(10-11-2013 03:54 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote: JR, your proposition puts Baylor with Miami, Wake Forest, and possibly Georgia Tech, which is not that bad all things being considered. Tulane probably gets the add to such a conference assuming the BIG takes a big enough bite out of the northern ACC schools to shift the league to the South. I would think we settle as you showed for both UVA and Va. Tech if it came down to it. It is very hard to see UVA coming to the SEC unless Va. Tech went to the B1G. In all likelihood, the opposite would happen, and we get Va. Tech while the B1G gets UVA if a split is absolutely required. Same for a UNC/NC State situation.
At 20, one thing I know is that FSU and Clemson need to be in the fold. Even our best case scenario years down the road involves Texas, Oklahoma, UNC, and UVA coming on board. At that point, the options are WVU or doubling up in an existing footprint. If we are going to double, it should be for FSU and Clemson if we can control it.
I totally agree. But, BBB, if the SEC moves to just 18 it is possible to get Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia and North Carolina. You divide the Big 12 up to end it. Then once Va & UNC know that their conference mates made it into D4 and the values are relatively equal, you use the presence of Florida, A&M, Vandy, Texas, OU, and Missouri to attract a Virginia and North Carolina who no longer shoulder the burden of keeping things together to try to get their old conference mates into the upper tier. Upper tier inclusion will make movement more possible instead of less possible, at least initially.
In an 18 member conference model Kansas, Boston College, Syracuse, and Notre Dame make a lot more sense for the Big 10.
Then you form a new Eastern Conference of:
Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State, N.C. State, Wake Forest
Baylor, B.Y.U., Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Miami
I think Texas Tech and T.C.U. would wind up in a PAC conference that would initially move to 14, and then would spend time to develop New Mexico and Nevada before bringing them on board.