Just wondering, for a friend:

Must "conference" be used? Or is something else allowed? Or any specific words not allowed?

I did a quick search in the (free PDF) NCAA D1 regulations, but found nothing:

https://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4657-...anual.aspx

Plenty do not:

Ivy League
Pioneer Football League
Patriot League
Horizon League
Summit League

More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_conferences

Colonial Athletic Association.

2 & 3 beat me to it.

(07-08-2023 05:12 PM)PlayBall! Wrote:  Just wondering, for a friend:

Must "conference" be used? Or is something else allowed? Or any specific words not allowed?

I did a quick search in the (free PDF) NCAA D1 regulations, but found nothing:

https://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4657-...anual.aspx

Since the main question has been answered, let's have some fun with this.
Rivals of Furman University often use their initials.
Fans of Austin Peay chant "Let's go Peay!" It's not pronounced "pay".
What if the PAC rebrands to "Big 10 Sucks", forcing the media to say that repeatedly.
Summit League region contains a lot of ethnic Poles. Take inspiration from the Polish national anthem and rebrand to "Summit is Not Yet Lost"

So ... as the PAC continues to twist in the wind without a new TV contract, the idea of merging with the Big XII could come back. If the TV partners agree to pay enough.

Given the PAC's delay, instead of a "merger of equals" it would now be an outright acquisition by the Big XII.

The bone we could through out, though, is that the PAC could keep its name thus "the PAC did not die." So our new pacific division is the Pacific Athletic Conference, and the other teams are in the Big XII Conference, both under Big XII management as the Big XII League.

Then, similarly, in the future the ACC is absorbed. And, of course, as teams get call-ups to the B1G and SEC, others from the G5 move up.

Resistance is futile.

(07-08-2023 07:44 PM)clunk Wrote:  Since the main question has been answered, let's have some fun with this.
Rivals of Furman University often use their initials.
Fans of Austin Peay chant "Let's go Peay!" It's not pronounced "pay".
What if the PAC rebrands to "Big 10 Sucks", forcing the media to say that repeatedly.
Summit League region contains a lot of ethnic Poles. Take inspiration from the Polish national anthem and rebrand to "Summit is Not Yet Lost"

Around 2008 or so South Alabama officials forbade the pep band, cheerleaders, and students from being able to say “South in your mouth!” Apparently that sounds too vulgar for some.

(07-08-2023 10:12 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  

(07-08-2023 07:44 PM)clunk Wrote:  Since the main question has been answered, let's have some fun with this.
Rivals of Furman University often use their initials.
Fans of Austin Peay chant "Let's go Peay!" It's not pronounced "pay".
What if the PAC rebrands to "Big 10 Sucks", forcing the media to say that repeatedly.
Summit League region contains a lot of ethnic Poles. Take inspiration from the Polish national anthem and rebrand to "Summit is Not Yet Lost"

Around 2008 or so South Alabama officials forbade the pep band, cheerleaders, and students from being able to say “South in your mouth!” Apparently that sounds too vulgar for some.

What about the alternate form?

USA in ya pUSSA?

Yeah maybe not …

No. Several lack that name. Here are the most famous:

Ivy League, The Summit League (yes, "the" is in the name), Patriot League, Horizon League, University Athletic Association (aka "egghead eight" or when JHU was a member "nerdy nine"), California Collegiate Athletic Association (with all the D-II California State schools) and of course the aforementioned Colonial Athletic Association. In addition, there are specific sports conferences, such as Coastal Collegiate Sports Association and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. And a bunch of single sports conferences, especially for Ice Hockey.

Besides "conferences," we see mostly "associations" and one "federation." I imagine there is probably a "union" out there. I do know there was one "group" out there (Mountain Rim Gymnastics Group, which likely dissolves with BYU joining the Big XII which sponsors gymnastics). I spent five minutes looking the above up, I'll leave it to the rest of you to name others recognized by the NCAA as conferences.

There was a time in the 2010's where I wondered if the Big Ten was an Athletic Conference or if it was actually a TV network?

It seemed like at the time the TV network was in charge, so it just seemed like a natural conclusion they would just eventually change their official name to the Big Ten Network.

No, but I'd welcome an 80-year moratorium on the word big.

This is college, folks. We're allowed to use a thesaurus.

(07-08-2023 05:12 PM)PlayBall! Wrote:  Just wondering, for a friend:

Must "conference" be used? Or is something else allowed? Or any specific words not allowed?

I did a quick search in the (free PDF) NCAA D1 regulations, but found nothing:

https://www.ncaapublications.com/p-4657-...anual.aspx

The Big Ten Conference was formed in 1896 as the "Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives". It did not officially become the Big 10 Conference until 1987 when it was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. Throughout the intervening period it was known informally as the Western Conference, Big 10, Big 9 (after Chicago left) and Big 10 (after Michigan State joined).

Initially it was more of a rules making body (eligibility, number of games, etc.). Conferences typically did not have a commissioner but had a secretary who would handle correspondence and collect game reports and statistics. Representatives of the member schools might meet (confer) annually, or perhaps before the football and baseball seasons.

It is possible that schools in other area copied the form of the most prestigious public universities and called their groups "conferences" with a regional name (e.g. Southern Conference, Missouri Valley Conference).

(07-09-2023 03:54 AM)Stugray2 Wrote:  No. Several lack that name. Here are the most famous:

Ivy League, The Summit League (yes, "the" is in the name), Patriot League, Horizon League, University Athletic Association (aka "egghead eight" or when JHU was a member "nerdy nine"), California Collegiate Athletic Association (with all the D-II California State schools) and of course the aforementioned Colonial Athletic Association. In addition, there are specific sports conferences, such as Coastal Collegiate Sports Association and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. And a bunch of single sports conferences, especially for Ice Hockey.

Besides "conferences," we see mostly "associations" and one "federation." I imagine there is probably a "union" out there. I do know there was one "group" out there (Mountain Rim Gymnastics Group, which likely dissolves with BYU joining the Big XII which sponsors gymnastics). I spent five minutes looking the above up, I'll leave it to the rest of you to name others recognized by the NCAA as conferences.

Colonial Athletic Association Football Conference

Perhaps it kept the "conference" after it was the Yankee Football Conference (which was a single-sport conference) and the A-10 Football Conference.

Someone could just name a conference Henry.

(07-09-2023 06:40 PM)Gitanole Wrote:  No, but I'd welcome an 80-year moratorium on the word big.

This is college, folks. We're allowed to use a thesaurus.

Slim 10 sounds healthier.

I'm surprised we haven't sold the naming rights to conferences yet.

(07-10-2023 01:50 AM)Gitanole Wrote:  Someone could just name a conference Henry.

Henry VIII

(07-08-2023 05:17 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  Plenty do not:

Ivy League
Pioneer Football League
Patriot League
Horizon League
Summit League

More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_conferences

My impression has been we often see terms like "League" or "Association" used for single-sport conferences. (This doesn't explain the Horizon or the Summit. I'm not sure why they are doing what they are doing.)

The other use is common out east, where -- and someone here probably understands this much better than I do -- several of these leagues consist of members of the broader East Coast Athletic Conference. This, I suspect, is why the Ivy and the Patriot are leagues rather than conferences. All of their members are in the ECAC.

(07-09-2023 06:40 PM)Gitanole Wrote:  No, but I'd welcome an 80-year moratorium on the word big.

This is college, folks. We're allowed to use a thesaurus.

While we are at it, can we get rid of the number in conference names, especially if it doesn't match anything?

Like the Big Ten. Ten is not the number of schools or even the number of states represented.

Like the Pac 9/10/12/10 - instead of changing their name when they have a change of membership, change it to "Pacific Conference" or go back to "Pacific Coast Conference."

The Big 12/10/14/12 - Let's do better.

(07-09-2023 06:40 PM)Gitanole Wrote:  No, but I'd welcome an 80-year moratorium on the word big.

IRVING, Texas -- After adding four new members, the Division I conference formerly known as the Big 12 Conference announced a new name today: The Ultra 12 Conference.

"The Big 10 may be big, but we are bigger," Commissioner Brett Yormark said. "We are based in Texas, after all."