American Athletic Conference Realignment & Expansion Thread

JPSchmack · **Joined:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:21 pm **Posts:** 851

Maybe I need to pause, and realize that all of my "No! The smart thing is ______!" posts are a waste of time because not all the ADs/Presidents in college athletics are the dude from John Grisham's The Partner; They're the same group of idiots who wrote and signed conference by-law document that made my head explode last night.

Peter Hunt · **Posted:** Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:24 am

Could we start seeing teams like UCONN,Cincy, and USF going independent? I can't see them wanting to stick around.

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1033

Peter Hunt wrote:

Could we start seeing teams like UCONN,Cincy, and USF going independent? I can't see them wanting to stick around.

While they all are begging for ACC/Big12 invites, they all voted on the new members so they definately aren't going Indy, not to mention they now can divide all the exit fee and tourney money between them so they won't break up the conference. USF isn't attractive to the Big 12 and won't be to the ACC until FSU and Miami leave. Cincy could go to the ACC if they expand to 16 or Big12 but thats a long shot. UConn is eyeing the Big Ten if they want a NE member and ACC if they expand but they're the most likely of the three to go fb indy and join the Catholic 7 and hope for an ACC fb only invite (or nBE or MAC if nothing else).

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3752

JPSchmack wrote:

Quinn, that is NOT what the ESPN article says AT ALL:

Quote:

the seven Catholic schools in the Big East have agreed to leave the conference and are debating the process of departing it, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Quote:

How DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova leave the Big East is still undetermined.

Quote:

Aresco also had a conference call with the athletic directors of the remaining and incoming schools later Thursday. He told them he expects the basketball schools to leave, but they are still weighing their options on how to do so, said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. On the call, Aresco told the ADs that he had not officially heard from the group of seven that they were leaving.

According to the source, there are lots of interpretation on exit fees, the waiting period, and on who gets the Big East name and Madison Square Garden for a conference basketball tournament.

Not sure what this post is in reference to

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7045

ESPN article with update on BE split situation.Report that SDSU still plans to join BE as planned.Also BE BB schools plan to have another teleconference on Saturday to discuss details of leaving with a "possible" official announcement afterwards.Should be considerable unconfirmed/unconfirmable expansion reports for the next few days.Link at http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ource-says

The Bishin Cutter · **Joined:** Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:41 am **Posts:** 538

I don't know what to make of it...while I'm celebrating like crazy seeing this ridiculous thing finally crumble, it's what's likely to happen to the A-10 and MAC that have me more than just a bit worried...and it won't be the Big East's fault, but the actions of seven overly-entitled, small-minded colleges and these poorly-read "associate" universities that went along with it.

I am really hopeful this breakup does in the programs at Georgetown and Villanova. Hope they become Gallaudet Catholic and St. Joe's West respectively.

I just can't believe there are actual by-laws that essentially give the non-FBS footballers equality as a bloc to the much larger FBS one. But, perhaps more despicable, that FBS schools were THAT desperate for exposure to not think it an issue.

Fools the lot of them.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1490

I was away form my computer for 2 days when this all went down !

On the THIRTEENTH DAY, following 12/12/12, in the year and month of the Mayan Apocalypse, the BE FINALLY SPLIT !!!!

I'm taken aback at reports that the Georgetown President may still be clinging to desire to "save the Big East" !
The split will actually return us to the basketball-centric BE that was worth saving. The current mess is utterly laughable....

sec03 · **Joined:** Sat May 20, 2006 2:09 pm **Posts:** 1231

Once again, these well-educated and administratively experienced decision-makers, shown to be void of long-term insight and long dismissive of the developing trends happening around them for a couple of decades, drop collegiality and turn to the legions of lawyers who shall be the real winners. With the fallout, then the decision-makers run back to the manipulative TV tycoons begging them to tell 'em they are worth more than they are. Another vicious cycle playing itself out.

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7045

Mark Blaudschun blog article with more on BE realignment situation at http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=4315

lash · **Posted:** Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:29 pm

Ok time to dust off Lash's East-West conference concept of taking the top six available remaining Big East eastern football schools and merge with a western group of six schools.

Scheduling and money wise this concept needs to keep to 12 which only require cross country travel for one school in football every other year and three basketball cross country travel each year.

This time around it is more easy to create the western divisions since so many eastern schools have moved into one of the power leagues.

With 12 team limit only one school per state is allowed in this scenario. Also GOR required for 10 years or take your chances waiting for another power league to make some moves.

West:

Boise State
San Diego State
BYU
UNLV
New Mexico
Houston or SMU?

East:

UConn
Cincinnati
Temple
Memphis
USF or UCF?
East Carolina, Southern Miss or Tulane?

Now for the new basketball conference and Lash's preference is a 10 member double round robin league (i.e. Big 12)

New 10 member basketball conference (My preference for a conference name is Super 10 which could be changed latter to Super 12 or Super 16)

St John's
Seton Hall
Providence
Villanova
Georgetown
Marquette
DePaul
St Louis
Xavier
Holy Cross

or

East

St John's
Seton Hall
Providence
Villanova
Georgetown
Holy Cross

West

Marquette
DePaul
St Louis
Gonzaga
St Mary's
Loyola Marymount

JPSchmack · **Joined:** Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:21 pm **Posts:** 851

Quinn wrote:

Not sure what this post is in reference to

It's moot now because someone decided to FINALLY ask some good questions and got to the bottom of the "can they dissolve" issue. (Or you were looking at a GOOD article and I was reading ESPN's).

This Big East split debacle has showcased how lazy, ignorant and unprepared the sports media is in covering conference realignment. These guys are experts on THE GAMES, and not the business/legal side of college athletics.

Every article said "Leave the Big East," which wasn't true at the time, and the reason for my post. It does appear it's BECOME true, but that is not the same thing.

pounder · **Posted:** Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:00 pm

Side thought for the football schools, since this word seems to permeate Boise...

...BYU wouldn't join the Big East when it had an AQ. They won't now.

The rest... still much popcorn to consume.

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3752

pounder wrote:

Side thought for the football schools, since this word seems to permeate Boise...

...BYU wouldn't join the Big East when it had an AQ. They won't now.

The rest... still much popcorn to consume.

Things have changed. BYU is outside the BCS system. The Forgotten 5 are in it...all the conferences. So BYU simply needs to join a conference, win it and be the highest ranked and they are in. That said, if there were an opportunity to be with Boise St. and SDSU in either the MWC or the Big East, it might be worth joining.

That said, I doubt they'd join a Big East all-sports coast to coast conference (with a western all-sports division with those two, Houston, SMU and 1 to 3 others.

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3752

JPSchmack wrote:

Quinn wrote:

Not sure what this post is in reference to

It's moot now because someone decided to FINALLY ask some good questions and got to the bottom of the "can they dissolve" issue. (Or you were looking at a GOOD article and I was reading ESPN's).

This Big East split debacle has showcased how lazy, ignorant and unprepared the sports media is in covering conference realignment. These guys are experts on THE GAMES, and not the business/legal side of college athletics.

Every article said "Leave the Big East," which wasn't true at the time, and the reason for my post. It does appear it's BECOME true, but that is not the same thing.

Oh, gotcha, I see.

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7045

Hartford Courant article with comments from UCONN AD regarding going forward with BE allsports conference without the 7 BB schools.Link at http://www.courant.com/sports/college/h ... 2444.story

American Athletic Conference Realignment & Expansion Thread

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