Conference realignment discussion - v. 2015

[_lh]

There are reasons to go to 12 from 11. A team might not be good enough to expand with them alone- but way good enough to go from 11 to 12. The fact is there are major benefits to go from 11 to 12. Huge benefits. Dayton/SLU/Richmond/VCU would definitely be good enough to be #12.

I think the odds if UConn came back that the Big East would remain at 11 is slim to none.

Can you back up these claims of huge benefits?

What is the huge benefit of going from 11 to 12?

It might actually cause there to be less inventory for fox. You could potentially do a 20 conference game home and home schedule with 11 teams, but 12 teams would be too much to retain the home and home scheduling so you'd likely have an 18 game conference schedule like we do now getting 6 teams home and home and 6 teams once.
Which would result in 4 less games. It's possible to do a 20 game conference schedule with 12: 8 home and homes 4 teams only once, but I feel like coaches would be less willing to give up OOC games if they're not preserving the true home and home nature of the conference anyway.

The coaches would NEVER go for 20 conference games. Absolutely NEVER. That's pie in the sky type of stuff..... If we are at 11, it'd be like what the AAC had with you playing 8 teams home and home and then 1 team only at home and 1 other team only away.

If we go to 12, you would have 7 teams played 2 times and then the other 4 played once.

The benefits are:
1- everyone can play every rotation. no weekend off days.
2- more inventory for Fox- and also a better selection(since there would be 6 conference games each time).
3- conference tournament would be able to have 2 sessions on the 1st day rather than 1. This gets an extra 15k tickets which is worth alone about 750k at least.

the weekend off days gone and more/better inventory for Fox are huge.

bottom line- if UConn came to the Big East, it's a 99% chance I think that we go 12 instead of 11.

It is a lot easier to add teams than get rid of them.

It would be wise to stay at 11 before adding one of the bland schools we are discussing to see how it works. UCONN is a no brainer but none of the others are.

[DudeAnon]

Would suck to lose the Home & Home, thats all I will say.

[stever20]

It is a lot easier to add teams than get rid of them.

It would be wise to stay at 11 before adding one of the bland schools we are discussing to see how it works. UCONN is a no brainer but none of the others are.

I think it's pretty safe to say the folks in charge don't see them as bland schools.

99% chance like I said that if UConn is in, we will be at 12.

[sheg]

I wonder if there was ever any agreement (written or otherwise between the 7 schools that stayed in the Big East and the ones that left for the AAC that they would not poach inter-conference?

I think UConn's goals are loftier right now (i.e. a P5 football conference) anyway. Whether they can or should seek to play football at that level is a separate discussion.

Edit: so there's two questions we don't know the answer to - will UConn give up on football dreams, and will the Big East want them if they do? Obviously, the answer to the second question is yes - if they truly don't care about the public thing.

[Bill Marsh]

I don't have a vote either and obviously everyone here is just speculating but I doubt the B10 expands anytime soon but who knows. Either way, I agree with you about UCONN.

I can't imagine the travel costs for the tennis team to travel from Spokane to the east coast regularly. I think Gonzaga joining the BE is a huge pipe dream.

Gonzaga is able to get very good exposure nationally and great seeds out of their current conference so I don't see why they would even consider it.

The tennis team doesn't have to travel to Spokane. You'd be surprised how few teams actually have to play a conference round robin schedule. Most sports compete in a conference tournament or all-conference meet and the rest of the schedule is up to them. Xavier, for example, has only 6 teams that play a conference round robin schedule. That's all it takes.

Regardless of the number of teams that play full schedules, it's still only one long road trip per year per team. At the most. In a divisional format, it wouldn't even be that for teams in the opposite division.

Then. There's always the option for creative scheduling. For example, atrio from NYC is about the same distance as a trip from Omaha to Spokane. So, if the schedule makers piggy back a trip to Gonzga with a trip to Creighton, the trip from Creighton to Gonzaga is the same amount of travel as the trip they would have been taking home anyway. So, the only thing that's been added is the one way trip home from Spokane. I don't see how that's a deal breaker for anyone.

And it's not like most teams don't have some long road trips on the schedule already. Replace one of those with Gonzaga and replace that OOC trip with one closer to home. Then, at least part of the trip is something the team would have been doing anyway.

The factor the matter is that there are lots of ways to minimize the impact on everyone except Gonzaga and they've said that they're good with it. Is it worth the compromises that would have to be made? It would be to me. I simply can't come. Up with another program that would have that kind of impact and would still be a good fit. So far in this thread, no one else has either.

Gonzaga's reasons for considering it are their reasons, not mine, so I won't speak for them. It was reported at the time that the C7 announced their split from the football schools that Gonzaga was interested and that's been confirmed by other articles since then. So, as best we know, their is a fact regardless of what their motivation is.

I can only guess why they'd e interested, but I assume that it's because they have aspirations for a big time program beyond the level of competition that the WCC can provide. BYU isn't likely to be staying there for the long haul. Without BYU, the WCC is is a western version of the MAAC. WCC schools typically have home attendance figures in the 2,000-3,000 range. A school that averages over 3K is the rare exception and some are under 2K. Gonzaga sells out it's 6,000 on-campus arena for every game and has a long waiting list for tickets. That's pretty amazing in light of the competition. Give them a Big East schedule and they're likely selling out Spokane's 12,000 seat civic arena.

Then there's the "Oh, BTW . . ." reason. Increased revenue, which is what's behind all expansion.

[_lh]

It is a lot easier to add teams than get rid of them.

It would be wise to stay at 11 before adding one of the bland schools we are discussing to see how it works. UCONN is a no brainer but none of the others are.

I think it's pretty safe to say the folks in charge don't see them as bland schools.

99% chance like I said that if UConn is in, we will be at 12.

Those schools are bland and you have no idea what the folks in charge think.

[_lh]

I don't have a vote either and obviously everyone here is just speculating but I doubt the B10 expands anytime soon but who knows. Either way, I agree with you about UCONN.

I can't imagine the travel costs for the tennis team to travel from Spokane to the east coast regularly. I think Gonzaga joining the BE is a huge pipe dream.

Gonzaga is able to get very good exposure nationally and great seeds out of their current conference so I don't see why they would even consider it.

The tennis team doesn't have to travel to Spokane. You'd be surprised how few teams actually have to play a conference round robin schedule. Most sports compete in a conference tournament or all-conference meet and the rest of the schedule is up to them. Xavier, for example, has only 6 teams that play a conference round robin schedule. That's all it takes.

Regardless of the number of teams that play full schedules, it's still only one long road trip per year per team. At the most. In a divisional format, it wouldn't even be that for teams in the opposite division.

Then. There's always the option for creative scheduling. For example, atrio from NYC is about the same distance as a trip from Omaha to Spokane. So, if the schedule makers piggy back a trip to Gonzga with a trip to Creighton, the trip from Creighton to Gonzaga is the same amount of travel as the trip they would have been taking home anyway. So, the only thing that's been added is the one way trip home from Spokane. I don't see how that's a deal breaker for anyone.

And it's not like most teams don't have some long road trips on the schedule already. Replace one of those with Gonzaga and replace that OOC trip with one closer to home. Then, at least part of the trip is something the team would have been doing anyway.

The factor the matter is that there are lots of ways to minimize the impact on everyone except Gonzaga and they've said that they're good with it. Is it worth the compromises that would have to be made? It would be to me. I simply can't come. Up with another program that would have that kind of impact and would still be a good fit. So far in this thread, no one else has either.

Gonzaga's reasons for considering it are their reasons, not mine, so I won't speak for them. It was reported at the time that the C7 announced their split from the football schools that Gonzaga was interested and that's been confirmed by other articles since then. So, as best we know, their is a fact regardless of what their motivation is.

I can only guess why they'd e interested, but I assume that it's because they have aspirations for a big time program beyond the level of competition that the WCC can provide. BYU isn't likely to be staying there for the long haul. Without BYU, the WCC is is a western version of the MAAC. WCC schools typically have home attendance figures in the 2,000-3,000 range. A school that averages over 3K is the rare exception and some are under 2K. Gonzaga sells out it's 6,000 on-campus arena for every game and has a long waiting list for tickets. That's pretty amazing in light of the competition. Give them a Big East schedule and they're likely selling out Spokane's 12,000 seat civic arena.

Then there's the "Oh, BTW . . ." reason. Increased revenue, which is what's behind all expansion.

Bill,

That is all fine and dandy but the fact remains that Gonzaga does not play big time football. Conference affiliation for basketball is a lot less important without football being a factor.

Gonzaga has and can continue to compete for a national championship and final fours out of the WCC. You may be correct that they were interested or may still be but I don't see why.

[stever20]

It is a lot easier to add teams than get rid of them.

It would be wise to stay at 11 before adding one of the bland schools we are discussing to see how it works. UCONN is a no brainer but none of the others are.

I think it's pretty safe to say the folks in charge don't see them as bland schools.

99% chance like I said that if UConn is in, we will be at 12.

Those schools are bland and you have no idea what the folks in charge think.

Common sense shows that the people in charge will go 12. You might not like it but being at 12 is better than being at 11. And despite what you think, the teams in contention for 12 are definitely good enough to make it worthwhile.

And I'm sorry- but I would not call bland a school that made the elite 8 in Dayton or if we go public route a school that made the final 4 in VCU. No way.

[DudeAnon]

Bill,

That is all fine and dandy but the fact remains that Gonzaga does not play big time football. Conference affiliation for basketball is a lot less important without football being a factor.

Gonzaga has and can continue to compete for a national championship and final fours out of the WCC. You may be correct that they were interested or may still be but I don't see why.

Funny you say that, Gonzaga has never made the Final Four and only made the second weekend 3 times. What happens after Few leaves? As someone said earlier, its a lot easier to add teams than to remove them.

[_lh]

Bill,

That is all fine and dandy but the fact remains that Gonzaga does not play big time football. Conference affiliation for basketball is a lot less important without football being a factor.

Gonzaga has and can continue to compete for a national championship and final fours out of the WCC. You may be correct that they were interested or may still be but I don't see why.

Funny you say that, I don't think Gonzaga has never made the Final Four and only made the second weekend 3 times ever. What happens after Few leaves? As someone said earlier, its a lot easier to add teams than to remove them.

You are correct that Gonzaga is not actually producing most years in the tournament but their league affiliation is not stopping them from getting pre-season ranked every year and great NCAA seeds. I think they are highly overrated every year but due to location they get great exposure as a national team.