College Football Realignment

[Edward]

With the likely demise of the SWC/Big 12-2 league and the emergence of the SEC super league, let's forget about Corona, Wokism, the economy, and other such minor issues, and get to serious discussion.

Last time Georgia and Oklahoma got together, the NCAA TV monopoly was broken, and the money faucet was turned on. With the latest moves, the Power 5 is likely to become the Power 4. The Red River Shootout becomes an SEC game to rivalry to rival Georgia-Florida and Alabama-Auburn. Aggies and Longhorns will be matched again.

What is the next domino to fall? Where do the rest of the Big? teams go?

 

[greenbaggins]

I could easily see a situation where WV goes to the ACC (they certainly won't want to go into the Big East); ISU, KSU, KU go to the Big Ten, and OKST, TCU, TTU, and Baylor go to the PAC12. Geographical proximity doesn't seem to play such a huge factor any more in the conferences. I do see a dissolution of the Big12 coming very soon. And I don't think OU and UT will wait until 2025 to leave the Big12 when the money they will get in the SEC will more than counter what they lose in the TV rights.

 

[gjensen]

I like the idea of Notre Dame in the Big Ten. They haven't liked the idea.

I like West Virginia as an SEC school. There are a few ACC schools that I could see in the SEC.

It would be a mistake for any of the ACC schools to leave.

 

[Pilgrim]

I could easily see a situation where WV goes to the ACC (they certainly won't want to go into the Big East); ISU, KSU, KU go to the Big Ten, and OKST, TCU, TTU, and Baylor go to the PAC12. Geographical proximity doesn't seem to play such a huge factor any more in the conferences. I do see a dissolution of the Big12 coming very soon. And I don't think OU and UT will wait until 2025 to leave the Big12 when the money they will get in the SEC will more than counter what they lose in the TV rights.

Football is driving all of the decisions, of course. So you end up with the WV volleyball team or whatever going halfway across the country to play a game against Texas Tech or Kansas State.

 

[Pilgrim]

I like the idea of Notre Dame in the Big Ten. They haven't liked the idea.

I like West Virginia as an SEC school. There are a few ACC schools that I could see in the SEC.

It would be a mistake for any of the ACC schools to leave.

Notre Dame has traditionally played a bunch of the Big 10 teams on a regular basis, so that has always seemed to be the natural destination were they to join a conference. But they think they are better off without it.

I will say that as an LSU fan I'm glad that A&M came into the conference. That's a much better rival than Arkansas. Fayetteville is much too far away from Baton Rouge for that to have been a true geographic rival. I don't know what happened to get A&M to agree to Texas joining the SEC. But since no one else was going to object, it wouldn't have made any difference anyway. (I haven't really kept up with it since the story first broke.) Supposedly there was an unwritten rule where any SEC school could veto another in-state school joining. Now with Texas coming in, what's to stop Florida State and/or Miami from doing the same? I think Florida would have vetoed that in the past.

Maryland in the Big 10 doesn't make any sense to me, but that's because I mainly thought of them as a basketball school in the ACC. Once the Big 10 added Penn State and Rutgers, I suppose it makes some more sense.

I remember the Big 8 rivalry of OU, Nebraska, and Colorado in the late 80s. Now those schools are in three different conferences. (Nebraska to the Big 10 didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either, at least geographically.)

What is Kansas (basketball) going to do if the Big 12 implodes or if it ends up not being much more than a mid major? They already lost the rivalry with Mizzou.

 

[ZackF]

Well that’s enough of that. Back to wokism and COVID.

 

[ChristianLibertarian]

With the likely demise of the SWC/Big 12-2 league and the emergence of the SEC super league, let's forget about Corona, Wokism, the economy, and other such minor issues, and get to serious discussion.

Last time Georgia and Oklahoma got together, the NCAA TV monopoly was broken, and the money faucet was turned on. With the latest moves, the Power 5 is likely to become the Power 4. The Red River Shootout becomes an SEC game to rivalry to rival Georgia-Florida and Alabama-Auburn. Aggies and Longhorns will be matched again.

What is the next domino to fall? Where do the rest of the Big? teams go?

I would like to see the B1G raid the Pac-12 of their California schools.

 

[Edward]

Notre Dame has traditionally played a bunch of the Big 10 teams on a regular basis, so that has always seemed to be the natural destination were they to join a conference. But they think they are better off without it.

And last year Notre Dame played a full ACC schedule. In addition, Notre Dame is in the ACC in a dozen sports ranging from baseball and basketball to tennis and lacrosse. Football is where they are independent.

 

[Pilgrim]

And last year Notre Dame played a full ACC schedule. In addition, Notre Dame is in the ACC in a dozen sports ranging from baseball and basketball to tennis and lacrosse. Football is where they are independent.

They played the full ACC schedule because some of their other games were canceled. I was going to say that I can’t see ND giving up the traditional rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State, but none of them were on the original schedule. USC, Stanford, and Navy were the rivalry games that were canceled. They did have 6 ACC teams on the original schedule.

Now, you know they are playing the ACC now because a lot of those schools are powder puffs compared to the Big 10 LOL. I can’t argue with them beating Clemson, but then they got blown out by them in the second meeting and probably didn’t belong in the playoff. But we know that they will always put them in there if they have a chance.


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[Zach]

As a Penn State alum I'd like to see the B1G add West Virginia in addition to ISU and KU & KSU. While it wouldn't have the depth of the SEC it would be the clear second strongest conference compared to the ACC (minus Clemson) and Pac-12 if it had 18 teams. Also, adding KU Basketball would strengthen it in what is another big money sport.

 

[ChristianLibertarian]

As a Penn State alum I'd like to see the B1G add West Virginia in addition to ISU and KU & KSU. While it wouldn't have the depth of the SEC it would be the clear second strongest conference compared to the ACC (minus Clemson) and Pac-12 if it had 18 teams. Also, adding KU Basketball would strengthen it in what is another big money sport.

I'm a Michigan State fan and I don't want anything to do with K-State or Iowa State. West Virginia wouldn't be the end of the world but I don't think they live up to the B1G's academic standards as it isn't an AAU school. Kansas is an AAU school but it is irrelevant in football which is a problem because that's where the money is.

I've seen some ideas floating around about the B1G raiding the Pac-12 of its California schools. This would increase the conference academically and it would add programs that are valuable nationwide, particularly USC. I could live with that and then adding Notre Dame and either Kansas or Colorado. That said, ND isn't going to switch conferences. If they join for football it will be the ACC.

 

[Zach]

I'm a Michigan State fan and I don't want anything to do with K-State or Iowa State. West Virginia wouldn't be the end of the world but I don't think they live up to the B1G's academic standards as it isn't an AAU school. Kansas is an AAU school but it is irrelevant in football which is a problem because that's where the money is.

I've seen some ideas floating around about the B1G raiding the Pac-12 of its California schools. This would increase the conference academically and it would add programs that are valuable nationwide, particularly USC. I could live with that and then adding Notre Dame and either Kansas or Colorado. That said, ND isn't going to switch conferences. If they join for football it will be the ACC.

A fair response. I was not thinking about B1G academics but one of the things that I most appreciate about the conference is that it hasn't sacrificed those standards.

 

[ChristianLibertarian]

A fair response. I was not thinking about B1G academics but one of the things that I most appreciate about the conference is that it hasn't sacrificed those standards.

Most people don't realize membership in the AAU is important to the B1G and it's pretty much a nonstarter for a school if they aren't a member.

 

[Pilgrim]

A fair response. I was not thinking about B1G academics but one of the things that I most appreciate about the conference is that it hasn't sacrificed those standards.

I think academics was cited as one reason why the University of Texas didn’t think they were a good fit for the SEC in the past. They had considered the PAC-12 instead. I guess money talks? They are considered among the top public universities in the country, something that can’t be said for any of the SEC schools. (Vandy is private.)


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[ChristianLibertarian]

I think academics was cited as one reason why the University of Texas didn’t think they were a good fit for the SEC in the past. They had considered the PAC-12 instead. I guess money talks? They are considered among the top public universities in the country, something that can’t be said for any of the SEC schools. (Vandy is private.)


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A&M, Florida and Vanderbilt are the only AAU schools in the SEC. Texas will be the fourth.

 

[Pilgrim]

A&M, Florida and Vanderbilt are the only AAU schools in the SEC. Texas will be the fourth.

I’ve never heard of it, assuming you’re referring to the Association of American Universities. But we ain’t going exactly known for larnin here in Louisiana.


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[ChristianLibertarian]

I’ve never heard of it, assuming you’re referring to the Association of American Universities. But we ain’t going exactly known for larnin here in Louisiana.


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Yes, the Association of American Universities. It's basically made up of the top research schools in the US plus McGill and U Toronto in Canada.

 

[Edward]

assuming you’re referring to the Association of American Universities.

Well, we are on a sports thread, and the first hit on Google when I searched for AAU is the American Atheletic Union. So I'm not sure why you would assume anything else.

 

[Edward]

a lot of those schools are powder puffs compared to the Big 10 LOL

Yes, looking at the 2019 schedule

Rutgers 2-10
Maryland 3 - 9
Purdue 4 - 8
Northwestern 3 -9
Nebraska 5-7
Illinois 6-7

I can see why Notre Dame wouldn't want to risk playing them.

 

[Pilgrim]

Yes, looking at the 2019 schedule

Rutgers 2-10
Maryland 3 - 9
Purdue 4 - 8
Northwestern 3 -9
Nebraska 5-7
Illinois 6-7

I can see why Notre Dame wouldn't want to risk playing them.

Yeah, those aren’t too great. It looks like Notre Dame stopped playing Michigan every year starting in 2015. They’ve played 5 ACC opponents a year since 2014.

The Big 10 isn’t what it used to be. But let’s face it, Wake Forest isn’t exactly a world beater either. I wonder what Notre Dame’s TV ratings are now that they aren’t regularly playing Michigan and Michigan State. I doubt playing Virginia or Duke pulls the same numbers.

I’m living so much in the past that I thought they played Penn State regularly until recently. I see they haven’t played them regularly since 1992 and haven’t played them at all since 2007. I think the suspension of the rivalry roughly coincides with Penn State joining the Big 10. They only played regularly in the 1980s. Notre Dame may have been one of the few good teams that Penn State played every year when they were independent. When they rose to prominence they were known for playing a weak schedule and maybe Joe Pa was trying to get a better strength of schedule or at least a marquee game. But that also coincided with the Gerry Faust era and ND wasn’t very good in some of those years.


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[ChristianLibertarian]

Yes, looking at the 2019 schedule

Rutgers 2-10
Maryland 3 - 9
Purdue 4 - 8
Northwestern 3 -9
Nebraska 5-7
Illinois 6-7

I can see why Notre Dame wouldn't want to risk playing them.

Not to be confused with the juggernauts in the ACC in 2019 such as:

Georgia Tech 3-9
Duke 5-7
NCState 4-8
Syracuse 5-7
Boston College 6-7
Florida St 6-7

 

[Edward]

Florida St 6-7

The program at Free Shoes University really collapsed when they cut back on hiring thugs.

 

[ChristianLibertarian]

The program at Free Shoes University really collapsed when they cut back on hiring thugs.

Maybe NIL will turn things around for them.