(07-28-2016 01:03 AM)Pony94 Wrote: (07-28-2016 01:02 AM)UNLVFan90 Wrote: Selfishly I hope BYU and Houston are left out so the MWC can grab them, but we'll see what happens.
I'm trying to go west but we can't pay $10,000,000 to leave
The solution is an MWC-AAC merger.
Suppose the Big 12 does take Houston, Cincinnati and Memphis. Also, let's assume this drives UConn to move its Olympic sports to the Big East and go independent in football (or perhaps the MAC or CUSA would take UConn and UMass as football only members).
That leaves the MWC with 12 schools and the AAC with 8. Put them together and you've got a 20-member BOR conference that can split into two divisions with each side playing a 9-game round-robin conference schedule.
The divisional split would be tricky since there are a lot of considerations to satisfy:
- The Front Range foursome of Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force and New Mexico have to be in the same division (splitting that group apart led to the MWC breakaway from the WAC).
- Air Force and Navy have to be in the same division (otherwise Air Force will have heartburn about playing a 9-game conference schedule).
- Hawaii and the California schools should be in the same division.
- Nevada and UNLV should be in the same division.
- Tulsa and SMU should be in the same division.
- USF and UCF should be in the same division.
My solution is to set up six pods, as follows:
POD A (4 teams)
Hawaii
San Jose State
Fresno State
San Diego State
POD B (3 teams)
Boise State
Nevada
UNLV
POD C (6 teams)
Utah State
Wyoming
Colorado State
Air Force
New Mexico
Navy
POD D (3 teams)
Tulsa
SMU
Tulane
POD E (4 teams)
Temple
ECU
USF
UCF
Western Division membership alternates every two years between Pods A+C and Pods A+B+D.
Eastern Division membership alternates every two years between Pods B+D+E and Pods C+E.
So in the first two years of each cycle, the divisional split is:
WEST
Hawaii
San Jose State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Utah State
Wyoming
Colorado State
Air Force
New Mexico
Navy
EAST
Boise State
Nevada
UNLV
Tulsa
SMU
Tulane
Temple
ECU
USF
UCF
In the second two years of each cycle, the divisional split is:
WEST
Hawaii
San Jose State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Boise State
Nevada
UNLV
Tulsa
SMU
Tulane
EAST
Utah State
Wyoming
Colorado State
Air Force
New Mexico
Navy
Temple
ECU
USF
UCF
This approach preserves historical rivalries; balances out travel headaches; gives schools that want national exposure like Boise State, Air Force and Navy a chance to play on both coasts; and almost guarantees an Access Bowl berth for the conference championship game winner.
As for Olympic sports, the merged conference would have 18 members since Hawaii and Navy would be football only. That's manageable, but just barely. A better alternative might be to just leave the existing MWC and AAC conferences in place, and do the merger for football only (the AAC schools would become football-only members of the MWC).
Sound like fun?