Conference realignment 3.0

[stevemaz]

how about forming a new A10

Umass
UConn
Temple
Memphis
E Carolina
ODU
Navy FB only
Army FB only
BYU FB only (assuming they are snubbed by Big 12)
VCU
GW
St Joe
Rhody
Dayton
St Louis


drop St Bona, Davidson, Lasalle, Richmond, Duq, GM, and Fordham

[UMass02]

how about forming a new A10

Umass
UConn
Temple
Memphis
E Carolina
ODU
Navy FB only
Army FB only
BYU FB only (assuming they are snubbed by Big 12)
VCU
GW
St Joe
Rhody
Dayton
St Louis


drop St Bona, Davidson, Lasalle, Richmond, Duq, GM, and Fordham

This should tide you over until UMass joins the Big Ten.

[minutefanjsf]

how about forming a new A10

Umass
UConn
Temple
Memphis
E Carolina
ODU
Navy FB only
Army FB only
BYU FB only (assuming they are snubbed by Big 12)
VCU
GW
St Joe
Rhody
Dayton
St Louis


drop St Bona, Davidson, Lasalle, Richmond, Duq, GM, and Fordham

I wouldn't mind dropping some schools, but this is a restart/new conference. With 15 teams why would you still be Atlantic 10, especially if BYU is there, even if only for football....

[Sam Minuteman]

Bamford's comments about rejoining the MAC signal one of two things to me (neither are good)- 1) His conversations with the AAC are going poorly and UMASS has little chance of getting in or 2) The Big 12 is going to devastate the AAC and it will cease to be a viable conference with members looking to jump to other conferences. I was shocked as his response.

I think it is both actually....

If the looting includes 2 or more AAC teams, there will be a huge change including the AAC either dying or becoming the Sun Belt.

This makes for a very interesting potential string of events that will all hings on what those butt-hurt wannabe's in Storrs do. Here a few things to consider:


- If Uconn can sell "football only" or stay as an independent - they probably end up in the BE for the rest of their sports. I highly doubt they would look at the A-10 for all other sports unless the BE just flat out eliminates any possibility of UConn going there. The MAC is not an all sport option for UConn. That only leaves the A-10 as a real option if the P5 is not taking them -- right?.

- Temple would be on the lurch too and their landing spot may be dependent on UConn also. But they could follow Uconn with the No Football package to the BE too (conceivably) - or any Indy football / A-10 everything else offer too?

- The remaining schools in the AAC are not the best geographic fit but Memphis could slip into a similar scenario too?


Could you imagine if this implodes in the right direction, and the A-10 becomes the true top non P5 power conference with Temple and UConn in the fold? Call me crazy but It is not really that far fetched. The only thing it does not do is give our football team a conference home - or does it?

The MAC would be crazy to not take Uconn Temple and UMass for football only (and maybe add Memphis to round things off) - it would give them some instant rivalries, and a true Northeast presence and probably cement them as a top 2 football G5 conference. The MAC could ask for all sports, but these three are in a position of advantage to say take it leave it with football only.

Unless the AAC looses 4 teams it is still going to be the tallest midget. UConn going independent and putting hoops in the BE sounds nice, but they are looking for a P5 invite and the reality of that sucks for them. Football independence is a crapshoot, and the Big East while it may be a step up over a watered down AAC isn't going to scream ACC invite. UConn is MUCH better served dominating a watered down AAC, not to mention the share of exit fees they would be walking away from.

Temple, see above.

At the end of the day UMass would be stupid to say anything but positive things about the MAC with conference realignment as up in the air as it is. I think the back-channel conversations with the AAC are in play and UMass is a top tier candidate should movement occur, until then Independence is looking a lot better than i ever would have expected. IF UMass makes something of the next three years it COULD be a signal to other schools that Independence is an option and that would be interesting.

[stevemaz]

obviously the league suggestion above would have a new name and the a10 would survive with flotsam and jetsam.

[Roadtrip]

Houston whipping up on OK, good for G5, good for AAC.

[Puffton395]

Houston whipping up on OK, good for G5, good for AAC.

I get what you're saying, but, this is great for Houston to leave the AAC and the G5 on.

[eldonabe]

Mike and Mike were talking conference realignment this morning and it was interesting to hear from a semi-non partisan viewpoint.

The short of it was that in mid-October the Big XII is going to vote on expansion, but it is sounding more and more like that will not come to fruition. The implications of that decision are many and significant.

If expansion were voted for - Houston was not a probably candidate; but they have improved so much and added so much infrastructure that they almost have to get the call. That leaves BYU and Cincy for the other 2 spots - and Cincy makes the most sense for a natural rival to West Virginia. The problem is that Texas and Oklahoma hold all the cards and there are undertones that they may be short for the Big XII either way. Then that conference just becomes C-USA 3.0 or 4.0 again - it seems like there is this nomad grouping of schools that get left out, wiggle their way back into something, then get abandoned again and many of them are reincarnations of C-USA.

If expansion is voted against - they actually think that will be the end of the Big XII in short order, and the super conferences will likely become a reality much sooner than later.
----------------------------------

The super conference structure is football death to Umass and almost all of the other G5 players. You can only support so many schools in each conference and 16 is probably that number times 4 - so you have 64 FBS teams and another 64 teams playing in some kind of purgatory FBS/FCS hybrid, then the rest playing Pop-Warner FCS college football.

If the super conference structure becomes a reality in the next 5 years - Umass is screwed. They have no viable building and nobody in their right mind is going to green light a $100M+ stadium without and FBS conference affiliation.

Texas and Oklahoma actually hold Umass' football future in their hands right now - no expansion by the Big XII could easily be the death-knell for Umass football

[Roadtrip]

I'm afraid the death knell to UMass football was the 20 or so year wait past the time when they might have had a chance.

[njumass08]

We'll be fine. Let it play out.

[stevemaz]

I am not worried..

[eldonabe]

I'm afraid the death knell to UMass football was the 20 or so year wait past the time when they might have had a chance.

yes - this

[Puffton395]

Mike and Mike were talking conference realignment this morning and it was interesting to hear from a semi-non partisan viewpoint.

The short of it was that in mid-October the Big XII is going to vote on expansion, but it is sounding more and more like that will not come to fruition. The implications of that decision are many and significant.

If expansion were voted for - Houston was not a probably candidate; but they have improved so much and added so much infrastructure that they almost have to get the call. That leaves BYU and Cincy for the other 2 spots - and Cincy makes the most sense for a natural rival to West Virginia. The problem is that Texas and Oklahoma hold all the cards and there are undertones that they may be short for the Big XII either way. Then that conference just becomes C-USA 3.0 or 4.0 again - it seems like there is this nomad grouping of schools that get left out, wiggle their way back into something, then get abandoned again and many of them are reincarnations of C-USA.

If expansion is voted against - they actually think that will be the end of the Big XII in short order, and the super conferences will likely become a reality much sooner than later.
----------------------------------

The super conference structure is football death to Umass and almost all of the other G5 players. You can only support so many schools in each conference and 16 is probably that number times 4 - so you have 64 FBS teams and another 64 teams playing in some kind of purgatory FBS/FCS hybrid, then the rest playing Pop-Warner FCS college football.

If the super conference structure becomes a reality in the next 5 years - Umass is screwed. They have no viable building and nobody in their right mind is going to green light a $100M+ stadium without and FBS conference affiliation.

Texas and Oklahoma actually hold Umass' football future in their hands right now - no expansion by the Big XII could easily be the death-knell for Umass football

You listen to Mike and Mike?

[eldonabe]

You listen to Mike and Mike?

When Kurt Menihan is particularly annoying -yes...

[Puffton395]

You listen to Mike and Mike?

When Kurt Menihan is particularly annoying -yes...

*Kirk

Fair enough, I just didn't know that people listened to them.