With the ASun seemingly blowing up, the Southern and OVC changing....it seems to me that ETSU could lead a group of like minded schools and form a custom made conference. It would have to be done undercover and when the announcement is made, the way it was formed and who took leadership roles would never be a point of pride or published. Could this not meet the need of a new conference seekers?

They'd have to grab all of the regional public schools in the southeast that play football plus a couple of non-football. Something like:
ETSU
EKU
UT-C
WCU
Coastal
Kennesaw
Charleston Southern
Mercer
Winthrop
Morehead State
Plus two more football schools. It would be tough.

Start a new league, no automatic bid. Don't think any Mid Major schools would want to lose that. It is different for the Catholic Seven from the Big East, any league they form will get multiple bids even without an auto one.

Before someone says will maybe the new league could get an automatic bid, Very doubtful, it takes years of being an established conference to get an automatic bid and with the crazy stuff going on right now no way the NCAA would make an exception, that would open the floodgates, you think the shifting is crazy now just think what it would be like if new conferences were getting bids right out the gate, there would be new conferences sprouting up all over (and olds ones being phased out).

The only concession I see the NCAA giving is waiving the 5 year rule (you must have X number of schools in the conference for that long to keep your bid) for a good long time until things shake out. They have waived it for the A-Sun in the past.

(02-12-2013 04:12 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  Start a new league, no automatic bid. Don't think any Mid Major schools would want to lose that. It is different for the Catholic Seven from the Big East, any league they form will get multiple bids even without an auto one.

Actually I believe the new Catholic Schools will carry the Big East auto bid with them, leaving the Big East without an auto bid??????

(02-12-2013 07:04 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 04:12 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  Start a new league, no automatic bid. Don't think any Mid Major schools would want to lose that. It is different for the Catholic Seven from the Big East, any league they form will get multiple bids even without an auto one.

Actually I believe the new Catholic Schools will carry the Big East auto bid with them, leaving the Big East without an auto bid??????

I think there is a fight going on over the name and probably that, might end up in court.

EDIT: they are fighting over the name but looks like both get the bids.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/...ource-says

Quote:Without voting to dissolve, the seven schools are expected to move together to form a new league. They would keep their automatic berth in the NCAA basketball tournament because NCAA rules state that as long as a group of seven universities has been in the same league for five years, it keeps its bid after a move together to a new conference.

The remaining Big East schools would probably retain their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after going through an NCAA process, according to NCAA vice president and former Big East associate commissioner Dan Gavitt. That would mean there would be 32 automatic bids to the field of 68, up from 31.

(02-12-2013 07:35 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 07:04 PM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(02-12-2013 04:12 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  Start a new league, no automatic bid. Don't think any Mid Major schools would want to lose that. It is different for the Catholic Seven from the Big East, any league they form will get multiple bids even without an auto one.

Actually I believe the new Catholic Schools will carry the Big East auto bid with them, leaving the Big East without an auto bid??????

I think there is a fight going on over the name and probably that, might end up in court.

EDIT: they are fighting over the name but looks like both get the bids.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/...ource-says

Quote:Without voting to dissolve, the seven schools are expected to move together to form a new league. They would keep their automatic berth in the NCAA basketball tournament because NCAA rules state that as long as a group of seven universities has been in the same league for five years, it keeps its bid after a move together to a new conference.

The remaining Big East schools would probably retain their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after going through an NCAA process, according to NCAA vice president and former Big East associate commissioner Dan Gavitt. That would mean there would be 32 automatic bids to the field of 68, up from 31.

The article is correct in saying that the remaining Big East Schools would probably retain an auto bid. As the NCAA rules now stand, they would lose their bid (not a group of 7 schools who have been in the same league for 5 years) and could petition for a waiver. Without the waiver, the auto bid doesn't currently exist. That is the NCAA process referred to in the article.

I am guessing the 7 schools knew that rule before they decided to bolt, I wonder what would have happened if one had balked?

(02-12-2013 08:17 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  I am guessing the 7 schools knew that rule before they decided to bolt, I wonder what would have happened if one had balked?

Great question and a bold move on their part.

Under NCAA rules, if seven schools that have been together in one conference for seven years split off to form a new league, the NCAA will recognize that group of seven as a new conference immediately.

So the C7 can break away from the Big East, but the Big East football schools can not break away from the basketball schools, as the football side does not meet the criteria. The football side would still be recognized by the NCAA as the Big East and as a BCS conference (unless they voluntarily rename themselves).

A group of 7 random schools will have to wait 7 years to get an autobid in men's basketball, and won't be recognized as a conference (with revenue sharing and voting rights) until that time. That group of seven would however gain autobids in other team sports like women's basketball, soccer, volleyball etc, after only two years.

It's suicidal for a group of 7 schools to suddenly affiliate and attempt to form a new conference unless they all come from the same conference (like the C7).

If the ASun does lose a bunch of schools and is down to 2 or 3 schools, that conference can then add any number of DI schools of its choosing to get back to 7 schools and still be recognized as an autobid conference by the NCAA within a grace period of two years. DII schools transitioning do not count until they are full DI members. The issue is that normally the weakest schools or the schools with the "worst" geography (Stetson, FGCU) are left to reform the conference.

Structurally, the CAA has some major issues (Northeastern, Hofstra have dropped football and likely want the A10, Delaware / James Madison need an FBS conference, George Mason wants to move up to A10 too, William & Mary probably won't stay without Virginia schools), so it would be a perfect conference to get into and then vote in the members you want by aligning ETSU with UNC-Wilmington, Towson St, Drexel, and the College of Charleston. If Delaware and JMU get a footballl affiliate deal with the MAC, they could ending up staying. Stony Brook, New Hampshire, Maine, and URI are football only members.