(03-26-2018 02:22 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  There is no need to break and reshape CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt.

If TV leverage is what you want, you form an LLC and negotiate future TV via it representing the three leagues and figure out what distribution of revenue model you want.

If efficiency in administration is what you want. Fire your commissioners and sit the same room and hire a single commissioner who answers the full group while navigating the administration of the two conferences. Very easy to eliminate some duplicated effort and have a single administration.

CUSA and Sun Belt want some help with travel? Easy enough. You don't have to play cross-over games in football or you can play fewer cross-over games and replace those with games against teams from the other conference. In football no CUSA school HAS to play more than 6 conference games and no Sun Belt HAS to play more than four. In basketball no CUSA has to play 18 games, they could play 14 under NCAA rules, Likewise, Sun Belt doesn't have to play 18 games either, they can play 14 and grab the other four from the other league.

Nearly any benefit of realignment put forward can be addressed without realigning, just requires cooperation which seems unlikely.

Bingo. All this reorganization talk is based on perceived conference strength of the sport that the individual poster views as most important. There's very little reason for the teams in the Sun Belt (sans TxSt) to even want reorganization for travel cost or even for SoS reasons. The travel partner setup with the Belt eases travel concerns. SoS concerns are minor comparatively.

(03-26-2018 02:54 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Yes, but the small hospitals will provide a special service that the bigger hospitals will not. Midweek games.

That is the leverage the MAC has utilized. I believe the collectivization of that leverage would result in less midweek games for each individual school and more $.

I think you'd be surprised about what people will do for money. P5 conferences/members have already demonstrated they have no issue destroying rivalries beloved by generations of people in the name of $$$. What makes you think they wouldn't consider midweek games if it meant more money?

Over the past several decades the NFL (which many of the semi-pro teams seem to emulate) has expanded their time slots from the traditional Sunday at 1PM in the name of money. And the NFL only has what 15 or 16 games/time slots per week to worry about? P5 conferences need 31 or 32 games/time slots.
1970 - Monday nights
1970 - Saturday afternoon/night (December)
1987 - Sunday nights
2006 - Thursday nights

(03-26-2018 03:16 PM)McKinney Wrote:  

(03-26-2018 02:54 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Yes, but the small hospitals will provide a special service that the bigger hospitals will not. Midweek games.

That is the leverage the MAC has utilized. I believe the collectivization of that leverage would result in less midweek games for each individual school and more $.

I think you'd be surprised about what people will do for money. P5 conferences/members have already demonstrated they have no issue destroying rivalries beloved by generations of people in the name of $$$. What makes you think they wouldn't consider midweek games if it meant more money?

Over the past several decades the NFL (which many of the semi-pro teams seem to emulate) has expanded their time slots from the traditional Sunday at 1PM in the name of money.
1970 - Monday nights
1970 - Saturday afternoon/night (December)
1987 - Sunday nights
2006 - Thursday nights

It would have to be big money to get the SEC to play on a Wednesday.