National Conference Realignments

[valpopal]

As we know, there are a lot of changes happening at the major conferences in the next few years, influencing the Big 12, Pac 12, ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and Big East. I don't think Valpo is going anywhere; however, I do think the Horizon league could be included eventually. Rumors are that Butler will likely be approached by another conference in the near future, and there may be additions to the Horizon league in upcoming years.

Still, I was just reading online about the possibilities of conference realignment, and I came across the following model in twitter messages from one site, the first I have seen which includes both Butler and Valpo among future possible targets for change:

Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St. to the Pac 12

Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, West Virginia to the ACC

Kansas, Kansas St., Iowa St., Missouri to Big Ten

Louisville, Memphis, Texas A&M, Baylor to SEC

Butler, Xavier, Valpo, Richmond to Big East

[IndyValpo]

No offense but the author of this must of just finished with his crack pipe.

[setshot]

Agree. Connecticut and RUTGERS (not UWVA) will probably join the ACC. Rutgers is ideally located between NYC and Philly. A great marketplace for the ACC. Book it!

[vu72]

The whole travel thing would make being in the Big East problematic, not to mention the level of competition.

Still, we play in the Pioneer which has to have as big a travel budget as any conference in the country.  Its football and thus limited number of games, but to travel to California, Florida, New York and North Carolina seems really expensive, particularly taking into account the number of players traveling.

[valpopal]

Here are two more articles this week that propose Xavier and Butler to the Big East. One also suggests a possible realignment of teams from the Horizon, A-10, and Missouri Valley that would influence Valpo and form a stronger mid-major conference, which would get multiple bids to the NCAA:

http://www.examiner.com/butler-bulldogs-in-indianapolis/where-will-butler-fall-conference-shuffle

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/15606543/pillaged-big-east-can-survive-if-it-follows-this-plan

I like a Butler-Valpo rivalry. Unfortunately, I think Butler will eventually receive an offer that would be too hard to turn down.

[vuweathernerd]

rumors have the big east and big 12 talking a merger. it'll be interesting to see if/how that would work out, as neither wants to be seen as becoming subordinate to the other.

an interesting point i read a while back was that all this realignment seems to be happening based solely on football, while completely forgetting the other sports. and basketball would be the biggest one to suffer. it'll definitely be interesting to see what all comes out of this latest round of talks.

[Crusader65]

One of the former athletic directors of the targeted realignment schools stated that this is all about the football programs.  In the bigger schools, football provides 70% of the funding of the entire athletic programs and there is a push from the school presidents to get all athletics to be self funding.  This makes the large groupings more favorable to TV and other media revenue like the Big Ten where just by being a member with the Big Ten Network you get approximately $23-$24 million.  Now add to that the bowl games - NCCA March Madness and you can see the dollar signs dancing in their collective heads.  i.e. Michigan football 110,000 x 7 = 770,000 attendance vs basketball 18,000 x 18 = 324,000 attendance - tickets, concessions, merchandise it all adds up quickly.

[blackpantheruwm]

I think Valpo will find itself in a welcome conference somewhere.  I know that it won't be a nationally prominent conference and I know it won't be the level of the Mid-Con.

[vu72]

I think Valpo will find itself in a welcome conference somewhere.  I know that it won't be a nationally prominent conference and I know it won't be the level of the Mid-Con.

Not sure what you mean but I would think that the other Horizon teams, if Butler leaves, would stick together and try to add an A-10 school like St. Louis to replace Butler.

[wh]

I think Valpo will find itself in a welcome conference somewhere.  I know that it won't be a nationally prominent conference and I know it won't be the level of the Mid-Con.

We just got here.  From everything I've heard, the administration and athletic department are very pleased with the move to the HL.  I've never heard even one of our fans or alumni ever say anything other than positive comments about it.  Why would we be interested in going anywhere else?  The HL is an excellent conference and if we all stick together (as '72 says), it will remain so - with or without Butler.  Our athletic budgets are comparable, athletic competition is excellent in several sports, we have a nice mid-west geographic orientation, there is a lot of tradition with some longstanding HL programs, we have a diverse mix of private and public schools --- why would anyone (including us) want to go somewhere else or form some new conference?  Maybe I'm missing something, but as with many things in life often the best strategy is to leave well enough alone. 

[valpotx]

The thought of Baylor in the SEC is just laughable, wayyyyyyyyyyyy different school agendas between an SEC school and BU.  If anything, the team to go to the SEC with A&M is Missouri, due to bringing that state into their sphere.  The widely reported move of WVU to the SEC probably won't happen, as WVU brings absolutely no fan base to the conference (1.8 million in whole state), and receives an even worse rating with US News than almost every other SEC school.  Though I know the US News ratings are flawed, being worse in academic standing than a Georgia, Mississippi, MS State, etc, would not help their intent of wanting to improve academic image.

[crusaderjoe]

LULZ at WVU to the ACC, or ISU or KSU to the B1G.  Not going to happen.  Valpo to the Big East?  Yeah, sure.  Some of these projections are ridiculous, but I will say this--if the Big East implodes there is a pretty good possibility that the HL is going to be effected somehow.  Valpo needs to be ready as a private institution.

Personally, I've never been one to really care much about the public vs. private distinction in the HL, but when Villanova applied to the ACC for membership as a private, catholic non football member of the Big East, IMO, this somewhat changed the expansion landscape to the point where this distinction now becomes much more relevant—particularly if the catholic basketball schools break off and search for other non-public institutions for members (see Butler, Xavier, Dayton, SJU, UDM, LUC et. al.).  This will effect both the HL and the A-10.  The HL could be effected doubly by both a Big East and A-10 ripple.

Now don't get me wrong.  I am not an alarmist, but I do remember 1993. I as a Valpo grad and fan am perfectly content in the HL, even if Butler were to move elsewhere should a ripple effect occur.  At the same time, however, what if the ripple effect also takes UDM and LUC as well?  Does this change the dynamic for Valpo?  I say the answer is yes.  This is why, as a private institution that we need to watch what happens.  We were caught with our pants down when six members departed for the MCC.  I'm not saying that this will happen this time around, but we need to be keenly aware of what takes place, if anything takes place, given the public vs. private distinction. 

It will be interesting to see what, if anything happens going forward.

[valpotx]

Looks like several of these scenarios just stopped with the Pac-12 deciding not to expand.  That keeps the Big 12 together unless Missouri leaves for SEC with A&M.  I think you meant that Villanova applied to join the Big East in football by stepping up to FCS.  I haven't seen anything on them applying to ACC.

[valpo04]

Navy AD Confirms Talks with BCS Conferences

http://navy.scout.com/2/1108796.html


Not sure how I feel about this one... It at least seems like a measured approach instead of this seemingly chaotic jumping we see now.

[crusaderjoe]

Looks like several of these scenarios just stopped with the Pac-12 deciding not to expand.  That keeps the Big 12 together unless Missouri leaves for SEC with A&M.  I think you meant that Villanova applied to join the Big East in football by stepping up to FCS.  I haven't seen anything on them applying to ACC.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/216277/20110919/villanova-acc-conference-expansion-conference-realignment.htm

[blackpantheruwm]

I'm not necessarily saying that Valpo or Milwaukee or any team would leave the conference, but it never hurts to have an exit strategy if you find your situation less appealing than you'd like it to be.

[valpotx]

Looks like several of these scenarios just stopped with the Pac-12 deciding not to expand.  That keeps the Big 12 together unless Missouri leaves for SEC with A&M.  I think you meant that Villanova applied to join the Big East in football by stepping up to FCS.  I haven't seen anything on them applying to ACC.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/216277/20110919/villanova-acc-conference-expansion-conference-realignment.htm

Interesting.  I don't see the ACC accepting a school that does not have a FBS football team, even though Nova has been successful in FCS and would move to the higher level with an acceptance.  A team in transition from FCS to FBS would not do well in the ACC.

[wh]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6998720/commissioner-john-marinatto-says-schools-committed-big-east

It appears that things are beginning to stabilize.  The Big East is looking to find some schools with football programs to maintain its football identity and not become a basketball-only conference.  So much for the Butler speculation, although it's highly doubtful anyone was seriously considering them anyway.  It's kind of a shame for them.  By all rights, their spectacular recent performance in men's basketball should at least earn them a look by a bigger conference, but when it's all said and done they're simply not big enough.  Their current athletic budget is 40% below the lowest Big East school and they would likely be bottom feeders in several other sports for a long time.   Their men's bb program can compete with any D-1 Major anywhere, yet they still draw like a Mid Major in spite of the advantages of residing in a major metropolitan area with no other major collegiate sports programs in town, and in a basketball-crazy state no less.  Add that no public funding and a small, Mid West-centered alumni base, and they clearly are not ready for the big time.  They may go somewhere sometime, but it will never be to a BCS conference.  I guess they will just have to settle for being a premier academic institution with an outstanding men's basketball program. 

[Title]

Butler is going to leave the Horizon League. When the Big East fails, whether it this year, next year, or the year after that, the Big East will split and Xavier and Butler will be invited to join the conference. (this was said in multiple places following the basketball-school only conference call early this week.  There is actually two people who popped on XavierHoops.com with details, but you can find it several places.

After the first two, the league will then assess if they want to go bigger.  I tend to think they'd take a couple more.

This really isnt the time to be ostridges with heads in the ground.  This is happening.  Everyone in the Horizon League needs to be preparing, even if UConn or Rutgers or Eest Virginia or_____ decide to jump ship now, it's going to happen.  This is a stay of execution and everyone knows it, from Georgetown all the way to Depaul.

3 years ago I said 2014.  That still sounds right.

As for everyone else, there'll be more team's moving around so there'll be places.  The natural, of course, a merger of sorts with the Summit.

[vu72]

So we better kick Butler's butt the next couple of years then before they run away!  I like our chances!

[valpopal]

Valpo's AD Mark LaBarbera speaks about this issue:

"We have no contingency plan," LaBarbera said. "We have no plan on the table for, 'Oh, gee, what'll we do if a member leaves?' I think Jon LeCrone has done a very good job of keeping track of what's going on and keeping us informed. The sense I get when I'm in the room is that the members of the conference feel good about the conference as a whole."

And in the unlikely scenario that the dominoes eventually do reach the mid-majors? Life will go on, with or without Butler. Just like it did in 1994, when Xavier left the Horizon (then the MCC) for the Atlantic-10.

"People asked the league back then, 'What are you going to do, that's your best program?'" LaBarbera said. "Well, it worked out well for them, and it worked out just fine for the Horizon League. It seems to me that it'd be best if people just took a step back and took a deep breath and decided what's best for the schools and for the student-athletes."


http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/7793291-556/mark-lazerus-horizon-league-content-to-skip-conference-chaos.html

[wh]

Valpo's AD Mark LaBarbera speaks about this issue:

"We have no contingency plan," LaBarbera said. "We have no plan on the table for, 'Oh, gee, what'll we do if a member leaves?' I think Jon LeCrone has done a very good job of keeping track of what's going on and keeping us informed. The sense I get when I'm in the room is that the members of the conference feel good about the conference as a whole."

And in the unlikely scenario that the dominoes eventually do reach the mid-majors? Life will go on, with or without Butler. Just like it did in 1994, when Xavier left the Horizon (then the MCC) for the Atlantic-10.

"People asked the league back then, 'What are you going to do, that's your best program?'" LaBarbera said. "Well, it worked out well for them, and it worked out just fine for the Horizon League. It seems to me that it'd be best if people just took a step back and took a deep breath and decided what's best for the schools and for the student-athletes."


http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/7793291-556/mark-lazerus-horizon-league-content-to-skip-conference-chaos.html

This is an excellent article.  Very interesting (and I might add settling) to learn our A.D.'s take on this whole topic...

[vuweathernerd]

mizzou won't go to the sec. the ad and the chancellor (who is also serving concurrently as the chair of the big 12 board of directors) have repeatedly stated that their primary goal is the stability of the big 12.  and the sec keeps saying that they don't currently plan to invite the tigers to join the conference. i do think its a shame that oklahoma is trying to oust the commissioner as part of their offer to stay in the conference. i don't know what their reasons are, but i think it's a shame. i think dan beebe did a hell of a job keeping the conference together after last year, and he's being dealt a bum hand.

[valpofan56]

This really isnt the time to be ostridges with heads in the ground.

What the heck is an ostridge? Haha!

On a related note . . .

Suicidal Ostrich

[Title]

As an offshoot of Beebe's retirement, Missouri loses it's primary supporter of continued alignment with the Big 12.  Matt Peloquin tweeted something to the effect that many at Missouri desire the SEC move.

I'd wager it'll simmer another off season then Missouri will leave.

Speculation already out there that Louisville would be Missouri replacement target.

Elsewhere, TCU is trying to back out of the Big East deal for either the big 12 or to go back to the MWC.

Anyway you skin it, the big east as a football entity is on it's last legs.  There's just too much blood in the water.  Every single desirable member will get sucked off one by one, until you have Conference USA with the basketball schools bolted on.

Assuming the autobid isn't lost before then, that is when the split happens.

And I'll give Valpo's AD the benefit of the doubt in that he's just trying to say the right thing.  Because Butler (or anyone else) would be out the door without a second thought.