(12-15-2014 02:12 PM)bearcat29 Wrote:  Excerpt from ESPN the Mag (Ryan McGee)

"The tectonic plates have stilled since their upheaval in 2012, but many foresee one last massive shift (expanding the Power 5 to 16-team super-conferences) that will save some Group of 5 programs but set the rest adrift."

She stole this from me. *****.

Anyway, not sure if it has to be 80. That's not a perfect number. 72 makes as much sense in many ways.

Anyway, the answer isn't a secret:
Obvious: Cincy, Memphis, BYU, Boise St, UConn, UCF, USF,

Likely: SDSU, Fresno St., UNLV

Possible: Hawaii, Houston, New Mexico, Army, Navy, AF, CSU

Stretching it: Temple, ECU, Marshall, Tulsa, Tulane, ODU, NIU

(12-15-2014 05:23 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  While we're dreaming, and clearly we are in a world where ECU and ODU end up in the SEC, I'd like a pony...with rockets...made of gold. SOLID GOLD ROCKET PONY!!

(12-15-2014 05:23 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  While we're dreaming, and clearly we are in a world where ECU and ODU end up in the SEC, I'd like a pony...with rockets...made of gold. SOLID GOLD ROCKET PONY!!

That's cool...Because a lot of people would like to launch you into space. You and the pony you rode in on....

(12-15-2014 02:47 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Meaning you would have to add 15 G5 teams. My list in specific order
1 BYU
2 Connecticut
3 Houston
4 UCF
5 South Florida
6 Memphis
7 East Carolina
8 Army
9 Navy
10 Air Force
11 Boise State
12 San Diego State
13 New Mexico
14 Colorado State
15 Fresno State

Next Teams
16 Louisiana
17 Wyoming
18 UTEP
19 Southern Miss
20 UNLV
21 Rice
22 Marshall
23 Tulsa
24 Tulane
25 Hawaii
26 Temple
27 Old Dominion
28 NIU
29 Ohio
30 North Texas
31 Georgia Southern
32 Florida Atlantic
33 Charlotte
34 UTSA
35 Arkansas State
36 Appalachian State
37 FIU
38 Western Michigan
39 South Alabama
40 Middle Tennessee

If This was Truly for a Must have 16 school P5 and a p5 Breakaway was imminent, and the pool was only G5 and Indy, Then maybe.
ACC
ND
Cincinnati
Brings in ND and with Cincinnati, ties Ohio in with Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania and former BE rivals.
SEC
UCF
ECU
Gives the SEC 2 Football crazy programs and 2 in Florida
B1G
UConn
Navy
Academics are No problem here and 1 great basketball program and additional DC, Ny markets
Big 12
Colorado State
Air force
Memphis
USF
Houston
Tulane
Ties in the Gulf of Mexico for Florida and Texas and put Houston in the East bracket and 2 Colorado rivals
Pac12
BYU
BSU
New Mexico
Hawaii
Northwestern Rivals, Border state school and a Trip to Hawaii for Everyone
Again only if a must do for final breakaway of 16 schools from G5

If this is about TV markets, Colorado State will not be in the PAC. The PAC is already in that market.

The service academies would want nothing to do with with a 5x16. Besides, the popularity of the academies is grossly overestimated on this board.

Pac 12 - adds SMU, Houston, Tulsa, Tulane
Big 12 - adds Memphis, Cincinnati, BYU, Boise State, Colorado State, UNLV
ACC - adds Rice, makes Notre Dame a full member
SEC - adds East Carolina, Central Florida
Big 10 - adds Buffalo, UConn

If C-USA is still at 13, it merges with the 3 remaining teams in the American.

Well, this has been an interesting exercise. I took CLC's top-40 and culled the most promising suspects based on athletics, academics, endowments, TV sets, proximity to the well-resourced conferences -- all in no particular order.

I left the service academies off the list. They're great, and they're getting left behind in 21st century collegiate sports.

I left Hawai'i off the list, exclusively due to geography. If they were 100-300 miles off the west coast, they'd be a shoo-in for the PAC. As it is, they're literally and figuratively on an island.

I didn't consider/speculate on the catalyst that causes the avalanche -- who started this race to 16 (SEC? B1G? _____?) -- so here goes:

ACC: ND realizes it's not the 1950's and joins as a full-time member with benefits (reduced conference FB schedule to play traditional opponents). The 16th slot goes to Tulane. The ACC loves them some private, highly-rated institutions.

BigTX: adds 3 rivalry pairs: UCF-USF (Florida), SDSU-FSU (California), and BYU-CSU (mountain west). Coast-to-coast, baby! All 4 time zones!

B1G: adds Connecticut and Temple (proximity to population centers), thereby cementing their east coast flank with NYC-Philly-Baltimore-DC.

PAC: adds same-city pair Rice-Houston (a la USC-UCLA), New Mexico, and UNLV. (Stanford representatives are held down on the floor with clothespins on their academic noses when voting for UNLV. Frankly, Las Vegas is already a PAC city, and this formalizes the issue. Besides, what other city do you know that could transform itself so completely as LV?)

SEC: adds ECU (cuz the Carolina-Virginia mafia will not be divided) and Cincinatti (cuz the Cincy poster who argued on its southerness made an impression on me)

Five conferences at 16 schools each. None of the new adds destabilizes the established (entrenched?) hierarchy in each existing conference, while expanding the reach of each.

(12-15-2014 05:23 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  While we're dreaming, and clearly we are in a world where ECU and ODU end up in the SEC, I'd like a pony...with rockets...made of gold. SOLID GOLD ROCKET PONY!!

Wait, is it a solid gold rocket pony? Or a pony with solid gold rockets?

INQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW

PAC 16

Washington
Wash State
Oregon
Ore State

California
Stanford
USC
UCLA

Arizona
Arizona St.
Utah
BYU

Colorado
Colo State
Kansas
Kansas St.

Big 16

Texas
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Ok State

Texas A&M
LSU
Arkansas
Missouri

Tulane
Baylor
Houston
Rice

SMU
TCU
Tulsa
New Mexico

SEC

Mississippi
Miss State
Alabama
Auburn

Kentucky
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Clemson

Florida
Georgia
Georgia Tech
South Carolina

Florida State
Miami
Central Florida
South Florida

ACC

Notre Dame
Cincinnati
Louisville
Memphis

Boston College
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
West Virginia

Temple
Virginia
Virginia Tech
East Carolina

North Carolina
NC State
Duke
Wake Forest

Big Ten

Connecticut
Maryland
Rutgers
Penn State

Ohio State
Purdue
Indiana
Illinois

Michigan
Mich State
Wisconsin
Northwestern

Minnesota
Iowa
Iowa State
Nebraska

(12-15-2014 07:06 PM)All Rams All The Time Wrote:  I left Hawai'i off the list, exclusively due to geography. If they were 100-300 miles off the west coast, they'd be a shoo-in for the PAC. As it is, they're literally and figuratively on an island.

Just FWIW, Hawai`i pays travel subsidies to its conference mates in both the MWC and Big West. The plane flights are long, but it doesn't cost the visiting teams a dime to ride them. Obviously the PAC could get the same deal if it wanted it.

(12-15-2014 03:03 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  However that list does not mean what schools fit conferences depending geography, culture, academics, etc.
If no P5 conference could take another P5 school from another P5 conference. This is who they would take:
ACC
+Notre Dame (May be left out by not being able to participate in a conference CG)
+Cincinnati (Was one of the next two choices by the ACC last go round)

B1G
+Connecticut (Makes sense to bolster the B1G's BB line up)
+Buffalo (Already AAU and will help sell the opinion that they have NY State)

Big 12
+Memphis (Geographic fit and helps BB)
+Tulane OR Louisiana (Tulane I buy as a well respected Academic University)
+Colorado State (Approves new stadium and adds Colorado once again)
+Houston (This one makes no sense unless other Texas Teams are leaving)
+UCF (Large University in a Large Market with fertile recruiting ground and expands footprint.)
+South Florida (Large University in a Large Market with fertile recruiting ground and expands footprint.)

SEC
+East Carolina (Expands the SEC into North Carolina)
+SMU (Helps to saturate the Texas Market for the SEC and helps the BB side of things. Also has new coach for FB)

PAC-12
+BYU (Would be a no brainer but will be Black balled by Utah at every turn)
+New Mexico (Expands the footprint)
+Boise State (Expands the footprint and was a constant BCS buster)
+San Diego State (Large Market school with decent FB and good BB)

I've highlighted my thoughts on your post. You've made some sense, now stop it. This is a sports board for crying out loud.

(12-15-2014 06:03 PM)No Bull Wrote:  

(12-15-2014 05:23 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  While we're dreaming, and clearly we are in a world where ECU and ODU end up in the SEC, I'd like a pony...with rockets...made of gold. SOLID GOLD ROCKET PONY!!

That's cool...Because a lot of people would like to launch you into space. You and the pony you rode in on....

Hur hur, real clever. Orlando Community College has some funny people, apparently...

(12-16-2014 03:27 AM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  

(12-15-2014 06:03 PM)No Bull Wrote:  

(12-15-2014 05:23 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  While we're dreaming, and clearly we are in a world where ECU and ODU end up in the SEC, I'd like a pony...with rockets...made of gold. SOLID GOLD ROCKET PONY!!

That's cool...Because a lot of people would like to launch you into space. You and the pony you rode in on....

Hur hur, real clever. Orlando Community College has some funny people, apparently...

To have 5 power conferences, the Big 12 would have to keep Texas and Oklahoma.

ACC add ND and Penn State
B1G add UConn Kansas Missouri
SEC add WVU ECU ODU - Of course this would never happen but it does get the SEC into 3 new states.
Pac 12 add Boise State, UNLV, New Mexico, Hawaii
Big 12 to add Cincinnati, BYU, UCF, USF, SMU, Houston, Col. St., Memphis, San Diego St.

5 X 15 seems like a stretch. However, if we're going to play this game I'm keeping it simple and I'm not going to have teams moving from one P5 to another P5:

ACC: Navy (FB only. Notre Dame joins for all sports. Georgetown (BB only).

B10: UConn, Temple, Colorado State and Air Force (FB only). Xavier (BB only).

B12: Cincinnati, Memphis, UCF, East Carolina (I'm not going to leave us out), USF, BYU.

PAC12: SDSU, Southern Methodist, Boise State, UNLV

SEC: They just say 'to hell with it' and stay at 14.