So don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Don’t assume anything and more important.ly remember that this blog and any others you read for entertainment purposes only.
All indications are that UVA is still headed to the Big 10 along with Georgia Tech and the announcement could come as soon as next Monday.
UNC’s reaction would be to accept an invitation from the SEC and join Virginia Tech as Nick Saban’s stepstool.
The Big 12 is very close to an agreement with FSU and Miami that is contingent upon Georgia Tech leaving the ACC. The contingency isn’t formal it’s just that if Georgia Tech doesn’t leave neither are FSU and Miami.
Clemson and North Carolina State are have Big 12 invitations and will wait and see where the balls land and hope they land in the SEC. That’s not going to happen so pencil them both in for the Big 12.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. My friend over @blatanthomerism posed an interesting question: What if the Big 12 allowed Kansas to leave the Big 12 for the Big 10? (Note: There is ZERO chance of this happening - it's just an interesting thought - Both Allen and I want KU to stay in the Big 12)
That only makes sense if the Big 12 adds one more, bringing the total to five, ACC schools and allows better east-west divisional alignment in the Big 12. If the Big 12 were to go to 16 they could add BYU in the West and someone like Louisville in the East. That’s just a theory right now but one that I like. Consider this:
| West | East |
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I’m not sure how likely a 16 member Big 12 is but I am sure that 12 could happen as soon as next week with 13 and 14 quickly thereafter. The 16 member Big 12 could happen with Kansas too – just leave out Pitt and place KSU in the East and KU in the West.
If Kansas would leave the Big 12 it would be with the blessing of the Big 12 and a friendly separation that benefits both the Big 12 and Big 10. Remember… no one at WVU has expressed anything about KU. That’s just me playing “what if”.
Before I go I want to address the situation with Clemson. Clemson has a Big 12 offer but is willing to wait and see if an SEC offer comes their way. It is very unlikely the SEC invites the Tigers simply because the SEC doesn’t want to duplicate markets and will certainly not duplicate a small market like the one Clemson offers. Is Clemson deserving of an SEC invitation? Yes, and so is FSU but neither provide what the SEC needs right now offers – SEC expansion is about TV sets not the quality of football.
Clemson feels like they have an outside shot at the SEC and they are secure in taking that risk because they have an offer from the Big 12 in their pocket. The Big 10 may not stop at 16. They could add UVA and GT and then add KU and BC.
They could lock down the northeast, have their presence in the south with Georgia Tech and be content in the knowledge the SEC and Big 12 have no desire to go beyond 16. Right now its all fun to think about but just supposition. What I am fairly certain happens very soon is this:
- UVA & GT to the Big 10
- UNC & VPI to the SEC
- FSU and Miami to the Big 12.
But nothing happens this weekend. Enjoy college football and I would encourage all Mountaineer fans to turn up for senior day and see out Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and the rest of the senior Mountaineers as they play their last home game.
Try this again.
ReplyDeleteI realize you are just speculating but No way KU gets out of GOR from B12. If that were to happen you can flush the rest of the GORs down the drain if others wanted to leave VIA lawsuits.
Interesting read, however, highly unlikely. Being a season ticket holder(and alumni) at FSU, it is obvious that we need to part company with the ACC.
ReplyDeletePresuming the Big-12 goes to 16 and that's an if for me. I don't think you see 2 8 team divisions. The main reason I say this is because that means 7 games in division and then maybe 2 games a year (presuming 9 game conference schedule) that would mean you'd in theory see the other 8 members. only once every 4 years. Not ideal IMO. I prefer dividing into regional pods of 4, 3 games in your own pod, and then either a fixed rivalry game in each pod, and one rotating game, or 2 rotating games. this would increase the likelihood of playing teams I think.
ReplyDeleteManhattan, KS, is about 90 miles west of Lawrence, KS. Why put K-State in the east and Kansas in the west?
ReplyDeleteThe east/west alignment is laughable. So all the big schools are in the west division, and the smaller fish are in the east division?
ReplyDeleteKansas probably won't leave without KSU (just like OSU was packaged with OU and TTU with UT) and I do not see KSU going to the B1G.
ReplyDeleteBig xii owns the rights to Big xiv
6 in division games, one annual cross division rivalry game, 2 rotating cross division games, 3 non conference games
I would like to see divisions meshed and built around the annual cross division rivalries so that each division would have one Kansas team, one Oklahoma team, and 2 Texas teams. The annual cross division rivalries are KU v KSU, OU v OSU, UT v TTU, BU v TCU. ISU needs a regional rival (NIU?)1 and WVU needs one a well (UVA?). Still room for FSU & Clemson
Div A: KU, OU, UT, BU, ISU
Div B: KSU, OSU, TTU, TCU, WVU
I've enjoyed your insight. My question is this. How much of these current conference realignment shifts are orchestrated by the Big 10, Big 12 and SEC working together? Or, is each conference just looking out solely for its own best interests? Probably a combinatioon of both is my guess. I understand that having 4 major conferences works better than 5 for the playoffs and that the pie being split 4 ways instead of 5 means more money for the big 4 conferences. The ACC is going to get carved up eventually, just a matter of time. But is each conference negotiating in a manner such as... "you can have the state of Virginia as long as you dont take a school in Georgia". An example would be... The Big 12 would like to have GT, FSU, UM, CU in a pod or southeastern block to join the Big 12 and make the transition that much more palatable and attractive to the ACC schools. To keep the Big 10 from taking GT, is there some sort of deal where the Big 12 is willing to "give" the Big 10 Kansas so that the Big 12 can have GT, FSU, UM, CU and maybe NC State and would something like that also be orchestrated in tandem with the SEC and to allow the SEC to have UNC and VT and keep the Big 10 out that far south and so forth on down the ACC line of schools. In other words... is there a whole lotta wheelin' n dealin' going on and they all communicate with each other?
ReplyDelete