Arena NCAA conference realignment?

There are a lot of rumblings about conference changes in the near future, mostly started by the Big Ten (+1) trying to expand, and the likely shockwaves that occur when a major conference expands (for a recent example, the response of the Big East and the fate of the C-USA when the ACC took Miami, VT, and BC away).

An example of a Moronic article recently in the local paper

Some of the proposals I've seen just seem dumb (see above link), but the chances do seem pretty high that there will be some changes in the near future. Personally, I don't think the ACC and SEC will be affected, though I think the Big East and Big 12 (and obviously the Big 10) very well could be.

What do you think? What do you hope will happen? What do you think will actually happen? Anything?

Feel free to link articles, hopefully better ones than the above

 

Wow, that is a pipe dream article.

I really don't think that Miami will switch conferences so soon after leaving the Big East behind. If Mizzou would somehow end up in the Big 10, Arkansas would be a natural choice to replace them. That could lead to conference swapping, I suppose.

From what I've read, Mizzou is a contender (assuming that they wanted to switch conferences), but I'm not crazy about it. It'd make more sense for the Big 10 to look to WVU, Pitt, or even Syracuse to expand, not Mizzou. Pitt might not bring a new market to the Big 10 (many Penn State fans live near the 'burgh), but it's a lot closer to Big 10 territory and Mizzou.

That's my $0.02, at least.

 

Realignment on that kind of scale would just be asking for chaos.

 

I forgot to mention that the Pac-10 is also talking about expanding. I've seen articles proposing 4 superconferences based off the ACC, SEC, Big 10, and Pac-10 (though the latters would have to be renamed) and including the practical nonexistence of the Big 12 and Big East One of which had those 4 superconferences break off from the NCAA

 

I would LOVE to see Nebraska come to the Big Ten. Of every team ever mentioned, including Texas, I've wanted Nebraska above any of them. They aren't quite a pure fit regionally, but that's ok. They fit just about every other way.

I'd love to see the Big Ten pursue an expansion to sixteen teams. I realize it's unlikely, but with the pure money they can throw at these schools, it could happen.

Best case might be (in order of how much i want them)

Nebraska
Pitt
Missouri
Syracuse
Rutgers

 

Then they'd have to change their name to the Big 16.

 

Well, they don't have ten teams right now

 

If they didn't change it at Eleven, they won't change it at sixteen. Or Twelve. Or Fourteen. Or Twenty.


They'll just pay a graphic artist to hide the correct number in the new logo.

 

Did they do that with 11? I haven't actually looked

 

Yeah, there are 11 teams right now.

 

Seriously? You never noticed? The white shadow around the "T"?

[image=http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Big10Logo.jpeg]

 

I know there are 11 - that's why I usually call it the Big Ten (Plus One) I was talking about the graphic

EDIT: I've never looked at it that closely. That's hilarious

 

I never noticed that either. It's probably because I don't really care about the Big Ten (Eleven).

 

I'd rather have Nebraska than Mizzou, but Pitt would make a much better rival for Penn State than that fake rivalry with Michigan State.

 

Pitt would be the logical rival... but I don't know how much it is a rival right now.

Rivals certainly don't have to be in the same conference - look at USC/Clemson, or Georgia/Georgia Tech, or Florida/Florida State (hmm, that's a lot of SEC/ACC )

 

I just hope Memphis can get in on some of the action.

 

Rivals don't have to be in the same conference, you're right. But really, the only rivalries PSU has in-conference are with OSU, Michigan, and (maybe?) Iowa.

 

Some people have tried to create a USC-Georgia rivalry, or even a USC-Florida rivalry (the latter based entirely on a certain arrogant football coach)... but those aren't rivalries. The only real rival USC has is Clemson.

Speaking of rivalries, Maryland is not Duke's rival. Thank you.

 

I would say that Georgia is more of a rival to Clemson than GT or FSU. Especially to the old timers

 

There was a temporary "rivalry" between Clemson and FSU in football, simply because both had Bowdens for coaches. That's gone now, and there's no longer even that.

 

That's true. There is a growing rivalry with GT because of the 2 contending for ACC titles. Clemson/UGA was huge in the 80's when both teams were consistently in the top 10.

 

One look at a possible 4x4 Big (16) Ten

I really think Nebraska is coming to the Big Ten. The only question is who (if anyone) comes with them, and what other conferences do to respond ...

 

The 16 team layout is interesting, but I don't think it'll happen. I think that having a 12 member Big 10 is a lot more likely than a 16 member Big 10.

Nebraska would be a fine choice with me.

 

Well, one of the popular ideas seems to be the Big 10 and Pac-10 expanding to 16 teams each, and the ACC and SEC responding by doing the same.

Of course, popular doesn't necessarily mean likely

 

People certainly do like to speculate.