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What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
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GhentFan Offline
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What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
With all the talk about the B12 expanding, I'm trying to understand how the process works?

Conference A asks it's members if they would like school X to join, if approved Conference A extends invite to school X?

Who approves this from the school?
The president?
The board of visitors?
Donor vote?

Second question, should a merger happen with CUSA and SunBelt, or what ever G5 realignment (maybe all the G5 reshuffle?).

How does something like that work?
Do the conferences have ultimate say?
Do the schools have any say in a merger / school swap situation?

If the schools wanted to realign to cut down travel costs but the conference leadership don't want to do something like that, what sort of power / tools do the schools have to force the issue?

I'm not sure where to find these sort of answers besides asking here.
(This post was last modified: 07-28-2016 04:17 PM by GhentFan.)
07-28-2016 03:47 PM
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Fresno St. Alum Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
If BYU, Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati to B12

AAC adds
UMass, Rice, S.Miss

CUSA adds
JMU, Georgia St. (WKU, MTSU move to the west or stay at 12 and still move west)

SBC adds
E.Kentucky

WCC adds
Denver

It seems like when other conf. or schools do stuff that makes us wonder, it's because they knew this step was coming and just waited. UMass going Indy knowing AAC would get hit leaving them a spot. Big South sitting on 11, knowing CCU would be leaving soon.
(This post was last modified: 07-28-2016 04:26 PM by Fresno St. Alum.)
07-28-2016 04:23 PM
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Nebraskafan Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
Conferences don't give out formal offers. Schools apply for membership and are either rejected or accepted. Schools will already know the voting count before they apply for membership.

Discussions, meetings, contract negotiations, etc, all of that happens before the official membership application and then when it is all accepted the legal stuff gets dotted.

Informal offers are done through back channels and leadership of conferences will let schools know they are interested in respective universities.

For example, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas have been told by the B1G they are looking to get started with another round of expansion within 3 to 5 years from a connected person on another website. Thus, Missouri and Kansas already know what the B1G will be up to and the schools will have already told the conference of their interest level (willing to listen/talk and the like) before things get started.
07-28-2016 04:29 PM
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Nebraskafan Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
Also, the school president and chancellor make the choice to move to a new conference.

Fans have no say on this. Media people have no say on this. Networks will assist since they are partners with the conferences, but the networks can't dictate where a school goes.

Almost all conference realignment discussions miss the biggest point: what does adding school x accomplish for the current members of the conference?

- it has to add more money to the pool.

- like likes like. You will never see an Ole Miss in the B1G just like you will never see a Stanford going to the SEC. If Vandy was not an SEC team today they would not want the SEC tomorrow. They would go to the ACC most likely or the B1G.

Fans can get pissy when a school isn't leaning their way and take it out on other fans of other conferences. For example, it is known which conference the president and chancellor at Texas lean for a new conference and fans of other conferences tend to get testy over it.

The biggest reason why Texas would remain with Oklahoma is because Texas leans towards a conference that would keep Texas in the same timezone geographical and they would want to save the RRR game - a game that is very important for both schools.
07-28-2016 04:37 PM
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TripleA Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
(07-28-2016 04:37 PM)Nebraskafan Wrote:  Also, the school president and chancellor make the choice to move to a new conference.

Fans have no say on this. Media people have no say on this. Networks will assist since they are partners with the conferences, but the networks can't dictate where a school goes.

Almost all conference realignment discussions miss the biggest point: what does adding school x accomplish for the current members of the conference?

- it has to add more money to the pool.

- like likes like. You will never see an Ole Miss in the B1G just like you will never see a Stanford going to the SEC. If Vandy was not an SEC team today they would not want the SEC tomorrow. They would go to the ACC most likely or the B1G.

Fans can get pissy when a school isn't leaning their way and take it out on other fans of other conferences. For example, it is known which conference the president and chancellor at Texas lean for a new conference and fans of other conferences tend to get testy over it.

The biggest reason why Texas would remain with Oklahoma is because Texas leans towards a conference that would keep Texas in the same timezone geographical and they would want to save the RRR game - a game that is very important for both schools.

I agree with a lot of that. Most realignment processes are never this public, and don't take quite this long. From a Memphis perspective, I know a bit of what's up, and the Big 12 has been talking to us for almost 3 years about expansion. Same with UC, Houston and a few others.

If anybody thinks the Big 12 suddenly decided to expand, and is now lining up schools for presentations, so they can make a decision, I say that's not a logical assumption.
07-28-2016 04:47 PM
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rokamortis Online
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
(07-28-2016 04:23 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  It seems like when other conf. or schools do stuff that makes us wonder, it's because they knew this step was coming and just waited. UMass going Indy knowing AAC would get hit leaving them a spot. Big South sitting on 11, knowing CCU would be leaving soon.

The Big South had no clue about Coastal - Coastal didn't even know - it was a very quick process. Liberty was the one that was expected to leave and it wasn't a secret. The Big South wasn't sitting waiting for anyone to leave, they just can't make a decision. They need teams since they rely on associate members to meet the minimum required to get an autobid.
07-28-2016 05:21 PM
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Kittonhead Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
It starts with a triage delegation between the conference wanting to add the school and reps from the athletic department.

The expanding conference knows who is on the table and who isn't interested during the triage process. There may be some other factors that come into play such as a new president which can change opinions.

Then the conference decides to adjourn on the topic of expansion. Interested candidates are discussed and ranked. Then scenarios are presented "What happens if we take school X,Y,Z". The conference then decides on a plan.

However even if there is a plan, votes on each individual candidates are taken. Its possible as you move from 1st to 2nd to 2rd and 4th choice that not every school in the plan has the votes needed.

Finally an offer to join a conference is presented to the school. The school's Board of Trustees have an emergency meeting and vote on the offer but its normally a done deal the school will except. Then usually in the week an offer is presented a school will call a media conference to discuss their decision to move to X, Y, Z conference.

The schools president (career educational executive), athletic directior (career athletics executive), BOT (career executives) make the decision just like the House, Senate and Office of the President have the decision making power. Donors like lobbyists can influence a vote with money but always in a positive way.

The opinions of faculty and students are rarely taken into consideration. The president of Idaho did something unique in sending out a survey to see if the students wanted to stay FBS or FCS probably because he didn't view maintaining FBS as critical.
07-28-2016 06:18 PM
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GhentFan Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
Thank you Nebraskafan and Kittonhead.
I've never bothered to pay attention to this stuff before, trying to understand how something like this goes.

Should one of the G5 conferences go away as a result of all of this.
What happens to the money the schools gave to the conference to join? Do the conferences keep the join money in escrow? Or has it already been spent?
07-28-2016 11:38 PM
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Kittonhead Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
(07-28-2016 11:38 PM)GhentFan Wrote:  Thank you Nebraskafan and Kittonhead.
I've never bothered to pay attention to this stuff before, trying to understand how something like this goes.

Should one of the G5 conferences go away as a result of all of this.
What happens to the money the schools gave to the conference to join? Do the conferences keep the join money in escrow? Or has it already been spent?

They usually have a deadline to withdraw from the existing conference and formally apply to the new one. December 31st prior to the year of the move.

Boise State did exactly this one year by accepting an offer to the Big East but never formally withdrawing from the MWC. I believe they were forced to pay their entrance fee to the AAC but as a condition of their return the MWC picked up the tab along with structuring a special TV money distribution for returning back.

I guess it depends how badly you are wanted.
07-29-2016 12:05 AM
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Cyniclone Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
Well, when a conference and a school love each other very much, they share a special hug when ... um ... the conference takes ... er .... the school lays down and ...

... go ask your mother.
07-29-2016 12:12 AM
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Wedge Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
Many people believe that a school will get invited to join a new conference if some of its fans repeat over and over on internet message boards that it will happen. 07-coffee3
07-29-2016 01:09 AM
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GhentFan Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
(07-29-2016 12:05 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  
(07-28-2016 11:38 PM)GhentFan Wrote:  Thank you Nebraskafan and Kittonhead.
I've never bothered to pay attention to this stuff before, trying to understand how something like this goes.

Should one of the G5 conferences go away as a result of all of this.
What happens to the money the schools gave to the conference to join? Do the conferences keep the join money in escrow? Or has it already been spent?

They usually have a deadline to withdraw from the existing conference and formally apply to the new one. December 31st prior to the year of the move.

Boise State did exactly this one year by accepting an offer to the Big East but never formally withdrawing from the MWC. I believe they were forced to pay their entrance fee to the AAC but as a condition of their return the MWC picked up the tab along with structuring a special TV money distribution for returning back.

I guess it depends how badly you are wanted.

Thank you again for providing a real answer.
07-29-2016 01:15 AM
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Carolina_Low_Country Offline
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RE: What are the steps for a school to change conferences? Conference mergers?
(07-29-2016 01:09 AM)Wedge Wrote:  Many people believe that a school will get invited to join a new conference if some of its fans repeat over and over on internet message boards that it will happen. 07-coffee3

I am pretty sure that is how it works. 03-cloud9
07-29-2016 06:08 AM
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