(03-16-2013 12:27 AM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(03-15-2013 11:28 PM)AlaIllTex Wrote:  If you're going to merge everyone and re-divide everybody, the only way to do it is by geography.
Without concern for who doesn't want to be in a conference with each other. If not, whats the point of this exercise?

Never happen. There are divisions within these groups of schools. For example: UConn has won actual national championships in basketball and have made a BCS bowl/won a BCS league. They have a large budget, and a generally larger fan base than most of these schools. Without picking on anyone, I am sorry, but they are just not going to be in a conference with Sun Belt/MAC teams that draw 10K fans a game located in small town Ohio for example, just to have better geography. Whether you want to believe that or not, that's just the way it is. There are tiers within this group. Another example, USF has nearly 50K students, sits in the #13 market, has been ranked in the top 25 during 4 or 5 seasons, to a high of #2, has defeated numerous "big name" opponents, has averaged 50K fans a game the last 6 years, with a high of 70K (actually 69K and change) for a home game against FSU, with several other crowds over 60K. They just aren't going to desire to share a conference with a FAU, South Alabama, or Troy for example (nothing against those fine schools). UC has been to 2 BCS bowls and taken crowds of nearly 30K to BCS bowls. Teams like these, whether budgets, stadium size, fan bases, history, etc. are just on a different tier. They just are. And they are the ones likely to get picked up if there are more shakeups. That is why you won't see geographical conferences.

Don't get me wrong. I dont think the proposal is realistic under any circumstances. But if something like what the poster suggested were to happen, the re division would be based on geography. Otherwise there's no reason to take humpty dumpty off the wall and put him back together again in my view.

(03-14-2013 01:43 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas State
Central Florida
Charlotte
Cincinnati
UConn
East Carolina
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Georgia State
Houston
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Marshall
Memphis
Middle Tennessee
Navy
North Texas
Old Dominion
Rice
South Florida
Southern Alabama
Southern Mississippi
SMU
Temple
Texas State
Texas-El Paso
Texas-San Antonio
Troy
Tulane
Tulsa
UMass
Western Kentucky

That would be the best 12 to make up the Big America Metro Conference 12.

The Whatever Conference

Aresco 11 + Tulsa

Sun Belt

Appalachian State
Charlotte
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Marshall
Old Dominion

Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Middle Tennessee
South Alabama
Troy
Western Kentucky

Conference USA

Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana Tech
Southern Mississippi

New Mexico State
North Texas
Rice
Texas State
UTEP
UTSA

(03-14-2013 01:43 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  By my count (and apologies if I missed your schools) there are 33 teams slated to be in the SBC, CUSA & Former BE in the next few years:

Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas State
Central Florida
Charlotte
Cincinnati
Connecticut
East Carolina
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Georgia State
Houston
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Marshall
Memphis
Middle Tennessee
Navy
North Texas
Old Dominion
Rice
South Florida
Southern Alabama
Southern Mississippi
Southern Mississippi
Temple
Texas State
Texas-El Paso
Texas-San Antonio
Troy
Tulane
Tulsa
Western Kentucky

If it were up to you to divvy up these teams into new conferences how would you do it? Best of the Rest? Regional Rivals/ Shadow Power Conference?

I'd like to see the fb BE/CUSA group add UMass, Tulsa and Army and the MWC take UTEP and Rice for both to get to 14. And in 7 years they can do a joint TV deal. CUSA would refill with NMSU, Texas State and ULL. MAC would take Arkansas St. and WKU. Then MAC would have to decide whether it wanted to go to 16 with 2 out of Troy, S. Alabama and Georgia St. Idaho and the odd man out of the last 3 in the Sun Belt would go back to FCS.