In light of recent reports and rumors, I decided to work a little with my previous post suggesting four new "Super Conferences."
The stories are being passed around that the Big 10 has offered a spot to Nebraska (Big 12 North), Missouri (Big 12 North), Notre Dame (Independent), and Rutgers (Big East).
*Side Note: I had the Big 12 North joining the Big 10 and creating the North Conference. So I was 50% correct before the rumors. Quick pause for a self pat on the back.
The one that stands out in this group is Rutgers. Why Rutgers? New Jersey is not near any of the states that hold current Big 10 teams, the closest is Pennsylvania, where the eastern most outcast of the Big 10 presides, Penn State. Everybody seems to be talking about how the Big 12 is going to be picked apart by other conferences, and they will probably be right about it (in a few years).
By offering Rutgers a spot in a new conference, the Big East suddenly looks like Calista Flockhart in her skinny days. With only 7 members supporting football teams, how long can the conference survive?
In the SEC, football is king. In the Big East, basketball is king. But can a conference survive on basketball alone? It'll be interesting to see what happens if Rutgers decides to move on to greener, bigger pastures.
In regards to my Super 4, there are certain things to note before we get started. First, note that the following is all hypothetical. Second, note that Penn State has now moved into the North with the rest of the Big 10, leaving a spot in the East. We'll now work through all four Super Conferences assuming that the offers are all accepted. First we'll fill out the North.
NORTH:
If all 4 teams bolt, the Big 10 will have 15 football and basketball schools. With a goal of having 16 teams each, the next logical addition to the conference is Iowa State. The Big 10 already has half the state with Iowa, and with 2 other members of the Big 12 North joining, the Cyclones won't be the lone sheep moving to the North. As Seth Davis says, "I'm going sharpie on this one."
Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado are now homeless, but not forgotten. We'll get back to them.
EAST:
The East now has three open spots if we use my previous arrangement because of Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Penn State moving to the North. So who fills in? Let's pull some of those southern ACC teams back into the mix. If you look in the previous version of the South, there are 4 ACC teams. Time to play "Let's Make A Deal."
I'll give you Louisville, if you'll give me Miami (FL), Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Clemson. Sound fair? Sure. Let's do it. The East is now made up of what is left of the Big East (minus Rutgers Louisville), and the ACC.
Let's go sharpie here too.
SOUTH:
With the newly acquired Louisville, the South now has the 3 openings. Don't forget Kansas and Kansas State, as they could make the switch to the South, but I don't see that happening. Using the model I created previously, the South already has TCU, so look for the expansion to try to take Texas as a whole state, not just part.
Welcome Texas, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M to the party. Suddenly, the South becomes the measuring stick for what conference strength is all about.
Sharpie.
WEST:
The remaining homeless teams, Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado, now have a home. Welcome to the high flying, hard-hitting West. Where the only team that will run on you like hard-nosed old school football teams used to will be Oklahoma. When you look at every other team, you see a flare that can only come with the West Coast. Take the Pac-10 showboating, add in a midwest corn-fed Big 12 feel, with the spice of Boise State and BYU and even the Rock can smell what's cooking out west.
I really wonder what he cooked that smelled so bad...
So there we are, with a few new offers, a trade, and the Rock we've reached our new layout. Something like this:
| South | West | East | North |
| SEC | Pac-10 | ACC/Big East | Big 10 |
| Alabama | Arizona | Boston College | Illinois |
| Arkansas | Arizona State | North Carolina | Indiana |
| Auburn | California | NC State | Iowa |
| Florida | Oregon | Wake Forest | Michigan |
| Georgia | Oregon State | Virginia Tech | Michigan State |
| Kentucky | Stanford | Duke | Minnesota |
| LSU | UCLA | Cincinnati | Northwestern |
| Mississippi | USC | Connecticut | Ohio State |
| Mississippi State | Washington | Pittsburgh | Penn State |
| South Carolina | Colorado | South Florida | Purdue |
| Tennessee | Kansas | Syracuse | Wisconsin |
| Louisville | Kansas State | West Virginia | Rutgers |
| Texas | Oklahoma State | Miami (FL) | Notre Dame1 |
| Texas A&M | Oklahoma | Florida State | Nebraska |
| Texas Tech | BYU1 | Clemson | Missouri |
| TCU1 | Boise State1 | Georgia Tech | Iowa State |
| 1Added to Super Conferences | | | |
Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment.
Where's Vandy?
ReplyDeleteIf you read the first post of the blog, it explains why Vandy isn't included. It's a sad day for Commodore fans, but I think it's better in the long run.
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine Vandy playing in the Super South? I smell 1-11 every year.
I still think Vandy would not be left out. there are things that Vandy brings to the table that no other school does. Which also leads me to believe that Baylor would not be left out either.
ReplyDeleteSuper conferences may come, but your predictions are preposterous.
ReplyDeleteThat is the beauty of this page though. My predictions can be preposterous. I'm not in charge. I don't get to pick the results. But what I can do, and have done here is stir up conversation. Like you said, super conferences may come, but they may be years, even decades down the line. What's to say that they don't end up the way I've drawn up here?
ReplyDeleteI simply ask in response for an example. Which team is the most preposterous? Which team did I totally screw up?