Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

Post Reply 
Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
Author Message
Nerdlinger Offline
Realignment Enthusiast
*

Posts: 4,908
Joined: May 2017
Reputation: 423
I Root For: Realignment!
Location: Schmlocation
Post: #621
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
In this alternate timeline, the fabled merger between the MWC and CUSA occurs!* After initially toying with the name "Mountain West Conference USA", they decide to just stick with the generic "Conference USA". Having planned for 16 teams by 2013, the intended year of the merger, the members are surprised (some pleasantly) by Boise and SDSU backing out of the Big East/AAC. They press on with an 18-team league that lacks interdivisional FB play aside from the CCG. Incidentally, the merger spares the WAC from its seemingly imminent doom as an FBS conference, though they need an NCAA waiver to limp along with only 7 full FB members instead of the required 8. The Sun Belt membership also remains blissfully unplundered.

CUSA 2013
East: East Carolina, Marshall, New Mexico, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTEP
West: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii* (Big West), Nevada, San Diego State, UNLV, Wyoming

Sun Belt 2013
FB: Arkansas State, FAU, FIU, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky
NFB: Little Rock

WAC 2013
FB: Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Texas State, Utah State, UTSA
NFB: Seattle, Texas-Arlington

Fortunately for the conference that bit off more than it could chew, the membership is downsized the next season, as ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa depart for the AAC. Marshall, far from any remaining conference mates, wisely defects to the Sun Belt, giving that conference 12 FB schools. This leaves CUSA with a more manageable 14 teams for 2014. The desperate WAC eventually finds an 8th FB member in remote, controversial Liberty, which is able to join the FBS earlier than in our timeline and with an actual conference invite (although this does require the loaded "non-profit" to subsidize the other members' hefty expenses on travel to Lynchburg).

So here are the 3 conferences today:

CUSA
East: Air Force, Colorado State, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, Wyoming
West: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii (FB only), Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV

Sun Belt
East: FAU, FIU, Georgia State, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy
NFB: Little Rock

WAC
FB: Idaho, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Texas State, Utah State, UTSA
NFB: Seattle, Texas-Arlington

* Never mind the implausibility of voluntarily surrendering an NCAAT autobid....
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2019 05:45 AM by Nerdlinger.)
10-11-2019 10:19 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Fighting Muskie Online
Senior Chief Realignmentologist
*

Posts: 11,789
Joined: Sep 2016
Reputation: 789
I Root For: Ohio St, UC,MAC
Location: Biden Cesspool
Post: #622
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
We’ve talked what if regarding the ACC on here before but let’s spin this one:

VT and WVU get invited to be founding members of a 10 member ACC.

The presence of those two helps Maryland, SC, and Clemson curtail the elitism of the other 5 and SC never gets mad enough to leave.

GT gets added as #11 in 1978.

In 1990, when expansion was brewing, Florida St fatefully chooses the less competitive ACC over overtures from the SEC. The SEC opts for Arkansas and Miami to complete their 12 team line up.

All of this has huge implications for the BE. Pitt, Cuse, and BC have the Catholic 5 and UConn for conference mates but for football they have to cobble together an alliance of Independents including Rutgers and Temple of the A-10, Army and Navy. 1995 becomes a pivotal year. ND either joins the BE (under the condition they must play the 3 FBS schools annually) or the Big Ten could potentially leverage ND into joining their league as the 14th member by taking 2 of the 3 BE FBS schools.

C-USA and the rest of the non-BCS conferences obviously feel a trickle down effect.
(This post was last modified: 11-27-2019 09:08 PM by Fighting Muskie.)
11-27-2019 04:09 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
TerryD Online
Hall of Famer
*

Posts: 14,874
Joined: Feb 2006
Reputation: 895
I Root For: Notre Dame
Location: Grayson Highlands
Post: #623
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(11-27-2019 04:09 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  We’ve talked what if regarding the ACC on here before but let’s spin this one:

VT and WVU get invited to be founding members of a 10 member ACC.

The presence of those two helps Maryland, SC, and Clemson curtail the elitism of the other 3 and SC never gets mad enough to leave.

GT gets added as #11 in 1978.

In 1990, when expansion was brewing, Florida St fatefully chooses the less competitive ACC over overtures from the SEC. The SEC opts for Arkansas and Miami to complete their 12 team line up.

All of this has huge implications for the BE. Pitt, Cuse, and BC have the Catholic 5 and UConn for conference mates but for football they have to cobble together an alliance of Independents including Rutgers and Temple of the A-10, Army and Navy. 1996 becomes a pivotal year. ND either joins the BE (under the condition they must play the 3 FBS schools annually) or the Big Ten could potentially leverage ND into joining their league as the 14th member by taking 2 of the 3 BE FBS schools.

C-USA and the rest of the non-BCS conferences obviously feel a trickle down effect.

Why would that be? What leverage would this Frankenstein Big East have to compel ND to join in full when the full strength Big East could not ?

(ND joined the Big East for all but football in 1995 in real life)

Why wouldn't ND just join whatever was left/cobbled together in the East for other sports than be forced at gunpoint into the Big Ten?
11-27-2019 04:27 PM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Fighting Muskie Online
Senior Chief Realignmentologist
*

Posts: 11,789
Joined: Sep 2016
Reputation: 789
I Root For: Ohio St, UC,MAC
Location: Biden Cesspool
Post: #624
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
ND could but would they really want to?
11-27-2019 04:56 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
DavidSt Offline
Hall of Famer
*

Posts: 23,010
Joined: Dec 2013
Reputation: 729
I Root For: ATU, P7
Location:
Post: #625
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
PAC 14 if all members stayed together.
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Oregon
Oregon State
Stanford
UCLA
USC
Utah
Washington
Washington State

SWC Continues to this day.
Houston
Phillips
Rice
SMU
Southwestern
TCU
adds:
UTEP
North Texas
Tulsa
Arkansas State
La. Tech
La.-Lafayette
West Texas A&M after Phillips dropped football.
Phillips closed down, TCU gets an invite to the Big 12.
Houston, SMU and Tulsa joins the AAC.
UTA, UTSA, Lamar, Missouri State, Texas State and Little Rock joins to make 12/14.

Sun Belt Conference.
La.-Monroe
UCA
South Alabama
Troy
Appalachian State
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
Coastal Carolina
Florida A&M
Chattanooga
North Florida
James Madison
North Carolina A&T
Belmont or Lipscomb
11-27-2019 07:57 PM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
TerryD Online
Hall of Famer
*

Posts: 14,874
Joined: Feb 2006
Reputation: 895
I Root For: Notre Dame
Location: Grayson Highlands
Post: #626
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(11-27-2019 04:56 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  ND could but would they really want to?

Anything other than putting football in a conference is their very strong preference, so yes.
11-28-2019 11:45 AM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
RUScarlets Online
Heisman
*

Posts: 7,142
Joined: May 2012
Reputation: 176
I Root For: Rutgers
Location:
Post: #627
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
Ideal scenarios:

WVU/UC in ACC.

AAC adds Marshall.

Big 12 stays at 9.
11-28-2019 12:45 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Nerdlinger Offline
Realignment Enthusiast
*

Posts: 4,908
Joined: May 2017
Reputation: 423
I Root For: Realignment!
Location: Schmlocation
Post: #628
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(11-28-2019 12:45 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  Ideal scenarios:

WVU/UC in ACC.

AAC adds Marshall.

Big 12 stays at 9.

Hey, then they could actually call themselves the "Big 9"!
11-28-2019 12:55 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
DFW HOYA Offline
Heisman
*

Posts: 5,407
Joined: May 2004
Reputation: 265
I Root For: Georgetown
Location: Dallas, TX
Post: #629
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(11-27-2019 04:09 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  We’ve talked what if regarding the ACC on here before but let’s spin this one:

VT and WVU get invited to be founding members of a 10 member ACC.

The presence of those two helps Maryland, SC, and Clemson curtail the elitism of the other 5 and SC never gets mad enough to leave.

GT gets added as #11 in 1978.

Virginia Tech wasn't a big enough program in 1953. It was playing at 17,000 seat Miles Stadium.

So how's this scenario? Georgetown dropped out of major college football just two years before the ACC got started. In its last season it played Penn State, Miami, Maryland, Boston College and Villanova (among others) en route to a 2-7 record, and had played Wake and NC State a few years earlier. They played in a 30,000 seat stadium. Had they hung on, does the ACC find them as a traveling partner with Maryland?
(This post was last modified: 11-29-2019 05:25 PM by DFW HOYA.)
11-29-2019 05:24 PM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Nerdlinger Offline
Realignment Enthusiast
*

Posts: 4,908
Joined: May 2017
Reputation: 423
I Root For: Realignment!
Location: Schmlocation
Post: #630
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(08-04-2017 04:27 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Alternately, perhaps the restocking Big 12 is in a more expansive mood, taking on Cincinnati and Louisville in addition to WVU. Pitt and Syracuse are still bound for the ACC, and Rutgers for the Big Ten. With Louisville taken, the ACC probably taps UConn to replace outgoing Maryland. This leaves USF as the only football member of the Big East. The non-football schools vote to drop football from the conference. USF football is picked up by CUSA. Notre Dame makes the same deal with the ACC as it did in our timeline.

CUSA doesn't lose any members and potentially gains at least one Big East survivor. This means no need to prey on the Sun Belt, which in turn has less need to draw additional members from FCS. The WAC is also given a reprieve, but I still think they'll end up dropping football due to having too few members.

Here's how the FBS might look by 2018.

ACC
Atlantic: Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, Florida State, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest
Coastal: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech
NFB: Notre Dame

Big 12
North: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, West Virginia
South: Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech

Big Ten
East: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers
West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

Pac-12
North: California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
South: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah

SEC
Eastern: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Western: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

FBS Independent
Army* (Patriot), BYU* (WCC), Louisiana Tech* (WAC), New Mexico State* (WAC), Notre Dame* (ACC), Texas State* (WAC)

CUSA
East: Central Florida, East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, South Florida* (Big East), Southern Miss, UAB
West: Houston, Navy* (Patriot), Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP

MAC
East: Akron, Buffalo, Kent State, Massachusetts* (A-10), Miami-OH, Ohio, Temple* (A-10)
West: Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan

MWC
Mountain: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State, Wyoming
West: Fresno State, Hawaii* (Big West), Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV

Sun Belt
East: FAU, FIU, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Western Kentucky
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, North Texas, UTSA* (WAC)
NFB: Little Rock

* = football only (primary conference)

Any thoughts?

Another take on this scenario, wherein the Big 12 goes from 12 schools to 10 schools to 8 schools to 12 schools to 16 schools!
  • Colorado from Big 12 to Pac-10/12
  • Utah from MWC to Pac-10/12
  • Nebraska from Big 12 to Big Ten
  • Missouri, Texas A&M from Big 12 to SEC
  • TCU from MWC to Big 12
  • Cincinnati, Louisville, West Virginia from Big East to Big 12
  • Notre Dame (non-FB), Pittsburgh, Syracuse from Big East to ACC
  • Rutgers from Big East to Big Ten
  • Maryland from ACC to Big Ten
  • Connecticut from Big East to ACC
  • South Florida (FB only) from Big East to FBS Ind
  • Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL from ACC to Big 12/16
  • North Carolina, Virginia from ACC to Big Ten
  • NC State, Virginia Tech from ACC to SEC
  • Navy (FB only) from FBS Ind to ACC
  • South Florida from FBS Ind/Big East to ACC
  • Central Florida, Houston, Memphis from CUSA to ACC
  • Temple from MAC/A-10 to ACC

The FBS by 2020:

Big 16
East: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL
North: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, West Virginia
South: Baylor, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech
West: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big Ten
East: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State
North: Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue
South: Maryland, North Carolina, Rutgers, Virginia
West: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin

SEC
East: Florida, Georgia, NC State, South Carolina
North: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech
South: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss
West: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, Texas A&M

Pac-12
North: California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
South: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Utah

ACC
North: Boston College, Connecticut, Navy* (Patriot), Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple
South: Central Florida, Duke, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Wake Forest
NFB: Notre Dame

CUSA
East: FAU, FIU, Middle Tennessee, UAB
North: Charlotte, East Carolina, Marshall, Old Dominion
South: Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa
West: Rice, SMU, UTEP, UTSA

MAC
East: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami-OH, Ohio
West: Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan

MWC
Mountain: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State, Wyoming
West: Fresno State, Hawaii* (Big West), Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV

Sun Belt
East: Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky
West: Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State* (WAC), North Texas, Texas State
NFB: Little Rock

FBS Ind
Army* (Patriot), BYU* (WCC), Massachusetts* (A-10), Notre Dame* (ACC)

* = football only (primary conference)
(This post was last modified: 02-02-2020 06:30 PM by Nerdlinger.)
12-13-2019 09:37 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
esayem Offline
Hark The Sound!
*

Posts: 16,250
Joined: Feb 2007
Reputation: 1202
I Root For: Olde Ironclad
Location: Tobacco Road
Post: #631
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(11-29-2019 05:24 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  
(11-27-2019 04:09 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  We’ve talked what if regarding the ACC on here before but let’s spin this one:

VT and WVU get invited to be founding members of a 10 member ACC.

The presence of those two helps Maryland, SC, and Clemson curtail the elitism of the other 5 and SC never gets mad enough to leave.

GT gets added as #11 in 1978.

Virginia Tech wasn't a big enough program in 1953. It was playing at 17,000 seat Miles Stadium.

So how's this scenario? Georgetown dropped out of major college football just two years before the ACC got started. In its last season it played Penn State, Miami, Maryland, Boston College and Villanova (among others) en route to a 2-7 record, and had played Wake and NC State a few years earlier. They played in a 30,000 seat stadium. Had they hung on, does the ACC find them as a traveling partner with Maryland?

I believe Virginia Tech played big games in Roanoke and Norfolk.*

..and definitely no on Georgetown. You have to imagine the people in charge then considering Georgetown.


*Richmond too
(This post was last modified: 12-14-2019 01:25 PM by esayem.)
12-13-2019 09:52 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
esayem Offline
Hark The Sound!
*

Posts: 16,250
Joined: Feb 2007
Reputation: 1202
I Root For: Olde Ironclad
Location: Tobacco Road
Post: #632
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
Speaking of Richmond, they dropped out of the SoCon in like 1975 because they feared the conference would be regulated to what would be known as 1-AA.

This lead William & Mary, the Virginia Military Institute, Davidson, and East Carolina to announce their intended departure as well. VMI’s rep said they were interested in leaving because the rest of the VA schools were. Davidson had already deemphasized football and wanted to build a national basketball program. Of course, neither of those two ended up leaving at that time.

There were meetings consisting of Richmond, W&M, VMI, ECU, and South Carolina to discuss forming a new conference with hopes to get West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and perhaps even Florida State on board. Southern Miss attended a meeting as well.*

The Metro 6 invited both SC and FSU, with only FSU accepting; SC still had hopes on the ACC. Georgia Tech left the Metro and joined the ACC, and VaTech ended up filling their spot. Alas, the mini-ACC conference was never able to get off the ground. UR and W&M played as 1-A Southern Independents until 1981, when they were declassified with the SoCon, Ivy League, most of the MAC, and I believe the Southland sans USL. The two programs finished out their contracts with 1-A teams (~1983), hence the confusion as to when they moved to 1-AA.

*On a side note, UR and USM played football annually back then for some reason.
01-31-2020 02:22 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
schmolik Offline
CSNBB's Big 10 Cheerleader
*

Posts: 8,573
Joined: Sep 2019
Reputation: 640
I Root For: UIUC, PSU, Nova
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Post: #633
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
Back in the 1980's, Penn State is accepted by the Big East. The Big East has ten members, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Connecticut, Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Providence, with (then) four 1-A football members (PSU, Pitt, Syr, BC). They never join the Big Ten. Later on, a Big East football conference is formed with the Big East and Atlantic 10 football playing members (Temp, Rut, WV). Would the eighth member become Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, or some other school? Does the conference stay more stable with Penn State anchoring it? Would PSU now be in the ACC?
02-12-2020 05:16 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Nerdlinger Offline
Realignment Enthusiast
*

Posts: 4,908
Joined: May 2017
Reputation: 423
I Root For: Realignment!
Location: Schmlocation
Post: #634
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(02-12-2020 05:16 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Back in the 1980's, Penn State is accepted by the Big East. The Big East has ten members, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Connecticut, Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Providence, with (then) four 1-A football members (PSU, Pitt, Syr, BC). They never join the Big Ten. Later on, a Big East football conference is formed with the Big East and Atlantic 10 football playing members (Temp, Rut, WV). Would the eighth member become Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, or some other school? Does the conference stay more stable with Penn State anchoring it? Would PSU now be in the ACC?

If the football schools can manage to separate from the basketball schools in a new multisport conference, and they can manage to bring both FSU and Miami aboard, then they stand a good chance of not only surviving as a power football conference but even becoming the dominant east coast conference. You might see ACC schools moving to this conference instead of vice versa. In any case, however, if Penn State wanted to leave, they wouldn't have to settle for the ACC.
02-12-2020 05:53 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
schmolik Offline
CSNBB's Big 10 Cheerleader
*

Posts: 8,573
Joined: Sep 2019
Reputation: 640
I Root For: UIUC, PSU, Nova
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Post: #635
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(02-12-2020 05:53 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  
(02-12-2020 05:16 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Back in the 1980's, Penn State is accepted by the Big East. The Big East has ten members, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Connecticut, Villanova, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Providence, with (then) four 1-A football members (PSU, Pitt, Syr, BC). They never join the Big Ten. Later on, a Big East football conference is formed with the Big East and Atlantic 10 football playing members (Temp, Rut, WV). Would the eighth member become Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Notre Dame, or some other school? Does the conference stay more stable with Penn State anchoring it? Would PSU now be in the ACC?

If the football schools can manage to separate from the basketball schools in a new multisport conference, and they can manage to bring both FSU and Miami aboard, then they stand a good chance of not only surviving as a power football conference but even becoming the dominant east coast conference. You might see ACC schools moving to this conference instead of vice versa. In any case, however, if Penn State wanted to leave, they wouldn't have to settle for the ACC.

I wonder if Penn State was invited to the Big East and the Big East survived would the model of football and non football members in the same conference still exist today? Maybe the Big 10 never goes beyond 10. Maybe the ACC never expands too far. Maybe we still have geographically friendly conferences.
02-12-2020 07:30 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
schmolik Offline
CSNBB's Big 10 Cheerleader
*

Posts: 8,573
Joined: Sep 2019
Reputation: 640
I Root For: UIUC, PSU, Nova
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Post: #636
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
How about college sports without political interference?

The Texas politicians keep their butts out and Texas Tech and Baylor don't join the Big 12 with the Big 8 schools where they never belonged in the first place. The Big 8 adds only Texas and Texas A&M. It stays the Big 8 because it can't be called the "Big 10". Meanwhile, the SWC still has two more members. Maybe it raids some other conference vs. getting raided. UTEP may have wanted to have joined an all Texas conference. Louisiana Tech could have joined. Or do Texas Tech and Baylor wind up in the middle of nowhere because no one wants them since they aren't in metro areas like Houston, Rice, TCU, and SMU?

Virginia Tech is never invited to the ACC and the original plan of Syracuse, Miami, and Boston College are the invites back in the 2000's. Do they even bother to go after Pitt in the 2010's? Is it Pitt and UConn or does UConn continue to get back to get blacklisted by BC?
02-12-2020 07:51 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Fighting Muskie Online
Senior Chief Realignmentologist
*

Posts: 11,789
Joined: Sep 2016
Reputation: 789
I Root For: Ohio St, UC,MAC
Location: Biden Cesspool
Post: #637
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
The trouble with any “Penn St in an eastern conference” scenario is the question of can you build an eastern league that has enough pull that Penn St would prefer playing in that league to playing with Ohio St and Michigan and being associated with the academic juggernaut Big Ten?

Even if you got Penn St, Miami, and Florida St all together there is no guarantee they’d all stick together and no one would bail for the Big Ten or ACC.

It’s fun to think about but I think all roads eventually lead from State College to Jim Delaney.
02-12-2020 08:43 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
esayem Offline
Hark The Sound!
*

Posts: 16,250
Joined: Feb 2007
Reputation: 1202
I Root For: Olde Ironclad
Location: Tobacco Road
Post: #638
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
(02-12-2020 08:43 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The trouble with any “Penn St in an eastern conference” scenario is the question of can you build an eastern league that has enough pull that Penn St would prefer playing in that league to playing with Ohio St and Michigan and being associated with the academic juggernaut Big Ten?

Even if you got Penn St, Miami, and Florida St all together there is no guarantee they’d all stick together and no one would bail for the Big Ten or ACC.

It’s fun to think about but I think all roads eventually lead from State College to Jim Delaney.

True, but there is also the other side of the “what if”. Had Penn State joined an eastern conference, it would have been on their own terms. They would be set, raking in the dough and not sharing it with the other members of the conference. They wouldn’t be frustrated and looking around like they were in the late 80’s. The Big Ten may have happened eventually, but I don’t think it would have been back then.

I don’t think you see FSU in an eastern league (AKA northeastern league) in the 80’s.
(This post was last modified: 02-12-2020 09:28 PM by esayem.)
02-12-2020 09:27 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
schmolik Offline
CSNBB's Big 10 Cheerleader
*

Posts: 8,573
Joined: Sep 2019
Reputation: 640
I Root For: UIUC, PSU, Nova
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Post: #639
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
Penn State does go to the Big Ten (I actually like their place in the conference), but Notre Dame joins at the same time (I don't know how realistic that would have been). Nebraska never joins and they're still today in the Big 12 where they belong. To me, they're worthless dead weight (including non AAU) and western crap to the Big Ten (hey I'm an Eastern guy) and they wouldn't share the national championship with Penn State in 1995 so it's personal. If I had my way, Iowa wouldn't be in the Big Ten (or Creighton in the Big East). Maybe eventually Maryland and Rutgers join, who knows. But Nebraska doesn't. Penn State and Notre Dame become each other's biggest conference rival (they played every November in the 80's when PSU was an independent), probably finishing the season vs. each other. If the Big Ten invited Maryland and Rutgers, Notre Dame probably would be in the East and Indiana and Purdue would have been in the West. Had there been no Maryland and Rutgers and it just have been 12 teams, they'd probably have Michigan State in the west and make Michigan-Michigan State a protected rivalry (with Nebraska still in the Big 12, Iowa and Minnesota remain each other's rival and Wisconsin and Michigan State still are each other's last game). I'd also rather have UConn than Rutgers.

Or Pitt comes over with Penn State instead of Notre Dame (I don't know how other Penn Staters feel about Pitt but I miss the rivalry). Again, Nebraska never comes over. Is UConn in the ACC now instead of Pitt?

How about Northwestern either left in the 80's/early 90's when they really sucked or the Big Ten kicked them out before it became taboo? I'm showing my age but they used to be an embarrassment to the conference, especially when you lost to them. Now after the Big Ten Network was formed, they became competitive in football and men's basketball and got good coaches in Pat Fitzgerald and Chris Collins and my Illinois (alma mater) suffered the most by Northwestern's rise. If Northwestern isn't in the Big Ten, Illinois would have the whole state and Chicago to themselves and the conference would be all state schools. At least now Northwestern this academic year sucked in football and men's basketball (but Illinois lost to them in football so some things never change!) So Northwestern leaves the Big Ten the year Penn State joins (or earlier and the Big Ten is nine and then Penn State joins later). So then later Nebraska never joins. We then have Maryland and Rutgers but it's a conference of 12 with two fewer mouths to feed and no trips to Nebraska. Imagine our basketball conference without the two bottom feeders! Or maybe Nebraska is invited but Missouri comes along as well. That changes the SEC. Someone else joins Texas A&M instead of Missouri. Oklahoma? Meanwhile, where's Northwestern now?
02-13-2020 05:34 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
MidknightWhiskey Offline
Special Teams
*

Posts: 905
Joined: Oct 2019
Reputation: 72
I Root For: UCF
Location:
Post: #640
RE: Alternate History and Future College Sports Realignment Scenarios
How about one where the Big East stayed together in the last realignment shuffle and completed their expansion from 8 to 10 without a certain university president throwing a wrench into everything.
Football Members:
UConn
Syracuse
Pitt
Rutgers
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Louisville
USF
TCU
UCF
(This post was last modified: 02-14-2020 12:19 AM by MidknightWhiskey.)
02-14-2020 12:18 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.