Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Conference Chaos

I don't want to say "I told you so", but the recent events of the College Football world have turned the sports landscape on its ear.  With the acceptance of University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University to the Atlantic Coast Conference, many fans, administrators and analysts are left scratching their collective heads.

First, let's have a moment of silence for Texas Christian University.  In an attempt to boost themselves into automatic national recognition regarding BCS status, the Horned Frogs accepted an invitation to the Big East Conference, automatically shedding their defacto title as "BCS Buster" and adopting a pseudo moniker of "Automatic BCS Contender".  Now what?  After the "looting" of the Big East Conference this past weekend, the once "average" conference may have very well become a "Non A.Q." conference.

The Big East took a major hit eight years ago with the secession of Boston College, University of Miami, and Virginia Tech.  In an attempt to stop the hemorrhaging, the Big East added University of South Florida, Louisville, and University of Cincinnati.  These teams may not be the power equivalent of the teams they replaced, however now the numbers worked.  Add this to the recent uprise of University of Connecticut football program, the Big East could at least become respectable.

This is just one half of the noise in the CFB scrum.

Loud whispers of Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State heading to the new Pac 12 conference have been heard.  Only fair considering the "balance" every conference wants to create.  The Big 12 (or is it Big 10) already learned of Texas A&M's proposed exit to the SEC.  Might I add this is a great move for A&M.  Now they can use the power of belonging to the most powerful conference to their recruiting propaganda, giving them some chance of landing top recruits away from big brother Texas.  Is this sounding more like what Nostradamus (my pseudonym for now) predicted early in the summer?

Here's the big question.  Where is Notre Dame in all this hoopla?

According to a report on ESPN's Outside The Lines, Notre Dame's only interest is to land in the new ACC in lieu of joining the geographic "no brainer" Big 10 (or is it Big 12 now?).  Someone needs a scorecard with a Rand McNally Atlas to accurately detail all these moves.  Jim Delaney of the Big 10 remains strangely quiet regarding this series of events,  Is the Big 10 satisfied at twelve members with its acquisition of University of Nebraska?  Is the Big 10 refusing to seek University of Texas because of the game of battling networks?  Is Notre Dame so arrogant that they believe their NBC contract is more valuable than a portion of revenue from a piece of the Big Ten Network?  Is the Big Ten afraid to go after Oklahoma because they will be forced to go after little brother Oklahoma State (I'm a man, I'm 40)?

One simple word defines what is going on, chaos!  Once the smoke clears on college football's shell game, the real lobbying begins.  Part two of this melodrama will involve the compensation of the revenue generating athletes.  Keep it up and soon the NCAA will cease to exist and all players will need a passport and receive W2's.  Stay tuned folks

1 comment:

  1. I think you are wrong about TCU. Having joined the BE has some potential upside and no downside for them.

    If a merged B12-BE comes about and remains an AQ conference they are in a great spot. If the BE adds UCF, ECU etc, they are still in a better conference than in the depleted MWC. And, if all heck breaks loose, they can go back to the MWC, which will take them back.

    The fact they they are always on the list with WVU, USF, KSU, KU, etc as candidates for various possible configurations is a step up from, say, where Boise is finding itself.

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