OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

[texcap]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

I don't think any member of a P5 conference is going to be leaving a P5 conference. That would be like an NFL franchise leaving the league to join Arena league.

UCONN is not in a P5 (Big 12, Big 10, ACC, SEC, and PAC 12) conference. They are in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) which is a G5 conference (2nd tier of FBS). Granted the AAC is arguably the top of the G5 (AAC, Sun Belt, MAC, Mountain West, and Conference USA) but there is a large gap between the AAC and the P5 conferences.

[BJ Hawk]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

So they'll keep football in the AAC?

Last I seen/heard they will be a football independent if the move happens.

[Herb Street]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

UCONN is not in a P5 (Big 12, Big 10, ACC, SEC, and PAC 12) conference. They are in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) which is a G5 conference (2nd tier of FBS). Granted the AAC is arguably the top of the G5 (AAC, Sun Belt, MAC, Mountain West, and Conference USA) but there is a large gap between the AAC and the P5 conferences.

I stand corrected. For some reason i was thinking they were ACC.

[Vulpes88]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Last I seen/heard they will be a football independent if the move happens.

So, wanting to be UMass I see. Well good luck.

[JakeTAMUC]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Uconn went from a little country side school surrounded by cow pastures to what they are now on basketball. Football is an afterthought there, and always will be.

[ctrabs74]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

I'm working with the assumption that UCONN goes FBS independent in football.

Then what does the AAC and Big East do?
Standing pat at 11 is an odd number, no pun intended, but it has precedent B1G and the Southland Conference.
AAC-simplest answer would be to add Army as a football only member (as is Navy), and poach an A-10/MVC team? SLU? VCU?
Big East-Saint Louis comes to mind (Catholic Jesuit school to boot.)

Other options for the AAC would be to poach another CUSA, Sun Belt team, and see if those conferences would take another team, NMSU, a SLC team etc.
That would be fun to discuss but I think it won't happen.

Of the potential A-10 poachees the Big East could target, St. Louis makes the most sense. SLU seems to fit in the western edges of the Big East's footprint (Creighton, DePaul, Marquette) better than they do as the westernmost school in the A-10 as their nearest eastern-most A-10 rival is Dayton.

[ctrabs74]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

I stand corrected. For some reason i was thinking they were ACC.

For what it's worth, I personally would've thought the ACC would be a better fit for UConn rather than the Big East. At least their train wreck of a football program would have a conference to call home and would blend in perfectly with other ACC football train wrecks like Boston College.

[D2Ohio]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Dayton makes most sense to make Big East even number of teams, if Xavier is okay with that addition.

One possibility would be a scheduling alliance with the MAC, for UMass also. I wonder if 4-6 MAC home and home non-conference games, MAC would allow both as football only.

[BlueBlood]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

One possibility would be a scheduling alliance with the MAC, for UMass also. I wonder if 4-6 MAC home and home non-conference games, MAC would allow both as football only.

If UConn wants to be in a conference for football - I get it that they might need to go the MAC or Sunbelt route (if those conferences will have them). However, if they want a scheduling alliance, I would think bigger and knock on the B1G and ACC doors.

As bad as they have been at football lately, UConn is still a brand name and a state flagship university. Both the B1G and the ACC have Northeast schools and networks that need content. Both have made recent expansion and venue investments (bowl games, championship tournaments, etc) in the Northeast. Games against Maryland, Rutgers and Penn State / Boston College, Pitt and Syracuse make sense. Then, mix some of the other schools in there on a less regular basis. I don't think that all series would be on a home and home basis, but I would think some matrix that provides a decent number of home games could be worked out.

I would think that both the B1G/Fox/BTN and the ACC/ESPN/ACCN could work something out where Fox/BTN and ESPN/ACCN get carriage rights to all games. If you got 3 games a year from each arrangement, that would give you 6 P5 games a year. Honestly, I would even think that 2.5 games a year from each conference would really help.

Edit: Almost forgot - no need for a Big XII arrangement, but just a fairly regular series with WVU should also be considered.

[D2Ohio]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

If UConn wants to be in a conference for football - I get it that they might need to go the MAC or Sunbelt route (if those conferences will have them). However, if they want a scheduling alliance, I would think bigger and knock on the B1G and ACC doors.

As bad as they have been at football lately, UConn is still a brand name and a state flagship university.

Our perception of UConn football is on polar ends. They would need to add something to be football only in a G5 conference. They add nothing to P5 scheduling alliance.
The pride of the school will probably end them up as an independent with NMSU, UMass, & Liberty when really should be in the CAA with JMU, Maine, & Delaware.

[BlueBlood]

[laker]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Has UConn said anything about their football program- other than "we are looking into possibilities". I'm trying to think of what they can offer any conference as a football only member. I'm betting on the independence route like UMass, since they will be too stubborn to go FCS.

[D2Ohio]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

My impression is that the B!G will continue schedule down to MAC locally and the SEC loves it self some late season FCS Southern and early CUSA/Sunbelt.
Unless the perception changes of a team that's only win was against a middle of the pack FCS CAA school by one score, then they get leftovers.
They may need to big in more than one FCS a year to get some home games.

[Techster88]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Looks like more realignment shakeups are occurring now that summer is upon us.
In the last six month, Augustana (South Dakota), Dixie State (Utah), and now Bellarmine (Kentucky) have all decided to move up to Division 1.
Metro State and Colorado Mesa were linked to the WAC but neither moved.

Now, UConn is backing out of the American Conference to rejoin their friends in the Big East Conference.
Missouri-Kansas City has informed the WAC that they are bailing out next year and will join the Summit (Dakotas, Nebraska, and Colorado).

Now that the WAC is light another member, What other changes lay in store?

So, apparently the outgoing President at Tarleton was against moving up. With his departure, does that mean the AD will be in full court pressure mode for the new President?

[Vulpes88]

Re: OT - College Realignment June 2019 edition

Has UConn said anything about their football program- other than "we are looking into possibilities". I'm trying to think of what they can offer any conference as a football only member. I'm betting on the independence route like UMass, since they will be too stubborn to go FCS.

They can offer a tune up game that counts as a conference game? Other than that and a trip to Connecticut every other year, not much.