It's late Summer of 2022 and the Supreme Court has just ruled that no caps may be set with regard to stipends as they constitute a restraint upon trade and college football has been deemed a for profit sport and players employees of the schools.

The previous Summer saw the passage of NIL laws and this ruling completes changes in the status of student athletes to their schools. In 2023 SCOTUS will rule again on Title IX and two classifications of sports are expected to arise. Football and men's basketball will be deemed semi professional. All other sports will keep scholarships and will be subject to Title IX.

As a result of this radical changes in what had been known as the P5 occurs. Minnesota and Michigan and their in state rival MSU all make good on threats and opt for an amateur only model. Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Purdue follow suit.

Iowa, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio State, and Penn State opt all in, as do Maryland and Rutgers.

In the SEC Vanderbilt opts out.

In the Big 12 they all stay in.

As expected the ACC loses some as well. Boston College opts out and joins the B1G schools opting out. Duke joins them. And Wake Forest pulls out as well. Everyone else stays.

Iowa and Nebraska opt for the Big 12.
Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, and Notre Dame join the ACC in full along with West Virginia.

ACC:
Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia

Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Virginia Tech


The SEC sees Vandy head to the B1G all amateur group. But Indiana and Ohio State join the SEC who picks up TCU.

SEC:

Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Christian

Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Texas A&M

Big 12:

Baylor, Colorado, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas

Arizona, Arizona State, California, Cal Los Angeles, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, Texas Tech, Utah, Washington

ACC would be a better football conference (still very good in basketball).
SEC would still be the best conference in football (and improved in MBB).

Under the conditions given, I wonder if there wouldn't be even more schools choosing the "amateur-only" model, though. I'm thinking Notre Dame, Pitt, UVA, and UNC from the ACC would all at least be on the fence...

I heard an interesting tidbit during a post-breakfast casual, run-in conversation from a long retiree who was directly and lengthy tied to ACC and SouCon athletics, whereby he still stays informed. He conveyed there were two Big Ten universities that had made "inquires", "not applications", into future possibilities of ACC membership. I understood it was not particularly very recent, but was within the last couple of years or so at different times. Whether the schools were posturing or frustrated over something happening in the Big Ten, I don't know, but got the impression it dealt with competitiveness and the movement to eventually compensate players. The two schools mentioned: Northwestern and Rutgers.

OK, that is old news, but perceptively, perhaps, it may reveal how some positioning component with a sorta near future potential realignment/expansion, could unfold in a very preliminary way.

(06-03-2021 06:18 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote:  I heard an interesting tidbit during a post-breakfast casual, run-in conversation from a long retiree who was directly and lengthy tied to ACC and SouCon athletics, whereby he still stays informed. He conveyed there were two Big Ten universities that had made "inquires", "not applications", into future possibilities of ACC membership. I understood it was not particularly very recent, but was within the last couple of years or so at different times. Whether the schools were posturing or frustrated over something happening in the Big Ten, I don't know, but got the impression it dealt with competitiveness and the movement to eventually compensate players. The two schools mentioned: Northwestern and Rutgers.

OK, that is old news, but perceptively, perhaps, it may reveal how some positioning component with a sorta near future potential realignment/expansion, could unfold in a very preliminary way.

It's possible that we wouldn't hear the last of those rumors, perhaps as a preview to a switch of programs going from the SEC/Big Ten to the ACC and vise-versa.

Let's say Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC; the Big Ten gaining Missouri, Kansas, Iowa State, Pitt and Oklahoma; while the ACC gets Kentucky, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Rutgers and Northwestern

Or maybe the Big Ten keeps Maryland, gain Pitt, lose Northwestern and Rutgers but pick up Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt; the SEC takes in TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Florida State and Clemson. So the Big Ten loses access to the Chicago and New York markets but gains access to Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, Pittsburgh and a chunk of the northern Texas market.

The best way might be Northwestern, Purdue and Rutgers to the ACC; Pitt to the Big Ten; Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State to the Big Ten; Vanderbilt and West Virginia to the ACC; Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC.

New alignment:

Penn State
Pitt
Maryland
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
Illinois

Wisconsin
Iowa State
Iowa
Minnesota
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Oklahoma

Texas Tech
Texas
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Louisiana State
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Alabama

Auburn
Kentucky
Tennessee
Georgia
South Carolina
Florida State
Clemson
Florida

Northwestern
Purdue
Syracuse
Boston College
Rutgers
West Virginia
Vanderbilt
Louisville

Virginia
Virginia Tech
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
NC State
Georgia Tech
Miami

(06-04-2021 09:03 AM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  

(06-03-2021 06:18 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote:  I heard an interesting tidbit during a post-breakfast casual, run-in conversation from a long retiree who was directly and lengthy tied to ACC and SouCon athletics, whereby he still stays informed. He conveyed there were two Big Ten universities that had made "inquires", "not applications", into future possibilities of ACC membership. I understood it was not particularly very recent, but was within the last couple of years or so at different times. Whether the schools were posturing or frustrated over something happening in the Big Ten, I don't know, but got the impression it dealt with competitiveness and the movement to eventually compensate players. The two schools mentioned: Northwestern and Rutgers.

OK, that is old news, but perceptively, perhaps, it may reveal how some positioning component with a sorta near future potential realignment/expansion, could unfold in a very preliminary way.

It's possible that we wouldn't hear the last of those rumors, perhaps as a preview to a switch of programs going from the SEC/Big Ten to the ACC and vise-versa.

Let's say Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC; the Big Ten gaining Missouri, Kansas, Iowa State, Pitt and Oklahoma; while the ACC gets Kentucky, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Rutgers and Northwestern

Or maybe the Big Ten keeps Maryland, gain Pitt, lose Northwestern and Rutgers but pick up Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt; the SEC takes in TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Florida State and Clemson. So the Big Ten loses access to the Chicago and New York markets but gains access to Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, Pittsburgh and a chunk of the northern Texas market.

The best way might be Northwestern, Purdue and Rutgers to the ACC; Pitt to the Big Ten; Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State to the Big Ten; Vanderbilt and West Virginia to the ACC; Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC.

New alignment:

Penn State
Pitt
Maryland
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
Illinois

Wisconsin
Iowa State
Iowa
Minnesota
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Oklahoma

Texas Tech
Texas
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Louisiana State
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Alabama

Auburn
Kentucky
Tennessee
Georgia
South Carolina
Florida State
Clemson
Florida

Northwestern
Purdue
Syracuse
Boston College
Rutgers
West Virginia
Vanderbilt
Louisville

Virginia
Virginia Tech
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
NC State
Georgia Tech
Miami

The SEC and BIG10, geographically, are shaped east-west or generally horizontal. The vertical shaped, north-south conferences appear to have the greater issues with congruence. Think the PAC12, ACC, and B12.

It's the weather. ?

(06-08-2021 07:42 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote:  

(06-04-2021 09:03 AM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  

(06-03-2021 06:18 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote:  I heard an interesting tidbit during a post-breakfast casual, run-in conversation from a long retiree who was directly and lengthy tied to ACC and SouCon athletics, whereby he still stays informed. He conveyed there were two Big Ten universities that had made "inquires", "not applications", into future possibilities of ACC membership. I understood it was not particularly very recent, but was within the last couple of years or so at different times. Whether the schools were posturing or frustrated over something happening in the Big Ten, I don't know, but got the impression it dealt with competitiveness and the movement to eventually compensate players. The two schools mentioned: Northwestern and Rutgers.

OK, that is old news, but perceptively, perhaps, it may reveal how some positioning component with a sorta near future potential realignment/expansion, could unfold in a very preliminary way.

It's possible that we wouldn't hear the last of those rumors, perhaps as a preview to a switch of programs going from the SEC/Big Ten to the ACC and vise-versa.

Let's say Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC; the Big Ten gaining Missouri, Kansas, Iowa State, Pitt and Oklahoma; while the ACC gets Kentucky, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Rutgers and Northwestern

Or maybe the Big Ten keeps Maryland, gain Pitt, lose Northwestern and Rutgers but pick up Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt; the SEC takes in TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Florida State and Clemson. So the Big Ten loses access to the Chicago and New York markets but gains access to Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, Pittsburgh and a chunk of the northern Texas market.

The best way might be Northwestern, Purdue and Rutgers to the ACC; Pitt to the Big Ten; Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State to the Big Ten; Vanderbilt and West Virginia to the ACC; Florida State, Clemson, Texas and Texas Tech to the SEC.

New alignment:

Penn State
Pitt
Maryland
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
Illinois

Wisconsin
Iowa State
Iowa
Minnesota
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Oklahoma

Texas Tech
Texas
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Louisiana State
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Alabama

Auburn
Kentucky
Tennessee
Georgia
South Carolina
Florida State
Clemson
Florida

Northwestern
Purdue
Syracuse
Boston College
Rutgers
West Virginia
Vanderbilt
Louisville

Virginia
Virginia Tech
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
NC State
Georgia Tech
Miami

The SEC and BIG10, geographically, are shaped east-west or generally horizontal. The vertical shaped, north-south conferences appear to have the greater issues with congruence. Think the PAC12, ACC, and B12.

It's the weather. ?

I like your thinking!

In my mind, the power conferences are generally grouped around bodies of water (except XII): PAC (Pacific Ocean), ACC (Atlantic Ocean), SEC (Gulf), and B1G (Great Lakes).

Looking at viable options:

PAC has no horizontal options with a difference of 1 time zone. Lots of “dead space.”

XII and ACC are Frankenstein’s monsters of a conglomeration of multiple conferences and historical independents. The only real options were North and South. Going horizontal would mean entering very stable grounds which is DOA.