Historically good Miami:
Cincinnati
Ohio U
Kentucky
Louisville
Temple
UConn
Pitt
WVU
(backups would be Marshall, UMass, Toledo, then Akron)

Recent Miami:
Ohio U
Marshall
Akron
Toledo
Buffalo
UMass
Temple
JMU
NIU

(05-02-2013 09:25 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 04:29 PM)Wedge Wrote:  I think this question illustrates one reason the Pac, SEC, and B1G are solid conferences.

If I was making this choice for Cal, I'd choose the other 9 Pac-10 schools (though I don't mind UU and CU being included, either). And I suspect that a lot of Big Ten fans would choose the pre-Penn State Big Ten, and a lot of SEC fans would choose the pre-Arkansas/So. Carolina SEC.

Agreed. Our conferences give the West, Midwest, and South a front porch to our regional pride and identities. Speaking for the SEC, South Carolina has turned out to be a perfect fit in every way, and I can't imagine them being anywhere else. TAMU has also turned out to be a perfect fit. It's amazing how football can knit together the South. Visiting each other's states, having something in common to talk about, and generally pulling together for regional pride is part of why North Carolina and Virginia have slowly become more mid-Atlantic culturally rather than Southern. We all blame the ACC for breaking up the Old South, of course :) That is why we want UNC and UVA in the SEC. It is not for their research, money, or TV eyeballs; we just want a deep connection again with those states, and flagship partnerships are a tremendous place to start. I think that is why football is so important around here; it is all the peripheral benefits of being knit together.

(05-02-2013 10:45 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 08:47 PM)XLance Wrote:  For Carolina:

1)UVa
2)Wake Forest
3)Dook
4)Ga. Tech
5)NCSU
6)Clemson
7)South Carolina
8)Maryland
9)Virginia Tech

Yep, probably what I'd go with too. I looked up some of our old match-ups and we actually used to play Georgia and Tennessee a lot before I was born.

I wish the old Southern Conference had the foresight 80 years ago to split that monster conference into a flagship conference and a public/private conference. Call either SEC or ACC, I don't care... it's just a shame that NC and VA ended up drifting away to do their own thing. UNC competing with USC, UT, UK, UGA, UF, Bama... awesome. Under that circumstance, UVA stays, of course, and I bet Maryland would stay on board and would not have felt the vulnerability that drove them to the B1G. SEC/ACC crossover rivalry games would have been a lock on the schedule every year, and there would still be room for UNC to play Duke. What might have been...

(05-03-2013 06:55 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 09:25 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 04:29 PM)Wedge Wrote:  I think this question illustrates one reason the Pac, SEC, and B1G are solid conferences.

If I was making this choice for Cal, I'd choose the other 9 Pac-10 schools (though I don't mind UU and CU being included, either). And I suspect that a lot of Big Ten fans would choose the pre-Penn State Big Ten, and a lot of SEC fans would choose the pre-Arkansas/So. Carolina SEC.

Agreed. Our conferences give the West, Midwest, and South a front porch to our regional pride and identities. Speaking for the SEC, South Carolina has turned out to be a perfect fit in every way, and I can't imagine them being anywhere else. TAMU has also turned out to be a perfect fit. It's amazing how football can knit together the South. Visiting each other's states, having something in common to talk about, and generally pulling together for regional pride is part of why North Carolina and Virginia have slowly become more mid-Atlantic culturally rather than Southern. We all blame the ACC for breaking up the Old South, of course :) That is why we want UNC and UVA in the SEC. It is not for their research, money, or TV eyeballs; we just want a deep connection again with those states, and flagship partnerships are a tremendous place to start. I think that is why football is so important around here; it is all the peripheral benefits of being knit together.

You OK? Your emoticons do not look so good.

I recently spent two solid weeks field surveying in NC and covered just about every inch of the state, and it needs a school in the SEC. I dated a Duke grad for a long time (who is great by the way) and I get the Research Triangle scene. If UNC is too ingrained with Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt, and the state schools to see the benefits of the move, so be it, but I think both the school and the other members of the SEC are missing out on the partnership. I would say the same to any other flagship school in the South that was not already a member.

For Cincinnati:
1.Louisville
2.Memphis
3.Indiana
4.West Va.
5.Pittsburgh
6.Va. Tech
7.Florida St.
8.Tennessee
9.Ga. Tech

ECU is in an awkward position. Up until now ECU has been the only school in the region not in an AQ league, but ECU has also never been FCS. There's not really a regional group that ECU truly seems to belong with. The ODU, Charlotte, App, Georgia State/Southern group makes sense geographically, but it won't be anytime soon if ever that ECU fans would accept that group being rivals. However in the other direction I'm sure the group ECU wants to belong with (NC State, UNC, WVU, VT, South Carolina) views ECU similarly. Probably not quite as extreme just because ECU has played each of that group regularly for 30+ years, but similar. That's why honestly ECU belongs with the AAC group, because for the most part that's the group of schools that have been long time FBS members that just for whatever reason never made it into an AQ league, but don't really belong with the new FBS schools.

(05-03-2013 08:53 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU is in an awkward position. Up until now ECU has been the only school in the region not in an AQ league, but ECU has also never been FCS. There's not really a regional group that ECU truly seems to belong with. The ODU, Charlotte, App, Georgia State/Southern group makes sense geographically, but it won't be anytime soon if ever that ECU fans would accept that group being rivals. However in the other direction I'm sure the group ECU wants to belong with (NC State, UNC, WVU, VT, South Carolina) views ECU similarly. Probably not quite as extreme just because ECU has played each of that group regularly for 30+ years, but similar. That's why honestly ECU belongs with the AAC group, because for the most part that's the group of schools that have been long time FBS members that just for whatever reason never made it into an AQ league, but don't really belong with the new FBS schools.

Yeah, USF is in your exact same position, but look at where they were 15 years ago. Given time, I think a lot of the "third" schools in the southeastern states will catch up and give you guys some peers. Memphis, Houston, USF, and UCF are there now. MTSU and WKU are really coming on like gangbusters, and UAB, Southern Miss, Georgia State, FIU, and Marshall can get their with a bit more time and/or commitment.

I'll do mine for all my teams (considering no one's chimed in on them yet)

Sgt GoldenEagle and Big Dub won't agree with me on this, but I don't care. FYI, for them, it doesn't really matter who USM plays, just as long as they play somebody

Georgia:

Florida
Auburn
Georgia Tech
Tennessee
S.Carolina
Ole Miss/Alabama
Clemson
Florida State
LSU

I could live with rotating Ole Miss and Alabama. Ole Miss, LSU, and UGa all share a weird, odd bond, but it's there. Probably because we see LSU as a mirror image of ourselves and there's that War between the States connection w/ Ole Miss.
Oregon:

Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Utah
USC
Cal/UCLA
Arizona State
Stanford/UCLA
Colorado

As of UO fan, I could live without one of the Bay Area schools. I do have to admit that UO and Stanford has turned into a nice, developing rivalry though.

Southern Miss:

East Carolina
Louisiana Tech
Memphis
Houston
Louisville
Marshall
UAB/Troy
Miss. State
Ole Miss/Nebraska/BYU (any of the three will do, IMO)

Troy:

Middle Tennessee
South Alabama
Arkansas State
Ga. Southern
UAB
Jax. State
Southern Miss
UCF
North Texas

Montevallo (mainly men's basketball & baseball)

Samford
UAB
B'ham Southern
AUM
Troy
AUM/West Alabama
UWG
N. Alabama
Jax State

(05-03-2013 09:12 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-03-2013 08:53 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU is in an awkward position. Up until now ECU has been the only school in the region not in an AQ league, but ECU has also never been FCS. There's not really a regional group that ECU truly seems to belong with. The ODU, Charlotte, App, Georgia State/Southern group makes sense geographically, but it won't be anytime soon if ever that ECU fans would accept that group being rivals. However in the other direction I'm sure the group ECU wants to belong with (NC State, UNC, WVU, VT, South Carolina) views ECU similarly. Probably not quite as extreme just because ECU has played each of that group regularly for 30+ years, but similar. That's why honestly ECU belongs with the AAC group, because for the most part that's the group of schools that have been long time FBS members that just for whatever reason never made it into an AQ league, but don't really belong with the new FBS schools.

Yeah, USF is in your exact same position, but look at where they were 15 years ago. Given time, I think a lot of the "third" schools in the southeastern states will catch up and give you guys some peers. Memphis, Houston, USF, and UCF are there now. MTSU and WKU are really coming on like gangbusters, and UAB, Southern Miss, Georgia State, FIU, and Marshall can get their with a bit more time and/or commitment.

Southern Miss and Marshall are not in the category with Georgia State and FIU. USM especially is in our category of not really fitting with the group above and below. Some of that group might end up being like USF and UCF, but others will likely never develop into anything. I don't really care that much about having regional peers, I just care about ECU being with peers. So overall I'm about as happy as I can be with the AAC, and when/if a few of these new to FBS schools catch up and establish fan bases and success at this level my opinion will likely change.

(05-02-2013 11:21 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 10:22 PM)Gamecock Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 04:27 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 09:25 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 04:29 PM)Wedge Wrote:  I think this question illustrates one reason the Pac, SEC, and B1G are solid conferences.

If I was making this choice for Cal, I'd choose the other 9 Pac-10 schools (though I don't mind UU and CU being included, either). And I suspect that a lot of Big Ten fans would choose the pre-Penn State Big Ten, and a lot of SEC fans would choose the pre-Arkansas/So. Carolina SEC.

Agreed. Our conferences give the West, Midwest, and South a front porch to our regional pride and identities. Speaking for the SEC, South Carolina has turned out to be a perfect fit in every way, and I can't imagine them being anywhere else. TAMU has also turned out to be a perfect fit. It's amazing how football can knit together the South. Visiting each other's states, having something in common to talk about, and generally pulling together for regional pride is part of why North Carolina and Virginia have slowly become more mid-Atlantic culturally rather than Southern. We all blame the ACC for breaking up the Old South, of course :) That is why we want UNC and UVA in the SEC. It is not for their research, money, or TV eyeballs; we just want a deep connection again with those states, and flagship partnerships are a tremendous place to start. I think that is why football is so important around here; it is all the peripheral benefits of being knit together.

North Carolina and Virginia are too far gone for this to happen. For instance South Carolina is so much more southern than North Carolina its not even funny.

Yeah you're dead on with this. I know a handful of people from NC who go to UNC and its hard to even talk to them about sports. Such a huge cultural difference.

Unless you are talking about NASCAR....

That is a misconception. I know people from New Jersey that are bigger Nascar fans than anyone I know. I have never even watched a race.

(05-03-2013 08:22 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-02-2013 10:45 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 08:47 PM)XLance Wrote:  For Carolina:

1)UVa
2)Wake Forest
3)Dook
4)Ga. Tech
5)NCSU
6)Clemson
7)South Carolina
8)Maryland
9)Virginia Tech

Yep, probably what I'd go with too. I looked up some of our old match-ups and we actually used to play Georgia and Tennessee a lot before I was born.

I wish the old Southern Conference had the foresight 80 years ago to split that monster conference into a flagship conference and a public/private conference. Call either SEC or ACC, I don't care... it's just a shame that NC and VA ended up drifting away to do their own thing. UNC competing with USC, UT, UK, UGA, UF, Bama... awesome. Under that circumstance, UVA stays, of course, and I bet Maryland would stay on board and would not have felt the vulnerability that drove them to the B1G. SEC/ACC crossover rivalry games would have been a lock on the schedule every year, and there would still be room for UNC to play Duke. What might have been...

Yeah, looks like it was about 10 or so years after forming the ACC they discontinued the series with those two.

Bring back The Rock!

(05-03-2013 08:22 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  I wish the old Southern Conference had the foresight 80 years ago to split that monster conference into a flagship conference and a public/private conference. Call either SEC or ACC, I don't care... it's just a shame that NC and VA ended up drifting away to do their own thing. UNC competing with USC, UT, UK, UGA, UF, Bama... awesome. Under that circumstance, UVA stays, of course, and I bet Maryland would stay on board and would not have felt the vulnerability that drove them to the B1G. SEC/ACC crossover rivalry games would have been a lock on the schedule every year, and there would still be room for UNC to play Duke. What might have been...

The Southern Conference has seen more than its share of changes:

(05-01-2013 12:42 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 12:17 PM)CardFan1 Wrote:  For Louisville
Kentucky
Indiana
Notre Dame
Florida
Syracuse
Florida state
Cincinnati
Memphis
Virginia Tech

Don't think you are getting Florida ( I do not even have UK as getting Florida), but Clemson would be a good fit. I think Louisville fits in well with WVU, too, just like UK.

It's great when UK fans think it's their place to tell a Louisville fan they have no right to their own opinion, especially when it's concerning a team that Kentucky hasn't beaten in the last 25+ tries, and that Louisville walloped a few short months ago.

(05-03-2013 04:31 PM)Cardinals Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 12:42 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-01-2013 12:17 PM)CardFan1 Wrote:  For Louisville
Kentucky
Indiana
Notre Dame
Florida
Syracuse
Florida state
Cincinnati
Memphis
Virginia Tech

Don't think you are getting Florida ( I do not even have UK as getting Florida), but Clemson would be a good fit. I think Louisville fits in well with WVU, too, just like UK.

It's great when UK fans think it's their place to tell a Louisville fan they have no right to their own opinion, especially when it's concerning a team that Kentucky hasn't beaten in the last 25+ tries, and that Louisville walloped a few short months ago.

Huh? Did you miss my mention that UK would not be on Florida's top 9 list, either? The question was which 9 teams would a school want to partner with for all athletic competition plus other functions that are important to schools. If you think Louisville is in that top 9, I don't know what else to say. Without thinking, UF would rather play FSU, UGA, South Carolina, Bama, LSU, Tennessee, UNC, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan... well, that's 10 already.

Penn State

Considering geography
1. Pitt
2. Syracuse
3. WVU
4. Boston College
5. Rutgers
6. Maryland
7. Ohio State
8. Notre Dame
9. Virginia

Not considering geography
1. Pitt
2. Syracuse
3. Notre Dame
4. Virginia
5. Stanford
6. Maryland
7. Florida
8. Texas
9. Colorado

(05-02-2013 10:00 AM)Gamecock Wrote:  If I had to choose 9 for South Carolina:

Georgia
Clemson
Florida
Alabama
Auburn
Ole Miss
Vandy
Tennessee
Kentucky

You might want to add a few more ACC teams to your list.......things are starting to heat up.
Keep a close eye on your OOC scheduling in the next several years.

http://obsfifty.blogspot.com/2013/05/tar...ay-in.html

Great Thread

For Iowa

Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Ohio State
Northwestern
Michigan State
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue

Honorable Mentions:
Nebraska
Penn State

The new "rivalry" with Nebraska is going to be something worth waiting for in my opinion but for right now it's just a shell. Iowa really needs to get it's coaching situation figured out before this match up becomes a real rivalry. The Penn State match up is one that isn't a natural rivalry by any means but it is one that has actually built up through competition between the two programs. Hawkeye fans look forward to the Penn State game. I think Penn State fans like beating a team that looks like the Steelers, I could be wrong.


For UL (Lafayette)

Houston
Arkansas State
SMU
Southern Miss
ECU (have grown to have a lot of respect for the fans of this school)
Tulane (location, location, location)
Memphis
UAB
UCF

Yes, this reads of a lot of CUSA and former CUSA schools. At this point the Sun Belt is having to reload so much that I think UL deserves to move upwards. They have a strong following all things considered, they have an elite baseball program, they perform in Bowls and their football program is on the rise.

For KU:

Kansas State
Iowa State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
TCU
Colorado
Illinois
UCLA

Some unusual choices, perhaps. The basis of the list is Big 8/12 history. As for those who left those conferences, Nebraska was a long-standing opponent, but the lopsided nature of the football/basketball matchups made it so there's a limited rivalry there. We never had the chance to develop a big rivalry with aTm, and we've moved on from the whole Missouri thing. As for Colorado, there are quite a few KU alums in Colorado, and fans in Western KS have also been known to go to games out there. TCU seems an odd choice, but it's good to have multiple games in TX, there's a good number of KU alums in Dallas/Ft. Worth, and we do have history in football that goes back decades.

That left two slots. Chicago is another area with a decent KU alumni presence, and it's certainly fertile ground for basketball recruiting, so I chose Illinois. Finally, for the sake of west coast alums as well as to give one destination road trip, I chose UCLA, which is a natural as a hoops rival.