(03-27-2013 11:21 AM)Tallgrass Wrote: (03-27-2013 10:47 AM)TripleA Wrote: Tallgrass, Tulsa World is technically correct today, b/c the presidents haven't formally voted yet. Probably happens next week. Too bad for you.
It is a lateral transfer without achieving the primary goal of stability.
The only stable Mid-Major conferences at present as the MWC and the MAC, one a step up from Conference USA, the other a step down, and so far as we know neither has an invite out.
So its a pick of three unstable conferences, Conference USA, the Big TBA, a step up from Conference USA, or the Sunbelt, a step down from Conference USA.
And we don't need to try to play verbal games with any of this ~ the Pac-12 raided the MWC when it needed a partner for Colorado, so the Pac-12 is a step up from the MWC.
The Big Ten raided the ACC and the Old Big East because it needed more rapidly growing markets and populations and wanted them in the Northeast Corridor. So the Big Ten is a step up from the ACC and the Old Big East.
Then the ACC raided the Old Big East again, before its last raid had even been consummated, so the ACC is a step up from the Old Big East.
If you gave UConn, UC, Temple and/or USF a choice between the Old Big East and what they are in, they'd pick the Old Big East, so the Old Big East is a step up from the Big TBA.
Boise State and SDSU bailed on moving to the Big TBA, so the Big TBA is at best lateral to the MWC.
The schools raided by the Old Big East from Conference USA are still going through to the Big TBA, so the Big TBA is a step up from Conference USA.
Conference USA is reloading from the Sunbelt, so Conference USA is a step up from the Sunbelt. It previously raided the MAC for the MAC's on-again, off-again Marshall, so at least before being recently raided was clearly a step up from the MAC.
And the Sunbelt and MAC have both most recently gained members either as promoted FCS schools or independents previously playing in conferences that abandoned FBS football, so they'd be at the bottom of the totem pole. But MAC Basketball at present is better than Sunbelt, and with MTSU being raided the gap is only going to get bigger, so there's that.
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The only arguments are conferences not connected by "To" and "From" ~ SEC / Big Ten / PAC-12; ACC / Big-12; MWC / Big TBA; MAC / Sunbelt.