I'm old school in that I love regional conferences like the old SWC, Big 8, Big 10, SEC, PAC 10, ACC and WAC and MAC. A group of schools with geographically relevant schools, Long term rivalries, peer institutions, fans of neighboring states fighting for real bragging rights, rather than a league made for TV only. I believe down the road this new model of conference line ups will fail because attendance will fall due to lack of fan interest when watching manufactured "rivalries". JMHO.
With that being said, and until (or if) the current conference collapses like the WAC in 98, would anyone else like a new conference made up of the following:
UCONN
UMASS
Buffalo
Temple
Cincinnati
ECU
Charlotte
Old Dominion
A true NE conference made up of some solid to great academic universities with some history of playing each other in several different college sports. 8 large schools, 7 big states, 3 flagships, several high research universities. A geographically tight conference that I think fans in the NE could get excited about. And BTW, a bigger combined TV market than some of the conferences that made up the bowl coalition of the mid 90's.
Anyone else like the idea?

Yeah....... That's a massive step down for Cincy.

North Carolina is in the north east?

What could have/should have been:

BC
UMass
UConn
Army
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Temple
Pitt
WVU
Maryland
Navy

(07-04-2015 11:01 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm old school in that I love regional conferences like the old SWC, Big 8, Big 10, SEC, PAC 10, ACC and WAC and MAC. A group of schools with geographically relevant schools, Long term rivalries, peer institutions, fans of neighboring states fighting for real bragging rights, rather than a league made for TV only. I believe down the road this new model of conference line ups will fail because attendance will fall due to lack of fan interest when watching manufactured "rivalries". JMHO.
With that being said, and until (or if) the current conference collapses like the WAC in 98, would anyone else like a new conference made up of the following:
UCONN
UMASS
Buffalo
Temple
Cincinnati
ECU
Charlotte
Old Dominion
A true NE conference made up of some solid to great academic universities with some history of playing each other in several different college sports. 8 large schools, 7 big states, 3 flagships, several high research universities. A geographically tight conference that I think fans in the NE could get excited about. And BTW, a bigger combined TV market than some of the conferences that made up the bowl coalition of the mid 90's.
Anyone else like the idea?

Why not add Army and Navy? Seems like they would be good fits for your conference.

(07-04-2015 11:12 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  North Carolina is in the north east?

good question. geophrapically, its east but pretty far north despite being labeled by many still as south. Culturally speaking, North Carolina used to be "southern" and no question ECU is culturally southern still. But have you been to the other parts of the state lately? A Lot of NE Yankees moving in, and not just in Chapel Hill, triangle etc. Cheers!

(07-04-2015 11:36 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(07-04-2015 11:01 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm old school in that I love regional conferences like the old SWC, Big 8, Big 10, SEC, PAC 10, ACC and WAC and MAC. A group of schools with geographically relevant schools, Long term rivalries, peer institutions, fans of neighboring states fighting for real bragging rights, rather than a league made for TV only. I believe down the road this new model of conference line ups will fail because attendance will fall due to lack of fan interest when watching manufactured "rivalries". JMHO.
With that being said, and until (or if) the current conference collapses like the WAC in 98, would anyone else like a new conference made up of the following:
UCONN
UMASS
Buffalo
Temple
Cincinnati
ECU
Charlotte
Old Dominion
A true NE conference made up of some solid to great academic universities with some history of playing each other in several different college sports. 8 large schools, 7 big states, 3 flagships, several high research universities. A geographically tight conference that I think fans in the NE could get excited about. And BTW, a bigger combined TV market than some of the conferences that made up the bowl coalition of the mid 90's.
Anyone else like the idea?

Why not add Army and Navy? Seems like they would be good fits for your conference.

I agree 100%. Army/buffalo and ECU/Temple/Navy would be great rivalries for this proposed conference and add a ton of credibility. I'd drop Charlotte for the 2 academies any day plus the league could sponsor wrestling and maybe hockey down the road. But Army won't join a conference....Navy would be great. Cheers!

(07-04-2015 11:21 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  

What could have/should have been:

BC
UMass
UConn
Army
Syracuse
Rutgers
Penn State
Temple
Pitt
WVU
Maryland
Navy

Add ECU and we've got a winner! Cheers!

(07-04-2015 11:01 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  With that being said, and until (or if) the current conference collapses like the WAC in 98, would anyone else like a new conference made up of the following:
UCONN
UMASS
Buffalo
Temple
Cincinnati
ECU
Charlotte
Old Dominion
A true NE conference made up of some solid to great academic universities with some history of playing each other in several different college sports. 8 large schools, 7 big states, 3 flagships, several high research universities. A geographically tight conference that I think fans in the NE could get excited about. And BTW, a bigger combined TV market than some of the conferences that made up the bowl coalition of the mid 90's.
Anyone else like the idea?

Having ties to Florida is key for any NE based conference. That is why the BE-AAC football conference and ACC have been in the Sunshine State for 25 years now.

The AAC is evolving toward becoming an "Eastern Seaboard" G5 conference. UH and UC hit the door for the B12 and are replaced with ODU and Rice. OU/KU hit the door for the B12 and replaced with Memphis/Tulane. The AAC adds Chalotte and Georgia State. SMU/Rice/Tulsa hang on to the AAC because they have no where better to go but mostly it would be an eastern seaboard conference.

no comment

First Marshall, Army, Navy, UCF, USF, and Georgia Southern and probably even App State would be part of a G5 east coast conference. If you were creating an east coast G5 conference from scraps today this is what it would look like:

NORTH
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Buffalo
Army*

MID-ATLANTIC
Temple
Navy*
Marshall
Cincinnati

EAST
Old Dominion
Appalachian State
East Carolina
Charlotte

SOUTH
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
UCF
South Florida

*Football only
Probably would add VCU and Stony Brooke for Olympic sports.

no new major conferences have been created in 3 decades....none will now

(07-05-2015 08:39 AM)David Krumudgen Wrote:  no new major conferences have been created in 3 decades....none will now

"Major conference"? when did I put the word "major" in this thread and what is your definition of creating a major conference by 2015 standards? Please read the thread a little more carefully before you waste your time with a tart reply. Cheers!

If you took just the 12 northeastern most teams in FBS:

North - Buffalo, Syracuse, Army, UConn, UMass, Boston College
East - Rutgers, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple, Maryland, West Virginia

Seven of the twelve members come from the P5, and two more actually played in a BCS AQ conference, even if for only one season in Temple's case.

(07-05-2015 07:48 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  If you took just the 12 northeastern most teams in FBS:

North - Buffalo, Syracuse, Army, UConn, UMass, Boston College
East - Rutgers, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple, Maryland, West Virginia

Seven of the twelve members come from the P5, and two more actually played in a BCS AQ conference, even if for only one season in Temple's case.

Or 15 in Temple's case, but who's counting? Big East got instant relevance when Miami joined up, along with Pitt/Syracuse/WV.