Conference Realignment Update: Murray State, Illinois-Chicago, UT Arlington...

[Maroon Eagle]

The Missouri Valley Conference added Murray State last week to be its 11th member: Link.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference is legally a separate operation and has not officially made a move yet but the Racers submitted an application to the conference presidents and the conference is expected to add them as their 12th member next month & there's speculation that they could go to divisions: Link.

As far as the MVC's twelfth school is concerned, it looks like they're going to go with Illinois-Chicago. The Flames were previously a candidate to join the conference & the MVC liked their presence in Chicago that they got with Loyola.

UT Arlington had been a candidate for the MVC but it appears that they are returning to the WAC.

UTA was previously a member of the Sun Belt, and was a finalist to join the Missouri Valley Conference. We continue to hear that the MVC's next addition will be UIC.— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) January 12, 2022

 

[Smoked Toag]

Still waiting on the Pac-12 or B1G to make a move. Many people still see another round of big alignment coming soon. I have a sneaky suspicion it's the ACC that will be raided. Pac-12 gonna get Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and B1G will try and raid the ACC. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech maybe? They like those TV eyes.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

The Pac-12 should have made the move for BYU. Otherwise, they're kind of constrained by geography.

Notre Dame's contract with the ACC gives the ACC first right to have the Irish as an all-sports institution.

The B1G... I don't know... Missouri, Vanderbilt, or Kansas come to mind but I kind of think they're in a good place.

 

[PBDog]

Still waiting on the Pac-12 or B1G to make a move. Many people still see another round of big alignment coming soon. I have a sneaky suspicion it's the ACC that will be raided. Pac-12 gonna get Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and B1G will try and raid the ACC. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech maybe? They like those TV eyes.

I would think B10 would go for duke uva and NC for the academic prestige. The question is does the sec want Clemson and FSU? I’m ok with Clemson but would only take FSU if Missouri leaves.
Is there someone else out there to round out the league?

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Louisiana Tech. **

 

[Smoked Toag]

I would think B10 would go for duke uva and NC for the academic prestige. The question is does the sec want Clemson and FSU? I’m ok with Clemson but would only take FSU if Missouri leaves.
Is there someone else out there to round out the league?

Hard for me to see anyone going past 16 teams at this point.

 

[Smoked Toag]

The Pac-12 should have made the move for BYU. Otherwise, they're kind of constrained by geography.

Notre Dame's contract with the ACC gives the ACC first right to have the Irish as an all-sports institution.

The B1G... I don't know... Missouri, Vanderbilt, or Kansas come to mind but I kind of think they're in a good place.

I think Baylor is an overlooked commodity. I mean they have a basketball national championship now, and they've proven they can play pretty good football over the years. And right in the middle of the Texas Triangle along with Texas and aTm.

Of course the move should have always been Texas and Oklahoma but that's obviously out the window. The whole Asia conquest with Hawaii was a dud. I could see BYU, and I might even make a move for Nevada or UNLV, a couple of podcasts I listen to say that the Pac-12 should be considering moving their HQ to Vegas.

When it comes to geography, I mean you're already flying for most all the Pac-12 teams. If USC is flying to Colorado, what's a little farther to central Texas?

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

Doesn’t the ACC have some huge exit penalty of $80-$100 million?

 

[dorndawg]

I think Baylor is an overlooked commodity. I mean they have a basketball national championship now, and they've proven they can play pretty good football over the years. And right in the middle of the Texas Triangle along with Texas and aTm.

Of course the move should have always been Texas and Oklahoma but that's obviously out the window. The whole Asia conquest with Hawaii was a dud. I could see BYU, and I might even make a move for Nevada or UNLV, a couple of podcasts I listen to say that the Pac-12 should be considering moving their HQ to Vegas.

When it comes to geography, I mean you're already flying for most all the Pac-12 teams. If USC is flying to Colorado, what's a little farther to central Texas?

Does Baylor have any fans outside of alumni and Chip and Joanne's neighbors?

 

[Maroon Eagle]

One of my uncles has a degree from Baylor and he rarely talks about them. He loves North Carolina though which is where he got his doctorate.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Does Baylor have any fans outside of alumni and Chip and Joanne's neighbors?

Well if I was them I would take Texas Tech too, if that helps. As many Californians are moving to Texas, seems it's a smart play to get a piece of that state.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Doesn’t the ACC have some huge exit penalty of $80-$100 million?

I think so and yeah I don't think that happens soon, now that I think about it. B1G may stand down for a little bit.

Pac-12 has to do something, in my opinion. They are already seeming to be irrelevant. Maybe they don't care?

 

[thatsbaseball]

$100 million ain't what it used to be **

 

[johnson86-1]

Still waiting on the Pac-12 or B1G to make a move. Many people still see another round of big alignment coming soon. I have a sneaky suspicion it's the ACC that will be raided. Pac-12 gonna get Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and B1G will try and raid the ACC. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech maybe? They like those TV eyes.

Maybe I just don't have vision, but I don't seem any moves that make sense right now. I'm sure the Big10 would like to keep up with the SEC, but who are they going to add that's going to move the needle? They easy pickings would be from the Big 12, but who do they really want? Do they care to pick up Kansas or KSU to have a footprint in Kansas? Kansas has about as many people as Mississippi. Even assuming the school they picked started to dominate the state, that's not a big deal. Ok St. would be a good program and they could pick up a Texas team, but do they want the third option in Texas and 2nd option in Oklahoma? While making their footprint unwieldy?

They could improve themselves by raiding the ACC, but I'm not sure how many teams would want to join them. Clemson would be a no brainer right now, and if they could pair them with UNC, that would make sense for the Big 10. But would Clemson leave the easier path in the ACC for the Big10 just to get a higher payout from the ocnference? And would UNC leave it's basketball rivalries for the same reason? Even if they would, I think the cost of breaking the ACC contract would probably make that a lot less desirable.

Louisville, Virginia or Va Tech, Syracuse, and Boston College all make sense geographically and tv market wise for the Big 10, but I'm not sure they would really increase the per school payout from their TV deal. If the big 10 took two of those schools, I guess the ACC would just add UCF and USF (although having 4 schools in Florida is less than ideal) and then we'd be stable for a while.

 

[mstateglfr]

The Pac-12 should have made the move for BYU. Otherwise, they're kind of constrained by geography.

Notre Dame's contract with the ACC gives the ACC first right to have the Irish as an all-sports institution.

The B1G... I don't know... Missouri, Vanderbilt, or Kansas come to mind but I kind of think they're in a good place.

BYU refusing to play on Sundays made it a large non-starter a decade ago or whenever the last round of p12 alignment took place.
Then there is the significant cultural differences between byu and the p12 schools...but I guess money can overcome that oil and water issue.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

The funny thing is that as much as a lot of folks here denigrate the addition of Missouri to the SEC, it messed up the B1G.

And a lot of Missouri folks preferred going to the B1G. I understand why Rutgers was selected but it seems like a much weaker than many folks anticipated move in retrospect.

 

[johnson86-1]

The funny thing is that as much as a lot of folks here denigrate the addition of Missouri to the SEC, it messed up the B1G.

And a lot of Missouri folks preferred going to the B1G. I understand why Rutgers was selected but it seems like a much weaker than many folks anticipated move in retrospect.

If Missouri could have gone to the B1G, that was a huge screwup not to. They probably could have stayed competitive in the B1G and it probably would have helped them in basketball. They are extremely lucky they came into the SEC when the east was probably the weakest ever. And as you said, that would have been a much better fit for them than Rutgers. I don't quite get why these schools in populous Northeast areas are so consistently bad. How do Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, Connecticut, etc. manage to say irrelevant in football so consistently?

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Actually, it looks like Nebraska took Missouri's spot in 2010. I'd forgotten it was that long ago.

Bill Connelly wrote an SB Nation story about it in 2014. Link.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

$100 million ain't what it used to be **

True but I don’t think any of the athletic departments in the ACC have 17U $ like Texas & Oklahoma. I don’t see another conference poaching ACC schools for the next 6-8 years unless the ACC just totally implodes. The ACC learned a lesson when Maryland left & took corrective action with the Exit Fee.

 

[Dawgpile]

Doesn’t the ACC have some huge exit penalty of $80-$100 million?

I'm no attorney, but apparently the pending SCOTUS ruling this summer about whether or not athletes are employees of the school (pay for play) would potentially void the conference GOR's.

"It is established GOR precedent and was established because contracts are equitable when both parties know their costs and income in a deal when it is signed. Now if costs go up naturally during a contract for either party that is considered acceptable risk. The precedent exists when one or both parties incur a significant change in costs specifically because of a court ruling, law, or regulation subsequent to the contract's signing which alters the equity by raising cost. Which this ruling will do."

 

[PBDog]

BYU refusing to play on Sundays made it a large non-starter a decade ago or whenever the last round of p12 alignment took place.
Then there is the significant cultural differences between byu and the p12 schools...but I guess money can overcome that oil and water issue.

Byu isnt any different than Utah

 

[Maroon Eagle]

And more realignment news: The CAA is expected to add Hampton and is also looking at Stony Brook and Monmouth to join. Link

James Madison had previously announced it was going to the Sun Belt from the CAA this past fall.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Any updates on when Tx and Ok make their "move" ?