(01-30-2016 04:49 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-30-2016 03:26 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(01-30-2016 03:16 PM)Wedge Wrote:  There is no "8 year" rule for new conferences. What is in the rules now is only a mechanism for existing conferences to keep existing autobids if the conference has a mass exodus like the WAC did. And that was put in specifically to protect the WAC as the WAC was falling apart.

I think there is, actually. A new conference has to wait 8 years, meeting all of the multisport conference requirements, before it gets an autobid--you can read the existing rules as saying that if the "Big Apple Athletic Conference" begins play in 2016-17 with 7 Division I members and has the required number and mix of sports, and can keep on keeping on for 8 years, THEN they've established continuity and the qualify for an automatic bid in 2024-25.

That's correct. What is not correct is the idea that any rando group of teams that has been in a conference for 8 years can start a new one and demand autobids from day one.

Yes, but when I started this thread, I thought the rule was "New conferences can go kick rocks until the end of time, unless the Powers That Be decide otherwise."