Big 4 Conferences

[Rock]

It was being discussed at the State Boys Basketball Tournament, over this past weekend, by some former collegiate players that the conference picture is slowly going to go to 4 Super Conferences (16 teams in each). If that be the case, what conferences would survive, and who would be in these confereces? If it ends up being PAC, Southeast, Big 10, and Big 12, what happens to the ACC? Or it could be PAC, Big 10, Southeast, and ACC as a possibility. Would UC be in this picture somewhere?

[cafemerald]

Considering UC is on "the bubble" of a 5 conference league... UCs stock in a 4 conference league is not promising to grim.

Now things in UCs benefit are that this is going to be a football driven league. In terms of talent and program UC is actually an interesting prospect and with a large (albeit uninterested) alumni base, they have a lot of room to grow. A balanced BBall/FBall school would be more attractive in my mind than Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, etc. should fan support grow.

[red_n_black_attack]

The trouble with 16 teams in these Super Conferences is in no particular order:

1. Money. Too many teams, each getting a smaller slice of the pie. I don't see the pie increasing with recent round of BCS and conference shuffling.

2. Post season play. With respect to the NCAA, either these conferences have to break away or play with the smaller fish. The Bowl way of doing things is suffering a slow death. If they break-away, then what happens to basketball?

3. Scheduling. Even with two divisions, there is not enough home games to balance rivalries in conference and out of conference. 18 teams per "Super Conference" makes more sense for both basketball and football. This also helps the other olympic sports as there would be more regional scheduling of meets, etc...

4. TV - this boils down to money, but in a slightly different format. ESPN is king with partnership with ABC. CBS makes it's dough off SEC football and college basketball. FOX is newer to the game, but surviving. NBC has Noter Shame and little else. The networks will want more programing to fill afternoon and evenings (football Saturday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and basketball everyday. BBall is a little easier, but a larger number of teams makes it feasible that the "Super Conferences" will aim for 18 or 20 teams.

[red_n_black_attack]

Considering UC is on "the bubble" of a 5 conference league... UCs stock in a 4 conference league is not promising to grim.

The one thing not being discussed in all of the conference realignment crap is the reality of dropping some dead weight. Schools like Northwestern and Vanderbilt are making a committment to improving because they see the writing on the wall, get competitive or someone will take your spot. I'd think a program would need to be bad in both sports, i.e. low attendance to be dropped so I would not see IU or Kansas or Kentucky left out for failing to put a good football product on the field, but I say that because I see SEC, Big Ten, and Big Twelve as "in". The ACC should worry if there is a move to four conferences because there is no way Texas and Oklahoma get left holding the bag. The Big Twelve is much more attractive than ACC as far as landing places for Fla. State.

[RedRocker]

It was being discussed at the State Boys Basketball Tournament, over this past weekend, by some former collegiate players that the conference picture is slowly going to go to 4 Super Conferences (16 teams in each). If that be the case, what conferences would survive, and who would be in these confereces? If it ends up being PAC, Southeast, Big 10, and Big 12, what happens to the ACC? Or it could be PAC, Big 10, Southeast, and ACC as a possibility. Would UC be in this picture somewhere?

Everybody seems to forget that the B12 doesn't necessarily want to expand beyond 12 and considering the CGoR that was enacted last year, I doubt anybody is going anywhere from that conference.

Therefore, the PAC12 lacks suitable candidates to get to 16. Boise? SDSU? AFA? BYU? Maybe, but highly unlikely. If the B12 and PAC12 can't/won't expand then it's unlikely there will be 5 super conferences. Just because a bunch of ex-college jocks yap about it doesn't mean it will happen. The B1G and SEC may go to 16 as might the ACC if they're raided again.

[red_n_black_attack]

I tend to believe the impetus behind the rumor mill is a move and desire for the big four conferences to break away from the NCAA. The NCAA no longer holds the best interest of student athletes in mind will be the bull hockey spooed by the university presidents all the while laughing to the bank.

[Bearcat Otto]

Everybody seems to forget that the B12 doesn't necessarily want to expand beyond 12 and considering the CGoR that was enacted last year, I doubt anybody is going anywhere from that conference.

Therefore, the PAC12 lacks suitable candidates to get to 16. Boise? SDSU? AFA? BYU? Maybe, but highly unlikely. If the B12 and PAC12 can't/won't expand then it's unlikely there will be 5 super conferences. Just because a bunch of ex-college jocks yap about it doesn't mean it will happen. The B1G and SEC may go to 16 as might the ACC if they're raided again.

The Big 12 better get on board with 16 teams or they will be left behind and the ACC will be in. Four conferences, 16 teams each. And they will break away from the NCAA and fracture it's existence. It will be!

[London 'Cat]

I tend to believe the impetus behind the rumor mill is a move and desire for the big four conferences to break away from the NCAA. The NCAA no longer holds the best interest of student athletes in mind will be the bull hockey spooed by the university presidents all the while laughing to the bank.

I tend to agree with this. I think that football is a red herring in the realignment talk. I think they want four 16-team conferences with a long-term goal of establishing their own men's basketball national championship tournament of 64 teams - every team in the big 4 will be in every year. ESPN will hold the TV rights to this tournament, thereby displacing CBS as the king of March men's college basketball. Those in power want everyone to believe that football is driving things, which is partially true, but the real idea is to free themselves of the clutches of the NCAA on their pocketbooks and to keep all the tournament revenue to themselves.

[cspeed]

The Big 12 better get on board with 16 teams or they will be left behind and the ACC will be in. Four conferences, 16 teams each. And they will break away from the NCAA and fracture it's existence. It will be!

I agree with this, but i think the super conferences will be 20 schools per conference. Makes more sence and easier scheduling. I think it would go Big 10, SEC, PAC and a merger between ACC and BIG 12 after some schools depart to the other conferences to get to 20.
Too bad there isnt a higher entity that can say, STOP and realign everything geographically into 4 regions ( N, S, East, West ) across the US and be done with it .......

[applegbt]

The Big 12 better get on board with 16 teams or they will be left behind and the ACC will be in. Four conferences, 16 teams each. And they will break away from the NCAA and fracture it's existence. It will be!

As much as I dislike the NCAA, can you imagine the state of college athletics after a few years of no oversight other than the member university presidents? Now that would be a train wreck of epic proportions.

[Binturong05]

As much as I dislike the NCAA, can you imagine the state of college athletics after a few years of no oversight other than the member university presidents? Now that would be a train wreck of epic proportions.

Bye bye what remaining vestiges there are of amateurism. The rich (USC, OSU, Texas, Florida, etc) will get richer while the poor get poorer.

[bobestes]

There is a really dangerous rumor going around that ESPN has told the ACC that they can keep their current deal even if they lose up to four members not named Clemson, UNC, or Miami.

This means the ACC would split the current deal with fewer members, giving each school more money.

Then there is ZERO incentive for them to add UC or UCONN.

This is really bad.

[anbuc88]

There is a really dangerous rumor going around that ESPN has told the ACC that they can keep their current deal even if they lose up to four members not named Clemson, UNC, or Miami.

This means the ACC would split the current deal with fewer members, giving each school more money.

Then there is ZERO incentive for them to add UC or UCONN.

This is really bad.

If they lose 4 schools then they will have 10 with no conference championship game. They will add 2 to get to 12. Maybe if they only lose 2 schools there will be no incentive to add schools, but I have a hard time believing this rumor.