The Official Conference Realignment Rumors Thread

[OregonBird]

Yeah LOL. Baylor and Iowa State have to be feeling the impending pinch... while Missouri should be fine and Kansas and Kansas State may have other options.

There's always Conference USA, WAC or Mountain West.

With Kansas' basketball reputation they'll find a home somewhere and they'll drag Kansas St. with them.

[Birds of B'more]

There's always Conference USA, WAC or Mountain West.

With Kansas' basketball reputation they'll find a home somewhere and they'll drag Kansas St. with them.

No BCS or TV money in those conference's though. Even with the grossly uneven distribution of revenues in the Big XII, have to think Baylor was still better off there than in one of the non-AQs. Same for Iowa State. They'll be the ones left standing without a chair when the music stops.

[OregonBird]

I wonder what makes WVU so attractive to the SEC. I get that the SEC can extend their footprint but Morgantown doesn't have that many households.

Missouri would be so much more attractive I would think.

[Birds of B'more]

I wonder what makes WVU so attractive to the SEC. I get that the SEC can extend their footprint but Morgantown doesn't have that many households.

Missouri would be so much more attractive I would think.

I think the WVU talk might have been a smokescreen. The SEC is being very cautious here. They obviously want to avoid legal entanglements first and foremost. But for appearance sake I think they are also trying to avoid being viewed as the ones who drove the final nail into the Big XII coffin. The logic being that Texas A&M-to-the-SEC has been in the works for weeks now, and until the president of Oklahoma U spoke up last Friday and word spread of them and OSU going to the Pac-12, it was believed the Big XII would simply move on after A&M left and exist as a 9-team conference or add new members. But if the SEC takes A&M and then takes Missouri, then I think the conference dissolves. On the other hand, if A&M leaves, then Oklahoma and OSU are the next to bolt, then the conference dissolves and then the SEC can go invite Missouri with a clear conscience. It's all semantics, though. Texas is really the iceberg that's sinking this ship.

[Greg Pappas]

Question: Do you think we WILL see four 16-team Super-Conferences within two years? I tend to think so.

[Birds of B'more]

Question: Do you think we WILL see four 16-team Super-Conferences within two years? I tend to think so.

Yes. Even if Baylor doesn't back down today and let A&M go, thus starting the domino effect, they can't hold that toxic mishmash of schools together forever.

[PrivateO]

FootballBYU Byu Football
BYU will accept Big 12 offer pending OU signs intent to stay contract... Could be announced as early as Saturday

[Sanfran327]

I think we'll soon see the 4 superconferences. Then the four-team playoff bracket will be much easier to sell, especially considering it will actually be eight, with the four Conference Championship games.

Here's my best guess at what that might look like:

ACC

ATLANTIC CONF
Maryland
Clemson
Florida State
North Carolina State
Boston College
Wake Forest
West Virginia*
South Florida*

COASTAL CONF
Georgia Tech
North Carolina
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Duke
Miami (FL)
Louisville*
Syracuse*

Big 16

Big Ten - Legends CONF OVERALL
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Nebraska
Northwestern
Minnesota
Cincinnati*
Connecticut*

Big Ten - Leaders CONF OVERALL
Illinois
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin
Indiana
Pittsburgh*
Rutgers*

PAC 16

NORTH
California
Stanford
Washington
Washington State
Oregon
Oregon State
Boise State*
Texas Tech*

SOUTH
Arizona
Arizona State
USC
Utah
Colorado
UCLA
Utah State*
Oklahoma State*

SEC

EAST
Florida
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Georgia
TCU*
Texas*

WEST
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
LSU
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Texas A&M*
Oklahoma*

The only thing left to consider are a few other programs that phase in and out of relevancy. Traditional independents will probably remain the same (BYU and ND).

* Indicates a program new to the conference.

[Birds of B'more]

SOUTH
Arizona
Arizona State
USC
Utah
Colorado
UCLA
Utah*
Oklahoma State*

* Indicates a program new to the conference.

That would be quite a trick.

[Sanfran327]

That would be quite a trick.

Sorry, guy. Meant Utah State.

[Greg Pappas]

I think Oklahoma sticks now. The Big 12 will survive and add two more teams (as well as BYU) to get back to 12. Didn't see this coming.

[PrivateO]

Some links and tweets:

Andy Katz talking about realignment and its impact on non-football conference commissioners

ESPNAndyKatz Andy Katz
Baylor won't budge on waiving rights until OU decides; Texas, Texas Tech waive rights; Iowa State does not: es.pn/qr4A2l

This story is gaining steam on some conference realignment threads that I follow. A Northwestern Football Message Boards thread has an "insider" who believes that Texas and Notre Dame have jointly presented a plan for them both to join the B1G. Same poster also said that the B1G rejected Oklahoma. Take all of this with a huge grain of salt.

[Greg Pappas]

Some links and tweets:

Andy Katz talking about realignment and its impact on non-football conference commissioners

ESPNAndyKatz Andy Katz
Baylor won't budge on waiving rights until OU decides; Texas, Texas Tech waive rights; Iowa State does not: es.pn/qr4A2l

This story is gaining steam on some conference realignment threads that I follow. A Northwestern Football Message Boards thread has an "insider" who believes that Texas and Notre Dame have jointly presented a plan for them both to join the B1G. Same poster also said that the B1G rejected Oklahoma. Take all of this with a huge grain of salt.

I would be surprised at this.

[Birds of B'more]

Another story making the rounds is the Big East reaching out to Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor. If that's true it could be enough to alleviate Baylor's (and the other 3 schools) concerns, since they'd be headed to another BCS conference, one that is about to negotiate a new TV deal that could be worth a lot of money. Other advantages would be that they could be travel partners with TCU and it's also a great conference to show off the decent basketball program they've built.

If that sets in motion the A&M move to the SEC (and subsequently Missouri), OU and OSU to the Pac-12, then the big question is what Texas would do and whether Texas Tech would be the only one left out in the cold.

[OregonBird]

I can't imagine the Men's Baseball team (or any non-revenue sport) would enjoy traveling from Waco, TX to Storrs, CT for a Fri/Sat/Sun series. That's some serious travel time and time out of school for 18-22 year olds.