Colorado is kicked out of the Big 12.

Colorado joins the Pac 10.


Arkansas joins the Big 12.


North Carolina joins the SEC.


West Virginia joins the ACC.



Rutgers joins the Big 10.


Central Florida and Memphis join the Big East.

No way UNC would leave (principally) Duke, NC State or Wake.

Not for the oodles of cash that the SEC brings? Or the football prowess?

Not to mention the fact that the SEC is the conference for the elite "University of [state]" in the southeast?


And it would level the playing field for them with their arch rival U of South Carolina. As well as give them rivalries with border state U's Georgia and Tennesee.


I find it hard to believe.



Not as if they wouldn't be able to schedule Duke and NC State OOC.

They don't care about Wake way over there in Winston Salem.

I think FSU, Miami, GT, and especially Clemson, would be more likely candidates for SEC.

But, staying on topic... If UNC was added to the SEC east, who gets bumped to the west? Vandy? I'm sure Vandy would prefer to stay in the division with Tennessee, but I think the commodores could be bullied into moving. Kentucky might be asked to go west, but I think the conference would try to promote a UK-UNC basketball rivalry.

Would Arkansas take Colorado's place in the Big 12 north? Or would they insist on reuniting with their former Southwest Conference buddies in the south? I don't know who would go north if Arkansas joined the south. (Of course, I would vote out Baylor LONG before Colorado, so that would make the decision easy.)

I don't see Baylor leaving the conference or the south division. So I guess it would have to be OSU that goes up to the north.

You've gotta understand that money drives everything here, and any school administrator that takes his school from a high-revenue conference to a lower revenue conference will likely face termination.

There is a certain revenue hierarchy, and schools strive to move up the ladder, not down.

Exact numbers are better elaborated upon in other threads on this board, but basically:
Top - Big Ten, SEC
Not far below - Big 12, ACC, Pac-10
Not great, but BCS - Big East

Non-BCS conferences rank something like:
C-USA
MWC
WAC
MAC
Sun-Belt

(I could be have a few relative positions slightly out of whack, but the main idea is that a team like Arkansas doesn't leave the SEC for the Big 12... if they do, they take a financial hit !)

I think Arkansas left the old SWC for the SEC, largely because they were the only non-Texas school in the 9-team conference, and felt the Texas schools dominated decision-making and there was more earnings potential in the SEC. I think it has worked out positively for Arkansas. Why on earth would they go back ?

Colorado is not going anywhere voluntarily, unless they have staked out a better place to land. Their only viable alternative might be if the Pac-10 went to 12.

North Carolina isn't going to leave the ACC and break up their Tobacco Road deal ! I'll never say never, but the ACC's money is somewhat comparable to the SEC, and their basketball traditional rivalries are worth more than the difference.

Rutgers COULD perhaps get a Big Ten invitation if their programs continue to improve. First the Big Ten has to get tired of pining away for Notre Dame.

I agree that Memphis and Central Florida are the top 2 expansion candidates for the BE. Curiously, IIRC, USF and UCF chose not to renew their OOC series (not sure why....but we always assumed they would make great rivals).

End the conference championship games, each conference has 11 members---play all the ten others---and given 2 non-conference picks for their schedules each year.

Big Ten: Stays the same with OSU, UM, MSU, PSU, UW, Minn., Iowa, NW, ILL., IND. & Purdue.

PAC 10: Same and adds Hawaii. USC, UCLA, ARZ., ASU, Ore., Ore. St., Wash., WSU, Stan., Cal & Hawaii.

Big East: Same and adds: Notre Dame, Vanderbilt & BC -- ND, BC, WVU, Pitt, CINN, UL, UCONN, USF, Rutgers, Syracuse & Vandy

ACC: Same w/o BC: MD, VA, VPI, WF, NC, NCSU, Duke, Clem., GT, FSU & Miami

SEC: Same w/o Vandy: SC, GA, KY, FLA., Tenn, MSU, Ole Miss, Ala., Aub., LSU & ARK.

BIG 12: Same w/o Baylor: UT, TA&M, TTU, KAN., KSU, OKL., OSU, Neb., Mizzuo, ISU, & Colo.

MAC: Lose Ohio U., Miami O., N. ILL., & Ball State; Add Army & Navy. New MAC: BGSU, CMU, EMU, WMU, Toledo, Akron, Kent State, Buffalo, Temple, Army & Navy

SUNBELT Group: N. Ill., Ball State, Ohio, Miami O., WKU, MTSU, Troy, FIU, FAU, LA-L, LA-M

Modified CUSA: Marshall, ECU, UCF, ALA-B., Sou. Miss, Memphis, Rice, Houston, Tulane, Baylor, & Arkansas State

MWC: Stays the same, but adds UTEP & SMU: CSU, AFA., Wyoming, NM, Utah, BYU, SDSU, UNLV, TCU, UTEP & SMU

WAC: Loses Hawaii; adds N. Texas St., Tulsa & one upgrade (either Texas State or Montana): Boise St., Idaho, USU, SJSU, Fresno St., Nevada, NMSU, LA Tech., N. Texas, Tulsa & Texas St. or Montana.

Brilliant!!!! ;D ;D ;D