Here We Go Again

Amazingly, we managed to go a few weeks without any news on the conference realignment front.  Some of us were actually stupid enough to think it might be over.  Or at least cool down a little.  Especially now that there’s going to be a college football playoff.  Silly us.  Today the Big Ten, who started this mess in the first place, got in on the act, adding Maryland and Rutgers to become the Big 14.  And so Round II (or is this III?  Maybe IV?) begins.

Once all of the newly-announced moves go into effect (I can’t even keep track of who’s leaving what conference and join another when anymore), we’ll have 15 teams in the ACC, 14 in the Big Ten, 14 in the SEC and 12 in the Pac-12, although you’d have to be a fool to think they won’t look for two or four more (hello UNLV, how are you?).  You know the Big 12’s going to add at least two (think BYU) and get back to its name making sense.  And God knows how many will be left in my poor Big East when this is all said and done.

Sadly, it looks like the four superconferences we were warned about are close to becoming a reality.  The Big 12 might survive, if only because of its automatic tie-in to the bowls.  But those four inevitable superconferences are coming.  And they’ll be the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and SEC.  The Big East as we knew it is dead.  And it breaks my heart to say it.

The Big East will still exist in some form.  The name still holds some level of prestige in the college sports world.  Especially among the non-BCS schools.  And there are enough Big East schools that only play basketball (which is what started the entire problem in the first place) that will stay together.  And that Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, so you know there will be plenty of suitors.  But the Big East has always been Syracuse and UConn and Georgetown.  Forgive me for not getting excited about DePaul-SMU.  Likewise, am I the only one who thinks that a Syracuse-Duke conference game or a Big Ten game between Rutgers and Nebraska will be weird?  Just wait for that Maryland-Utah Rose Bowl.

You know it isn’t done.  The ACC was all set to be 14+Notre Dame with the addition of Pitt and Syracuse.  Now they need to add somebody else.  Probably UConn or Louisville.  My guess is UConn.  And since you know the SEC isn’t going to just sit there and watch the ACC continue to grow, they’ll probably be after Louisville.  Do they then take a shot at one of the Big East Florida schools, too?  South Florida perhaps?  That would make the SEC the first 16-team superleague.

If the SEC is comfortable with its current 14, I can see Louisville staying in the Big East.  They’ve quickly become one of the conference’s cornerstone programs, and they’re only going to move higher up the food chain with all of the Big East defections.  Besides, Rick Pitino holds a tremendous amount of influence.  It’s because of him that the Big East “survived” the last round by bringing in Temple and Memphis.  If Pitino wants to stay in the Big East and be the top dog, Louisville’s administration will listen.  Although, if they have the chance to join the SEC and be in the same league as Kentucky, does that trump Rick Pitino’s preference?

The Big 12’s stability doesn’t seem to be as imminently threatened, but they’re going to have to do something fast.  Before deciding on just going from 10 to 12, the Pac-12 was talking to Texas and thinking about 16.  Do they come knocking on the Longhorns’ door again?  Or does the Big 12 get aggressive and do what it should’ve done two years ago.  Make a run at BYU.  Offer them the same sweetheart deal you gave Texas that convinced them to stay.  You can even let the Cougars pick the 12th team.  Colorado State maybe?

And what about the Pac-12?  You know Texas would be their obvious preference, but they won’t just add one.  Do they go for Oklahoma, which means Oklahoma State would get to come along for the ride?  That’s 15, so you need one more.  Another Texas school?  Baylor.  This is all hypothetical (right now), of course, but if those dominoes start to fall, we’re right back where we were two years ago.  Except this time, Kansas and Kansas State get out while they still can, and that’s how the Big “Ten” gets to 16.

Like I said before, the Big East, at least for the immediate future, looks like it’s going to weather this latest round of defections.  After all the dust settles, the Big East will once again reload, probably with teams from Conference USA, which is sadly becoming the Big East feeder system in the much same way the Big East is becoming a feeder system for the BCS conferences.  (Should the Big 12 or Pac-12 look to expand, their obvious targets, outside of BYU, will come from the Mountain West.)

So who does the Big East add?  East Carolina was actively lobbying for membership last summer.  One year later, they might finally get their wish.  Navy was going to be the Big East’s 13th football team, so I say they only need to add one and have 12 in football.  And the 16-team basketball league, while obviously not as strong, would still be among the nation’s best.  That’s why the Big East will survive in some form.  The basketball league is too good.  And ssince ome of those schools don’t have football, they don’t care about football money.  I also think it’s very conceivable the Big East will give up on football altogether, which might actually bring some more stabililty.

(For the sake of clarity, here’s what the Big East would look like with UConn gone and replaced by East Carolina:)
Basketball: Central Florida, Cincinnati, DePaul, East Carolina, Georgetown, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Providence, Seton Hall, South Florida, SMU, St. John’s, Temple, Villanova
Football: Boise State, Central Florida, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Navy, San Diego State, South Florida, SMU, Temple
Whatever happens, it won’t be the same.  It won’t be my father’s Big East.  The conference I fell in love with growing up. (I can still remember my first college basketball game, the 1990 Big East final between UConn and Syracuse when I was seven years old.  I went with my dad.)  Hell, it won’t even be my Big East.  But it’ll still be the Big East, even if it is only in name.