06-05-2010, 11:46 AM
I know everyone has a projection, so I figured why not.
Since the Pac-10 stories hit on them taking 6 Big XII members, and Nebraska and Mizzou going to Big Ten, here is an interesting scenario.
The remaining Big XII teams are Kansas, K-State, Iowa State and Baylor. Baylor is a smaller, private school (much like Rice, Tulsa, etc.) The only reason they were included in the Big XII to begin with was that when it was formed in 1996, the governor of Texas was a Baylor alum, and pushed for them in the conference.
If the PAC-10 goes to the PAC-16 (Two 8 team divisions (Pacific Division=old Pac-8) and (Southwest Division=Big XII additions + Arizona/ASU)...
I think the Big Ten stops at 14 (for now) and takes Rutgers, Mizzou, Nebraska. The only way they go 16 is if ND says yes (which they probably won't) they will leave 2 spots open for future (ND) and whomever ND wants to bring along with them (say maybe BC).
If the SEC/ACC start going crazy and adding teams to get to 16 each, this could get ugly. I'm not convinced that will happen, so this scenario will be based on the fact that they don't expand.
So....
*if the SEC decides to stand pat at 12 (for now) ... they have big money contracts in place currently
*and if the ACC decides to stand pat at 12 (most schools didn't even want to be at 12, let alone go higher
I think the MWC may expand to 1) help gain BCS status and 2) to help revive the struggling 'mtn.' network. Just like the BigTen, more schools provide more programming, households, etc. I think they will probably want Kansas, but the feeling won't be mutual. So I think the MWC looks like this ... (Rocky Division=Boise St, BYU, Utah, Colo St, Air Force, Wyoming, Hawaii)(Southwest Division=Houston, TCU, UTEP, New Mexico, UNLV, Fresno St, SD State).
I think CUSA takes Baylor and becomes a more centralized league with like minded institutions (Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Baylor, UAB, LATech, North Texas, possible UTSA future, or other Sun Belt mergers)
So that brings us to the future of the Big East as we know it and the future of the remaining Big XII schools and remaining CUSA schools. The Big East, and its name/marketing will always be owned by the basketball schools. The BE basketball only schools will not vote to increase the league anymore, esp. with more football playing members that dont benefit them. They may make a move for Kansas but that would still be doubtful. So the Catholic Big East splits off and maybe adds Xavier to form their own league that retains the BE name. The cease to be FB league.
The current Big XII also has the naming rights to the Big XIV and the Big XVI. With the league basically now defunct we see a merger that sets up a new 16 team league that will be BCS and have amazing bball to go with it.
Currently UofL, cincy, memphis have been pushing for KU due to their proximity ..... so.......
Big (16) XVI
=============
(East Division)
1-UConn
2-Syracuse
3-Temple
4-Pitt
5-WVU
6-Marshall
7-ECU
8-UCF
(West Division)
1-Cincinnati
2-Louisville
3-Memphis
4-Iowa State
5-Kansas
6-K-State
7-Southern Miss
8-USF
Football could play 7 divisional games, and 2 cross div games (one home/one away) each year. the cross div games could be alternated every year so you play every cross div member in a 4 year span, then the next four years play them again but with return games (away/home). That way it doesn't take you until the 5th year to even see a team from the other division.
BBall could play everybody in your div (home/away) for 14 games, plus all other cross div schools (4 home/4 away) for 22 games total. That is a lot, but it could work.
Bowl games could be a mix of BE/CUSA/BigXII games that the Texas schools didn't take with them to PAC-16.
Conference Champion-BCS (Orange/Sugar/Cotton) closest proximity games
2-Champs Sports (Orlando/ACC)
3-Liberty (Memphis/SEC)
-------------------------
4/5/6-(most regional teams taken)
Mieneke Car Care (Charlotte/ACC)
Independence (Shreveport/SEC)
Pinstripe (NYC/ poss. Big Ten?)
--------------------------
7/8/9/10/11- (most regional teams taken)
Papajohns.com (Birmingham/SEC)
GMAC (Mobile/BigTen)
Eagle Bank (DC/Army or Navy)
Beef o' Brady's (St. Pete/CUSA)
New Orleans (NO/CUSA)
BigEast basketball could play OOC conf games with old BE members for TV, or poss even enter into a collaborative deal with ESPN for BBall to help increase TV contact payouts.
A football champ game, multiple TV games to choose from for FB each week, lots of built in rivalry games, 11 bowl games for 16 members will all help the conference financially. Some of the newer (former non-aq schools) members may also be willing to take graduated payment increases over time until they get up to par with others, and be willing to take the mid-week ESPN games to help the conference get established.
A few years down the road, if the ACC/SEC move, it will be easier to keep things together if an established number of teams have been playing together for a few years. A bigger conference is less susceptible to getting picked completely apart.
Since the Pac-10 stories hit on them taking 6 Big XII members, and Nebraska and Mizzou going to Big Ten, here is an interesting scenario.
The remaining Big XII teams are Kansas, K-State, Iowa State and Baylor. Baylor is a smaller, private school (much like Rice, Tulsa, etc.) The only reason they were included in the Big XII to begin with was that when it was formed in 1996, the governor of Texas was a Baylor alum, and pushed for them in the conference.
If the PAC-10 goes to the PAC-16 (Two 8 team divisions (Pacific Division=old Pac-8) and (Southwest Division=Big XII additions + Arizona/ASU)...
I think the Big Ten stops at 14 (for now) and takes Rutgers, Mizzou, Nebraska. The only way they go 16 is if ND says yes (which they probably won't) they will leave 2 spots open for future (ND) and whomever ND wants to bring along with them (say maybe BC).
If the SEC/ACC start going crazy and adding teams to get to 16 each, this could get ugly. I'm not convinced that will happen, so this scenario will be based on the fact that they don't expand.
So....
*if the SEC decides to stand pat at 12 (for now) ... they have big money contracts in place currently
*and if the ACC decides to stand pat at 12 (most schools didn't even want to be at 12, let alone go higher
I think the MWC may expand to 1) help gain BCS status and 2) to help revive the struggling 'mtn.' network. Just like the BigTen, more schools provide more programming, households, etc. I think they will probably want Kansas, but the feeling won't be mutual. So I think the MWC looks like this ... (Rocky Division=Boise St, BYU, Utah, Colo St, Air Force, Wyoming, Hawaii)(Southwest Division=Houston, TCU, UTEP, New Mexico, UNLV, Fresno St, SD State).
I think CUSA takes Baylor and becomes a more centralized league with like minded institutions (Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Baylor, UAB, LATech, North Texas, possible UTSA future, or other Sun Belt mergers)
So that brings us to the future of the Big East as we know it and the future of the remaining Big XII schools and remaining CUSA schools. The Big East, and its name/marketing will always be owned by the basketball schools. The BE basketball only schools will not vote to increase the league anymore, esp. with more football playing members that dont benefit them. They may make a move for Kansas but that would still be doubtful. So the Catholic Big East splits off and maybe adds Xavier to form their own league that retains the BE name. The cease to be FB league.
The current Big XII also has the naming rights to the Big XIV and the Big XVI. With the league basically now defunct we see a merger that sets up a new 16 team league that will be BCS and have amazing bball to go with it.
Currently UofL, cincy, memphis have been pushing for KU due to their proximity ..... so.......
Big (16) XVI
=============
(East Division)
1-UConn
2-Syracuse
3-Temple
4-Pitt
5-WVU
6-Marshall
7-ECU
8-UCF
(West Division)
1-Cincinnati
2-Louisville
3-Memphis
4-Iowa State
5-Kansas
6-K-State
7-Southern Miss
8-USF
Football could play 7 divisional games, and 2 cross div games (one home/one away) each year. the cross div games could be alternated every year so you play every cross div member in a 4 year span, then the next four years play them again but with return games (away/home). That way it doesn't take you until the 5th year to even see a team from the other division.
BBall could play everybody in your div (home/away) for 14 games, plus all other cross div schools (4 home/4 away) for 22 games total. That is a lot, but it could work.
Bowl games could be a mix of BE/CUSA/BigXII games that the Texas schools didn't take with them to PAC-16.
Conference Champion-BCS (Orange/Sugar/Cotton) closest proximity games
2-Champs Sports (Orlando/ACC)
3-Liberty (Memphis/SEC)
-------------------------
4/5/6-(most regional teams taken)
Mieneke Car Care (Charlotte/ACC)
Independence (Shreveport/SEC)
Pinstripe (NYC/ poss. Big Ten?)
--------------------------
7/8/9/10/11- (most regional teams taken)
Papajohns.com (Birmingham/SEC)
GMAC (Mobile/BigTen)
Eagle Bank (DC/Army or Navy)
Beef o' Brady's (St. Pete/CUSA)
New Orleans (NO/CUSA)
BigEast basketball could play OOC conf games with old BE members for TV, or poss even enter into a collaborative deal with ESPN for BBall to help increase TV contact payouts.
A football champ game, multiple TV games to choose from for FB each week, lots of built in rivalry games, 11 bowl games for 16 members will all help the conference financially. Some of the newer (former non-aq schools) members may also be willing to take graduated payment increases over time until they get up to par with others, and be willing to take the mid-week ESPN games to help the conference get established.
A few years down the road, if the ACC/SEC move, it will be easier to keep things together if an established number of teams have been playing together for a few years. A bigger conference is less susceptible to getting picked completely apart.