop they wanted. Considering what has happened since then with that AD department inclusion in the ACC is embarassing.

 

[McLovin]

This grinds my gears. UConn is better academically by a mile and woulda shored up the women’s game which is not nothing these days. Could also be perennial top 25 in basketball. Just so frustrating. I love our situation now though. From the looks of it the Big 12 is not dissolving in the way the AAC would want it to. Lots of poaching going on.

Here are the three most important things to conference realignment:
1. money
2. money
3. money

things that aren’t important? Women’s basketball.

Academics is a facade the conferences use to beat their chests, but don’t mean a damn thing to the people pulling the strings.

Unfortunately, Kansas just draws more eyeballs than UConn. Yes, even in football.

 

[HuskyHawk]

KU's all-time record in football is 588-650-58 (.476). Since 1890, KU has won six (6) bowl games. They are Rutgers-level bad historically. Worse even.

Kansas Jayhawks football - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's not good. But here is the all time records of all D1/FBS teams/games (even if not FBS now). KU is #197 winning percentage. UConn is #236. School Index | College Football at Sports-Reference.com

But none of that matters. The point is they aren't going independent for football or playing in an eastern league. I can see three scenarios.
1. Stay in some updated version of the Big 12
2. Go to the B1G if they expand
3. Go to the Pac

UT and OU did not join the recent Big 12 call. The Big 12 would ideally like to get the two Arizona schools (and Colorado back, perhaps with BYU) but it's not likely.

Lots of scenarios. If the B1G is adding two teams, one could be KU.

I think it's feasible that KU, K-State, Texas Tech/Baylor and Oklahoma State could join the Pac to get it to 16. The eastern Pod would then be those 4 plus Colorado, Utah, Arizona and ASU.

 

[Storrs South]

This grinds my gears. UConn is better academically by a mile and woulda shored up the women’s game which is not nothing these days. Could also be perennial top 25 in basketball. Just so frustrating. I love our situation now though. From the looks of it the Big 12 is not dissolving in the way the AAC would want it to. Lots of poaching going on.

A KU departure to the Big 10 (which I don't think would happen, you don't leak to the press you have a call to the Big 10 if it was legit being considered), would basically mean Big 12 is dead so Aresco and AAC leadership could rest easy. The AAC members obviously would have no where to go, though.

 

[HuskyHawk]

A KU departure to the Big 10 (which I don't think would happen, you don't leak to the press you have a call to the Big 10 if it was legit being considered), would basically mean Big 12 is dead so Aresco and AAC leadership could rest easy. The AAC members obviously would have no where to go, though.

I think it's possible. KU + OSU to B1G (or Colorado in place of OSU). Then four Big XII teams to the Pac. The remaining teams keep the Big XII name and brand, and bring in the best of the rest, including AAC teams plus BYU, Boise, Colorado State. That is how you jettison ECU, Temple and Tulane.

I actually think that's a reasonably likely scenario.

 

[Hoophound]

Here are the three most important things to conference realignment:
1. money
2. money
3. money

things that aren’t important? Women’s basketball.

Academics is a facade the conferences use to beat their chests, but don’t mean a damn thing to the people pulling the strings.

Unfortunately, Kansas just draws more eyeballs than UConn. Yes, even in football.

I don't know about that last sentence. It is an unfair comparison, they've been playing a Big 12 schedule. Our potential for streaming revenue is likely better with women's basketball having a huge following.

CT is a show me state. You have to win to get the audience. There is always a team around that area in one sport or another winning championships. New Englanders aren't going to hitch their wagon to a loser. Give UConn football an appealing schedule and money to support the football program and we'll find a way to win games like we do in all of the other sports and the audience will follow.

 

[superjohn]

Here are the three most important things to conference realignment:
1. money
2. money
3. money

things that aren’t important? Women’s basketball.

Academics is a facade the conferences use to beat their chests, but don’t mean a damn thing to the people pulling the strings.

Unfortunately, Kansas just draws more eyeballs than UConn. Yes, even in football.

Are your last two sentences accurate? My guess is that would be hard to judge with UConn switching conferences and Kansas staying in the same conference. If in the same conference I would imagine UConn would bring more eyeballs considering CT. has a larger population and the NYC and Boston markets and Kansas has Kansas.

 

[UCDaveD]

There should just be a draft.