Solving NCAA's Conference Re-alignment Dilemma
As another round of conference re-alignment is upon us, maybe a more radical approach is needed in the world of collegiate sports.
As the Big 12 voted unanimously this week to admit BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF to their conference in an attempt to retain Power 5 status after losing powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, it is clear that another round of conference re-alignment is upon us. The PAC-12, ACC, and BIG 10 already have to tried to distance themselves from the ongoing festivities, by announcing an alliance between the three conferences. What this alliance means, no one is quite sure, but one would imagine that these three conferences are not interested in looking to add or lose more schools.
Student athletes this past year have finally gained the ability to profit off their name, image, and likeness. With Alabama football’s head coach Nick Saban reporting that star quarterback Bryce Young has already made over $1,000,000, the new NIL rules are a new variable when it comes to the makeup of the college landscape. In an everchanging world, where the NCAA’s biggest and brightest stars are finally able to profit off their NIL, maybe a more radical approach is necessary when it comes to conference membership.
Radical Re-alignment
I would like to be clear here and say this will never happen. What I am about to unveil results in multiple SEC schools leaving the conference, which is basically suicide for a university’s athletic department. However, if you put me in charge of deciding the who played in what conference. It would end up looking something like this. These conferences all make sense geographically, and I did my best to keep rivalries afloat. If this was ever to come to fruition, college sports as we know them would be exponentially better.
SEC
Florida
Florida State
Miami
Georgia
Auburn
Alabama
South Carolina
Clemson
Texas
Oklahoma
Mississippi State
Mississippi
Texas A&M
LSU
Arkansas
Tennessee
Wait, NO KENTUCKY?! Stay with me, it will make sense in the end. Here, SEC finally embraces itself as what it truly is. The NFL’s farm system. By adding powerhouses Miami, Clemson, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida State, it becomes without a doubt the greatest collegiate football conference ever seen. By giving schools such as Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Missouri the boot, you eliminate some of the weaker football schools, which will make the conference even more competitive. Losing Kentucky basketball hurts, but the five incoming schools football programs will more than make up for it, and honestly their basketball programs aren’t exactly disastrous. Yeah yeah Vanderbilt baseball, I promise you, you do not actually care.
BIG 10
Michigan
Michigan State
Penn State
Ohio State
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Notre Dame
Northwestern
Iowa State
Iowa
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Marquette
Maryland
Nebraska
The Big 10 does not experience much change here. They remain as the only true challenger to the SEC, although it is clear that they and the PAC-12 will be the AA to the SEC’s AAA. Notre Dame will refuse to give up their precious football conference independence. So Marquette is added, as they do not have a football team, but will bring the total to 16 in all other varsity sports, and add depth when it comes to the basketball picture. Iowa State slides in, giving new meaning to the coveted Cy-Hawk trophy, as the in state rivalry will now become conference foes. Otherwise, pretty much same old same old for the BIG 10, not much in or out.
BIG EAST
Villanova
Providence
Connecticut
Georgetown
Seton Hall
St. John’s
Butler
Xavier
Duke
North Carolina
Syracuse
Pittsburgh
Boston College
NC State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
You can call me a homer here, I do not care. With Clemson, Miami, and Florida State leaving, ACC football as you know it is dead. Therefore, the basketball Blue Bloods of the conference must counter with something big. By essentially merging with the Big East, a new premier collegiate basketball conference is created. As the SEC becomes the true farm system to the NFL, the Big East is now the true Farm to the NBA. If Madison Square Garden agrees to hold the Conference Tournament every year, which they would. You might even be able to keep Coach K around for a few more years. Although the football here leaves a lot to be desired, you still got 9 teams. Which gives you an 8 game conference schedule, and at the very least, once the College Football Playoff inevitably expands, you at least have your foot in the door when it comes to automatic bids.
Pac-16
Oregon
Oregon State
Arizona
Arizona State
Gonzaga
UCLA
USC
Utah
Cal
Washington
Washington State
Colorado
BYU
UNLV
San Diego State
Pac-12 much like the Big 10 remains relatively unchanged. Both those leagues are quite similar already, they do not really need to worry about losing any of their big schools due to geographical challenges, and they’re already quite competitive in both Football and Basketball. You could argue that there are no changes necessary, however, picking up Gonzaga will help immensely in basketball. While adding the San Diego and Las Vegas markets in the NIL world also adds real potential. I mean, as a school in San Diego in one of the top conferences in the country, it should not be too difficult to recruit. Gonzaga lacks a football team, oh well.
The New Conference
Kentucky
Louisville
Kansas
Missouri
Kansas State
Baylor
Houston
Oklahoma State
TCU
Texas Tech
Creighton
West Virginia
Cincinnati
As I said, Kentucky would never leave the SEC. But, if they HAD to, a conference shared with Louisville and Kansas is about as good as they could get. This conference is quite interesting as it has some big named basketball programs, as well as some other schools deep in football country. The geography just about works. The furthest commute would be slightly less than 1500 miles, from West Virginia to Texas Tech. But, this is quite similar to other distances between universities in the conference landscape we have now. So there should be no issue. Creighton has no football, but their basketball program makes them a worthy addition. Plus, you end up with a 12 school football league which breaks itself up into two divisions quite nicely. The four Texas schools would be joined by Missouri and Oklahoma State to create a Southern Division. While Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Louisville would be your six teams in the north.
Power Five’s left out
This massive shakeup does not come without losers. Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and Rutgers, are all left out. They likely would call up Memphis, SMU, UCF, and USF who would be begging the newly formed conference to expand to 16. Some A-10 schools could jump ship to form a new conference with those left out, as everyone tries to position themselves for the next round of re-alignment.