(09-11-2014 01:48 AM)jhawkmvp Wrote:  

(09-10-2014 05:54 AM)JRsec Wrote:  

(09-09-2014 08:25 PM)IR4CU Wrote:  [quote='JRsec' pid='11094064' dateline='1410240798']


This might not satisfy everyone but it builds a fairly nice grouping of schools geographically and competitively.

New 18:
North: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, N.C. State, West Virginia, Wake Forest
South: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Memphis, Tulane
West: Baylor, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas Christian

Not no but hell no!! To say that this would not satisfy everyone is an understatement. Even with the 3 pods, this 4th made-up conference is a hodgepodge. My personal opinion would be that if something like this came to pass, that I would lobby Clemson as hard as I could to either drop football altogether or drop down to FCS. Recruiting would die - we could probably get all of the 2 and low three stars we could ever want!! As bad as Clemson fan interest is in most ACC schools, there would be even less for most of the schools in this made-up conference.

Don't get worked up. I was just having some sport with the idea that a fourth conference would get made up.

I still see way more profit and overhead reduction by eliminating duplicated governing systems by moving to a 3 x 20. In that scenario both F.S.U. and Clemson are safely at home with neighbors in the SEC:
SEC East: Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech
SEC North: Kentucky, N.C. State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech
SEC South: Alabama, Florida State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee
SEC West: Arkansas, Louisiana State, Louisville, Missouri, Texas A&M

Big 10 South: Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State, Virginia
Big 10 East: Boston College, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse
Big 10 North: Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue
Big 10 West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin

PAC 20 East: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
PAC 20 South: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech
PAC 20 West: California, Cal Los Angeles, Colorado, Southern California, Utah
PAC 20 North: Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State

This is much more likely than 4x18. The sweet spots after 10 are 12, 16, and 20. It is harder to schedule fairly each season with 14 or 18.

I can't see Clemson and FSU in some catch all conference in a 4x18. They would dominate it sure, but the networks would be better off moving them to conferences where they would have more match ups to drive ratings. FSU has been a perennial top TV draw for the last 25 years or so. That would be wasted in that conference.

I might get skewered for saying this, but why would anyone want to double down in North Carolina and Virginia? Maybe Va Tech is for real this year, or maybe Ohio State just stinks without Miller, but for most of the last decade two schools from either of those states (you pick em in N.C.) would have stunk in the SEC. Should a move ever occur in which a Virginia and North Carolina school move to the SEC then those schools are going to dominate their state in recruiting and should improve.

The Big 10 is welcome to UVa and U.N.C. and/or Duke. That gives them their AAU school, more basketball which is the only notoriety left for the Big 10 now, and the markets they desire. Let the SEC worry about building the brands of N.C. State and Virginia Tech for football. IMO those states aren't worth a pair in either of them for the gridiron. I could see the SEC taking Duke and U.N.C. to build its hoops image. I just can't see two hoops first schools wanting the SEC.