The Official Conference Realignment Rumors Thread

[Birds of B'more]

Here's your random conference realignment rumor of the day:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2011/09/02/bcs-football-the-latest-on-realignment/

Jon Wilner is well-regarded in reporting college sports, especially the Pac-12, and is usually pretty accurate in what he reports, even when speculating. One comment that stood out that I've already mentioned, for those who think Texas is itching to be an independent:

Several sources indicated that Texas’ Olympic sports are a huge piece of the equation – they must be anchored to a conference the way Notre Dame’s are anchored to the Big East.

That’s one reason Texas wants the Big 12 to remain viable and one reason why the Pac-16 might be more attractive than Independence.

(Another reason: Money. Over the long haul, there would be more of it in the Pac-16 than in the Big 12, or as a football Independent.)

And for us Terps fans, there's this:

With all the focus on the Big 12, SEC and Pac-12, the Big Ten is eerily quiet.

Behind the scenes, you know Jim Delany is plotting a counter-strike. Chances are, it will be a whopper.

[Birds of B'more]

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1259825

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe convened a conference call late Friday afternoon with a handful of his conference's presidents to discuss the increasing possibility that Oklahoma wants to bolt the Big 12 for the Pac-12, multiple sources said.

******

Sources said the Longhorns have been actively working to hold the Big 12 together. Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and OU athletic director Joe Castiglione are on the five-member Big 12 expansion committee charged with looking for new members to join the Big 12. But if Oklahoma bolts, Texas would consider the Big 12 dead and probably follow the Sooners to the Pac-12.

When I texted a key source close to Texas Friday night if the Longhorns were preparing to head to the Pac-12 with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, the source texted back, "Leaning that way." The source later said there was a "50 to 60 percent" chance those schools would end up in the Pac-12.

Last summer, Chip Brown was all over the expansion derby news and had the scoop on just about everything. But since then he's been all over the map and some writers have even mocked him, so take this article with a grain of salt. But he does seem to have the contacts.

[Greg Pappas]

In my personal 4 x 16 Super Conference Alignment, I have had it this way...

ACC

1 Boston College

2 Connecticut

3 Maryland

4 Pittsburgh

5 Rutgers

6 Syracuse

7 Virginia

8 Virginia Tech

9 Clemson

10 Duke

11 Florida State

12 Georgia Tech

13 Miami

14 NC State

15 North Carolina

16 Wake Forest

SEC

1 Alabama

2 Arkansas

3 Auburn

4 Florida

5 Georgia

6 Kentucky

7 LSU

8 Mississippi State

9 Ole Miss

10 South Carolina

11 Tennessee

12 Vanderbilt

13 Texas A&M

14 Louisville

15 Cincinnati

16 West Virginia

Big Ten

1 Illinois

2 Indiana

3 Iowa

4 Michigan

5 Michigan State

6 Minnesota

7 Nebraska

8 Northwestern

9 Ohio State

10 Penn State

11 Purdue

12 Wisconsin

13 Missouri

14 Notre Dame

15 Kansas

16 Kansas State

PAC 16

1 Arizona

2 Arizona State

3 California

4 Colorado

5 Oregon

6 Oregon State

7 Stanford

8 UCLA

9 USC

10 Utah

11 Washington

12 Washington State

13 Texas

14 Texas Tech

15 Oklahoma

16 Oklahoma State

[Birds of B'more]

ACC

1 Boston College

2 Connecticut

3 Louisville

4 Pittsburgh

5 Rutgers

6 Florida State

7 Virginia

8 West Virginia

9 Clemson

10 Duke

11 South Florida

12 Georgia Tech

13 Miami

14 NC State

15 North Carolina

16 Wake Forest

SEC

1 Alabama

2 Arkansas

3 Auburn

4 Florida

5 Georgia

6 Kentucky

7 LSU

8 Mississippi State

9 Ole Miss

10 South Carolina

11 Tennessee

12 Vanderbilt

13 Texas A&M

14 TCU

15 Missouri

16 Virginia Tech

Big Ten

1 Illinois

2 Indiana

3 Iowa

4 Michigan

5 Michigan State

6 Minnesota

7 Nebraska

8 Northwestern

9 Ohio State

10 Penn State

11 Purdue

12 Wisconsin

13 Kansas

14 Maryland

15 Notre Dame

16 Syracuse

PAC 16

1 Arizona

2 Arizona State

3 California

4 Colorado

5 Oregon

6 Oregon State

7 Stanford

8 UCLA

9 USC

10 Utah

11 Washington

12 Washington State

13 Texas

14 Texas Tech

15 Oklahoma

16 Oklahoma State

[Birds of B'more]

The Oklahoma to the Pac-12 story has a lot of legs right now.

http://newsok.com/ous-sole-focus-now-on-joining-pac-12/article/3601037?custom_click=lead_story_title

[PrivateO]

As long as the Big East splits and the Catholic schools either form their own conference or invite the upper echelon of CAA and A10 schools, I'll be happy.

[OregonBird]

I'm not sure how I feel about Texas, TT, OU, Ok St joining to form the Pac16. Yeah, it becomes a power conference but the geography of it all just seems more and more bizarre.

Imagine being a non-revenue sport like baseball. With a few exceptions like the teams in the NW, LA area, or in Arizona, you're basically flying to every away game. Sure the schools will be making a lot of money but those costs add up. Not only that but for a sport like baseball then you're only in school 3 days as you're basically gone all day Thursday for travel, then play Fri/Sat/Sun.

[Birds of B'more]

I'm not sure how I feel about Texas, TT, OU, Ok St joining to form the Pac16. Yeah, it becomes a power conference but the geography of it all just seems more and more bizarre.

Imagine being a non-revenue sport like baseball. With a few exceptions like the teams in the NW, LA area, or in Arizona, you're basically flying to every away game. Sure the schools will be making a lot of money but those costs add up. Not only that but for a sport like baseball then you're only in school 3 days as you're basically gone all day Thursday for travel, then play Fri/Sat/Sun.

I think what you'd see then is the conference going to divisions for all sports, not just football, to cut down on travel. You'd have the original Pac 8 (the Northwest and CA schools) in one division and the other eight in their own division. And most of the games would be within your division for the non-revenue sports, where the footprint and travel distances are smaller.

[OregonBird]

Eh, makes sense. Although as a college baseball fan I'd love to see Texas vs. ASU, or Oklahoma vs. USC, etc. Lots of good match ups.

[Birds of B'more]

Eh, makes sense. Although as a college baseball fan I'd love to see Texas vs. ASU, or Oklahoma vs. USC, etc. Lots of good match ups.

Texas and ASU would be in the same division in my scenario. And there would still be inter-division matchups each season, just not as many.

[Greg Pappas]

ESPN's Joe Schad is reporting that both OU and UT are considering a new Pac16.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6927204/pac-16-oklahoma-sooners-texas-longhorns-being-discussed-source-says

[Greg Pappas]

If Oklahoma, OK St, Texas, and Texas Tech go to the Pac 16, and A&M moves to the SEC as expected, which conference do YOU feel would be the next to react and further the expansion process?

[OregonBird]

I think the SEC would react the fastest, then the Big 10. Once again the ACC is a step behind.

[Greg Pappas]

I think the SEC would react the fastest, then the Big 10. Once again the ACC is a step behind.

That the SEC would seek a 14th team would seem to be the next likeliest move, I agree. If the ACC plays this right, they should strike a deal quickly to bring in four Big East schools-- from among Pittsburgh, WVU, Syracuse, Rutgers, and UConn. An ACC that looks like the following, would be a true Super Conference and would secure a great TV deal:

1 Boston College

2 Connecticut

3 Maryland

4 Pittsburgh

5 Rutgers

6 Syracuse

7 Virginia

8 Virginia Tech

9 Clemson

10 Duke

11 Florida State

12 Georgia Tech

13 Miami

14 NC State

15 North Carolina

16 Wake Forest

[PrivateO]

Mark Cuban's take on superconferences: http://blogmaverick.com/2011/09/04/so-what-should-big-12-schools-do-say-no-to-super-conferences/

Pretty good read. I enjoyed it, and he makes some good points.