Updated on 5/18/13:
Who’s out? Who’s in? It’s that time of the year again when assistants get their big shot at a head coaching position while other schools begin the poaching process. As positions are made available, potential candidates will be included on the list.

“Hirings” will appear at the bottom of the page, followed by the coaching change “Timeline”.
Have something to add that has been missed? Comment below.

Updates:

5/17/13: HIRING: Stetson Coach to Lipscomb
5/16/13: HIRING: UMass Lowell Hires Northeastern Assistant
5/13/13: HIRING: VCU Assistant to Chattanooga
5/01/13: HIRING: American Hires Georgetown Assistant
4/26/13: HIRING: UNC Asheville Promotes McDevitt
4/24/13: HIRING: Herenda to FDU
4/22/13: HIRING: Underwood to Stephen F. Austin
4/22/13: HIRING: LIU Post Coach to Niagara
4/18/13: HIRING: Rutgers to Name Eddie Jordan Coach
4/17/13: HIRING: FGCU Hires Joe Dooley
4/16/13: HIRING: Norfolk St. Coach to FIU
4/12/13: HIRING: Loyola Promotes Smith
4/10/13: HIRING: Furman Hires Medved
4/10/13: HIRING: Richmond Assistant McGeehan to Campbell
4/10/13: HIRING: Bower to Marist
4/09/13: Sanderson Resigns at Lipscomb
4/09/13: HIRING: Niagara Coach Mihalich to Hofstra
4/08/13: HIRING: Arizona Assistant to Ball State
4/04/13: HIRING: Gee To Coach Longwood
4/03/13: HIRING: UTPA Hires Alabama Assistant
4/03/13: HIRING: Kaspar Takes Over at Texas State
4/02/13: HIRING: Richard Pitino to Minnesota
4/02/13: HIRING: Jeff Jones to ODU
4/02/13: Rice Out at Rutgers
4/02/13: Biedenbach Resigns at UNC Asheville
4/02/13: HIRING: Neal Promoted at New Mexico
4/02/13: HIRING: Patsos Takes Siena Job
4/02/13: HIRING: Theus to Cal State Northridge
4/01/13: HIRING: USC Names FGCU’s Enfield as Coach
4/01/13: HIRING: Tubby Smith to Texas Tech
3/30/13: HIRING: Arizona St. Assistant to CSU-Fullerton
3/30/13: HIRING: UCLA Hires New Mexico’s Alford
3/29/13: HIRING: San Jose St. Hires Boise St. assistant
3/29/13: HIRING:  VA Tech Assistant to Georgia Southern
3/28/13: HIRING: Giacoletti the New Coach at Drake
3/27/13: HIRING:  Chris Collins to Northwestern
3/26/13: HIRING: Bobby Hurley to Coach Buffalo
3/26/13: HIRING: Pacific Promotes Verlin
3/26/13: HIRING: WKU Assistant to Troy
3/25/13: HIRING: Brent Hired at Jackson St.
3/25/13: Tubby Smith Fired at Minnesota
3/25/13: HIRING: Butler Assistant Graves to South Alabama
3/23/13: Howland Fired at UCLA
3/22/13: Cassara Fired at Hofstra
3/22/13: Furman Forces Jackson to Resign
3/20/13: Shulman Out at Tennessee – Chattanooga
3/19/13: Braswell Out at Cal State Northridge
3/19/13: HIRING: Louisville Assistant to UMKC
3/18/13: Anderson Retires From Jackson State
3/18/13: Davalos Out at Texas St.
3/18/13: Marks Out at UTPA
3/16/13: Carmody Out at Northwestern
3/15/13: HIRING: Majerle To Take Over at Grand Canyon
3/15/13: Pennell Resigns at GCU
3/15/13: Buffalo Fires Witherspoon
3/14/13: Taylor Fired at Ball State
3/14/13: Drake Fires Phelps
3/14/13: Marist Fires Martin
3/14/13: Gillian Resigns at Longwood
3/13/13: San Jose St. Fires Nessman
3/12/13: Young Out at Georgia Southern
3/12/13: UMKC Fires Brown
3/12/13: Siena Fires Buonaguro
3/11/13: Laing Out at Campbell
3/10/13: Maestri Retiring at Troy
3/07/13: Bob Thomason Retiring at Pacific
2/25/13: FDU Fires Vetrone
2/6/13: Carter Out at SC State
2/5/13: Taylor Fired at ODU
12/19/12: Arrow Retiring at South Alabama
12/14/12: O’neil Out at USC

American:

Former Coach: Jeff Jones (resigned)
New Coach: Mike Brennan (Georgetown assistant)

Potential American Basketball Coach Candidates:

Mike Brennan (Georgetown assistant), Mike Rhodes (VCU assistant), Nathan Davis (Randolph-Macon coach),  Seth Greenberg (former VA Tech coach), Jim Corrigan (ODU assistant), Kieran Donohue (American assistant)

Ball State:

Former Coach: Billy Taylor (fired)
New Coach: James Whitford (Arizona assistant)

Potential Ball State Basketball Coach Candidates:

Dana Fife (Michigan St. assistant), Ray McCallum (Detroit coach), Jeff Neubauer (Eastern Kentucky coach), Chris Holtmann (Garner Webb coach), David Hobbs (former Alabama coach), Rodney Watson (Southern Indiana coach),  Linc Darner (Florida Southern coach), Stan Gouard (Indianapolis coach), Brad Brownell (Clemson coach), Jeff Rekeweg (Northwood coach)

Buffalo:

Former Coach: Reggie Witherspoon (fired)
New Coach: Bobby Hurley (Rhode Island assistant)

Potential Buffalo Basketball Coach Candidates:

Rob Lanier (Texas assistant), Joe Mihalich (Niagara coach), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola coach), Seth Greenberg (former VA Tech coach), Jared Grasso (Iona assistant), Bobby Hurley (URI assistant), Kevin Kuwik (Dayton assistant)

Cal State – Fullerton:

Former Coach: Bob Burton (fired)
Former Interim Coach: Andy Newman
New Coach: Dedrique Taylor (Arizona St. assistant)

Potential Cal State Fullerton Basketball Coach Candidates:

Dedrique Taylor (Arizona St. assistant)

Cal State – Northridge:

Former Coach: Bobby Braswell (fired)
New Coach: Reggie Theus (former NBA assistant)

Potential Cal State Northridge Basketball Coach Candidates:

Phil Matthews (UCLA assistant), Donny Daniels (Gonzaga assistant), Scott Garson (UCLA assistant), Damaine Powell (Cal State Dominguez Hills coach), Reggie Theus (former New Mexico St. coach)

Others: Greg Kamansky (Cal Poly Pomona coach), Bob Cantu (USC interim coach), Travis DeCuire (Cal assistant), Justin Hutson (UNLV assistant)

Campbell:

Former Coach: Robbie Laing (fired)
New Coach: Kevin McGeehan (Richmond assistant)

Potential Campbell Basketball Coach Candidates:

Ryan Odom (Charlotte assistant), Mike Winiecki (Clemson assistant),  Rob Moxley (NC State assistant), Jason Allison (VMI assistant), Kevin McGeehan (Richmond assistant)

Drake:

Former Coach: Mark Phelps (fired)
New Coach: Ray Giacoletti (Gonzaga assistant)

Potential Drake Basketball Coach Candidates:

Gary Close (Wisconsin assistant), Matthew Graves (Butler assistant), Greg Lansing (Indiana St. coach), Bill Carmody (former Northwestern coach), Kirk Speraw (Iowa assistant), T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa St. assistant), Darian DeVries (Creighton assistant), Ray Giacoletti (Gonzaga assistant)

Fairleigh Dickinson:

Former Coach: Greg Vetrone (fired)
New Coach: Greg Herenda (UMass Lowell coach)

Potential FDU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Greg Herenda (UMass Lowell coach), Jim Engles (NJIT coach), Happy Dobbs (Bryant assistant), Jeff Ruland (former District of Columbia coach), Walter McCarty (Louisville assistant), Fred Hill (Northwestern assistant), Darren Savino (Cincinnati assistant), Tony Chiles (St. John’s assistant), Jose Rebimbus (William Paterson coach)

Florida Gulf Coast:

Former Coach: Andy Enfield (resigned)
New Coach: Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant)

Potential FGCU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Marty Richter (FGCU interim coach), Tony Pujols (Alabama assistant), Tim Buckley (Indiana assistant), Jim Corrigan (Former Old Dominion assistant), Shawn Finney (Central Florida assistant), Bobby Gonzalez (Former Seton Hall coach),  Andy Hipsher (South Florida assistant), Chris Jans (Wichita State assistant), Mike Jaskulsk (former Towson coach), Chris Jent (Ohio State assistant), Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), Eric Musselman (Arizona State assistant),  Anthony Peeler (Virginia Union assistant),  Chris Pompey (Seton Hall assistant), Eric Snow (SMU assistant), Kevin Sutton (George Washington assistant), Vince Taylor (former Minnesota assistant)

Florida Internatonal:

Former Coach: Richard Pitino (resigned)
New Coach: Anthony Evans (Norfolk St. coach)

Potential FIU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Anthony Evans (Norfolk St. coach), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant), Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), John Pelphrey (Florida assistant), Corey Williams (Florida St. assistant), Matt McCall (Florida assistant), Chris Caputo (Miami assistant)

Furman:

Former Coach: Jeff Jackson (fired)
New Coach: Niko Medved (Colorado St. assistant)

Potential Furman Basketball Coach Candidates:

Duggar Baucam (VMI coach), Lennie Acuff (Alabama-Huntsvile coach), Barclay Radebaugh (Charleston Southern coach), Niko Medved (Colorado St. assistant)

Georgia Southern:

Former Coach: Charlton Young (fired)
New Coach: Mark Byington (VA Tech assistant)

Potential Georgia Southern Basketball Coach Candidates:

Sergio Rouco (Mississippi assistant)

Grand Canyon:

 
Former Coach: Russ Pennell (resigned)

New Coach: Dan Majerle (former Phoenix NBA assistant)

Hofstra:

Former Coach: Mo Cassara (fired)
New Coach: Joe Mihalich (Niagara coach)

Potential Hofstra Basketball Coach Candidates:

Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant), Tim Cluess (Iona coach), Joe Mihalich (Niagara coach), Speedy Claxon (Golden St. NBA scout), Al Skinner (former Boston College coach)

Jackson State:

Former Coach: Tevester Anderson (retired)
New Coach: Wayne Brent (Callaway HS coach)

Potential Jackson St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Eric Strothers (Jackson St. assistant), Wayne Brent (Callaway HS coach)

Lipscomb:

Former Coach: Scott Sanderson (resigned)
New Coach: Casey Alexander (Stetson coach)

Potential Lipscomb Basketball Coach Candidates:

Pete Froedden (Lipscomb assistant), Brian Ayers (Belmont assistant), Drew Maddux (Christ Presbyterian coach), Casey Alexander (Stetson coach) 

Longwood:

Former Coach: Mike Gillian (resigned)
New Coach: Jayson Gee (Cleveland St. assistant)

Potential Longwood Basketball Coach Candidates:

Seth Greenberg (former VA Tech coach), Jayson Gee (Cleveland St. assistant), Jim Corrigan (ODU assistant), Nathan Davis (Randolph-Macon coach), Rusty LaRue (Wake Forest assistant)

Loyola (MD):

Former Coach: Jimmy Patsos (resigned)
New Coach: G.G. Smith (Loyola assistant)

Potential Loyola – Maryland Basketball Coach Candidates:

G.G. Smith (Loyola assistant), Raphael Chillious (Villanova assistant), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant)

Marist:

Former Coach: Chuck Martin (fired)
New Coach: Jeff Bower (former NBA New Orleans coach)

Potential Marist Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jeff Bower (former NBA New Orleans coach), Jim Fox (Davidson assistant), Joe Jones (Boston University coach), Jay Young (Stony Brook assistant), Bob Walsh (Rhode Island College coach), Al Skinner (former Boston College coach), Bill Carmody (former Northwestern coach), Joe Espisito (Minnesota assistant), Anthony Evans (Norfolk St. coach)

UMass Lowell:

Former Coach: Greg Herenda (resigned)
New Coach: Pat Duquette (Northeastern assistant)

Potential UMass Lowell Basketball Coach Candidates:

Mike Maker (Williams coach), Al Skinner (former Boston College coach), Walter McCarty (Louisville assistant), Pat Duquette (Northeastern assistant), Jim O’Brien (Emerson College coach), Jeff Rafferty (Delaware assistant), Jay Young (Stony Brook assistant), Sean Ryan (CCSU assistant)

Minnesota:

Former Coach: Tubby Smith (fired)
New Coach: Richard Pitino (FIU coach)

Potential Minnesota Basketball Coach Candidates:

Richard Pitino (FIU coach)

New Mexico:

Former Coach: Steve Alford (resigned)
New Coach: Craig Neal (UNM assistant)

Potential New Mexico Basketball Coach Candidates:

Craig Neal (New Mexico assistant)

Niagara:

Former Coach: Joe Mihalic (resigned)
New Coach: Chris Casey (LIU Post coach)

Potential Niagara Basketball Coach Candidates:

Adrian Autry (Syracuse assistant), Chris Casey (LIU Post coach)

Norfolk State:

Former Coach: Anthony Evans (resigned)

Interim Coach: Robert Jones (Norfolk St. assistant)

Potential Norfolk St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

TBD

UNC Asheville:

Former Coach: Eddie Biedenbach (resigned)
New Coach: Nick McDevitt (UNC Asheville assistant)

Potential UNC Asheville Basketball Coach Candidates:

Nicholas McDevitt (UNC Asheville assistant)

Northwestern:

Former Coach: Bill Carmody (fired)
New Coach: Chris Collins (Duke assistant)

Potential Northwestern Basketball Coach Candidates:

Chris Collins (Duke assistant), Dave Paulsen (Bucknell coach), Brett Reed (Lehigh coach), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso coach), Tavaras Hardy (Northwestern assistant), Chris Mooney (Richmond coach), Craig Robinson (Oregon St. coach), Billy Donlon (Wright St. coach)

Old Dominion:

Former Coach: Blaine Taylor (fired)
New Coach: Jeff Jones (American coach)

Potential ODU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jeff Jones (American coach), Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), Jerry Wainwright (former Depaul coach), Dennis Felton (former Georgia coach), Jim Corrigan (ODU assistant), Seth Greenberg (former VA Tech coach)

Pacific:

Former Coach: Bob Thomason (retired)
New Coach: Ron Verlin (Pacific assistant)

Potential Pacific Basketball Coach Candidates:

Ron Verlin (Pacific assistant)

Rutgers:

Former Coach: Mike Rice (fired)
New Coach: Eddie Jordan (NBA Lakers Assistant)

Potential Rutgers Basketball Coach Candidates:

Eddie Jordan (NBA Lakers assistant), Danny Hurley (URI coach), Fran Dunphy (Temple coach), John Giannini (Lasalle coach), Mick Cronin (Cincinnati coach), Ben Howland (former UCLA coach), Lawrence Frank (NBA Detroit coach) 

San Jose State:

Former Coach: George Nessman (fired)
New Coach: Dave Wojcik (Boise St. assistant)

Potential San Jose St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Dave Wojcik (Boise St. assistant), Rick Croy (St. Mary’s assistant), Justin Hutson (UNLV assistant), Don Monson (LBSU coach), Randy Rahe (Weber St. coach), Joe Scott (Denver coach)

Siena:

Former Coach: Mitch Buonaguro (fired)
New Coach: Jimmy Patsos (Loyola-MD coach)

Potential Siena Basketball Coach Candidates:

Andrew Toole (Robert Morris coach), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola coach), Matt Brady (JMU coach), Mike Wells (GMU assistant)

Others: Cliff Warren (Jacksonville coach), John Becker (Vermont coach), Dave Paulsen (Bucknell coach), Bill Coen (Northeastern coach), Richard Pitino (FIU coach)

South Carolina St:

Former Coach: Tim Carter (resigned)
Interim Coach: Murray Garvin (South Carolina St. assistant)

Potential SC State Basketball Coach Candidates:

South Alabama:

Former Coach: Ronnie Arrow (retired)
New Coach: Matthew Graves (Butler assistant

Potential South Alabama Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jeff Price (South Alabama assistant), Scott Sanderson (Lipscomb coach), Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), Philip Pearson (Alabama assistant), Matthew Graves (Butler assistant)

Stephen F. Austin:

Former Coach:  Danny Kaspar (resigned)
New Coach: Brad Underwood (South Carolina assistant)

Potential Stephen F. Austin Basketball Coach Candidates:

Brad Underwood (South Carolina assistant), Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), Kellen Sampson (Appalachian St. assistant), Chris Jans (Wichita State assistant), Jean Prioleau (Colorado assistant), Steve Barnes (Colorado State assistant)

Stetson:

Former Coach:  Casey Alexander (resigned)

Potential Stetson Basketball Coach Candidates:

Rob Wilkes (former ODU  assistant)

Tennessee – Chattanooga:

Former Coach: John Shulman (fired)
New Coach: Will Wade (VCU assistant)

Potential UTC Basketball Coach Candidates:

John Brannen (Alabama assistant), Will Wade (VCU assistant), Dennis Felton (former Georgia coach)

Others: Dwayne Stephens (Michigan St. assistant), Eric Konkol (Miami assistant)

Texas – Pan American:

Former Coach: Ryan Marks (fired)
New Coach: Dan Hipsher (Alabama assistant)

Potential Texas Pan American Basketball Coach Candidates:

Rob Moxley (NC State assistant), Dan Hipsher (Alabama assistant)

Texas State:

Former Coach: Doug Davalos (fired)
New Coach: Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin coach)

Potential Texas State Basketball Coach Candidates:

Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin coach), Terrence Rencher (Sam Houston St. assistant), Ronnie Arrow (former South Alabama coach)

Texas Tech:

Former Coach: Billy Gillispie (fired)
New Coach: Tubby Smith (former Minnesota coach)

Potential Texas Tech Basketball Coach Candidates:

Tubby Smith (former Minnesota coach), Chris Walker (Texas Tech interim coach), Donnie Tyndall (Southern Miss coach), Doc Saddler (former Nebraska coach),  Grant McCasland (Baylor assistant), Michael White (LA Tech coach), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts coach), Steve McClain (Indiana assistant), Barry Hinson (Southern Illinois coach)

Troy:

Former Coach: Don Maestri (retired)
New Coach: Phil Cunningham (WKU assistant)

Potential Troy Basketball Coach Candidates:

David Felix (Troy assistant), Phil Cunningham (WKU assistant)

UMKC:

Former Coach: Matt Brown (fired)
New Coach: Kareem Richardson (Louisville assistant)

Potential UMKC Basketball Coach Candidates:

Kareem Richardson (Louisville assistant), Brad Underwood (South Carolina assistant), Tom Hankins (Southern Illinois assistant)

UCLA:

Former Coach:  Ben Howland (fired)
New Coach: Steve Alford (New Mexico coach)

Potential UCLA Basketball Coach Candidates:

Steve Alford (New Mexico coach), Brad Stevens (Butler coach), Mark Few (Gonzaga coach)

Not a Candidate: Shaka Smart (VCU coach)

USC:

Former Coach: Kevin O’Neil (fired)
New Coach: Andy Enfield (FGCU coach)

Potential USC Basketball Coach Candidates:

Andy Enfield (FGCU coach), Tim Floyd (UTEP coach), Mike Hopkins (Syracuse assistant), Steve Alford (New Mexico coach), Tommy Amaker (Harvard coach), Jaime Dixon (Pitt coach)

Previous Years:

2012 College Basketball Coach Changes

2011 College Basketball Coach Changes 

2010 College Basketball Coach Changes

2009 College Basketball Coach Changes

2008 College Basketball Coach Changes

2007 College Basketball Coach Changes

2006 College Basketball Coach Changes 

 
Big Ten:
$310 million ($40 from Bowls)

Pac-12:
$303 million ($39 from Bowls)

ACC:
$293 million ($35 from Bowls)

SEC:
$270 million ($50 from Bowls)

Big 12:
$262 million ($42 from Bowls)

Big East:
$94 million ($30 from Bowls)

Conference USA:
$26.5 million ($6.5 from Bowls)

MAC:
$22 million ($18 million from Bowls)

Mountain West:
$21.5 million ($7 million from Bowls)

WAC:
$10 million ($6 million from Bowls)

On this site alone, you’ll find a number of articles specifically about a Big East split. In 2011 there was talk of a split when the landscape was close to changing drastically with potential Big 12 to Pac-10 defections and the resulting trickledown. At that time, the Big East basketball schools were actually in a position to usurp power if the membership numbers shifted in their favor.

In 2009 we asked the big question for the Big East: To split or not to split.

Back in 2005, we looked at what we called “grounds for a conference divorce” in the Big East. The idea of a Big East split in 2005 seemed so likely, that we were all preparing for the countdown to a Big East split.

As for the fans, no topic is more active on the message boards than the topic of Big East realignment and a conference split.

So let’s take a quick look at why this topic has been so popular.

The Big East Formation (1979):

The Big East was formed as a basketball conference in 1979 and didn’t add football until 1990. Basketball was the top priority and the conference was created with 7 members: Boston College, Providence, UConn, St. Johns, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Georgetown. Rutgers had initially been invited over Seton Hall, but Rutgers opted to remain in the Atlantic 8 (now A10) to be associated with Penn St.

Villanova joined the Big East a year after it’s formation for the 1981 season, to bring the membership to 8 with Pitt joining over Penn St. in 1983.

In 1990, the Big East added football as an associate sport, which included associate members of Temple (A10 for other sports), Rutgers (A10), West Virginia (A10), Virginia Tech (Metro Conference until joining the A10 in 1995). Miami joined the Big East as an all sport member in 1991 as a football member. Only Boston College, Syracuse and Pitt were already all-sport members of the Big East and part of the Big East football conference.

The Paterno Northeast All-Sports Conference Plan:

The original plan by Joe Paterno in 1979 was to create a northeast football conference with schools such as Penn St., Boston College, Syracuse, Rutgers and Temple was pushed aside by the to-be Big East members as Penn St. was not invited. Since basketball was the priority college sport at the time, few saw any regrets. Paterno had plans to bring in football powers from the east coast, many independents, to create an all-sports conference with football as the crown jewel. His potential targets included powerhouses like Miami, Florida St., Georgia Tech as well as Virginia Tech and others. With such a powerful lineup, many felt that Notre Dame would potentially align themselves with this football power that at the time would have rivaled any conference in the country. His vision of a conference in the 1980′s made up of Boston College, Syracuse, Penn St., Rutgers, Temple, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida St., Notre Dame and even perhaps Clemson (over Pitt) would never come to be.

In 2012, the result has been a scattering of football programs in the region that can now be found in 5 different conferences: Penn St., Rutgers and Maryland in the Big Ten; Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Pitt in the ACC; UConn and Temple in the Big East; Buffalo and UMass in the MAC; West Virginia in the Big 12.

2003 Big East Defections:

Back in 2003, when Miami was looking at joining the ACC, the initial turmoil began in the Big East. Being in a position of power at the time, Miami made it clear to the ACC that they would join, but only if the conference also brought along some of their northern allies in Syracuse and Boston College. So a deal was done and the 3 schools planned to join the ACC. The ACC then hit a bump when it was clear that they wouldn’t have the necessary votes for all 3 schools due to political pressure in Virginia as Virginia Tech was being excluded. So the vote then became for Miami and Virginia Tech to join. For a 12th school, Boston College eventually won the final spot and joined the ACC.

While all this was happening, the Big East was hit with unrest. They had lawsuits against the ACC with schools suing the ACC that then got invited to the ACC, accepted, and had to take their names off the lawsuit. So any credibility with the lawsuit was lost when you have schools essentially saying that they put ACC membership over any legal stance they took a day before.

So while the Big East football conference was losing it’s (2) top programs and a founding member in Boston College, the basketball schools had plenty to think about.

Looking back to 1979, passing on Penn St. back in 1979 proved to be a fatal mistake for the remaining Big East football schools.

And over that period, from 1991 to 2003, all Big East additions were on the football side as Miami joined in 1991, Rutgers and WVU joined as all-sports members in 1995, and Virginia Tech in 2001. But the non-football schools sat back, approved the membership additions with the sole intent being to keep Syracuse, Boston College and Pittsburgh happy and to remain in the conference.

Big East Non-Football Schools Options in 2003:

Rather than the Big East being in a position of power and prepared for the shift in the sports landscape from basketball to football, instead, the conference sat there, waiting to have it’s members picked off.

When Miami and then Virginia Tech and Boston College announced they were leaving the Big East, the Big East basketball schools were in a position of power.

Their options:

1) vote to drop football since they had 9 non-football members with only 4 members with football (Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, WVU);
2) Split from the Big East to create a new conference with a new name;
3) Agree to let the Big East expand with new all-sports members.

The non-football schools had a meeting that year to discuss their options. Eliminating football and/or splitting from the Big East (would depend on legal issues surrounding the Big East brand and finances) was indeed a topic. Providence favored the 8 schools leaving the Big East (UConn would have been the 9th but was planning their FBS football upgrade) and inviting UMass to serve as their travel partner in the region. Georgetown wanted Richmond to join from the A10 as the 10th member.

But in the end, the Big East non-football schools felt the fear of not being associated with a football conference, seeing how the landscape was changing and wanting a taste of the television money that the sport provided.

So they agree to add basketball powers that sponsored football in Louisville and Cincinnati. For the 8th football program, the basketball schools agree to let USF join, a newer football program with little basketball success. To appease the non-football programs, the remaining 5 football schools allowed Depaul and Marquette to join on the non-football side. In allowing that to happen, the Big East now had 16 members: 8 all-sports football members (Uconn, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, WVU, Louisville, Cincinnati, USF), 7 non-football members (Providence, St. Johns, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, Depaul, Marquette), and (1) school in the Big East with football outside of the Big East, Notre Dame.

From that point on, the Big East voting power would officially shift to the football programs.

State of the Big East:

For each member who has since left (Rutgers, WVU, TCU, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Notre Dame) all-sports members with football have been brought in.

The Big East now is set to include the (7) non-football schools; (9) all-sports members with football (UConn, Temple, Cincinnati, USF, UCF, Memphis, Houston, SMU, Tulane; (4) Football-only members (Navy, ECU, Boise St., San Diego St.)

The non-football schools have met with commissioner Aresco and have expressed their frustration with the current membership. One problem though: they don’t have any power to do anything. 

The Temple Problem:

In 2011, when the Big East voted to allow Temple in as a football member in 2012 and all-sports member in 2013, they created a dilemma whereby they gave up their voting power to control their own destiny of dissolving the conference. Temple AD Bill Bradshaw has confirmed that Temple indeed was granted full voting rights starting on July 1, 2012.

Through dissolving the conference, the current members would distribute the NCAA revenue shares they have coming to the conference per their current agreement. The conference would then “fold” with the Big East brand ownership remaining with the non-football schools.

This was the only way out for the non-football schools whereby they would be able to retain all their revenue without any potential legal issues.

Sure, in a utopian world, all Big East members would agree to a split where the basketball schools would retain the Big East name and the football schools would split off to form something new…perhaps even bringing back the old “Metro” conference name that some of the former members were part of before merging with Conference USA. All parties could agree to a revenue split and everyone would be on their way.

But that isn’t the reality.

The Big East brand has value, regardless of the membership. And the football schools aren’t going to give it up easily.

Update: On 12/12/12, ESPN has reported that despite the Big East confirming that Temple is a full voting member, despite Temple AD Bill Bradshaw confirming Temple is a full voting member, ESPN is claiming that Tempe does not have a vote regarding the dissolving of the conference. This means that if true, the 7 non-football schools could vote to dissovle the conference, take their money, leave, and start a new conference by inviting schools such as Xavier, St. Louis, Butler, etc.

Split Options:

There is only one real option: the basketball schools would need to leave the Big East and create a new conference. Plain and simple, that’s the only real option they have on the table. Their window closed when they agree to let Temple in in 2012. Smitten by the potential of a $160 million a year television contract that would pay the Big East basketball schools up to $3 million per year, the non-football schools agreed to any membership changes made. That estimate has now dropped to $60 million with an estimated $1 million per year for the non-football schools. So despite having at least (2) windows in which they had voting control, the non-football schools now have only 1 option: leave the Big East, leave millions on the table, and leave to gain only 1 thing: control of their own destiny.

The only other option would be if the 7 non-football schools left to join the A10, something the A10 would certainly be in favor of. But at 21 schools, with ample dead weight, it might be less than ideal.

Television Finances of a Split:

So we already have the NCAA tournament shares covered: if the Big East non-football schools left, they would forfeit those shares. But what about a new television deal? Based on our industry analysis, the non-football schools would make at best, $750,000 per school per year if they were to expand by 3 schools to a total of 10 members. That number would remain solid if the schools were able to keep the Big East brand, one that in itself has immense value in college basketball.  Member schools would likely make $500-$700k per school per year…the higher number if the membership were limited to 10 members with strong additions with high market penetration. The Atlantic 10 pays $350,000 per school at 14 members (16 members this year), a number that would be higher is they were able to drop 2-4 of it’s members. A new conference formed from a split Big East would almost certainly make more money than the Atlantic 10 due to the cache of the specific programs such as Georgetown and Villanova.

Expansion Candidates in a Split:

For expansion candidates, the new markets would be key.

Xavier would be the likely top option, replacing the loss of University of Cincinnati. Schools #9 and #10 would be more difficult.

Butler would certainly be considered after all they have accomplished and the access they would provide to the Indianapolis market.

Richmond, a school that Georgetown once favored joining, could also be a candidate, to help push the footprint further south. But with all the success of VCU and since the school has no football aspirations, their non-religious affiliation would not be a problem making VCU the potential first choice in the Richmond market.

St. Louis is another option, supporting the western flank made up of Depaul, Marquette and potentially Xavier and Butler.

In the northeast, there is always UMass to offset the Uconn loss. But with UMass looking to move it’s sports eventually to an all-sports conference (football is in the MAC, other sports in the A10), they are a less stable school.

Dayton is another program that in the past would probably be the #2 option after Xavier. But with the television contract and market exposure being the driving issue, it might be difficult to pass on adding a new market in favor of adding one that Xavier would partially cover.

Out west, you have schools like Creighton in Omaha that if teamed with Xavier and St. Louis would give a strong western presence for the conference.

You also have other schools like Siena in Albany, NY. Boston University could be the long lost Boston replacement for former member Boston College. Holy Cross, a candidate in 1979, could also give some access to the Boston market.

There is also the opportunity to shift away from market access and more towards market penetration. Adding George Washington or George Mason would give a pairing with Georgetown as the dominant basketball conference in Washington D.C.

So now we wait to see what the Big East basketball schools decide to do. By having only 1 option, to forfeit the millions owed to each school from the NCAA revenue shares…and the risk of losing highly visible programs like UConn, Cincinnati and even Memphis…topped by losing the television money to be generated through the additions of SMU (Dallas market) and Houston, the opportunity to do something has probably passed. If the Big East non-football schools leave, it’s a financial loss. If they stay, they are forever at the mercy of the football programs.

Updated on 1/29/13: 

As the 2012 season progresses, schools will be lining up to make coaching changes. Here is a look at the current college football coach openings and hirings. The coaching changes here are for the 2012 season and will carry over as into next year for the 2013 college football coach changes.

Updates:

1/28/13: HIRING: Gardner-Webb Hires McCray
1/20/13: HIRING: Oregon Promotes Helfrich
1/18/13: HIRING: Delta St. Coach to Charleston Southern
1/18/13: HIRING: Rutgers Assistant Brock to Delaware
1/18/13: Gardner-Webb Coach Resigns
1/16/12: Kelly Leaves Oregon for NFL Eagles
1/11/13: HIRING: Holmes Promoted at FAMU
1/8/13: HIRING: Syracuse Promotes Shafer
1/7/13: Keeler Out at Delaware
1/6/13: Syracuse Coach Marrone to NFL Bills
1/5/13: HIRING: Nevada Tabs Brian Polian
1/4/13: HIRING: Ron Turner to FIU
1/3/13: Mills to Retire from Charleston Southern
12/28/12: Ault Retires at Nevada
12/28/12: HIRING: Lindsey Promoted at San Diego
12/18/12: HIRING: Cornell Promotes Archer
12/20/12: HIRING: Thomas to Northwestern St.
12/20/12: HIRING: Utah St. Promotes Wells
12/19/12: HIRING: WIU Hires Minnesota-Duluth Coach
12/19/12: HIRING: Utah St. Coach to Take Over Wisconsin
12/18/12: HIRING: Nichols to Coach Davidson
12/18/12: HIRING: Jacksonville St. Hires Clark
12/17/12: HIRING: Paul Haynes to Kent St.
12/17/12: HIRING: SJSU to Hire San Diego Coach
12/16/12: HIRING: WMU to Hire Tampa Bay Assistant
12/16/12: Cornell Coach Leaves for CFL
12/15/12: HIRING: Temple Hires Matt Rhule
12/15/12: HIRING: UC Davis Hires Cal Assistant
12/14/12: HIRING: Utah St. Assistant to Indiana St.
12/14/12: HIRING: Skip Holtz to LA Tech
12/13/12: HIRING: Appalachian St. to Name Satterfield Coach
12/13/12: HIRING: Morehead St. to Promote Rob Tenyer
12/12/12: HIRING: Texas Tech Hires Kingsbury
12/12/12: HIRING: Texas OC to Arkansas St.
12/10/12: HIRING: Monken To Be Named USM Coach
12/10/12: HIRING: Bobby Petrino to WKU
12/10/12: HIRING: McIntyre to Colorado
12/10/12: HIRING: UTEP to Hire Steelers Assistant
12/08/12: HIRING: Cincinnati Hires Texas Tech Coach Tubberville
12/08/12: HIRING: USF Hires WKU Coach
12/07/12: HIRING: Tennessee Hires Butch Jones
12/05/12: HIRING: Dykes to Cal
12/05/12: Cristobal Out at FIU
12/05/12: HIRING: Purdue Picks Kent St. Coach
12/04/12: HIRING: Boston College Hires Temple Coach Adazzio
12/04/12: HIRING: Malzahn Leaves Arkansas St. for Auburn
12/04/12: HIRING: Bielema Leaves Wisconsin for Arkansas
12/03/12: Colorado Close to Hiring Butch Jones
12/02/12: Moore Out at Appalachian St.
12/02/12: HIRING: NIU Promotes Carey
12/02/12: HIRING: Paul Petrino to Idaho
12/02/12: Holtz Out at USF
12/02/12: HIRING: NIU Coach Doeren to NC State
12/01/12: HIRING: Georgia St. Hires Trent Miles
11/29/12: Hendrickson Out at WIU
11/27/12: HIRING: Minter Takes Over at Campbell
11/27/12: HIRING: Mark Stoops to Kentucky
11/26/12: Hope Fired at Purdue
11/26/12: O’Brien out at NC State
11/26/12: Price Retiring at UTEP
11/26/12: Cubit Out at WMU
11/26/12: Spaziani Fired at Boston College
11/26/12: Embree Out at Colorado
11/25/12: Tedford Out at Cal
11/25/12: Auburn Parts with Chizik
11/23/12: Smith Out at Arkansas
11/20/12: Ballard Put at Morehead St.
11/20/12: Northwestern St. to Replace Coach
11/18/12: Dooley Out at Tennessee
11/06/12: Phillips Out at Kentucky
11/06/12: Davidson To Replace Merritt
11/05/12: Steele Out at Campbell
11/01/12: FAMU Coach to Resign
10/21/12: Idaho Fires Robb Akey  
9/14/12: Mitchell out at Southern
12/1/11: Biggs to Resign at UC Davis After 2012 Season

Appalachian St.:

Former coach: Jerry Moore (resigned)
New Coach: Scott Satterfield (Appalachian St. offensive coordinator)

Potential Appalachian St. coach candidates: Scott Satterfied (App St. offensive coordinator), Shawn Elliot (South Carolina assistant), Lonnie Galloway (WFU assistant),  Tim Horton (former Arkansas assistant, Mike O’Cain (VA Tech assistant), John Shoop (former UNC assistant)

Arkansas:

Former coach: John L. Smith (fired)
New Coach: Bret Bielema (Wisconsin coach) 

Potential Arkansas coach candidates: Les Miles (LSU coach), Gary Patterson (TCU coach), Charlie Strong (Louisville coach), Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech coach), Butch Davis (former UNC coach), Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach), Art Briles (Baylor coach)

Arkansas St.:

Former Coach: Gus Malzahn (resigned)
New Coach: Bryan Harsin (Texas offensive coordinator)

Potential Arkansas St. coach candidates: Bryan Harsin (Texas offensive coordinator)

Auburn:

Former Coach: Gene Chizik (fired)
New Coach: Gus Malzahn (Arkansas St. coach) 

Potential Auburn coach candidates: Gary Patterson (TCU coach), Chris Petersen (Boise St. coach), Jimbo Fisher (FSU coach), Bobby Petrino (former Arkansas coach), Gus Malzahn (Arkansas St. coach), Chad Morris (Clemson offensive coordinator)

Boston College:

Former coach: Frank Spaziani (fired)
New Coach: Steve Adazzio (Temple coach) 

Potential Boston College coach candidates: Pete Lembo (Ball St. coach), Aaron Kromer (New Orleans NFL assistant), Bob Diaco (Notre Dame assistant)

Others: Mark Whipple (Cleveland Brows assistant), Tim Murphy (Harvard coach), Darrell Hazell (Kent St. coach), Al Golden (Miami coach),  Bobby Wilder (ODU coach), Pete Carmichael Jr. (New Orleans NFL assistant)

California:

Former Coach: Jeff Tedford (fired)
New Coach: Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach) 

Potential Cal coach candidates: Chris Peterson (Boise St. coach), Mike MacIntyre (SJSU coach), Charlie Strong (Louisville coach), Tim DeRuyter (Fresno St. coach), Art Briles (Baylor coach), Gary Andersen (Utah State coach), Dave Doeren (Northern Illinois coach), Willie Taggart (Western Kentucky coach), Mark Helfrich (Oregon offensive coordinator),  Noel Mazzone (UCLA offensive coordinator), Pep Hamilton (Stanford offensive coordinator) Derek Mason (Stanford defensive coordinator), Justin Wilcox (Washington defensive coordinator), Bob Diaco (Notre Dame defensive coordinator), Kirby Smart (Alabama defensive coordinator), Todd Monken (Oklahoma St. offensive coordinator), Lorenzo Ward (South Carolina defensive coordinator, Ron Rivera (Carolina NFL coach), Greg Roman (San Francisco 49ers assistant), Hue Jackson (Cincinnati NFL assistant)

California – Davis:

Former Coach: Bob Biggs (resigned)
New Coach: Ron Gould (Cal assistant)

Campbell:

Former Coach: Dale Steele  (fired)
New Coach: Mike Minter (Liberty assistant)

Cincinnati:

Former Coach: Butch Jones (resigned)
New Coach: Tommy Tuberville (Texas Tech coach) 

Charleston Southern:

Former Coach: Jay Mills (resigned)
New Coach: Jamey Chadwell (Delta St. coach)

Potential Charleston Southern coach candidates:  Mike Houston (Lenoir Rhyne coach)

Colorado:

Former Coach: Jon Embree  (fired)
New Coach: Mike MacIntyre (SJSU coach) 

Potential Colorado Coach Candidates: Troy Calhoun (Air Force coach), Tim DeRuyter (Fresno St. coach), Mike MacIntrye (SJSU coach), Frank Solich (Ohio coach)

No longer a candidate: Butch Jones (Cincinnati coach), Gary Andersen (Utah State coach),  Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach), Gus Malzahn (Arkansas St. coach), Willie Taggert (WKU coach), Dave Doeren (NIU coach), Darrell Hazell (Kent State coach)

Cornell

Former Coach: Kent Austin (resigned)
New Coach: Dave Archer (Cornell assistant) 

Potential Cornell coach candidates: TBD

Davidson:

Former Coach: Tripp Merritt (fired)
New Coach: Paul Nichols (Illinois assistant)

Potential Davidson Coach Candidates: Ryan Crawford (Harvard assistant), Chris Monfiletto (Kenyon coach), Paul Nichols (Toledo assistant) Bob Sanders (Buffalo NFL assistant), David Turner (Mississippi State assistant), Eddie Williamson (TCU assistant), Paul Nichols (Illinois assistant)

Delaware:

Former Coach: K.C. Keeler (fired)

New Coach: Dave Brock (Rutgers offensive coordinator)

Potential Delaware coach candidates: Sam Venuto (Villanova offensive coordinator), Dave Cohen (Rutgers assistant), Dave Brock (Rutgers offensive coordinator), John DeFilippo (Oakland NFL assistant),

Florida A&M:

Former Coach: Joe Taylor (resigned)

Florida International:

Former Coach: Mario Cristobal (fired)

Idaho:

Former Coach: Robb Akey (fired)
New Coach: Paul Petrino (Arkansas assistant)

Potential Idaho Coach Candidates: Jason Gesser (Idaho interim coach) Longshots: Two coaches who likely wouldn’t be interested, but whom could potentially bring some previous Boise St. type of success to Idaho would be Dirk Koetter (Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator) and Dan Hawkins (former Colorado, Boise St. coach). Koetter is likely too high profile for Idaho at this time, and Hawkins would likely pass as well.

Indiana St.:

Former coach: Trent Miles (resigned)
New Coach: Mike Sanford (Utah St. assistant)

Jacksonville St.

Former coach: Jack Crowe (fired)
New Coach: Bill Clark (USA defensive coordinator)

Potential Jacksonville St. coach candidates: Teddy Keaton (Stillman coach), Adam Fuller (Tennessee – Chattanooga Defensive Coordinator), Josh Niblett (Hoover High coach)

Kentucky:

Former Coach: Joker Phillips (fired)
New Coach: Mark Stoops (FSU Defensive Coordinator)

Potential Kentucky Coach Candidates: Brent Pease (Florida assistant), Neal Brown (Texas Tech assistant), Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach), Dirk Koetter (Atlanta NFL offensive coordinator)

Kent St.:

Former Coach: Darrel Hazell (resigned)
New Coach: Paul Haynes (former Arkansas assistant)

Potential Kent St. Coach Candidates: Mark Snyder (Texas A&M defensive coordinator), Paul Haynes (former Arkansas assistant)

Morehead St.:

Former Coach: Matt Ballard (fired)
New Coach: Rob Tenyer (Morehead St. offensive coordinator)

Nevada:

Former Coach: Chris Ault (retired)
New Coach: Brian Polian (TAMU assistant)

Potential Nevada coach candidates: Chris Klenakis (Arkansas assistant), Tom Mason (SMU defenive coordianator) and Brian Polian (TAMU assistant)

Northern Illinois:

Former Coach: Dave Doeren (resigned)
New coach: Rod Carey (NIU offensive line coach)

 

 

Northwestern St.:

Former Coach: Bradley Dale Peveto (fired)
New Coach: Jay Thomas (Missouri Southern defensive coordinator)

Potential Northwestern St. coach candidates: Steve Campbell (MGCCC coach), Jay Thomas (Missouri Southern defensive coordinator)

 

North Carolina St.

Former coach: Tom O’Brien (fired)
New Coach: Dave Doeren (NIU coach)Potential NC State coach candidates: Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach), Bob Diaco (Notre Dame defensive coordinator), Darrel Hazell (Kent St. coach), Chad Morris (Clemson offensive coordinator), Dave Doeren (NIU coach) 

Oregon:

Former coach: Chip Kelly (resigned)
New Coach: Mark Helfrich (Oregon offensive coordinator)

Potential Oregon coach candidates: Mark Helfrich (Oregon offensive coordinator), Chris Petersen (Boise St. coach)

Purdue:

Former coach: Danny Hope (fired)
New Coach: Darrell Hazell (Kent St. coach) 

Potential Purdue Coach Candidates: Darrell Hazell (Kent State coach), Butch Jones (Cincinnati coach), Sonny Dykes (LA Tech coach), Brock Spack (Illinois St. coach), Pete Lembo (Ball St. coach), Mark Helfrich (Oregon offensive coordinator) No Longer a Candidate: Dave Doeren (NIU coach)

San Diego:

Former Coach: Ron Caragher (resigned)
New Coach: Dave Lindsey (USD assistant)

Potential San Diego coach candidates: TBD

San Jose St.:

Former coach: Mike MacIntyre (resigned)
New Coach: Ron Caragher (San Diego coach)

Potential SJSU Coach Candidates: Ron Caragher (San Diego coach), Kent Baer (SJSU defensive coordinator), John DeFilippo (Oakland NFL assistant), Dan Hawkins (former Colorado coach), Derek Mason (Stanford assistant), Noel Mazzone (UCLA offensive coordinator), Chris Strausser (Boise St. assistant), Justin Wilcox (Washington defensive coordinator)

Southern:

Former Coach: Stump Mitchell (fired)
New Coach: Dawson Odums 

Interim Coach: Dawson Odums

Potential Southern University coach candidates: Brian Jenkins (Bethune-Cookman coach), John Hendrick (former Tulane assistant), Dawson Odums (current interim head coach), James Spady (Nevada offensive line coach)

Southern Mississippi:

Former Coach: Ellis Johnson (fired)
New Coach: Todd Monken (Oklahoma St. offensive coordinator) 

Potential USM Coach Candidates: Blake Anderson (UNC assistant), Todd Monken (Oklahoma St. offensive coordinator), Neal Brown (Texas Tech offensive coordinator), Kliff Kingsbury (Texas A&M offensive coordinator), Tyrone Nix (MTSU defensive coordinator)

South Florida:

Former Coach: Skip Holtz (fired)
New Coach: Willie Taggart (WKU coach) 

Potential USF coach candidates: Chad Morris (Clemson Offensive Coordinator), Houston Nutt (former Arkansas coach), Rich Bassacia (San Diego NFL assistant), Derek Dooley (former Tennessee coach), Joker Phillips (former Kentucky coach), Willie Taggart (WKU coach), Mario Cristobal (former FIU coach)

Not a candidate: Steve A’Dazzio (Temple coach)

Syracuse:

Former Coach: Doug Marrone (resigned)
New Coach: Scott Shafer (Syracuse defensive coordinator)

Potential Syracuse Coach Candidates: Dave Clawson (Bowling Green coach), Bob Diaco (Notre Dame defensive coordinator), Scott Shafer (Syracuse defensive coordinator), John Reagan (Rice offenisve coordinator), David Walker (NFL Colts assistant), Joe Gilbert (NFL Colts assistant)

Temple:

Former Coach: Steve Adazzio (resigned)
New Coach: Matt Rhule (NFL Giants assistant)

Potential Temple Coach Candidates: Mario Cristobal (former FIU coach), Stan Drayton (Ohio St. assistant), Matt Rhule (NFL Giants assistant coach), Mark D’Onofrio (Miami defensive coordinator)

Tennessee:

Former Coach: Derek Dooley (fired)
Interim Coach: Jim Chaney
New Coach: Butch Jones (Cincinnati coach)

Potential Tennessee Coach Candidates: Kirby Smart (Alabama assistant)

No Longer Candidates: Larry Fedora (UNC coach), Charlie Strong (Louisville coach), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma St. coach), Gary Patterson (TCU coach)

Texas Tech:

Former Coach: Tommy Tuberville (resigned)
New Coach: Kliff Kingsbury (Texas A&M offensive coordinator)Potential Texas Tech coach candidates: Todd Monken (Oklahoma St. offensive coordinator), Neal Brown (Kentucky offensive coordinator), Kliff Kingsbury (Texas A&M offensive coordinator),

UTEP:

Former Coach: Mike Price (retired)
New Coach: Sean Krugler (Pittsburgh NFL assistant) 

Potential UTEP coach candidates: Mark Mangino (former Kansas coach), Dirk Koetter (Atlanta NFL assistant), Dave Toub (Chicago NFL assistant),  Marty Mornhinweg (Philadelphia NFL assistant), Willie Fritz (SHSU coach)

Utah St.

Former Coach: Gary Anderson (resigned)
New Coach: Matt Wells (Utah St. offensive coordinator)

Potential Utah St. coach candidates: Matt Wells (Utah St. offensive coordinator)

Western Kentucky:

Former Coach: Willie Taggart (resigned)
New Coach: Bobby Petrino (former Arkansas coach) 

Potential WKU coach candidates: Bobby Petrino (former Arkansas coach)

Western Illinois:

Former Coach: Mike Hendrickson (fired)

New Coach: Bob Nielson (Minnesota-Duluth coach)

Potential WIU coach candidates: Bob Bartolomeo (Indoanapolis coach), Bob Nielson (Minn-Duluth coach), Chris Creighton (Drake coach),

Western Michigan:

Former Coach: Bill Cubit (fired)
New Coach: P.J. Fleck (Tampa Bay NFL assistant)

Potential WMU coach candidates: Scott Shafer (Syracuse assistant), Brian Rock (Kent St. offensive coordinator), George McDonald (Miami assistant), Pat Narduzzi (Michigan St. defensive coordinator)

Not a candidate: Trent Miles (Indiana St. coach)

Wisconsin:

Former Coach: Bret Bielema (resigned)
New Coach: Gary Anderson (Utah St. coach)

Potential Wisconsin coach candidates: Paul Chryst (Pitt coach), Chris Ash (Wisconsin defensive coordinator), Al Golden (Miami coach), Gary Anderson (Utah St. coach)

Previous Years:

2011 College Football Coaching Changes

2010 College Football Coaching Changes

2009 College Football Coaching Changes

2008 College Football Coaching Changes

2007 College Football Coaching Changes

2006 College Football Coaching Changes

Cristobal took over a struggling FIU program in 2007 and finished his first season as head coach 1-11. He improved with 5 and 3 wins the next two seasons before going 7-6 in 2010 and taking his team to it’s first ever bowl game. A year later, he improved to 8-5 with another bowl game. And after a setback this past season, he was fired.

The moral to the story: If you are a head coach, do not, and I mean do not ever pass on a job opening that would be an improvement to your resume and your wallet. You are a certified moron if you dare to hold out for something better or even worse, enjoy your current job and have pride in the school where you work.

Since there is no loyalty by the universities, so there is no need for any loyalty from the coaches.

Fans often complain about coaches who move from one job to another. They cry about the lack of loyalty. Even the media will get involved, like so many did about with Todd Graham, who left Pittsburgh after 1 year to take the Arizona St. job. But if after 1 year, a factory worker in Topeka gets an opportunity to almost double his salary by moving to Omaha for a job, it’s considered a positive.

In college sports, specifically college football and college basketball, it’s a fine line. If you leave too early, you’re a flight risk. If you stay longer than you should and get fired, you are branded as a “retread”.

This “retread” stigma leaves a coach have only 2 options:
1) Take a head coaching job at a lower recognized program, perform well, and get another head coaching shot years down the road
2) Take an assistant coach position at a high recognized program and hope that you get a second chance in the future

In the first scenario, it’s easy to point out some instances when it has worked well. But it’s rare. Most of the time, if a coach takes a step down in a conference or program stature, say, from being a Big Ten head coach to a MAC head coach, he does not have the type of resources to take his new program anywhere near the levels of the higher budget school. Do you think Frank Solich planned to still be at Ohio after being fired at Nebraska in 2003. Of course not. He’d much rather be at the helm of Big Ten or Big 12 caliber program contending for a national title.

When a fired coach instead takes a job as an assistant at another top school, even that path isn’t a sure one to regain your stature. Joker Phillips was fired at Kentucky and has now moved on to Florida as an assistant. Do you think a program like Nebraska would ever come after him? Or course not. Would South Alabama? Sure. So all the demotion path does is help to give a once fired coach some cache to get a head coaching job at a lower statured program. So the second scenario actually is just a precursor for the first.

All this leads to one thing: if you are a college football coach, leave while you can. 

When you take a new job, you usually will buy yourself 3 years to prove your worth, unless your name is Ellis Johnson, who was fired this year at Southern Mississippi after 1 season as coach.

Leave while you can, as you will only increase your value. You will get paid more money giving you and your family more security. But most of all, you will raise your Q score, keeping you as a buzz name in the coaching world. Best of all, when you leave to take a new job, you’ll have those first 2 years to give the impression of being a “Rebuilder” since you had to take the job over from someone else who wasn’t performing at a high enough level. Then in year 3, you can move on to yet another new job saying that you were getting too comfortable in working with what you had built and miss the blue collar mentality of building something from scratch.

The only survival these days for a college coach is in moving when the iron is hot.

For this reason, we can say that Charlie Strong is making a mistake is he doesn’t leverage his success at Louisville to turn it into a higher paying job with more exposure elsewhere. Sure, Louisville is headed for the ACC, an improvement over the Big East. But it’s still the ACC…not exactly at the football stature of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 or even the Pac-12. But with all the risk thanks to some stronger annual opponents.

It’s easy to look at Florida International’s dismissal of Mario Cristobal and blame it just on a university that has a record of doing some strange things. Remember, this is the same school that hired Isiah Thomas as their basketball coach. But Cristobal, a Miami native, had an 8-5 record at FIU just last year…and he was fired. Ellis Johnson got only 1 season to try to keep Southern Miss afloat after Larry Fedora left of North Carolina. That’s the trend now, the whole “what have you done for me lately” mentality.

And for Charlie Strong, who is to say his future would be any better. Louisville finished with only 2 losses in the Big East…a weak Big East this year. In moving to the ACC, the level of competition will be much higher…if not for the top ACC football programs like Florida St., Clemson and Georgia Tech, but also because, well, the ACC will now have 6 of it’s members being former Big East members…and it’s not like the ACC invited the worst of the Big East, they have selected the best.

Things can only go downhill for Charlie Strong if he stays at Louisville. The optimists can look at his 2-loss season and say “he might have 1 or 0 loss seasons in the future”. Sure. Could happen. But odds are, it won’t. And fast forward a few years from now and Charlie Strong will be back at Florida as an assistant, waiting for his chance to get another head coaching job…likely as the replacement at FIU for whomever the next fired coach is there.

And that’s why the new FBS “Playoff” is little more than a minor tweak to the old system with a sticker on it that says “Playoff”. But it’s a big first step and it won’t be too many years before the fans (and excluded schools from the Top 4) will be clamoring for expansion to 8 schools.

There are still many questions to be answered. What we know thus far:

The Playoff Skinny:
You have (2) semi-final games to be played each year at one of (6) bowl games in rotation, with the winners playing in a championship. As it is now, there is simply a #1 vs #2 game in the championship, so it is a huge change that (4) teams will get to decide on the field who is the champion, rather than just (2) teams.

Participant Selection:
A committee will decide who the 4 schools to participate are. There is a list of criteria that was announced last night, but with no weighing system, no specifics given, it is still a blind process. What we can expect to see though is that the committee will at some point omit a Coaches/AP poll school ranked #3 or #4 from a non-power conference (Big East, Mountain West, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC) claiming that strength of schedule was a top criteria. Based on overall membership, that means that the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 will have an advantage. The ACC is right there with that group, with the others left behind. So if you are a school in the Big East, Mountain West, CUSA, Sun Belt or MAC, you will likely need to go undefeated in order to be considered for even spot #4.

Championship Game Location:
The championship game will be sold to the highest bidder, and outside of the current bowl system. That’s not to say that a single city would be excluded from having a semi-final game and the championship, since in the end, it will come down to the semi-final rotation and the championship game bidding. But it is probable that the powers-that-be will try to work things out so that if there were a year that say, Los Angeles were to win a bid for the championship, that the Rose Bowl would not be a semi-final game that year.

Semi-Final Bowl Rotation:
For the bowl rotation, there will be (6) bowls in the mix for the (2) semi-final games. The Rose Bowl (currently #1 Pac-12 vs #1 Big Ten) and the new Champions Bowl (#1 SEC vs #1 Big 12) are in. The Fiesta, Sugar, Orange are all likely in the rotation as well. The Champions Bowl still doesn’t have a location, so that will throw a wrench to some of the plans. The Cotton Bowl would be expected to be the likely #6 bowl in the rotation. However, if the Champions Bowl were to be player at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, it would likely just replace the Cotton Bowl. The same could be said about the Sugar Bowl, if the SEC and Big 12 opted to have the game in New Orleans.

In other words, it’s unlikely that a single city would have (2) Bowls in the rotation. This might open it up for some other options like Chic-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Outback Bowl in Tampa, Holiday Bowl in San Diego, etc to enter the mix.

Bowl Relevance:
Just when you were starting to get used to seeing oddities like TCU in the Rose Bowl and Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, there will be a return to some of the tradition that had existed for decades. For instance, in a year when the Rose Bowl is not a semi-final game, the game will feature the Pac-12 #1 vs. the Big Ten #1. When either or both conferences send teams to the semi-finals, the conferences will still control the bowl participants. This means that if #1 USC and #2 Ohio St. are in the “playoffs”, then Pac-12 runner-up Oregon would likely play Big Ten runner-up Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. The same system would be in place for the Champions Bowl, where you could see the #2 SEC school play the #2 Big 12 school if both conferences send members to the playoff.

You will also likely see the current BCS bowls align with conferences, just as the non-BCS bowls have. For instance, the Orange Bowl will lock up the ACC, taking their champion in years when the ACC does not send a playoff team. The Sugar Bowl could even go as far as locking up the SEC runner up in their own bowl deal, if the SEC decided to do so. What is left to determine will be what happens to some of the other bowls like the Fiesta, which would be wise to try to line-up a good game such as the Pac-12 and Big 12 runner-up schools. They could always aim for the #1 Mountain West or Big East school. At this point, there is much work to do by the conferences and the bowls to determine their alignments.

For the lesser bowls, things will remain the same. You’ll still see the MAC champion headed to a bowl you’ve possibly never hear of. But the student athletes from all the bowl schools will still get the full bowl experience. And at the end, the winners of the two semi-final games will play for a championship.

What is yet to be known will be just how the bowls select all their participants. We can hypothesize that the Sugar Bowl would try to lock-up the SEC #2 school. But there could always be a free-for-all with the bowls leaving spots open to chose schools to fill the spots. So in a year when Hawaii finishes with a single loss, they could be rewarded with a higher profile bowl, rather than having to be slotted into whatever bowl the Mountain West partners with for their #1 school.

Playoffs on Television:
One of the big reasons for this change to a playoff is the opportunity to make more money. First you have the championship site being awarded to the highest bidder. But the same can happen with the television rights. You could have the semi-final games on one network with the championship on another. Think of the NFL model where Fox might have the Super Bowl while CBS still have an AFC championship game. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the future, where (1) semi-final game could be sold to CBS, (1) semi-final game sold to Fox, and the championship game sold to ABC/ESPN. The prices will jump even further if NBC enters the mix.

Revenue Distribution:
It’s still a secret, or unknown. As of last night, there was no set plan as to who makes what, if higher seeded schools get a bigger revenue cut, etc.

Saying Goodbye to the BCS and Automatic Qualifiers:
With the creation of the (3) playoff games and the return of the rest of the bowls to the traditional system, it means the end of the conference AQ. So no more years when a #32 BCS ranked Uconn school from the Big East takes a spot in a big-money BCS bowl over a #6 or #7 school.

Instinct is to think this would be a benefit for what are now “non-BCS” conferences: if you win your conference, have strong numbers, you will be considered…unlike how it is now, where a Mountain West school must have a perfect season just to sneak into an at-large spot in a BCS bowl.

But the selection committee will ultimately decide who gets in. And there will be many years where the committee will make strong arguments that a second (1) loss SEC school would deserve to be included over an undefeated Mountain West, Big East, CUSA, Sun Belt of MAC school. So unless you have a killer OOC schedule, if you are in one of these current non-BCS conferences, you better go undefeated to be considered. Because a single loss and you’re done…since the committee would almost certainly take a 2-loss SEC school like Florida over a 1 loss Florida International from CUSA.

Sorry, Mountain West, No Can Do:
With the big announcement of a playoff yesterday, there was another piece of news slipped into the mix. The Mountain West received final word that it’s BCS exemption had been denied, meaning that the Mountain West will no get an AQ for the final (2) years of the BCS contract. With the Big East television contract expected to be much higher than the Mountain West deal, it means that Boise St. will likely officially announce their departure from the MWC to join the Big East for football only. It means BCS access for Boise St. in the Big East next year and more TV revenue in future years with the only negatives being their membership in the WAC, an unstable conference, for non-football sports…and of course the increased football travel costs.

Playoff Effect on Conference Realignment:
The quick answer: nobody knows.  It would seem that with all access being equal, that stability would be on the horizon. But with such access for all, it also puts a premium on the individual conference television contracts. So if the SEC can make millions more per school by adding a Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Virginia Tech, NC State or other school from the ACC or Big 12, what’s to stop them. In the case of the Oklahoma and OSU, it’s the Big 12 TV rights waiver that would be a deterrent, as those schools would love many millions in joining the SEC now, versus the ease that Texas A&M and Missouri had. You also have the Big 12 now at 10, losing out on millions on dollars in revenue from now having a championship game. So perhaps the Big 12 makes a larger push to expand with schools like Louisville or BYU. Or maybe the look to the ACC with schools like Florida St., Clemson, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh or others.

In the lower conferences, with that same access existing, it would seem that it would open the doors for some regional stability. The Mountain West appears poised to hold two spots open for Boise St. and San Diego St. to return one day rather than adding New Mexico St. and Idaho to get to 12. And until the Boise St./SDSU to Big East experiment has some recorded data, there’s no reason to think either school would change their plans. Mountain West fans hope that is an incorrect assessment.

We’ll have to wait an see how the playoff works itself out. Because right now, it would appear that the only ways for a conference to generate more revenue (a primary driver) would be:

1) To expand into new markets to increase their television contract value
2) To expand to 12 (MWC, Sun Belt, Big 12) to have a championship game
3) To bring in schools that will improve a conferences chances of getting a school selected to the playoff.

We can cross of #3 for the Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and likely the Big 12 unless Notre Dame joined. When you look at the available candidates, there seem to be no options for the Big East to improve after adding Boise St. So that leaves the Mountain West, CUSA, Sun Belt and MAC. If a school goes on a run of finishing with a strong record in one of those conferences, they might gain enough appeal to be invited to another conference. For instance, if UTSA becomes an FBS power, the Mountain West and CUSA would likely come calling. But it would appear that movement at the FBS level will be minimal for now when the motive if to improve the chances or getting a playoff bid.

For reason #2, you have a few players:
The Big 12 could decide that the championship game money and new markets to improve their TV contract are reason enough to expand. If they cannot get Notre Dame or an ACC school to budge, that leaves the Big East and Mountain West, where you could see programs like Louisville as well as even Houston and Memphis become candidates if they prove to be successful in the Big East. BYU is also an option, currently an independent.

The Mountain West could eventually give up on a Boise St. or SDSU return, and opt to expand to 12. You have New Mexico St. and Idaho already pleading to join. In time, you could see Sun Belt schools like Texas St. make a push if they are successful. Even CUSA schools like North Texas and UTSA could become options if the Mountain West does prove to be the more successful conference. The Sun Belt could expand to 12 with FCS options like Appalachian St., Georgia Southern or even perhaps Jacksonville St. or JMU. They also always have Idaho and New Mexico St. as football-only options.

For Reason #1, there are endless options. The SEC could expand to 16 or 18 with ACC schools. The ACC could expand to 16 with Big East members like UConn and Rutgers. The Big East could expand again in the west or even look east with schools like ECU or UMass for football only. The Pac-12 would appear locked in at 12, since Texas/Texas Tech/Oklahoma/OSU were the only candidates that brought real revenue projections to the conference. The Big Ten seems set at 12 after years of sitting at 11. But what if they decide to tinker with a southern push with schools like Maryland and Virginia? It’s highly doubtful now though to even consider that.

But for now, it does seem that the strategy will be for the conferences to sit and wait, to see what happens with the new playoff system. If   conferences are being left out for different reasons (like, say, Big 12 being punished for not having a championship game), it will take time to recognize the trends. But as long as the lure of big television money is out there, the lower conferences should always be on guard.

As we’ve done in 2011 and  previous years, here’s an updated list for the 2012 NCAA television revenue by conference for the BCS conferences. Note that there will be additional changes once league specific networks (like Pac-12 Network) are generating more money. Other contracts are expected to be altered to reflect new membership additions such as ACC, SEC and Big 12. The Big East contract is next up for renewal. The value is expected to be much lower with the losses of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and WVU but will still increase due to inflated value within the industry for conference television contracts. The per school increase for the Big East will likely rise as well, even with the membership growing to 13 members.

ACC

Big Ten

Big 12

Pac-12

SEC

OTHERS:

CUSA
5 years, $35 million, CBS College Sports (through 2016)
5 years, $35 million, Fox (through 2016)
Annual: $14 million
Average Annual per School: $1.17 million
Notes: CUSA and the MWC are expected to form a football alliance in order to negotiate a single TV contract for that sport.

Mountain West
10 years, $120 million, CBS College Sports (through 2016)
Annual: $12 million
Average Annual per School: $1.33 million
Notes: losses and additions now have the MWC at 10 members with Hawaii as a football only member, will lower per school payout. The MWC ended their own channel, Mtn this year. CUSA and the MWC are expected to form a football alliance in order to negotiate a single TV contract for that sport.

More figures here and here…

Overall Notes:
Note that many of these figures are fluid due to issues such as conference specific networks and their revenue growth potential. Per school payouts wil vary as well due to specific conferences distribution processes and their own TV rights factored in.

In November of 2010, we covered the State of the WAC: A Conference on Life Support. After receiving some donations from the FCS subdivision, the WAC took some time to rest and see if the new additions would take. To help ease the pain, the WAC even adding some support outside of football, by adding Texas-Arlington to help it’s eastern football wing of UTSA, Texas St. and LA Tech…and even added Denver and Seattle to give it’s northern members, Idaho and Utah St. a hand.

But unfortunately for the WAC, it’s time as a football conference has come to an end.

First to leave, or at least to become just about official, is UTSA. The school plans on leaving the WAC to join the newest version of Conference USA. It’s quite a feat for UTSA, a new football program that was able to go from non-existent to CUSA in just a couple years thanks to the departure of 4 CUSA schools.

Next up for the WAC exodus are the team of Utah St. and San Jose St. Utah St. has for some time been a logical MWC addition, as a way to attempt to replace the lost market of Utah with the departures of BYU and Utah. Salt Lake City had been the epicenter of the MWC, and Utah St. has a chance to help the conference reclaim some of that lost market. San Jose St. brings very little on field success. But it’s presence in the Bay Area make it an appealing option for the MWC as they seek a better television deal.

Next up for the farewell tour of the WAC will likely be Louisiana Tech. The school is expected to be the selection for the #12 spot in CUSA, with UTSA, North Texas, and Florida International joining as well. There is still a chance that Charlotte or even Appalachian St. could sneak past Louisiana Tech. But even if that happens, Louisiana Tech is likely gone anyways. With the WAC now over for football, LA Tech will at worst leave the WAC for the Sun Belt in the event that they are passed over by CUSA at the last minute.

The next likely WAC member to waive goodbye? None other than the Fighting Armadillos, I mean Bobcats, from Texas St. While the San Marcos school has less clout than North Texas in the conference realignment pecking order, and doesn’t offer the market penetration that UTSA does, Texas St. does have something to offer: a school in Texas. It might not seem like much, but Texas St. appears to be in a position where they could benefit from all the Big East and now CUSA movement. With the Sun Belt expected to lose North Texas and Florida International, even with incoming Georgia St., the Sun Belt will be looking for members. With LA Tech likely in CUSA, it means the Sun Belt candidates will be Charlotte and Texas State. Others such as Appalachian St., Georgia Southern and ODU have yet to fully commit to upgrading to FBS football. Once the Sun Belt loses 2 schools, they will be back at 9 members with Georgia State. Charlotte might be the pick here. But the conference might also opt for another FCS upgrade along with Texas St. for a 12 school football conference. Even another lonely WAC member could slip in along with Charlotte and Texas St.

And that lonely WAC member? That would be New Mexico State.

The chances that New Mexico St. join the Sun Belt are slim to none, but a bit closer to “slim”. Under a few scenarios, the Sun Belt might see a benefit in adding NMSU as it’s 12th football member. This would likely only happen if LA Tech does join CUSA, as well as North Texas and FIU. The Sun Belt, at 9 football members, could always add Texas St. and NMSU along with Charlotte for a 12 school football conference.

And then there is Idaho.

The poor Vandals have to sit back and watch all the other conferences come in and loot their conference, only to be left with no other football schools. Pride will likely keep Idaho in FBS football for many years, despite having no conference home. Idaho doesn’t have the clout of a BYU, Notre Dame or Army in being an independent, but they will have no choice. The only shot, and it’s a long one, would be if Idaho were to seek football only membership in the Sun Belt. If things worked out for them, perhaps NMSU is also left outside, and the tandem could attempt the get the Sun Belt to accept them as low revenue gaining football-only members in a 14 school conference. Idaho could also try to get the MAC to offer a similar spot, not that much different than when UCF was a MAC football member. But Florida certainly offers better incentives to the MAC than Idaho.

As for a life preserver, similar to what kept the WAC alive once before? It just doesn’t exist this time around. Schools like Montana, Montana St., Cal Poly, UC Davis, Portland St., Sacramento St., Lamar and SHSU passed on upgrading last time when the WAC still had a core group with Utah St., San Jose St., LA Tech and others. With them all gone and only 2-3 schools remaining, there is no chance that a group of regional FCS schools would upgrade.

Breakdown of a Broken Down WAC – Options for it’s Members:

Status: SAFE
UTSA will be leaving the WAC for CUSA

Status: SAFE
Utah St. will be leaving the WAC for the Mountain West

Status: SAFE
San Jose St. will be leaving the WAC for the Mountain West

Status: SAFE
Louisiana Tech Options: will either be moving to CUSA as member #12 (with UTSA, North Texas and FIU) or joining the Sun Belt if LA Tech is passed over by CUSA for Charlotte or Appalachian St.

Status: CHANCE OF BEING LEFT BEHIND
Texas St. could be left out of the FBS football conference mix. Their primary hope is that the Sun Belt loses 2-3 schools with their membership dropping to 8-9. Either Charlotte or LA Tech would be the top replacement, whichever one is not invited to CUSA. Texas St. expects that it will slip into the next spot for school #11 under the scenario in which the Sun Belt loses North Texas and FIU to CUSA, adds Georgia St. for #9, adds Charlotte or LA Tech for #10, and Texas St. for #11. If the Sun Belt were lose lose out on Charlotte, it might be a blessing in disguise for other schools, as the conference might than take Appalachian St. (similar region as Charlotte) and Texas St. for #12.
Scenarios if left behind:
A) Participate as a FBS independent while remaining in the  WAC for non-football sports
B)  Participate as a FBS independent while returning to the Southland for non-football sports
C)  Participate as a FBS independent while joining the Summit League for non-football sports should the WAC fold and Southland reject them
D) Downgrade to FCS football and re-join the Southland Conference
Other FBS option: school could seek football only membership in a conference such as the Sun Belt or MAC

Status: GOOD CHANCE OF BEING LEFT BEHIND
New Mexico St. is in a worse situation that Texas St. Their only hope is that the Sun Belt opts to expand to 12 schools, adding Charlotte or LA Tech along with Texas St. to get to 11 following the departures of North Texas and FIU. NMSU would have to beat out FCS schools like Appalachian St. and Georgia Southern for that final spot.

Scenarios if left behind:
A) Participate as a FBS independent while remaining in the  WAC for non-football sports
B)  Participate as a FBS independent while joining the Southland for non-football sports
C)  Participate as a FBS independent while joining the Summit League for non-football sports should the WAC fold and Southland reject them
D) Downgrade to FCS football and join Southland Conference
Other FBS option: school could seek football only membership in a conference such as the Sun Belt or MAC

Status: POOR
Idaho is in the worst possible spot. They regionally are not an ideal fit for all-sports membership in the Sun Belt, the only conference that might have space for them (since the MWC does not have any desire for them at this time). Idaho’s only shot of not being am FBS football independent will be if they are able to join the Sun Belt in some capacity.

Scenarios if left behind:
A) Participate as a FBS independent while remaining in the  WAC for non-football sports
B)  Participate as a FBS independent while joining the Big Sky for non-football sports
C)  Participate as a FBS independent while joining the Summit League for non-football sports should the WAC fold and Big Sky reject them
D) Downgrade to FCS football and join Big Sky Conference
Other FBS option: school could seek football only membership in a conference such as the Sun Belt or MAC

WAC Survival Once Football is Gone:

Lost in the realignment news is that beyond being just about football, there are also non-football members with a stake in the action. The hope here is that the WAC can keep enough members such as Idaho and NMSU, and perhaps Texas St., and that they can pick up a few other members from conferences like the Summit League or Southland.

* Utah Valley will be expected to join the WAC.

* CSU-Bakersfield is another option that the WAC to consider.

* UTPA will be expected to join if the WAC can keep any Texas members such as Texas St. and UT-Arlington and the Southland does not offer them membership

* They will also have to look at potential Division 2 upgrades in the region.

* If times are desperate, New Orleans is another option, as the school will rejoin Division 1 and is without a home

Looking at the math, the WAC would appear to be safe as a conference without football. Likely membership:

CSU-Bakersfield
Seattle
Idaho
Denver
Utah Valley
NMSU
Texas-Arlington
UTPA
New Orleans

WAC Non-Football members:

The newest WAC member, as a result of Boise St. moving it’s football program to the Big East. Should the WAC fold, Boise St. will have a few options.

Options if the WAC folds:
- seek membership in the Big Sky for non-football sports
- join the Summit League for non-football sports
- Try again to get the Big West to accept them for non-football sports
 Seattle has few options. They only joined the WAC because the WCC and Big West had no interest. Seattle would have one option: hope the WCC changes their stance and brings them in with a 12th school after Pacific joins for 12 member.

 Denver has a few options as well. They can always join the Summit League. The could also ask the Big West to change their football requirement rules ans apply. And Denver always has the hope that thanks to the WCC additions of BYU and Pacific, that the WCC would invite them as a travel partner for the Utah based school, becoming member #12 with Seattle.

 Texas-Arlington will always likely have a home back in the Southland if they want it. The fact that the Southland is flirting with schools like UTPA says much about their conference stability. Even more telling is that UTPA has yet to be invited, likely a case of the Southland holding out to see how the WAC membership shakes out. If the WAC folds, UTA will have a home again. If the Southland felt too jilted, UTA could always join the Summit.

Over the next few weeks, the WAC will undergo some more changes. But what you see above should cover just about every scenario…even some real longshots.

To keep up with all the scenarios and news, be sure to follow the Conference Realignment Grid .

Updated on 10/10/12:

Who’s out? Who’s in? It’s that time of the year again when assistants get their big shot at a head coaching position while other schools begin the poaching process. As positions are made available, potential candidates will be included on the list.

“Hirings” will appear at the bottom of the page, followed by the coaching change “Timeline”.

Got something to add that has been missed? Comment below.

RECENT CHANGES:
10/10/12: Monroe Out at UMBC
9/20/12: Gillispie Out at Texas Tech
9/12/12: Calhoun Retires From Uconn, Ollie Promoted
8/24/12: Majerus Will Miss a Year at St. Louis
8/02.12: HIRING: Mike Davis Named Interim Coach at Texas Southern
7/03/12: Harvey Out at Texas Southern
6/23/12: HIRING: Fullerton St. Interim Coach Newman to Coach 2012-2013 season

HIRINGS:

Air Force:

Former Coach: Jeff Reynolds (fired)

New Coach: Dave Pilipovich (Air Force assistant)

Alabama – Birmingham:

Former Coach: Mike Davis (fired)

New Coach: Jerod Haase (UNC assistant)

Potential UAB Basketball Coach Candidates:

T.J. Cleveland (Arkansas assistant), Donnie March (UAB assistant)

No Longer a Candidate: Andy Kennedy (Ole Miss coach)

Binghamton:

Former Coach:

Mark Macon (fired)

New Coach: Tommy Dempsey (Rider coach)

Potential Binghamton Basketball Coach Candidates:

Tommy Dempsey (Rider coach), Jim Engles (NJIT coach), Jayson Gee (Cleveland St. assistant), Don Anderson (Binghamton assistant), Eric Eaton (Quinnipiac assistant)

Canisius:

Former Coach: Tom Parrotta (fired)

New Coach: Jim Baron (former URI coach)

Potential Canisius Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jayson Gee (Cleveland st. assistant), Jim Baron (former URI coach), Dave Duda (St. Joseph’s assistant), Steve Merfield (Creighton assistant)

Others: Bob Walsh (Rhode Island college coach), Fred Dupree (College of Charleston assistant), Anthony Evans (Norfolk St. coach), Desmond Oliver (Charlotte assistant), Tony Newsom (Fairfield assistant), Mike Maker (Williams coach)

Central Michigan:

Former Coach: Ernie Zeigler (fired)

New Coach: Keno Davis (former Drake & Providence coach)

Potential CMU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Keno Davis (former Drake coach), Dana Fife (Michigan St. assistant), Todd Lickliter (Miami-Ohio assistant), Jim Boylen (former Utah coach), Steve Schmidt (Mott Community College coach)

College of Charleston:

Former Coach: Bobby Cremins (retired)

Interim coach: Mark Byington

New Coach: Doug Wojcik (former Tulsa coach)

Potential Charleston Basketball Coach Candidates:

Doug Wojcik (former Tulsa coach), Mark Byington (CofC assistant), Al Skinner (former BC coach), Mike Young (Wofford coach), Earl Grant (Clemson assistant), Anthony Johnson (former CofC player)

Colorado St.:

Former Coach: Tim Miles (resigned)

New Coach: Larry Eustachy (USM coach)

Potential Colorado St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Ernie Kent (former Oregon coach), Larry Eustachy (USM coach), Mike Dunlop (St. John’s assistant), Craig Smith (CSU assistant), Randy Rahe (Weber St. coach), Marvin Menzies (New Mexico State assistant), Craig Neal (New Mexico assistant)

Others: Niko Medved (CSU assistant), Wayne Tinkle (Montana coach), Ray Giacoletti (Gonzaga), Scott Cross (UTA coach)

Long shots: Joe Scott (Denver coach), Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant)

No longer a candidate: Dan Monson (Long Beach St. coach)

Connecticut:

Former Coach: Jim Calhoun (retired)

New Coach: Kevin Ollie

Duquesne:

Former Coach: Ron Everhart (fired)

New Coach: Jim Ferry (LIU coach)

Potential Duquesne Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jim Ferry (LIU coach), Orlando Antiqua (Kentucky assistant), Brett Reed (Lehigh coach), Andy Toole (Robert Morris coach), Jimmy Pastos (Loyola-MD coach), Jeff Boals (Ohio St. assistant), Pat Kelsey (former Xavier assistant), Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh assistant), Matt Driscoll (North Florida coach), Gary Waters (Cleveland St. coach)

No longer a candidate: Keith Dambrot (Akron coach)

Eastern Illinois:

Former Coach: Mike Miller (fired)

New Coach: Jay Spoonhour (Moberly CC coach)

Finalists:

David Cason (Vanderbilt assistant), Brian Fish (Oregon assistant), Doug Novsek (Nevada assistant), Kareem Richardson (Xavier assistant), Jay Spoonhour ( Moberly Area Community College coach).

Potential EIU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Rodney Watson (Southern Indiana coach), Jay Price (Illinois assistant), Doug Novsek (Nevada assistant), Steve McClain (Indiana assistant), Jack Owens (Purdue assistant), Tracy Webster (Tennessee assistant), Robert Corn (Missouri Southern coach)

Florida International:

Former Coach:

Isiah Thomas (fired)

New Coach: Richard Pitino (Louisville assistant)

Potential FIU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Richard Pitino (Louisville assistant), Tony Pujol (Alabama assistant), Orlando Antigua (Kentucky assistant), Stan Jones (Florida St. assistant), Dan Muller (Vanderbilt assistant)

Grambling:

Former Coach:

Bobby Washington (fired)

New Coach: Joseph Price (Lamar assistant)

Potential Grambling Basketball Coach Candidates:

Joseph Price (Lamar assistant), Sammy Jackson (Fort Valley St coach), Eric Strothers (Jackson St coach), Michael Grant (Stillman coach)

Idaho State:

Former Coach: Joe O’Brien (resigned)

New Coach: Bill Evans (Montana assistant)

Potential Idaho St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Bobby Steinburg (Kent St. assistant), Bill Evans (Montana assistant), Chris Jones (Utah St. assistant)

No longer a candidate: Deane Martin (Idaho St. interim coach)

Illinois:

Former Coach: Bruce Weber (fired)

New Coach: John Groce (Ohio coach)

Potential Illinois Basketball Coach Candidates:

John Groce (Ohio coach), Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach)

No Longer Candidates: Shaka Smart (VCU coach), Brad Stevens (Butler coach), Frank Martin (Kansas St. coach)

Illinois St.:

Former Coach:

Tim Jankovich (resigned)

New Coach: Dan Muller (Vanderbilt assistant)

Potential Illinois St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Dan Muller (Vanderbilt assistant), Ray Gicacoletti (Gonzaga assistant), Rob Judson (Illinois St. assistant), Chris Collins (Duke assistant), Jeff Boals (Ohio St. assistant), Todd Lickliter (Miami-Ohio assistant), Jim Boylen (former Utah coach), Steve McClain (Indiana assistant), Tim Buckley (Indiana assistant)

Kansas St.:

Former Coach: Frank Martin (resigned)

New coach: Bruce Weber (former Illinois coach)

Potential Kansas St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Bruce Weber (former Illinois coach), Brad Underwood (Kansas St. assistant), Larry Eustachy (USM coach), Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant), Tim Jankovich (Illinois St. coach), Steve Henson (Oklahoma assistant), Doug Gottlieb (ESPN)

Not a candidate: Mark Fox (Georgia coach)

LIU:

Former Coach: Jim Perry (resigned)

New Coach: Jack Perri (LIU assistant)

LSU:

Former Coach: Trent Johnson (resigned)

New Coach: Johnny Jones (North Texas coach)

Potential LSU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Johnny Jones (UNT coach), Tommy Amaker (Harvard coach), Reggie Theus (former NMSU coach)

Others: Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach), Larry Eustachy (USM coach), Jeff Capel (Duke assistant), Tim Floyd (UTEP coach), Scott Drew (Baylor coach), Donnie Tyndall (Morehead St. coach), Mike Davis (former UAB coach)
Others (long shots): Tony Bennett (Virginia coach), Buzz Williams (Marquette coach), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso coach)

Mount St. Mary’s:

Former Coach: Randy Monroe (resigned)

New coach: Aki Thomas (UMBC assistant)

Mount St. Mary’s:

Former Coach: Robert Burke (resigned)

New coach: Jamion Christian (VCU assistant)

Potential Mt. Saint Mary’s Basketball Coach Candidates:

Pete Strickland (George Washington assistant), Brion Dunlop (Holy Cross assistant), Matt Henry (Mt. St. Mary’s assistant), Jamion Christian (VCU assistant)

Miami-Ohio:

Former Coach: Charlie Coles (retired)

New Coach: John Cooper (Tennessee St. coach)

Potential Miami-Ohio Basketball Coach Candidates:

John Cooper (Tennessee St. assistant), James Whitford (Arizona assistant), Jermaine Henderson (Miami assistant), Todd Lickliter (Miami assistant), Pat Kelsey (former Xavier assistant), Jeff Boals (Ohio St. assistant), Tim Buckley (Indiana assistant).

Mississippi St.:

Former Coach: Rick Stansbury (retired)

New Coach: Rick Ray (Clemson assistant)

Potential Mississippi St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Larry Eustachy (USM coach), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts coach), Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach), Kermit Davis (MTSU coach), Tom Herrion (Marshall coach), Robert Kirby (Georgetown assistant), Marcus Grant (Mississippi St. assistant), John Cooper (Tennessee St. coach), Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach), Rick Ray (Clemson assistant)

No Longer a Candidate: Steve Prohm (Murray St. coach), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso coach)

Mississippi Valley St.:

Former Coach:

Sean Woods (resigned)

New Coach: Chico Potts (MVSU assistant)

Potential Mississippi Valley St.  Basketball Coach Candidates:

Chico Potts (MVSU assistant), George Ivory (Arkansas-Pine Bluff coach, Harvey Wardell (Tougaloo assistant)

Morehead St.:

Former Coach:

Donnie Tyndall (resigned)

New Coach: Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach)

Potential Morehead St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Matthew Graves – offered job (Butler assistant), Wade O’Conner (Morehead St. assistant), Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach),

Others: Brian Lane (Transylvania coach), John Pelphrey (Florida assistant), Kelly Wells (Pikesville coach), Orlando Antigua (Kentucky assistant), Jeff Boals (Ohio St. assistant), Todd Lickliter (Miami-Ohio assistant), Steve McClain (Indiana assistant), Dennis Felton (former WKU/UGA coach). Darrin Horn (former South Carolina coach)

Not  candidate: Happy Osborne (former Tennessee Tech assistant)

Nebraska:

Former Coach: Doc Sadler (fired)

New coach: Time Miles (Colorado St. coach)

Potential Nebraska Basketball Coach Candidates:

Tim Miles (Colorado St. coach), Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach), Rex Walters (USF coach), John Groce (Ohio coach), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts coach)

North Carolina A&T:

Former Coach: Jerry Eaves (fired)

New Coach: Cy Alexander (former TSU coach)

Potential NC A&T Basketball Coach Candidates:

Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach), Scott Bollwage (NC A&T interim coach), Horace Broadnax (Savannah St. coach), Cy Alexander (former Tennessee St. coach), Bobby Collins (Winston Salem St), Edward Joyner (Hampton coach)

North Texas:

Former Coach:

Johnny Jones (resigned)

New Coach: Tony Benford (Marquette assistant)

Potential North Texas Basketball Coach Candidates:

Tony Benford (Marquette assistant), Fran Fraschilla (ESPN), Shawn Forrest (UNT assistant), Tim Floyd (UTEP coach), Doc Sadler (former Nebraska coach), Danny Kaspar (Stephen F. Austin coach), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant), Glynn Cyprien (Texas A&M assistant), Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach), Scott Cross (UT-Arlington coach), Brooks Thompson (UTSA coach), Phil Cunningham (former Mississippi St. assistant)

Northern Arizona:

Former Coach: Mike Adras (resigned)

New coach: Jack Murphy (Memphis assistant)

Potential Northern Arizona Basketball Coach Candidates:

Bobby Braswell (Cal St. Northridge coach), Jack Murphy (Memphis assistant) , Steve Gosar (Southern Idaho coach), Raphael Chillious (Washington assistant), Scott Garson (UCLA assistant), John Jay (Cal assistant), Joe Harge (New Mexico Highlands coach), Jerry Carrillo (Cochise College), Randall Dickey (Auburn assistant)

Others:

Russ Pennell (Grand Canyon coach), Scott Pera (Arizona St. assistant), David Grace (Oregon St. assistant)

Ohio:

Former Coach: John Groce (resigned)

New coach: Jim Christian (TCU coach)

Potential Ohio Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jim Christian (TCU coach), Jeff Boals (Ohio St. assistant), Dustin Ford (Ohio assistant), Todd Lickliter (Miami-Ohio assistant), Brett Reed (Lehigh coach), Orlando Antigua (Kentucky assistant), Kareem Richardson (Xavier assistant), Pat Kelsey (former Xavier assistant). Gary Waters (Cleveland St. coach)

Rhode Island:

Former Coach: Jim Baron (fired)

New Coach: Danny Hurley (Wagner coach)

Potential URI Basketball Coach Candidates:

Danny Hurley (Wagner coach), Al Skinner (Former URI coach), Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant), Jim Ferry (LIU coach)

Others: Bruiser Flint (Drexel coach), Bob Walsh (Rhode Island College coach), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola-MD coach), Jim Christian (TCU coach)

Rider:

Former Coach: Tommy Dempsey (resigned)

New Coach: Kevin Baggett (Rider assistant) 

Potential Rider Basketball Coach Candidates:
Kevin Baggett (Rider assistant), Jim Engles (NJIT coach), Scott Pera (Arizona St. assistant)

Samford:

Former Coach: Jimmy Tillette (fired)

New Coach: Bennie Seltzer

Potential Samford Basketball Coach Candidates:

Bennie Seltzer (Indiana assistant), Mark Byington (Charleston assistant), Phillip Pearson (Georgia assistant), , Micah Shrewsberry (Purdue assistant), Murray Bartow (ETSU coach)

South Carolina:

Former Coach: Darrin Horn (fired)

New Coach: Frank Martin (Kansas St. coach)

Potential South Carolina Basketball Coach Candidates:

Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach), Frank Martin (Kansas St. coach), Tubby Smith (Minnesota coach)

Southern Illinois:

Former Coach: Chris Lowery (fired)

New coach: Barry Hinson (Kansas assistant)

Potential SIU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Bruce Weber (former Illinois coach), Matthew Graves (Butler assistant), Tim Buckley (Indiana assistant), John Groce (Ohio coach), Todd Lickliter (Miami-Ohio assistant), Greg Gard (Wisconsin assistant), Dan Muller (Vanderbilt), Barry Hinson (Kansas assistant)

Southern Mississippi:

Former Coach:

Larry Eustachy (resigned)

New coach: Donnie Tyndall (Morehead St. coach)

Potential USM Basketball Coach Candidates:

Donnie Tyndall (Morehead St. coach), Steve Barnes (USM assistant), Greg Heiar (Wichita St. assistant), Jay Ladner (Oak Grove HS coach), Doc Sadler (former Nebraska coach), Tim Floyd (UTEP coach), Reggie Theus (former NMSU coach)

Others: John Pelphrey (Florida assistant), Kenny Payne (Kentucky assistant), Bob Marlin (ULL coach), Sean Woods (Mississippi Valley St. coach)

No longer a candidate: Kermit Davis (MTSU coach)

SMU:

Former Coach:

Matt Doherty (fired)

New Coach: Larry Brown (former NBA coach)

Potential SMU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Larry Brown (former NBA coach), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts coach), Steve McClain (Indiana assistant), Johnny Jones (UNT coach), Scott Cross (UT-Arlington coach), Brooks Thompson (UTSA coach), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant), Russ Springmann (Texas assistant), Tony Benford (Marquette assistant), Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant)

No longer a candidate: Buzz Williams (Marquette coach), Bruce Weber (former Illinois coach), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso coach), Tommy Amaker (Harvard coach), Dan Monson (LBSU coach), Rick Majerus (St. Louis coach)

Southern Utah:

Former Coach: Roger Reid (retired)

New Coach: Nick Robinson (LSU assistant)

Potential Southern Utah Basketball Coach Candidates:

Ron Verlin (Pacific assistant), Barret Perry (Indian Hills CC coach), Nick Robinson (LSU assistant), Ken Wagner (BYU-Hawaii coach), Kerry Rupp (former LA Tech coach), Jon Judkins (Dixie St. coach)

St. Francis (PA):

Former Coach:

Don Friday (fired)

New Coach: Rob Krimmel

St. Louis:

Former Coach: Rick Majerus

New Coach: Jim Crews

Tennessee St.:

Former Coach: John Cooper (resigned)

New Coach: Travis Williams (Tennessee St. assistant)

Potential Tennessee St. Basketball Coach Candidates:

Travis Willians (Tennessee St. assistant), David Cason (Vanderbilt assistant), Steve Forbes (former Tennessee assistant)

TCU:

Former Coach: Jim Christian (resigned)

New Coach: Trent Johnson (LSU coach)

Potential TCU Basketball Coach Candidates:

Trent Johnson (LSU coach), Johnny Jones (UNT coach), Scott Cross (UT-Arlington coach), Brooks Thompson (UTSA coach), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant), Russ Springmann (Texas assistant), Joe Dooley (Kansas assistant), Fran Fraschilla (ESPN)

Not a candidate: Jaime Dixon (Pitt coach)

Texas Southern:

Former Coach: Tony Harvey (resigned)
New Coach: Mike Davis (former UAB coach) 

Potential Texas Southern coach candidates:
Mike Davis (former UAB coach)

Texas Tech:

Former Coach: Billy Gillispie (resigned)

New Coach: Chris Walker (Texas Tech assistant) 

Tulsa:

Former Coach: Doug Wojcik (fired)

New coach: Danny Manning (Kansas assistant)

Potential Tulsa Basketball Coach Candidates:

Danny Manning (Kansas assistant), David Cason (Vanderbilt assistant), Brooks Thompson (UTSA coach), Scott Cross (UTA coach), Terry Evans (C. Oklahoma coach)

No longer a candidate: Scott Sutton (ORU coach)

UNC-Greensboro:

Former Coach: Mike Dement (fired)

New Coach: Wes Miller (UNCG assistant)

Potential UNC-Greensboro Basketball Coach Candidates:

Wes Miller (UNCG interim coach)

Virginia Tech:

Former Coach: Seth Greenberg (fired)

New Coach: James Johnson (Clemson assistant)

Potential Virginia Teach Basketball Coach Candidates:

Jeff Capel (Duke assistant), Rob Murphy (EMU coach), Blaine Taylor (ODU coach), Chris Mooney (Richmond coach), Gregg Marshall (Wichita St. coach), Scott Sutton (ORU coach), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso coach), Tommy Amaker (Harvard coach), Keith Dambrot (Akron coach), Paul Hewitt (GMU coach), Bob McKillop (Davidson coach), Steve Robinson (UNC assistant), Chris Collins (Duke assistant)

Wagner:

Former Coach: Danny Hurley (resigned)

New Coach: Bashir Mason (Wagner assistant)

Potential Wagner Basketball Coach Candidates:
Jim Engles (NJIT coach), Jim Carr (Rutgers assistant), Scott Spinelli (Maryland assistant), Martin Inglesby (Notre Dame assistant), Darren Savino (Cincinnati assistant)
Not a Candidate: Bobby Hurley ( will join brother at URI)

Western Kentucky:

Former Coach: Ken McDonald (fired)

New Coach: Ray Harper (WKU Assistant)

Winthrop:

Former Coach: Randy Peele (fired)

New Coach: Pat Kelsey (former Xavier assistant)

Potential Winthrop Basketball Coach Candidates:
Rick Ray (Clemson assistant), Earl Grant (Clemson assistant), Jim Fox (Davidson assistant), Barclay Radebaugh (Charleston Southern assistant), Jeff Meyer (former Liberty coach), Rusty LaRue (Wake Forest assistant), Dip Mestress (Augusta St. coach), Ryan Odom (Charlotte assistant)

Others:
Bobby Lutz (NC State assistant), Dino Gaudio (former Wake Forest coach)

Timeline:

7/03/12: Harvey Out at Texas Southern
6/23/12: HIRING: Fullerton St. Interim Coach Newman to Coach 2012-2013 season
6/19/12: HIRING: Chico Potts Promoted at Mississippi Valley St.
5/30/12: Burton Resigns at CSU-Fullerton
5/24/12: HIRING: Rider Promotes Assistant Baggett
5/23/12: HIRING: Brown To Select Penn Assistant per Jon Rothstein
5/22/12: HIRING: Rider Coach to Binghamton
5/11/12: HIRING: Morehead St. to Hire Woods
5/08/12: HIRING: Lamar Assistant to Grambling
5/07/12: HIRING: Illinois St. Hires Muller from Vanderbilt
5/08/12: HIRING: Lamar Assistant to Grambling
5/07/12: HIRING: Illinois St. Hires Muller from Vanderbilt
4/30/12: Macon Out at Binghamton
4/30/12: HIRING: Clemson Assistant Back to VA Tech as Head Coach
4/28/12: HIRING: Tyndall Leaves Morehead for USM
4/26/12: Jankovich Leaves Illinois St. for SMU Assistant Role
4/24/12: HIRING: North Texas Hires Marquette Assistant
4/23/12: Seth Greenberg Out at Virginia Tech
4/20/12: HIRING: Cy Alexander to NC A&T
4/19/12: HIRING: Krimmel Takes Over at St. Francis
4/19/12: Friday Out at St. Francis (PA)
4/17/12: HIRING: Larry Brown to SMU, Jankovich expected to join from Illinois St.
4/15/12: HIRING: Louisville Assistant Pitino to FIU
4/13/12: HIRING: LSU Hires North Texas Coach Jones
4/13/12: HIRING: Williams Promoted at Tennessee St.
4/12/12: HIRING: Northern Arizona Tabs Memphis Assistant
4/10/12: HIRING: Colorado St. Selects Eustachy After Kent Deal Falls Through
4/10/12: HIRING: LIU Promotes Perri
4/10/12: HIRING: Duquesne Hires LIU Coach Ferry
4/06/12: HIRING: Cooper Leaves TSU for Miami (OH)
4/06/12: HIRING: TCU to Hire LSU Coach Johnson
4/06/12: Isiah Thomas Out at FIU
4/05/12: HIRING: EIU Hires Spoonhour
4/04/12: HIRING: Samford Names Indiana Assistant as Coach
4/02/12: HIRING: CMU Hires Keno Davis
4/02/12: HIRING: TCU Coach Leaves for Ohio
4/01/12: HIRING: Jim Baron to Canisius
4/01/12: HIRING: Mississippi St. Hires Clemson Assistant
3/31/12: HIRING: Charleston Hires Wojcik
3/31/12: HIRING: Bruce Weber to Kansas St.
3/29/12: HIRING: Pat Kelsey to Winthrop
3/28/12: HIRING: Southern Utah Select Robinson
3/28/12: HIRING: Illinois Hires Groce from Ohio
3/28/12: HIRING: Danny Manning to Coach Tulsa
3/27/12: HIRING: Hinson to Coach SIU
3/26/12: HIRING: UAB Hires UNC Assistant
3/26/12: HIRING: Frank Martin to South Carolina
3/25/12: HIRING: Wagner Promotes Mason
3/23/12: HIRING: Mt. Saint Mary’s Hires VCU Assistant
3/23/12: HIRING: Tim Miles to Nebraska
3/23/12: Duquesne Fires Everhart
3/22/12: EIU Announces Coach Finalists
3/20/12: HIRING: URI Hires Hurley form Wagner
3/19/12: Grambling Ousts Washington
3/19/12: Cremins to Retire from Charleston
3/16/12: UAB Fires Mike Davis
3/15/12: Stansbury Retiring at Mississippi St.
3/14/12: Zeigler Out at CMU
3/13/12: North Carolina A&T Fires Eaves
3/13/12: Tillette Out at Samford after 15 Years
3/13/12: Doherty Out at SMU
3/13/12: South Carolina Fires Horn
3/11/12: Wojcik Out at Tulsa
3/9/12: Nebraska Fires Sadler
3/9/12: Weber Out at Illinois
3/8/12: Southern Utah Coach Reid Retires
3/8/12: HIRING: Bill Evans to coach Idaho St.
3/7/12: UNCG Hires Miller
3/5/12: Brown Fires Jesse Agel
3/5/12: Winthrop Fires Peele
3/4/12: Jim Baron Fired at URI
3/4/12: Canisius Fires Parrotta
3/2/12: Lowery Fired at SIU
2/27/12: Miller Out at Eastern Illinois
2/19/12: HIRING: WKU Promotes Harper
2/8/12: HIRING: Air Force Fires Reynolds, Promotes Pilipovich
1/6/12: WKU Fires Ken McDonald
12/20/11: O’Brien Out at Idaho St.
12/13/11: Dement Out at UNCG
12/10/11: Adras Fired at Northern Arizona

Previous Years:

2011 College Basketball Coaching Changes

2010 College Basketball Coaching Changes

2009 College Basketball Coaching Changes

2008 College Basketball Coaching Changes

2007 College Basketball Coaching Changes

2006 College Basketball Coaching Changes

The Recap:

So the ACC struck first by adding Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East. The SEC followed by adding Texas A&M and Missouri from the Big 12. The Big 12 then added TCU and WVU.

And things seemed normal. Patterns remained intact. And we waited for the next, seemingly logical move.

And then the Big East came up to bat…

What did the world expect? Some logical moves following the same familiar patterns. When the Big East lost 3 schools in 2003 (Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College to the ACC), the replaced those 3 all-sports schools with 3 all-sports schools from CUSA: Louisville, Cincinnati and USF. And to appease the 6 non-football schools in the Big East, non-football members DePaul and Marquette were also brought in from CUSA.

So when the Big East was down 4 football schools, we just assumed they would follow a familiar path. First, we expected the annual phone calls to Army and Navy. Upon the annual rejections, the Big East would then look to CUSA. In response to the initial losses of Syracuse, Pitt and TCU, the Big East then lined up UCF, Houston and SMU. And it made sense to everyone, knowing that if WVU or Louisville left for the Big 12, that the conference would still have local options to consider such as Temple, Villanova (FBS upgrade), Memphis, and ECU.

But instead, the Big East went bold, going coast to coast. The first school they called: Boise St. for football only. And Boise St. accepted.

Next school up: Air Force. Despite some interest, Air Force passed, as they did when the Big 12 reached out to them, citing the competition level, travel, etc, as reasons to pass.

Next up: BYU. Despite mutual interest, ultimately, BYU passed on the idea, citing financial interests as the reason. But many still think that with rival Utah being in the Pac-12, that remaining independent is the only move that can keep BYU on pace with Utah…as the Big 12 and Big East as less attractive options than the Pac-12.

With Air Force and BYU out, the Big East then went after San Diego St. for football only…who accepted.

So with the Big East football membership then at 10, the Big East was able to convince Navy to join for football only.

And with WVU leaving and the membership at 11, the Big East then passed on football-only and all-sports options like Temple in favor of all-sports membership by Memphis.

And with the Big East at 12, all seemed to settle down.

But now it was time for CUSA and the Mountain West to make their moves. The result? An all-sports merger by the conferences.

The CUSA/MWC Merger aka the “Countrywide Conference”:

The CUSA/MWC merger makes sense on a number of levels. It brings stability to a conference by bringing it’s membership to 15 all-sports and 16 football schools. If even 5-6 left, they’d still have 9-10 schools as a base. And for a new television contract, covering so many markets across the country will make the conference more appealing than as 2 separate entities. To save on travel, the conference will be split into 2 regional divisions. And with so many state schools in the conference (16 schools in 13 different states), the conference will have some political power, something it might not have as 2 separate conferences.

But what is most interesting is that even at 16 schools, the still un-named CUSA/MWC merger might add more schools.

Future Conference Realignment:

Let’s start with the conferences more people are interested in, the BCS level conferences:

Big Ten:

Despite the expansion by the SEC and ACC to 14, the Big 12 considering to go beyond 10,  CUSA/MWC at 16, the Big Ten will likely remain at 12. They sat at 11 for many years, waiting for the perfect opportunity (Nebraska). They have given up on Notre Dame, basically telling Notre Dame they will no longer invite them, but will listen if Notre Dame approaches them. Should Notre Dame ever do that, you could see them seek a 14th school to balance the divisions.

Probability of expanding in the near future:: slim to none

Candidates:
Notre Dame: the school the Big Ten wants, but the same school that seems set to pass on the Big Ten
Missouri: they are in the SEC now, so a move to their desired conference, the Big Ten, might be a long shot now
Pitt & Syracuse: both schools are now in the ACC, similar situation to Missouri. Both schools may be able to compete in the ACC for football, the Big Ten might be more difficult.
Rutgers: long thought to be future Big Ten member, the Nebraska addition makes a move less likely.
UConn: similar to Rutgers in providing access to the northeast.
Kansas: another longshot since they’d only be considered as a #14 school with Notre Dame, in which case an eastern school like Rutgers or Uconn would make more sense.

SEC:

We can keep this one short and sweet. The conference just expanded to 14 and it will take some time to get it’s legs with 2 additional members, adding two new markets, new regions even, with Texas A&M and Missouri. There will always be a chance that the SEC might go bold with a move to 16 and redefine the landscape as the top football conference.

Probability of expanding in the near future: slim to none

Candidates:
Virginia Tech
NC State
Florida St.*
Miami*
Clemson*
Georgia Tech* 

* SEC has said they will not add any schools currently in a state that an SEC school is in.

Pac-12:

The Pac-10 laid out a bold plan and 2 years in a row, came close to pulling off a major coup. They seemed within hours of closing the deal, twice, to add Colorado, Utah, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. In the end, the conference passed on expansion to 16 once they added Colorado and Utah, as the demands made by Texas and other elements involved in adding the Oklahoma schools and Texas Tech led to Pac-12 stability at 12. While the door seems shut for expansion, we can never rule it out…given the on again, off again Big 12 relationships.

Probability of expanding in the near future:: unlikely. Once the current Big 12 television contract expires, Texas and Oklahoma might always consider the Pac-12 again…if the Pac-12 would listen. But for the time being, the Pac-12 seems set.

Candidates:
Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma St.
Texas Tech
Kansas 

ACC:

The ACC is in a rare spot where the conference, even at 14, might actually be in a position to increase their per-school revenue by adding schools that might not add obvious value. Notre Dame is the top option: if the school were to leave the Big East and forced into an all-sports conference, the ACC is considered the top option. Many would question that, thinking the Big Ten makes more sense. But the ACC would provide Notre Dame with a strong academic conference, an easier level of competition, rivalries with the popular northeast schools (and fellow Catholic school Boston College) and most importantly, recruiting access into the southeast.

If a Notre Dame addition happened in the ACC, Uconn would likely be brought in as #16.

But the ACC might be in a unique position where even if Notre Dame ultimately passes on the ACC for good, the ACC could still expand with Uconn and Rutgers. Yes, the same Uconn that is set to lose it’s long tenured basketball coach, and the same Rutgers that just lost it’s football coach. But with the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, along with existing members Boston College, Maryland and former Big East school, Miami (a popular school with people in the northeast), the ACC could put in the final blow to the Big East in taking over the northeast region as it’s own. The Atlantic Coast Conference could become the actual conference of the entire Atlantic coast..complete with a takeover of MSG for the basketball conference tournament.

Probability of expanding in the near future: very possible.
Notre Dame is the key. The ACC would also need to get revenue estimates from the networks (ESPN) as to what the new value would be if Uconn and Rutgers were added. As no move has been made yet, we can’t assume that is because the revenue numbers are poor. Instead, perception could be a factor as the ACC has been labeled as “raiding” the Big East now for 5 schools…while the Big East, who took 9 CUSA members in less than a decade, has never had that negative label.

Candidates:
Notre Dame: the top option by far
UConn: if Notre Dame is added, Uconn would be #16
Rutgers: if Notre Dame passes, Uconn and Rutgers could be added

Big 12:

How things change. For the past 2 years, the Big 12 appeared ready to fold with 5-6 schools heading to the Pac-10 and Nebraska to the Big Ten. But the members held with only Texas A&M and Missouri leaving. Their replacements? TCU and WVU who one can argue have been superior football programs to the departed. After some legal hassles between WVU and the Big East, the Big 12 is set for 2012 at 10 members. But just a few months ago, Louisville appeared ready to join in the spot taken by WVU. Even today, it seems like only time before Louisville joins the Big 12. The problem is finding a #12 school for a conference named the Big “12″. BYU was approached, but passed over financial concerns. Would a newly united conference change their mind? Perhaps. Air Force was also contacted but passed due to fears of not being competitive. But with Navy now in the Big East and the CUSA/MWC merger all that is left for Air Force, maybe they would be wise to consider a tougher schedule in favor of higher relevancy. But after those 3 schools, 2 of which have passed on the Big 12, the candidate pool takes a step back. You have schools like Houston who could perhaps add something to the lost Texas A&M market. You have Cincinnati, the school many feel can most easily be slotted in for #12 with WVU and Louisville. And then there is Rutgers, a school that could give the Big 12 it’s stake in the vulnerable northeast region, current split up by the Big Ten (Penn St.), ACC (Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt) and Big East (Uconn and Rutgers). Uconn, like Rutgers, is an option, but Rutgers offers more access to the NYC market and is a closer proximity to WVU and Louisville. UNLV would be another option, pushing the conference footprint to the west, providing access to the Las Vegas market.

Probability of expanding in the near future: very possible.

Candidates:
Louisville: top choice for #11
Cincinnati
Rutgers
BYU
Air Force
Houston
UNLV 

Big East:

Now at 12 schools for football and 17 for all-sports, there would seem to be little room to grow. If football schools are added, it means expanding to 14. This would seem to only work if football-only schools joined like Air Force, BYU or Temple. Of that group, only Air Force and BYU would be true favorites since they would help provide stability and travel ease in the western region. Others such as Temple and ECU seem only to be possible is other Big East members left (Louisville, Uconn, Rutgers). For all-sports members, the list is even smaller: why add more members if they don’t benefits both football and basketball. There currently aren’t any schools that would fill that criteria.

The Big East coast-to-coast experiment could open some interesting doors though. Right now, the move is for football only. But what if that changed in the future. The Big East always seems to be 1 move away from a basketball/football split, yet they remain intact in a brutal hybrid: small catholic schools combined with mostly large, public football schools. But who knows what the future will hold? If a split did happen, it would open the door for the Big East to combine all-sports schools from the wast and the west, splitting into 2 divisions to ease with travel. And such a move wouldn’t be difficult to pull off. In the east, you could have a 6 team division of: Uconn, Rutgers, Temple, USF, UCF, Cincinnati. In the west, assuming Louisville left for the Big 12, you could have Memphis, Houston, SMU, BYU, Boise St., San Diego St.

But for now, it would appear that expansion is less likely. Any moves would be minor and likely just to replace any departing schools. For instance, if Louisville left for the Big 12, Temple could be brought in for football-only with 12 football members, 16 basketball members. If a 2nd school left, perhaps another run at Air Force or UNLV for football only could happen, with Temple joining for all-sports (giving 12 football members and 16 basketball members).

Probability of expanding in the near future: not entirely likely, yet still very possible.

Candidates:
Air Force
Temple
BYU
UNLV
 

 CUSA/MWC Merger

Things really got interesting when the two conferences just on the cusp of BCS status, lost their top members, and then opted to merge. The result is a 15 school all-sports conference with 16 for football. But all indications are that the conference is not done adding schools. You have Temple as a football-only (and perhaps eventually all-sports) candidate. The logic behind that is to expand the conference into stronger media markets, and support nearby ECU and Marshall in the process. You have the previous MWC candidates Utah St. and San Jose St. Utah St. would replace the Salt Lake City market, lost when Utah and BYU left. San Jose St. would provide television access to the populated Bay Area. With no Dallas area schools in the conference, North Texas is a top option. After that, you have other schools that could be options at some point as either part of an expansion to 24 or as replacements. All the other WAC schools fit into that category, such as NMSU, Idaho, UTSA, Texas St. and LA Tech. In the Sunbelt, you have Florida Atlantic and Florida International that could add a Florida presence to the conference after it’s loss of UCF. You also have various FCS schools considering upgrades that could be slotted in such as Appalachian St., Charlotte, Georgia Southern, and Georgia St. Even schools like JMU and Delaware could one day make sense. Recent FBS upgrade UMass would provide access to the Boston market, an ideal partner for Temple is they are brought in. In the Sunbelt, you also have some schools like MTSU and Troy that could gain some attention. And the FCS upgrades might not be limited to the east, where Montana could see the CUSA/MWC merger as their only future option to remain relevant and upgrade.

Probability of expanding in the near future: very possible.

Candidates:
North Texas
Temple
Utah St.
San Jose St.
Florida International or Florida Atlantic
UTSA
LA Tech
UMass
Texas St.
Montana
NMSU
Idaho
Appalachian St.
Charlotte
Georgia Southern
Georgia St.
MTSU
Troy
Delaware
JMU
ODU
 

Sun Belt:

The Sun Belt has always seemed to be a conference at risk of losing members. But with the CUSA/MWC merger, and the addition of Karl Benson as commissioner (leaving the WAC), the Sun Belt is expected to make moves of their own. The likely targets will be WAC schools, but the conference will not rule out FCS upgrades.

Probability of expanding in the near future: very possible.

Candidates:
LA Tech
UTSA
Texas St.
NMSU
Texas St.
Appalachian St.
Charlotte
Georgia Southern
Georgia St.

MAC:

The MAC has an will likely always be a regional conference in the Ohio and Michigan area. The only two school likely to move on would be the 2 football only members, Temple and UMass. But as one of the only even somewhat eastern conferences that would accept FCS upgrades, you could see it as a transitional home for schools in the area such as JMU, Delaware, Charlotte, Appalachian St., Georgia Southern, Georgia St. and ODU. Note that each of those schools would prefer the SEC, ACC or Big East, but they will not be options. They all would likely want into the CUSA/MWC merger if they upgraded, but even that is not likely. The Sun Belt might have room for 1-2 from the south. But it’s the MAC that would be the only real option, with the conference accepting the basketball scheduling agreement as part of the pact.

Probability of expanding in the near future: unlikely. If FCS schools upgrade, the MAC could show interest.

Candidates: 
JMU
Delaware
Charlotte
Appalachian St.
Georgia Southern
Georgia St.
ODU 

WAC:

Really, nothing to add here. The conference lost so many members that they had no choice but to grab FCS upgrades. Just to help on the basketball side, they added Texas-Arlington, Denver and Seattle. If the CUSA/MWC adds multiple WAC schools such as Utah St. and San Jose St., the WAC is over. Right now, LA Tech is lobbying hard to join the CUSA/MWC merger. If they are passed over, they’ll be ringing the doorbell at Sun Belt commissioner Benson’s house…with UTSA, Texas St, and New Mexico St. standing at the door with them. Idaho and NMSU seem to be in the toughest spot, as due to location and markets, Utah St., SJSU, LA Tech, UTSA and Texas St. all seem to be strong candidates to be in either the CUSA/MWC conference or the Sun Belt. Idaho and NMSU might be left out of the mix.

Probability of expanding in the near future: they would love to, but have no school available. They would need to literally beg FCS schools such as Montana, Montana St., Cal Poly, UC Davis, Portland St., Lamar, and SHSU to upgrade.