I know...I know...just what everybody needs with a little over a month before practice starts for the coming season...another realignment post. I don't have any new rumors...just a question. Is it safe to say that realignment is a dead topic for the Big XII, and any other conference, for this summer? It seems like, to me, we're too far into the summer for any new realignment business to get done...anybody know if its' been tabled until at least next year?
No one in the ACC will publicly state any interesting in considering a new conference until closer to Aug 15. That is the last date they can move for the following year. They must post a $10,000,000 deposit to even explore withdrawl from the conference per ACC requirements. I can't imagine they want that kind of cash in the breeze any longer than necessary, assuming they would abide by ACC rules.
It stretched well into last season so I see no reason why it couldn't stretch into the season this year. IMHO it ruined/overshadowed last year.
Oh, I don't know about realignment talk ruining a season...I've found it helps pass the time during the off-season, and especially this off-season, since the rumors are about the Big XII adding schools, instead of losing them.
I'm good with FSU and somebody named Joe outta the ACC if that gets the Big XII back to, you know, twelve teams again. FSU and the 'Ville would be fine with me, but I'd prefer Clemson or Ga. Tech as number twelve.
Like you coolhorn, I'm good with FSU and Louisville but prefer Clemson. Oh what the hell, let's just snag up Penn State once the Big 10 kicks them out of the conference.....J/K
I still don't understand why the clamor for Louisville. In terms of football, they bring nothing at all... a smallish stadium in a television market dominated by Ohio State and the other Big 10/11 schools. We don't recruit up there that much at all. (Besides Hicks.. anyone else? Ever?) The networks won't be looking to dramatically increase the payout to the conference just because the Big 12 brought a small market school into the conference. Why should we give a midwestern school more access to the fertile Texas recruiting market when they bring nothing in return? With the impending playoff system being implemented, that makes a 12 team conference with a championship game not necessary. In all likelihood, if you win the Big 12, you're in. If Texas wins the Big 12, we are definitely in. Why increase the chances of an upset by playing a conference championship game when we don't have to? If you argue that it will increase the level of competition, I thought the goal was national championships. And in any event, Louisville will hardly increase the level of our competition unless we prop them up by giving them greater access to Texas high school talent. Louisville? Please.
Louisiville would be if we were in a position like last year. Hence, we got West Virginia, not bad, TCU will turn out to be a big bag of nothing. Keep focus on ND, BYU, FSU, Georgia Tech, Miami, and I like the idea of Virginia Tech. I am not a big fan of Clemson, they remind me too much of Aggie.
I'm increasingly becoming convinced that there won't be any conference expansion for the foreseeable future. Everybody seems to like the round robin scheduling in football and basketball. The Big XII, as it is now constructed, is tough enough that the champion, without having to play a CCG game, stands a great chance of making it to the four team playoffs. Finally, it's about the money. The new TV contracts, the payout for the Champions Bowl, and marketing of third tier rights means all ten teams currently in the conference should be happy with the money they're getting, and I seriously doubt anyone's up for splitting it two more ways. There's virtually no chance of expansion until next year, and even then, unless you're talking Notre Dame or FSU, there's no target schools that would raise the conference's profile enough to make expansion worthwhile. Bottom line? Get used to a ten team Big XII.
What the Dude's saying makes a lot of sense in this case. The Big XII, with the Champions Bowl deal with the SEC, ongoing completion of the TV deal, and a new commissioner getting situated, needs some time to catch its' breath before deciding on expansion. It isn't surprising that no school was added this summer, and the advantages of Big XII membership over ACC membership will still be there next summer. This also gives FSU, Clemson, G-Tech, and others time to do due diligence about the possibilities in switching conference affiliation. It gives the Big XII time to decide how big it wants to get, and whether or not expansion will be done in stages. All of that being said, next summer, we might want to get the popcorn ready and sit back and watch the realignment show get started in earnest. I would say FSU is almost certainly the 11th team, and among the teams Dude indicates are still in play, I think Clemson makes the most sense. I'm not sure why, but I just don't see G-Tech or Maryland as the 12th team, and Louisville is basically a non-starter right now. I don't see the Big XII going above twelve teams in the near future...there just aren't enough value-added teams to go to fourteen. It might be fun to have a crystal ball and see what the Big XII looks like in, say, two or three years though. Hello, eastern division.
So, the 8/15 ACC deadline came and went with no changes. I have the feeling there will be many clandestine meetings during this season for 2014. At least the Big 12 is entering the season from a position of strength . . .
from HornSwoggler's link: "While there have been no official talks between Florida State University and the Big 12, both have expressed strong mutual interest and it is understood that FSU now has an open invitation to become the 11th member of the Big 12 conference." "... I'm told that the money gap between the ACC and the Big 12 is large enough that FSU would leave the ACC for the Big 12 and begin conference play in 2014." "The question remains who is #12?....Notre Dame has expressed its desire to remain independent .... the best bets are Clemson, Georgia Tech and Maryland." I'm lovin' the possibility of Free Shoes. Clem or GT would be okay. Hopefully Thug U is done as a dance partner.
I have an idea. Since conferences love the idea of a round robin type conference play, we should have a 16 team league. This way you can have a seven team round robin followed by a championship game from the two divisions. This way we can have a fifth OOC game. That would give us a chance to schedule 1 power team, 1 mid level team and 3 whoever wants to play us games. It would give us a chance to have up to 8 or 9 home games every other year depending on the deals with the OOC schools. West Division Baylor BYU Iowa St. Oklahoma Oklahoma St TCU Texas Texas Tech East Division Clemson Florida St. Kansas Kansas St. Louisville Notre Dame West Virginia Virginia Tech
Not gonna happen...the conference will go back to twelve teams by next summer. That's probably it for expansion. The problem is finding two more value-added teams after eleven and twelve are added. Right now, they're not out there if you believe FSU and Clemson to the Big XII and G-Tech very possible for the B1G. Besides, current members, especially UT and OU, aren't crazy about splitting the tier one and two takes twelve ways, and sure wouldn't care for splitting them fourteen ways. Two more teams have to be added to make the Champions Bowl work. I'm predicting no other additions after that. Even SEC folks are saying fourteen teams is NOT the optimum number, that they liked the conference better at twelve teams.
Even hard core SEC sunshine pumpers are puzzled by the addition of Mizzou. They don't even bring all of the KC and St. Louis tv markets, and in football, they've generally been neither awful or great, but mostly invisible to everyone not named KU. The agricultural college? SEC types concede that collie station feels rural and southern, kinda, but they're starting to realize that they've added the college athletics version of your crazy uncle, the one who listens to, and obeys, the voices in his head...the one you don't want your kids going over and sitting in his lap. Just a reminder to SEC...there are NO give backs!
Give backs? Oh, HELL NO! When Farmer U. left the house, the doors were dead-bolted and the porch light was turned off! They are not welcome here, any longer! They can sit on the lawn at 40 Acres all night long, but we will continue to ignore their backward asses, and slumber peacefully 'til dawn!
All of this "champions bowl" and conference championship game talk sounds like backwards thinking to me now that a playoff is near. If you play everyone in your conference, (which 12 team conferences do not do), and are deemed champion, what more do you have to prove? I don't approve nor do I believe that this conference will expand. If expanding is "requirement", then I much prefer the 16 team format mentioned above. I am also a huge proponent of OOC game losses NOT counting against a teams record for playoff consideration. This will encourage better OOC game matchups.
