Conference Realignment: What Next?

[Django]

Hasn't Few been quoted saying he'd join the Big East given the chance? Or at least would be interested?

I doubt it's been offered...and that isn't likely to change. If they could go basketball-only, I bet they would, but since they'd have to go all sports, it's just too much. I think we all just need to keep our minds on our side of the Rockies (and probably Mississippi, no offence intended Creighton).

“I actually think the Big East is positioned, if they want, to expand,” Few told William C. Rhoden of the New York Times last March. “If they wanted to expand nationally, I think that would be really, really crafty, and they could be a national basketball-only conference.”

Problem is people are talking about Gonzaga as a single expansion candidate, but Few and Gonzaga AD doesn't think that way. An expansion west means Gonzaga + several other schools that are, if we're being honest, several notches below the usual A10/AAC programs that people are quick to dismiss around here. Also this was said back in 2017. Gonzaga has since been able to reduce their conference games to 16, fix the wcc tournament format that favors the #1 seed, negotiated bigger share of its tournament credits earned, and started landing 5 star recruits left and right... I think they're happy with their 30+ win seasons and a mortal lock on the West Region #1 seed.

Thanks for this, I love Gonzaga and root for them excepting against any Big East team but for gosh sakes they make no sense geographically. Creighton is far enough but at least Omaha just makes it into the eastern US if you divide it in half. (So does Lawrence, BTW )

[Bogg]

Thanks for this, I love Gonzaga and root for them excepting against any Big East team but for gosh sakes they make no sense geographically. Creighton is far enough but at least Omaha just makes it into the eastern US if you divide it in half. (So does Lawrence, BTW )

Yea, I had some fun goofing around earlier in the thread, but I don't actually feel much differently than I did a few months ago - if a Big 12 school unexpectedly shakes loose then great, but otherwise if Fox is adamant about adding inventory on the next deal Saint Louis is right there and would be fine. That's about it for me.

[gtmoBlue]

When ND, Virginia, and UNC-cheat leave the ACC for the B1G, both FSU and Clemson will bail to the SEC. That leaves 10 'lesser' teams in a value-reduced ACC. Revenues will plummet (see Big 12 example). They should hold hands together and sing the Tobacco Road version of Kumbaya. However, should the ACC further implode, I'd take cheatin' ass S'Cuse and Duke, but no others.

The Carleton idea IS genius. They are a defensive-minded program and have a history of beating good teams who come slumming up in Canada over summers. We could find a good workaround to the Fox issue.

[kayako]

Thanks for this, I love Gonzaga and root for them excepting against any Big East team but for gosh sakes they make no sense geographically. Creighton is far enough but at least Omaha just makes it into the eastern US if you divide it in half. (So does Lawrence, BTW )

It's obviously a pipedream, but Kansas would be the best addition possible. Ahead of Syracuse, ND, and even Duke imo. I agree with your other point, too, we badly need to get better internally. It's been 8 years and only Nova and Creighton is in a better place now than in 2013. It's kinda shocking that everyone else is either stagnant or in worse shape.

[ArmyVet]

Thanks for this, I love Gonzaga and root for them excepting against any Big East team but for gosh sakes they make no sense geographically. Creighton is far enough but at least Omaha just makes it into the eastern US if you divide it in half. (So does Lawrence, BTW )

It's obviously a pipedream, but Kansas would be the best addition possible. Ahead of Syracuse, ND, and even Duke imo. I agree with your other point, too, we badly need to get better internally. It's been 8 years and only Nova and Creighton is in a better place now than in 2013. It's kinda shocking that everyone else is either stagnant or in worse shape.

Interesting point and conversation. Villanova and Creighton have certainly improved their status. Xavier and Butler seem like they are on the uptick. No surprise that the three acquisitions from mid-majors might have the most potential for improvement.

Without really studying it, I think Seton Hall and Providence have had a run the past few years better than the previous decade. However, the concern is that they will crash to earth now that UConn is beating them for recruits. The Huskies are BIG winners in the realignment game.

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

As for Gonzaga, you can't tell me there isn't a way to get this done. No one will care about the geography.

I don't think Val really wants them.

Link:

The Big East was currently "not in the market for more programs," and that if it was, geography would play a decisive role in determining any addition of members.

decisive - dictionary.com

1. having the power or quality of deciding; putting an end to controversy; crucial or most important

2. characterized by or displaying no or little hesitation; resolute; determined

3. indisputable; definite

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This was said back in 2017. Gonzaga has since been able to reduce their conference games to 16, fix the wcc tournament format that favors the #1 seed, negotiated bigger share of its tournament credits earned, and started landing 5 star recruits left and right... I think they're happy with their 30+ win seasons and a mortal lock on the West Region #1 seed.

All true - and verifiably so.

Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball - Wikipedia

2016–17 • Mark Few • 37–2 • 17–1 • 1st • NCAA Division I Runner-up
2017–18 • Mark Few • 32–5 • 17–1 • 1st • NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen
2018–19 • Mark Few • 33–4 • 16–0 • 1st • NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2019–20 • Mark Few • 31–2 • 15–1 • 1st • No postseason held
2020–21 • Mark Few • 31–1 • 15–0 • 1st • NCAA Division I Runner-up

Deal helps Gonzaga earn more money for NCAA Tournament success – Associated Press - March 26, 2019

Final 2021 AP Men’s Basketball – Associated Press - March 15, 2021

1. Gonzaga • 31-1 • 1500 points
2. Illinois • 24-7 • 1415 points
3. Baylor • 28-2 • 1397 points
4. Michigan • 23-5 • 1280 points
5. Alabama •26-7 • 1242 points

College Basketball Rankings: Top 25 And 1 - Gary Parrish, CBS Sports - August 6, 2021

1. GONZAGA • 31-1
The Zags are expected to bring back Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard, both of whom started for a team that finished 31-1. They'll combine with a star-studded recruiting class - highlighted by five-star prospects Chet Holmgren and Hunter Sallis - and allow Gonzaga to enter the season as the favorite to win the national title. --

2. UCLA • 22-10
3. TEXAS • 19-8
4. KANSAS • 21-9

5. VILLANOVA • 18-7
The return of Collin Gillispie and Jermaine Samuels means the Wildcats will return four of the top five scorers from a team that won the Big East title by multiple games. So Jay Wright will have the pieces necessary to compete for his third national championship.

Link:

..... Mark Few - Wikipedia

In 2027, the last thing the President of Gonzaga wants is the permanent financial commitment of sending non-revenue sports teams to the East Coast while Mark Few is enjoying his days fishing.

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I’m sick of hearing about Gonzaga.

Amen.
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[Fieldhouse Flyer]

When ND, Virginia, and UNC-cheat leave the ACC for the B1G, both FSU and Clemson will bail to the SEC.

College football realignment fallout: What's next with Texas, Oklahoma stating intent to leave Big 12 for SEC - Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports - July 26, 2021

Look for the Big Ten to make some moves -- quickly -- and TV networks to have their say

Now that the first bomb has dropped, let's take a look at what's next at Texas, Oklahoma, the SEC and the larger national landscape of college athletics.

Chance to change everything

Big Ten is on the clock

Pac-12 is in the hole

Big 12's sad, tragic potential end

In 2016, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard made this prescient statement: "The Big 12 exists because we have Texas and Oklahoma in the room. If we take Texas and Oklahoma out of the room, we're the Mountain West Conference."

Those words hit like a sledgehammer today. As the SEC shocked the world by preparing to assume the 'Horns and Sooners, the Big 12 lost 50% to 75% of its value, several industry sources tell CBS Sports. Their TV contracts with ESPN and Fox contain language that allows the Big 12 networks to reduce payouts if there is a loss of membership.

"When you're losing two of the most visible programs, the network has the right to come and say, 'We're going to reduce the rights by X.'" one longtime, high-profile administrator said.

That means the Big 12 deal could drop from $37 million in annual revenue to as low as $9 million per school. Considering there aren't two schools available that come close to replacing the value of Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 is in troubled waters to say the least.

There's a real possibility the conference could be scattered to the four winds. What a shame. Iowa State, Kansas State, West Virginia and Baylor look particularly vulnerable. Those schools are neither in a major market nor an established national brand.

What's next? The Big 12 seems to be the hunted instead of the hunter. It retains autonomous (Power Five) legislative voting rights within the NCAA ... if it stays together. As mentioned, some Big 12 schools could find a lifeline in the Pac-12 -- just not all of them.

American the beautiful?

Mountain of a dark horse

Ugliness to come

Further examining the Big Ten’s potential candidates for expansion - Anthony Broome, SB Nation/Big Ten Football - July 26, 2021

The realignment wars are back on.

Before we move this conversation forward, here is what each team in the Power 5 conferences gets paid out with their current deals in place. (h/t Scott Bell)

• Big Ten: $54.3 million
• SEC: $45.5 million
• Big 12: $37-$40.5 million (pre-Texas/OU departure)
• Pac 12: $33.6 million
• ACC: $30.9-$37 million

The SEC pulling the trigger on adding a pair of football powers to its conference strengthens the grip it has on the sport and its nationwide recruiting footprint. Any elite recruit with designs on having the most eyeballs on him will continue to look to the SEC. It is a lot easier for the SEC to get on board with an expanded 12-team playoff when it knows that half of its teams might wind up there anyway.

The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 will have to adjust to this or get left in the stone age. Nobody has the answers and everyone is scrambling quickly to secure its position in line for the next stage of college athletics. The toothpaste is out of the tube and there is no putting it back.

Whether we like it or not, the arms race is back on.

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In any event, the probability of any Power 5 Conference university dropping big-time football is close to zero.

The Gridiron Payoff? - Elise Young , InsideHigherEducation - July 3, 2012

Report says college football success is correlated with increases in alumni giving, applications, academic reputation, and incoming students' SAT scores.

A win on the football field gives both fans and administrators a reason to celebrate, according to a new report that found football success increases a college’s alumni donations -- especially to athletics programs -- along with its academic reputation and the quality and quantity of applicants.

Anderson’s report found that for NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams -- teams that compete during the season and are potentially eligible for postseason bowl games -- winning football games increases alumni athletic donations, enhances academic reputation, increases the number of applicants and in-state students, reduces acceptance rates, and raises average incoming SAT scores.

He identifies differences in the impact in the six conferences that participate in the Bowl Championship Series – Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big 10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Pacific-12 Conference -- and everyone else. Colleges from these conferences saw larger effects from athletic success than what he calls the “non-BCS” colleges in most of those categories.

Link

Additions [to the Big East] have to make sense economically, and they must want to be a part of our conference.

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[DeltaV]

Thanks for this, I love Gonzaga and root for them excepting against any Big East team but for gosh sakes they make no sense geographically. Creighton is far enough but at least Omaha just makes it into the eastern US if you divide it in half. (So does Lawrence, BTW )

It's obviously a pipedream, but Kansas would be the best addition possible. Ahead of Syracuse, ND, and even Duke imo. I agree with your other point, too, we badly need to get better internally. It's been 8 years and only Nova and Creighton is in a better place now than in 2013. It's kinda shocking that everyone else is either stagnant or in worse shape.

Interesting point and conversation. Villanova and Creighton have certainly improved their status. Xavier and Butler seem like they are on the uptick. No surprise that the three acquisitions from mid-majors might have the most potential for improvement.

Without really studying it, I think Seton Hall and Providence have had a run the past few years better than the previous decade. However, the concern is that they will crash to earth now that UConn is beating them for recruits. The Huskies are BIG winners in the realignment game.

Have a little faith in our fellow brethren. Nova had a number of epic flameouts before we found the magic; you just don't remember them, because you see the trophies. I don't remember them either, but that's mainly due to obscene amounts of alcohol. The right team chemistry, a little luck, and there are plenty of Big East teams that could hang the big banner.

[coreynj2461]

Hearing twitter rumors on Kansas joining. Rumors or are they legit considering??

[Husky_U]

Hearing twitter rumors on Kansas joining. Rumors or are they legit considering??

Recent conversations have been had.