Conference Realignment: What Next?

[stever20]

I would argue accurately that Dayton would have provided more value and achieved more credibility since the reconstitution of the Big East than half of the teams in the conference. And that’s Dayton without a Big East label to help with recruiting and budget. Unlike DePaul, every coach that has been at Dayton since the 50s has won, and been to the NCAAs. They have mad local support, and that makes all the difference. It’s hard to set the world on fire in a mid major conference, when your program is disrupted by your coaches leaving and players getting raided in the portal. If Mark Few didn’t love fly fishing so much Gonzaga would be no different. Gonzaga wins because of consistency and stability.

That said, unless the conference needs a 12th member, and unless they were going to a 22 games schedule, I wouldn’t mess with it, because Dayton isn’t going anywhere. If there is a realistic chance FBS football breaks off from the rest of Olympic sports and allows Olympic sports to operate in separate conferences, I think there is a good chance of Syracuse getting back together with the Big East. But FBS football divorcing from Olympic sports would be very disruptive to college athletics and who knows what it would mean for the Big East. The stability of the conference wouldn’t be the same in such a scenario.

I just don't think the double round robin is all that beneficial and isn't a must keep. I think this year if BE had only 18 conference games, the league would be looking at 7 bids pretty easily.

[kayako]

That said, unless the conference needs a 12th member, and unless they were going to a 22 games schedule, I wouldn’t mess with it, because Dayton isn’t going anywhere.

Can we stop acting like the double round-robin has any say in whether we expand or not.

[stever20]

That said, unless the conference needs a 12th member, and unless they were going to a 22 games schedule, I wouldn’t mess with it, because Dayton isn’t going anywhere.

Can we stop acting like the double round-robin has any say in whether we expand or not.

some folks are way too attached to that IMO.

[kayako]

some folks are way too attached to that IMO.

I get it, you want to protect rivalries. Duke/NC State won't play H&H next year from what I've read, but that's with 18 teams starting next season. It's a non-issue with only 12, or even 13-14 teams.

[xusandy]

Thanks for the analysis, Dak, interesting comparisons. But if media markets are the key, then SLU has it all over Dayton. And SLU provides a more comprehensive league footprint as a fill-in to lonely Creighton than does Dayton. As an XU fan, I'd love to see us get back into a league with an historical rival like Dayton, but I get XU's opposition to the Flyers. I agree with just about all of you that it's best to wait and watch for now, but if a decision is made to expand, I'd prefer SLU to Dayton to anyone else. And those two schools will not have other, better options.

[DanofXav76]

I would argue accurately that Dayton would have provided more value and achieved more credibility since the reconstitution of the Big East than half of the teams in the conference. And that’s Dayton without a Big East label to help with recruiting and budget. Unlike DePaul, every coach that has been at Dayton since the 50s has won, and been to the NCAAs. They have mad local support, and that makes all the difference. It’s hard to set the world on fire in a mid major conference, when your program is disrupted by your coaches leaving and players getting raided in the portal, and yet Dayton always finds its way back to success. If Mark Few didn’t love fly fishing so much Gonzaga would be no different. Gonzaga wins because of consistency and stability with a high level coach that everyone knows is not leaving. Had Mark Few left after his 4 20 win season for a high major job, most of us wouldn’t know that Gonzaga was a school. And if Mark Few is what makes it all happen, what confidence is there that Gonzaga will continue being Gonzaga when he’s gone? Their preeminence over the whole Northwest is not inevitable or sustainable from the WCC.and if they were in a conference where they lost 8 games a year in the Big East I think there’d be a little less shine on the program.

That said, unless the conference needs a 12th member, and unless they were going to a 22 games schedule, I wouldn’t mess with it, because Dayton isn’t going anywhere. If there is a realistic chance FBS football breaks off from the rest of Olympic sports and allows Olympic sports to operate in separate conferences, I think there is a good chance of Syracuse getting back together with the Big East. But FBS football divorcing from Olympic sports would be very disruptive to college athletics and who knows what it would mean for the Big East. The stability of the conference wouldn’t be the same in such a scenario.

Jim O'Brien, 1989-94, was 61-87. Other than that though Dak, you're pretty much on the money here.