Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[Pope]

Media in Salt Lake is speculating too.

Big 12 Conference Reportedly Could Pursue Utah, Other Pac-12 Programs - KSL Sports

The dominos continue to fall around college athletics that now include the University of Utah and other Pac-12 schools being pursued by the Big 12.

kslsports.com

 

[2speedy1]

2022
B1G takes the cream of Pac12.
Remaining Pac12 absorbed by Big12.
2024
SEC and B1G take cream of ACC, split by northern academics to B1G and southern FB schools to SEC.
Remaining ACC goes to Big12.
All 3 leagues have abt 24 teams.
2026
B1G and SEC spin off the top 30ish "brands" to a SuperLeague and the left behinds join up with the Big12 to become the "B" league of college football.

Or what you say from 22-24, then instead at....2026-30..ish... the SEC and B1G absorb the Big 12 to create 2, 32ish team leagues, with 4, 8 team regional divisions each.....and we are back to basically 8, 8 team regional conferences. Just with all the power and control being negotiated by the SEC and B1G and their Media partners.

 

[cygrads]

I agree. Think WSU and Oregon State are screwed. They will be playing MWC football soon.

That's bad news for them but good news for the MWC.

 

[Trice]

The pac 12 trying to go it on its own with its own network though seemed to be a huge failure. That didn't help its brands.

No doubt Scott was a disaster, and yet haven't the fundamentals always been stacked against the Pac too? Fan apathy, bad time zone, few national brands and those brands being mediocre at best. Even if Scott had executed brilliantly and not drawn so much personal animosity, would it have mattered all that much? Does that keep UCLA and USC from jumping ship today? I still see no way in which the Pac comes anywhere close to what the B1G is offering.

 

[Gunnerclone]

With Apple money, PAC 12 will be coming for the Big 12.

Looks like that Apple Pac 12 money is about to be Big 10 Apple money.

 

[cyfan92]

With Apple money, PAC 12 will be coming for the Big 12.

Disagree on the basis that Apple wants fanatically fans to subscribe. Who follows there team more and is willing to sing up for Apple TV.. Big 12 teams or the Pac 12 leftovers.

I'd also argue that more Pac-12 people already have Apple TV versus hardly any of many America. But that changes with sports.

Example: MLS soccer deal

 

[CysRage]

With Apple money, PAC 12 will be coming for the Big 12.

Besides being located in Pac country, what reason is there for Apple to prop up the failing Pac conference? They will go wherever they will make the most money. Right now, even a OUT less Big 12 is in better shape than the Pac.

 

[Rods79]

If Oregon and Washington stay then things have only just begun to get interesting

Gah…this is all too true. Thanks for the smack reality check.

 

[alarson]

No doubt Scott was a disaster, and yet haven't the fundamentals always been stacked against the Pac too? Fan apathy, bad time zone, few national brands and those brands being mediocre at best. Even if Scott had executed brilliantly and not drawn so much personal animosity, would it have mattered all that much? Does that keep UCLA and USC from jumping ship today? I still see no way in which the Pac comes anywhere close to what the B1G is offering.

It definitely had some disadvantages but I think those were worsened over the last decade.

 

[CyGuy5]

This is where college sports starts to lose its luster. Part of what makes college athletics great is that it’s regional. USC vs Rutgers at 11 am is meaningless.

Also, Washington St and Oregon St are in worse shape than we were around this time last summer

 

[ISUcyclones11]

Conflicting reports here. (I deleted two earlier posts.)

They're holding out for ND

 

[ISUTex]

Disagree. Nebraska became irrelevant once partial qualifiers were disallowed and they couldn't give scholarships to players that would never play a down for them for 4 years (basically being good because everyone felt it was better to never play a down for Nebraska than it was to be a 4-year starter anywhere else).

In this era of college football, Nebraska can't even carry Iowa's jock - or are you saying the 20+ year search to find the "right coach" has been a total fluke?

Iowa barely beats Nebraska every year. As bad as Nebraska is, that's sad. And I find it hilarious. Yes. Nebraska is a coaching staff away from being relevant again. I hate to say that. But yes.

 

[gocy444]

At what point do conferences get so large and have pods that we are basically back to regional conferences anyway?

 

[CascadeClone]

there is your 4 team pod.....UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington.

why do I feel like Iowa is going to end up falling into a pod like Nebby, Minny and Illinois.


Man, if this is true, then the Pac12 is dead and I can't see them recovering. They are geographically screwed.
that only leaves 8 teams. if we grab 4 then 4 teams are pretty much facing some very tough times. Feels like our big east option days.
I don't see how WSU, Oregon State survive. Cal and Stanford would have to land somewhere, but where? I can't imagine them joining the MWC.

We talk abt the az schools, utah and colorado...would you take the other 4 too? Theyre not great but they are big schools. Cal and Stanford are world leading universities, regardless of football. Go to 20 schools, just be large.

What a world where Stanford and Kansas St could be "peers".

 

[BigJCy]

Rittenberg is usually pretty tied into B1G affairs.

 

[cyfan92]

Top Remaining Free Agents	Best Guess
Notre Dame	Big 10
Clemson	SEC
UNC	????
Oregon	Big 10
Florida St	SEC
Stanford	Big 10
Cal	Big 10
UVA	SEC

UNC will be interesting. Decent at football. #1 basketball brand, huge alumni, good school. I'd put the betting favorite as SEC but we they scholastically fir in the Big 10 with UVA more.

 

[CloneJD]

Rittenberg is usually pretty tied into B1G affairs.

Is the Big10 commissioner now Faith Hill?

 

[ISUTex]

I can tell you that here in Colorado, hardly anyone is even aware of this news today, nor cares. And this is the 17th biggest TV market in the country.

The more this sport becomes non-regional, the less people are going to watch nationally, and then these super conferences will make less money. These contracts make sense now but will they in 5 years? 10?

In 10 years, the top programs in the two super leagues will probably ask themselves again, "why are we carrying this dead weight?" and then break off again to create a super super league. Then the whole cycle will start over again and half of the super super teams will want to break off again. Somebody has to lose these games. And unless a salary (NIL) cap comes into play, there will be perennial losers and winners. Even with a cap, half the country wont watch if their teams arent in the picture.

No ****. I think I'll just get into Division 3 football. Simpson/Central used to be a fun game (in the 80's/90's). Are they still good?

 

[cyIclSoneU]

Interesting tweet from Seattle sports radio guy.

Big 12 could be in a position to tell Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State that they have 4 spots and they're going to the first 4 to call back with a yes.

 

[alarson]

At what point do conferences get so large and have pods that we are basically back to regional conferences anyway?

Which is why, IMO, before all this realignment kicked off a decade ago the Big 12 and Pac 12 should've merged their organizations administratively and for TV negotiations, but kept them organized as separate conferences for scheduling purposes.