Conference Realignment: What Next?

[DeltaV]

Honestly, if you put a gun to my head and told me to pick a member of the AAC to expand with, I'd take Tulane. Yeah, their basketball program is, umm, hell I don't know but I'm assuming not very good, but they are an elite private academic school.

Call it mimicking the Big 10 model. They're not just an athletic association, but an academic one as well. That, and a good excuse to go get sloshed in the big easy, at least whenever it isn't under water.

Even then, too far away. I'd still say my vote for expansion if it had to happen would be Davidson. Just because I want to plant a stake in the heart of ACC territory (though I'm still against expansion in general).

[Xudash]

We are back to where we have been before:

1. This round of football realignment has not and will not impact the BE, or cause the BE to act.

2. We are solid at 11, and with the 11 that comprise the conference.

3. Absent ND, and accepting that Gonzaga makes no logistical sense, there are no obvious proactive expansion candidates at present.

4. It doesn’t matter; there are no legitimate reasons for expansion - conference performance has been strong, partnership agreements are solid, and content/inventory isn’t an issue.

With all that noted, the next media agreement certainly will be telling.

[gtmoBlue]

A couple of weeks ago Canada's Carleton University was put forth. Excellent expansion candidate.
30k students. 15 Sports. Ottawa, Ont., Canada. Electrical Engr'g, other engr'g.

The Carleton Ravens have won 15 of 18 National Championships since 2002-03. Excellent basketball school-defense 1st.
3rd year HC Taffe Charles is leading the Ravens, following the legendary, excellent, Coach Fred Smart.
Coach Charles led the women's program for 12 years, with several postseason accolades, and the 2017-18
National Championship (undefeated 29-0).

Under his watch the Carlton Men's Program won the 2019-2020 Mens National Championship.
2020-21 No Championship was played - All basketball canceled in October 2020 due to Covid Pandemic.


https://carleton.ca/
https://goravens.ca/

[GumbyDamnit!]

A couple of weeks ago Canada's Carleton University was put forth. Excellent expansion candidate.
30k students. 15 Sports. Ottawa, Ont., Canada. Electrical Engr'g, other engr'g.

The Carleton Ravens have won 15 of 18 National Championships since 2002-03. Excellent basketball school-defense 1st.
3rd year HC Taffe Charles is leading the Ravens, following the legendary, excellent, Coach Fred Smart.
Coach Charles led the women's program for 12 years, with several postseason accolades, and the 2017-18
National Championship (undefeated 29-0).

Under his watch the Carlton Men's Program won the 2019-2020 Mens National Championship.
2020-21 No Championship was played - All basketball canceled in October 2020 due to Covid Pandemic.


https://carleton.ca/
https://goravens.ca/

Of all the expansion talk this is the one that intrigues me the most. I love the out of the box thinking. I wonder what revenue possibilities it could open up by entering a completely new market like Canada, and the buzz it would create. Is there a regional media TV contract the conference could negotiate either directly or through the Fox partnership? Does it open up new recruiting areas that gives us an advantage? I mean the NCAA no longer seems in control of the collective destinies of their member institutions anyway. Why not be aggressive? At the very least maybe we make them an associate member...establish 3-4 games each year, rotating BE schools to play them as part preseason exhibition. Let's see if there is a fit... I like it Git!

[_lh]

We are back to where we have been before:

1. This round of football realignment has not and will not impact the BE, or cause the BE to act.

2. We are solid at 11, and with the 11 that comprise the conference.

3. Absent ND, and accepting that Gonzaga makes no logistical sense, there are no obvious proactive expansion candidates at present.

4. It doesn’t matter; there are no legitimate reasons for expansion - conference performance has been strong, partnership agreements are solid, and content/inventory isn’t an issue.

With all that noted, the next media agreement certainly will be telling.

Agreed. Expand only for ND or maybe Kansas if they need a spot for some reason. Oklahoma St. and Iowa St. are big losers in the Big 12 once Texas and OU leave. Look for both to work very, very hard to find another conference (better) before UC, Houston, BYU and UCF join.

[Hall2012]

There's really no reason at all for the Big East to consider expansion at this point. There's nobody for us to worry about keeping up with because we're so uniquely positioned in being an elite basketball conference with no football. There are no possible greener pastures to be pursued by 10 of our 11 members and we're not in any sort of an arms race because expansion candidates for any more desirable conference (football schools) don't interest us and expansion candidates for us (non football schools) don't interest them. In short, no school we could have even slight interest in adding will ever be pulled off the table, so there's no rush.

[Jet915]

Gonzaga would be the only add that moves the needle but Fox would have to increase the payout to help with travel expenses....

[Burrito]

It's been a rough couple of years for the AAC, losing UConn, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati. They still have Memphis for basketball.

[Jet915]

It's been a rough couple of years for the AAC, losing UConn, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati. They still have Memphis for basketball.

Unless they can somehow poach from the mwc they are now cusa. Bigxii is now the new American with good basketball.

[ArmyVet]

Big 12 adds four schools is official. A little on the timing:

In a statement, BYU announced it will be joining the conference in the 2023-24 season. BYU is a football-independent school, and the Cougars' other programs will continue to compete in the WCC until then.

AAC bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million buyout fee. In that scenario, joining by the 2023 season would be a long shot, but some sources have said it is realistic. An earlier exit -- with a higher buyout -- is always a possibility. As a result, it's possible the league could temporarily expand to as many as 14 teams if those schools join before Oklahoma and Texas leave. It's also possible the Big 12 could make a second realignment push in the coming years, according to sources.