2341 replies to this topic

[minischwab]

Latest rumors have UConn, Louisville and Cincy joining the ACC, possibly to be announced by the end of this week. With Pitt and Syracuse already joining, that will make 17 members for everything except for football, which would be 16 because of Notre Dame. Virginia Tech may leave for the SEC, not sure what ACC would do at that point.

[mabrowndog]

I've been reading that the ACC is going to invite UConn, Louisville and Cincinnati.

Latest rumors have UConn, Louisville and Cincy joining the ACC, possibly to be announced by the end of this week.

Please provide links or at least mention the sources of any "rumors" in this thread. If it's the bathroom wall at the Sunoco station, or your buddy Murph down at the local watering hole, say so. Thanks in advance.

[minischwab]

Sorry, no link. It is being discussed around the office by our CFB reporters and researchers. Seems like its pretty much a done deal, so I'd expect you'll be reading about it very soon.

(null)

[8slim]

Latest rumors have UConn, Louisville and Cincy joining the ACC, possibly to be announced by the end of this week. With Pitt and Syracuse already joining, that will make 17 members for everything except for football, which would be 16 because of Notre Dame. Virginia Tech may leave for the SEC, not sure what ACC would do at that point.

If/when VaTech goes to the SEC that sets all the dominoes a-falling. Then UVA has license to join the B1G. Also would figure that mean NC State will join the SEC, to complete the southern footprint for a conference network, and UNC in turn will join the B1G.

Only question at that point is whether FSU, Clemson and GaTech/Miami bolt for the Big 12. The former two seem desperate/stupid enough to do it, but maybe the shadow of the PAC-12 pillaging that league in time will keep them home.

[StuckOnYouk]

This article makes it sound like the ACC may stick with 14 with UConn still viewed as the leader over Louisville (or a Scott Boras mystery team)

http://www.cbssports...kely-per-source

A prominent official from an ACC school told me Louisville and UConn both have something to offer but stressed academics will matter to presidents. This favors UConn, widely considered a top-75 national university. The Hartford area also is larger than Louisville's, but the Cardinals have a strong football/basketball product and aggressive AD Tom Jurich.

[mabrowndog]

* MWC - If BYU returns, the conference probably (and reluctantly) adds New Mexico State just to balance things out. I can also see them rescuing Denver and Seattle from the WAC as non-FB members, giving them 2 more choice markets and allowing them to keep the divisional setup for hoops.

East - AF, BSU, BYU, CSU, NMX, UTSU, WY (+DEN)
West - FRES, HI, NV, NMSU, SDSU, SJSU, UNLV (+SEA)

Well, so much for that. The Pioneers are taking their talents to the Central Time Zone:

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanCBS
Denver will join the Summit League next season, sources told CBSSports. Realignment never, ever ends.

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanCBS
Denver will now be in three different leagues in 3 years. Sun Belt, WAC and Summit. Crazy.

Plus their hockey team plays in the WCHA, men's lacrosse in the ECAC, men's soccer and women's lacrosse in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and their ski teams in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association.

Edited by mabrowndog, 26 November 2012 - 06:30 PM.

[mabrowndog]

From Doug Doughty, Roanoke (VA) Times sportswriter:

@DoughtySports
Nothing to the Virginia to the Big Ten rumors. NOTHING.

@DoughtySports
Looking back at 2003, could Virginia and Virginia Tech be in different conferences again without a major firestorm?

Edited by mabrowndog, 26 November 2012 - 07:03 PM.

[8slim]

From Doug Doughty, Roanoke (VA) Times sportswriter:

I sure hope that's the truth. But if UVA went to the B1G and VaTech went to the SEC, who'd be upset?

[SumnerH]

I sure hope that's the truth. But if UVA went to the B1G and VaTech went to the SEC, who'd be upset?

The VA legislature went to huge lengths to get the two into the same conference. I figure the only way they let them split up is if they are a) convinced that the ACC will not exist as a semi-major conference in the near future (very plausible) and; b) convinced that there's no way to move them as a package deal so they both go to the same major conference.

Not impossible, but I can't see them jumping on a split without fully exploring the chance to move them as a package.

[Hendu's Gait]

The VA legislature went to huge lengths to get the two into the same conference. I figure the only way they let them split up is if they are a) convinced that the ACC will not exist as a semi-major conference in the near future (very plausible) and; b) convinced that there's no way to move them as a package deal so they both go to the same major conference.

Not impossible, but I can't see them jumping on a split without fully exploring the chance to move them as a package.

How bad of an idea is both going to SEC East (and UVA forming rivalry with Vandy) and Mizzou moving west and reforming rivalry with Arkansas?

Too much of a culture clash with the public Ivy going SEC?

[mabrowndog]

By the way, the WAC still has illusions of remaining an actual D-1 conference in basketball and other sports. Last month they added Cal State-Bakersfield and Utah Valley, and they're reportedly looking at Div II Grand Canyon U. to replace Denver. UV was in the soon-to-be-defunct Great West, while CS-B was slated to be the last remaining independent in D-1 hoops.

Another move from last month: CoC to join the CAA

College of Charleston will leave the Southern Conference for the CAA in 2013-14, a move that could result in a $600,000 exit fee for failing to provide two year’s notice. The Cougars will be allowed to participate in the Southern Conference championship for the remainder of their time in the league, which wouldn’t happen in the America East, CAA or Horizon League because of conference provisions.

Edited by mabrowndog, 27 November 2012 - 12:10 AM.

[8slim]

The VA legislature went to huge lengths to get the two into the same conference. I figure the only way they let them split up is if they are a) convinced that the ACC will not exist as a semi-major conference in the near future (very plausible) and; b) convinced that there's no way to move them as a package deal so they both go to the same major conference.

Not impossible, but I can't see them jumping on a split without fully exploring the chance to move them as a package.

The SEC and B1G don't care about either school, they want to get basic tier subscription rates for their cable networks for homes across the state. IIRC the VA Governor didn't care so much that the schools be in the same conference, rather that VaTech was going to be left behind in a wrecked Big East.

I just think that if both had soft, rich landings no one would put up much of a stink.

Edited by 8slim, 27 November 2012 - 08:36 AM.

[loshjott]

I wish one of the dopes would put in an autocorrect to change "B1G" to "that new f-ing stupid Big 10 logo"

[RedOctober3829]

LOL Big East.

Jeremy Fowler ‏@JFowlerCBS
Tulane joining Big East, per source. Should be finalized today.

https://twitter.com/...467244170862594

[URI]

I wish one of the dopes would put in an autocorrect to change "B1G" to "that new f-ing stupid Big 10 logo"

n0pe

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Tulane has a big reach into New York and the Jewish community as well as the rest of NE up there already. Moving to the Big East helps solidify those ties even more for recruiting purposes. Still the upcoming instability of the conference makes me question the move for the Green Wave. I guess it's still better CUSA?

Edited by Jeff Van GULLY, 27 November 2012 - 11:57 AM.

[Dan Murfman]

And the Big East isn't stopping. East Carolina to Big East for football only.

http://twitter.com/S...472554755297280

BREAKING: East Carolina will join Big East as football-only in 2014. Tulane in all sports. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/27/big-east-ea …st-carolina/index.html

[berniecarbo1]

And the Big East isn't stopping. East Carolina to Big East for football only.

http://twitter.com/S...472554755297280

BREAKING: East Carolina will join Big East as football-only in 2014. Tulane in all sports. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/27/big-east-ea …st-carolina/index.html

Not for nothin' but Tulane has a damn good baseball program. Tulane is a really great school. They are building an on campus football stadium and will move most if not all of their games back on campus which is a good thing. I think this is a good move for the Green Wave.

Edited by berniecarbo1, 27 November 2012 - 01:23 PM.

[mabrowndog]

The Cougars have spurned the Big East -- again.

And the Falcons aren't walking through that door either.

Jeremy Fowler

In larger scope, the Big East might need more than Tulane and East Carolina to flip a sizable TV contract.

It really needed BYU, and talks between both sides resurfaced in light of the playoff distribution model that doesn't favor BYU's independence. But a source with direct knowledge says despite progressive conversations, BYU has decided not to accept the Big East's latest invite.

Air Force doesn't have any plans to join the Big East at this time, according to a source.

The Big Ten's poaching of Rutgers from the Big East has forced many schools to re-evaluate the Big East's TV viability.

Big East officials were not available for comment on the matter. BYU and the Big East were reportedly close on a deal year ago until the Cougars refused to relinquish television rights.

As the Big East navigates a media rights negotiation with several networks, keeping Boise State from returning to the Mountain West will be a priority as the Big East continues its expansion beyond the Northeast.

[mabrowndog]

By the way, the WAC still has illusions of remaining an actual D-1 conference in basketball and other sports. Last month they added Cal State-Bakersfield and Utah Valley, and they're reportedly looking at Div II Grand Canyon U. to replace Denver.

Done deal per McMurphy, effective next year.

@McMurphyESPN
More realignment! Grand Canyon will move from Division II to WAC in 2013

[RedOctober3829]

Done deal per McMurphy, effective next year.

Mt. Washington to the Big East?

[DrewDawg]

With ECU out of CUSA, schools like ODU, Charlotte, and Marshall will be desperate for another team in that geographical area--could JMU or Delaware get the call?

Edited by DrewDawg, 27 November 2012 - 02:07 PM.

[mabrowndog]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN

ACC has filed lawsuit against Maryland to ensure Terps pay full $50M exit fee

Likely just a scare tactic for other members, and it'll probably be as futile as the legal action

[RedOctober3829]

With ECU out of CUSA, schools like ODU, Charlotte, and Marshall will be desperate for another team in that geographical area--could JMU or Delaware get the call?

JMU could but Delaware won't. A school to watch is Liberty. They have the facilities to do it and Turner Gill is their head coach. They did a feasibility study last year and announced their intentions to move up to FBS, but did not get an invite anywhere. Their religious affiliation might scare some conferences away, but if they are in need of schools to fill slots then they are in play.

[DrewDawg]

I'd love to bring a school like Ga Southern into CUSA. I guess now we need to see if the ACC starts to splinter and who the CUSA tries to poach.

[Infield Infidel]

In a Yahoo story about Urban Meyer

If the speculation and sources on Big Ten expansion are correct, Ohio State's future division will feature Indiana, Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers and a sanction-devastated Penn State program. That leaves Wisconsin as the only team with the capability to realistically challenge Meyer's Bucks.

Wisconsin would be in an eastern division without any teams in states they border. With Penn St being "sanction-devastated" for 5 years or so, Michigan and Michigan St should be in there, with Purdue going west.

[DrewDawg]

Big East commission: We're not done, could go to 16 for football.

[StuckOnYouk]

Anyone else find it funny that the ACC is suing a departing member? I assume high-and-mighty Father Leahy didn't sign off on this action, correct?

[mabrowndog]

Per Andrew Porter, in the latest ACC voting Louisville is reportedly in the lead, but neither the Cardinals nor UConn have received the required 75%. Louisville remains one vote short per Mark Blaudschun.

[kenneycb]

Anyone else find it funny that the ACC is suing a departing member? I assume high-and-mighty Father Leahy didn't sign off on this action, correct?

Since they actually have a reason to sue based on agreed upon conference terms, no. I'm also unaware of any personal lawsuits against Maryland's AD or president.

[Sea Dog]

ACC to hold a 7 a.m. conference call. Speculation is they're expected to vote in Louisville to replace Maryland.

[bbc23]

ACC to hold a 7 a.m. conference call. Speculation is they're expected to vote in Louisville to replace Maryland.

I think this is a huge loss for the Big 12, now unless they pillage the ACC they have nobody to add

[StuckOnYouk]

I think this is a huge loss for the Big 12, now unless they pillage the ACC they have nobody to add

The biggest loser by far with conference realignment is still UConn. and I can't imagine it's even close witih loser #2.

The only hope I have is that realigment still isn't over and at some point I would imagine the SEC or B1G might want to pluck a few teams from the ACC at which point maybe UConn will have hope. But the waiting game is brutal.

[bsj]

I feel for UConn. I was actually hoping they would join us in moving to he ACC.

I hope that that football heavies, who are pushing Ville, are making a real commitment to stick around in exchange.

[gtg807y]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN
BREAKING: ACC votes to add Louisville sources tell @ESPN. Cards will be 6th team to leave Big East for ACC

Really good move for the ACC. Improves the product on the field (and court), which is becoming rare in realignment.

[mabrowndog]

In the short term, losing Louisville might help the Big East. I'd have to believe UConn is a far more important member of the conference when it comes to TVs and eyeballs, and the value of any forthcoming TV contracts will be higher than they would have been had they left and Louisville stayed. So their chances of retaining Boise St and SDSU have probably improved -- assuming the rest of the conference membership remains intact.

As far as the Big 12 goes, Cincinnati wouldn't bring the same cachet as Louisville, but they'd still be a solid addition if brought aboard with FSU/Clemson/GT.

EDIT - Also, this has to make UMass the favorite to replace Louisville in the Big East, right?

Edited by mabrowndog, 28 November 2012 - 08:55 AM.

[mabrowndog]

I've updated my realignment spreadsheet in Google Drive.

[Plantiers Wart]

ACC invites the 'Ville, spurns UConn again. The reason? UConn has no other viable options so they will be there to invite in the future in case more members flee. It sucks being the ugly girl willing to put out at the dance, and when everyone else is paired up, someone finally gets around to you.



http://www.courant.c...0,7749244.story

[mabrowndog]

ACC invites the 'Ville, spurns UConn again. The reason? UConn has no other viable options so they will be there to invite in the future in case more members flee. It sucks being the ugly girl willing to put out at the dance, and when everyone else is paired up, someone finally gets around to you.

http://www.courant.c...0,7749244.story

That absolutely plays into it. Another factor is that the ACC's TV deals are fairly set in stone, so the appeal of UConn's market population was of less value than it would have been to, say, the Big Ten had Rutgers inexplicably passed on membership.

Also Louisville's athletics finances are in stark contrast to Maryland's. Per Kristi Dosh:

‏@SportsBizMiss
Every single men's and women's sport has received a new facility under Jurich at Louisville, with exception of football which got upgrade.

@SportsBizMiss
Louisville basketball is the 16th most-profitable football or basketball program behind 15 football programs: http://bit.ly/v0O22y

@SportsBizMiss
Louisville basketball net profit for '10-11 was $27.5m. Highest football or basketball profit in ACC was FSU football at $17.2m.

@SportsBizMiss
Duke basketball at #26 RT @Clash0501: @SportsBizMiss How far down the list before another basketball team shows up?

Think about that bolded sentence for a moment. Louisville's basketball profits were about equal to UNC's and Duke's combined.

[RedOctober3829]

Middle Tennessee State is moving to C-USA.

Conference USA reacted quickly to loss of ECU and Tulane, adding Middle Tennessee State this morning. Will have a story online shortly.

https://twitter.com/...824122818162689

[DrewDawg]

Here's the story: http://hamptonroads....tennessee-state

[RedSoxFan]

EDIT - Also, this has to make UMass the favorite to replace Louisville in the Big East, right?

It would certainly make a lot of sense, but UMass never seems to be on the Big East's radar.

[Captaincoop]

I'm not a fan of this move at all. Louisville is an embarrassing academic addition with no TV market, and their football, while currently better than UConn's, does not add anything to the conference.

The fact that the ACC refused to add West Virginia last year, only to get stuck with Louisville this year, shows what a poorly-run and shortsighted organization it is.

[Williams Head Case]

Bad day for UConn and its fans but not the end of the world. Knowing what we know about realignment, I would bet that it happens again and sooner rather than later. B1G/Big 12/SEC may say they are fine now, but can we really be sure at this point? Shoot, who knows, maybe the ACC even becomes more proactive about adding schools. Either way, with other conferences still expanding (and likely raiding the ACC) and the tectonic shifting that the most recent round of expansion has led to, my guess would be that UConn will get its invite booty call from the ACC within the next year and a half.

Edited by Williams Head Case, 28 November 2012 - 11:58 AM.

[berniecarbo1]

Back when there was the football BE and the old ACC, I thought that the conferences might merge and have a the East Coast version of the Pac 10. Looks like as of this morning that the merger has finally taken place, absent only Penn State. To make the old guards feel good, I would suggest that they reset the alignment of the divisions and rename them the Dave Gavitt and Gene Corrigan divisions They could look like this:

DG: BC, Miami, Louisville, Va Tech, Syr, Pitt, Clemson;
GC: Ga Tech, UNC, NCST, UVA, FSU, Duke, Wake

They all play each other in their dvsisions with one cross over "rival" and then pick up 1 other every year. You get your 8 games and really it would be like the old BE in one division and the old ACC in the other. I would move the ACCCG to the home field of the highest ranked team, like the Pac 12 does. It keeps traditional rivalries, allows OOC games and maybe it creates a better brand of football and more interest in places like BC and Syracuse.

As for UConn....I think they are the safety choice as was discussed above. If there are any more defections, they come on board. But Christ, what a situatin for them. No super conference really wants them. I don;t really get it to be honest at this point. Is it their location? TV market? NCAA issues with hoops? all of that, none of that??

[Williams Head Case]

UConn needs Don Draper to make their next pitch, not Warde or Susan.

[bosoxsue]

As for UConn....I think they are the safety choice as was discussed above. If there are any more defections, they come on board. But Christ, what a situatin for them. No super conference really wants them. I don;t really get it to be honest at this point. Is it their location? TV market? NCAA issues with hoops? all of that, none of that??

It's still hard for me to process the appeal of Rutgers, which won conference titles in nothing, over UConn. I have lived in Connecticut most of my life, but I was born in Jersey and had hundreds of relatives there. One of my uncles pitched for Seton Hall and was drafted by the (ugh) Yankees, so there should have been some college interest in my Jersey family. But what did they care about? The New York Giants, the Mets and the Knicks. Maybe things have changed in Jersey, but I think the Big Ten is in for a shock if it thinks it's going to get these fabulous TV ratings in that market. In Connecticut, however, they live and breathe UConn (although the split affinity for the NY-Boston pro sports is obviously huge, too)... seems like it should have been a no-brainer for the Connecticut market to be very appealing. Not to mention attractive to advertisers because of its relative affluence. The whole thing puzzles me.

Edited by bosoxsue, 28 November 2012 - 02:44 PM.

[mabrowndog]

It's still hard for me to process the appeal of Rutgers, which won conference titles in nothing, over UConn. I have lived in Connecticut most of my life, but I was born in Jersey and had hundreds of relatives there. One of my uncles pitched for Seton Hall and was drafted by the (ugh) Yankees, so there should have been some college interest in my Jersey family. But what did they care about? The New York Giants, the Mets and the Knicks. Maybe things have changed in Jersey, but I think the Big Ten is in for a shock if it thinks it's going to get these fabulous TV ratings in that market. In Connecticut, however, they live and breathe UConn (although the split affinity for the NY-Boston pro sports is obviously huge, too)... seems like it should have been a no-brainer for the Connecticut market to be very appealing. Not to mention attractive to advertisers because of its relative affluence. The whole thing puzzles me.

But it isn't about ratings, per se. Sure, they're nice when it's time to renegotiate deals with sponsors. But for the Big Ten adding Rutgers (and Maryland) was all about subscriber fees for its network. For every household their channel is carried in by cable & satellite providers, the Big Ten gets a percentage of the monthly bill payment. And there's no place in the US where those fees add up to a higher sum than the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area.

Even if Rutgers and Maryland both suck, the Big Ten also gets a chance to build their brand and sell it to the northeast and mid-Atlantic markets. If another BT school has a lottery pick basketball player or a Heisman candidate, people in those regions are going to want to watch them -- especially when they're playing against either of the local schools.

Edited by mabrowndog, 28 November 2012 - 03:09 PM.

[OnWisc]

I think this is a huge loss for the Big 12, now unless they pillage the ACC they have nobody to add

This perhaps unintended consequence could potentially make it an eventual loss for the ACC. If the Big 12 feels pressed now that Louisville is off the board, one of the first schools they may look to could be FSU (along with maybe Clemson). Just my opinion, but I think a football-centric school like FSU jumps in a second for the chance to matchup against Texas, OU, and the grab bag of KSU, OSU, WVU and TCU- one of whom is probably going ot turn in an interesting season.

Tough situation for the ACC. Had they added UConn, I think FSU would have been looking for the exit of an increasingly basketball oriented conference. Instead the ACC adds a team that football-wise is, at the moment, an upgrade over Maryland. But in doing so may be stoking the Big 12's interest in FSU.

The other issue is the oft-stated belief that UF, UGA, USC and UK all have agreed to block any other schools from those states from joining the SEC. As such, the conference is off-limits in discussions regarding GaTech, FSU, Miami, Clemson and Louisville. If the Big 12 feels that the realignment tremors could alter that stance, they may also feel pressed to go after ACC programs now, rather than wait for a likely more attractive SEC to suddenly become more welcoming.

I've felt since the Rutgers/Maryland announcement that the next decisive steps will be the final determination of Maryland's exit fee, and subsequently the actions of Florida State (and, from many reports, Clemson). While I don't think the basketball focused SEC schools would have too much of an issue with exit of those schools in isolation, it would likely cause issues for VaTech, who may then look to the SEC, perhaps along with NC State. Given that the "lesser" schools would be safe in an elite conference, I don't think the state gov's would have an issue, as UNC and UVA aren't going to be left out in the cold at the end of the day.

Or perhaps nothing else happens.

[BigSoxFan]

The biggest loser by far with conference realignment is still UConn. and I can't imagine it's even close witih loser #2.

The only hope I have is that realigment still isn't over and at some point I would imagine the SEC or B1G might want to pluck a few teams from the ACC at which point maybe UConn will have hope. But the waiting game is brutal.

I'm sure there's a lawsuit you guys could conjure up to bide your time.