****The official NEW new conference realignment thread.****

[Saul Good]

the second thread has been pronounced dead.

[WilliamTheIrish]

I'm sure CU will be a fine NIT candidate.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by WilliamInnerCircle

I'm sure CU will be a fine NIT candidate.

Did you see your boy Wolly's team holding Fresno to 39 points but still lost

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by alnorth

No idea if this is credible or crap, because I don't see this on major media sources anywhere.

Supposedly, according to a couple message boards, radio stations tonight in Columbus OH, Baltimore, and Philly are reporting Maryland to the B1G

If that happens, then this shit starts all over again. SEC and Big 12 will likely try to raid the ACC, ACC will raid Big East, etc.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

If that happens, then this shit starts all over again. SEC and Big 12 will likely try to raid the ACC, ACC will raid Big East, etc.

The only rumblings I've heard since then is some Penn State "insider" (we know how reliable those are) saying its a done deal, and some Rutgers folks talking like they may also go.

On a side note, Rutgers and Maryland are both AAU.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

If that happens, then this shit starts all over again. SEC and Big 12 will likely try to raid the ACC, ACC will raid Big East, etc.

Who would the SEC want out of the ACC? North Carolina would be the obvious #13, but the rest all have serious drawbacks. I would guess Virginia Tech, but they aren't a slam dunk.

[HolyHandgernade]

Originally Posted by Saul Too

Who would the SEC want out of the ACC? North Carolina would be the obvious #13, but the rest all have serious drawbacks. I would guess Virginia Tech, but they aren't a slam dunk.

When the rumors were rampant, VT and NC ST were the most discussed. I think the SEC would prefer UVA and UNC, but those ACC nuts may be harder to crack.

The real holdup may be the North Carolina State Board, which holds all the public institutions fortunes and is dominated by UNC.

If the B1G makes the move (and I haven't seen anything concrete to indicate it), it'll be interesting to see if it really does start some chain reaction. The ACC, of the group of 5, clearly has the worst situation. They don't have an 80 million dollar bowl tie in and they have the worst TV contract coupled with one of the highest football memberships. The per team payout lags significantly behind the other four.

If a move, however, does come from the B1G, exactly how the pieces move will be the most interesting. The SEC is not happy at 14, and I can't imagine the B1G is looking at 14 thinking how much better it would be. Maryland would be testing the new 50 million exit fee. The school, IMO that might also be bold enough is FSU. They have less entanglement to also make a move, and I think the B12 would be happy to accept. That might be enough to see some fissures in the North Carolina-Virginia bloc and real cannibalization begin.

Of course, if the ACC does implode, that means Notre Dame will be looking for a home as well, and I don't think they're going to find a conference desperate enough to play the "partial membership" game again.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Saul Too

Who would the SEC want out of the ACC? North Carolina would be the obvious #13, but the rest all have serious drawbacks. I would guess Virginia Tech, but they aren't a slam dunk.

I would presume they'd rather have Virginia than VT. Virginia's endowment is enormous.

[alnorth]

random weird fact I didn't know until now. The United States of America has 21 World Heritage Sites. One of them is the campus of the University of Virginia, the only university in the US with that designation. I assume there's got to be a reason for that.

[Stanley Nickels]

Originally Posted by alnorth

random weird fact I didn't know until now. The United States of America has 21 World Heritage Sites. One of them is the campus of the University of Virginia, the only university in the US with that designation. I assume there's got to be a reason for that.

UVA was the first nonsectarian university in the country, it was founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson, and was basically the living blueprint for all subsequent state universities. It's a very interesting story.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade

When the rumors were rampant, VT and NC ST were the most discussed. I think the SEC would prefer UVA and UNC, but those ACC nuts may be harder to crack.

The real holdup may be the North Carolina State Board, which holds all the public institutions fortunes and is dominated by UNC.

If the B1G makes the move (and I haven't seen anything concrete to indicate it), it'll be interesting to see if it really does start some chain reaction. The ACC, of the group of 5, clearly has the worst situation. They don't have an 80 million dollar bowl tie in and they have the worst TV contract coupled with one of the highest football memberships. The per team payout lags significantly behind the other four.

If a move, however, does come from the B1G, exactly how the pieces move will be the most interesting. The SEC is not happy at 14, and I can't imagine the B1G is looking at 14 thinking how much better it would be. Maryland would be testing the new 50 million exit fee. The school, IMO that might also be bold enough is FSU. They have less entanglement to also make a move, and I think the B12 would be happy to accept. That might be enough to see some fissures in the North Carolina-Virginia bloc and real cannibalization begin.

Of course, if the ACC does implode, that means Notre Dame will be looking for a home as well, and I don't think they're going to find a conference desperate enough to play the "partial membership" game again.

You say that the SEC isn't happy with 14 as is its a fact, but there is zero evidence of this so far.

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I would presume they'd rather have Virginia than VT. Virginia's endowment is enormous.

Why would the SEC care about Virginia's endowment? Virginia puts absolutely nothing into their athletics. It's almost like they take pride in their lack of athletic commitment.

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I would presume they'd rather have Virginia than VT. Virginia's endowment is enormous.

I think UNC is the SEC's white whale at this point, but UVA doesn't strike me as a great fit for the SEC. UVA is almost an Ivy at this point and is not as focused on athletics as SEC schools are (minus Vandy). Va Tech has a huge enrollment, strong football, and would provide an entry into the DC market.

[HolyHandgernade]

Originally Posted by Saul Too

You say that the SEC isn't happy with 14 as is its a fact, but there is zero evidence of this so far.

Well, are you saying they are not interested in the Virginia and North Carolina markets for their network? Are you saying everyone is excited about the model where conference teams do not see each other on the football schedule for years at a time?

Look, there's not going to be an official "We really screwed up going to 14" or "We're actively looking to poach another conference to get to 16" type of statements. You're never going to see a conference admit mistakes or put itself in a position for possible legal suits. So, if you want to believe the SEC is doing cartwheel over the current setup, be my guest. But while you are doing that remember this:

The SEC and B12 split the 80 million equally, they also split the new playoff format equally among the group of five. That means, per school, the B12 is earning more at 10 members than the SEC does at 14. The SEC isn't going to kick members out, so how does it increase its share? Well, if the ACC is "no more", then the group of five becomes a group of four and other conferences will probably expand too, making the per team payout more equal.

I'm not saying the SEC made a mistake in taking MU and A&M. I'm saying the SEC doesn't view 14 as an optimal number for various reasons. In fact, maybe you give me some of the positives for 14?

[mnchiefsguy]

Originally Posted by Saul Too

Why would the SEC care about Virginia's endowment? Virginia puts absolutely nothing into their athletics. It's almost like they take pride in their lack of athletic commitment.

I thought the endowment comment was a shot at Wickedson, since he spent 1/3 of this thread talking about how important endowments were. I could be wrong though.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by mnchiefsguy

I thought the endowment comment was a shot at Wickedson, since he spent 1/3 of this thread talking about how important endowments were. I could be wrong though.

Once VA is in the fold, then the SEC may finally have a chance at landing their great white whale....

Harvard