NU Hoop Fan

Nero mentioned that the AE set a plan together five years ago. I was lucky enough to actually see the plan. I can't say who showed it to me, but this is a link to where it can be found..


http://www.imageenvision.com/clipart...ipart-by-djart

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Aceinthehole

In all seriousness, if anyone has access to that doc, PM me - I'd love to read it.

The NY Post is reporting:

The Post has learned that administrators at the non-football playing Big East schools have had contingency discussions that include possibly adding Dayton, Duquesne, St. Joseph's and Xavier if their football-playing brethren veer off like unsecured electrons. "The concern is if that there will be too much carnage to the football league, we want to be in a position to be the best possible league we can be," said the athletic director of a non-football playing Big East program.

TerrierNation

Seems strange to me include Duquesne and St. Joes and not a team like St. Louis or even non Catholic institutions like Butler, Richmond. JMHO though. I guess Duquesne makes sense to potentially replace Pitt, but why St. Joe's when the league would presumably already have Nova?

Dayton and Xavier are absolute no brainers however.

NU Hoop Fan

I agree, I'd add St. Louis before another Philly team, unless they want to minimize travel costs for Olympic sports (then Marquette and DePaul make no sense).

Unless SLU has its eye on the MVC.

Regardless, the A-10 is going to slowly dissintegrate if the Big East gets raided.

Temple is all but gone, Xavier, Dayton, SLU are likely gone. That gives you 10 teams, which gets the league in name conformity. :-)

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Today is the first day of the next 86 years!

mainejeff

Looks like my original prediction was pretty close......I had assumed that Notre Dame would join the Big Ten which is looking pretty unlikely. Take out GW and BU and add in ND and Duquesne and there you have it. If this happens, Duquesne should send a thank-you card to Pitt and the Big Ten!

UNH_Alum_In_CT

I'm not sure if a BE Parochial offshoot league would just be an Eastern only association with ten members? But if they keep the Midwestern schools, why bother with Duquesne? Unless a twelve team conference is desired for travel consideration and team #12 is Notre Dame.

Big Parochial without Piggy

West

Marquette
DePaul
Dayton (Pioneer Football League)
Xavier
Duquesne (NEC or Pioneer Football)
Notre Dame or ?????????

East

Providence
St. John's
Seton Hall
St. Joseph's
Villanova (CAA Football)
Georgetown (Patriot Football)

Works out well for Notre Dame since they have a home for their Olympic sports and can keep football as a FBS Independent. Of course in theory, their tie in to the BCS Bowls wouldn't exist any longer once the link to the BE Football schools is lost. Maybe they're content with their TV money????

Could see this happening though. Even as a ten member league without Duquesne and Notre Dame. There have been less logical propositions.

Leaves the A-10 with Temple, UMass, URI, St. Louis, Charlotte, George Washington, Lasalle, St. Bonaventure and Richmond, correct? What's the over/under on teams remaining once the merde hits the fan? Can't see Charlotte being happy (geography and their looming FBS Football program) nor St. Louis being happy (geography). As long as Temple, UMass, URI and Richmond retain homes for their football programs, might this core of seven evolve into another evolution of the A-10? Or will some of those four football schools seek an all sports league with football?

The branches the domino effect can take are mind boggling!!!!!

UAalum72

Siena fans will be shocked...SHOCKED! that you overlooked the jewel of the MAAC for the parochial league.

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UNH_Alum_In_CT

Just following up on Ace's remarks about the NY Post report which didn't include Siena.

And I guess the jewel of the MAAC doesn't have much luster once you travel the short distance from Capital Region NY to Capital Region CT. Fairfield may be just over an hour away, but the MAAC doesn't get much mention in this neck of the woods. Some Sled Dogs kind of have a monopoly around here.

Bingo!

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1090747

Some more talk of conference reshaping. Not sure how, if at all, it would affect the AE.

mainejeff

This is gonna get ugly if this comes to pass. Every major league (Big Ten, PAC-10, SEC and ACC) will be looking expand to 16 members.

The Mountain West would most likely poach Boise State, Nevada, and Fresno State from the WAC to get to 12.

plash.ricrem

Any talk of super expansion amongst the major conferences always makes makes me think of this: http://twitpic.com/1h3wia

BingGrad

If conferences in the middle die, then it is probably favorable to the AE. The conferences most at risk of death seem to be the A-10, WAC, Conference USA, Big East Football and Conference USA.

If the conferences in the middle poach the lower end conferences to make up for their own losses, then it could be tough on the AE.

mainejeff

It would seem that at least 2 conferences might be going away.

Bingo!

Outside the Lines First Report is currently debating the subject.

Notes:
- Boise State could go from WAC to Mountain West as soon as Monday
- Mizzou and Nebraska potentially to BigTen
- Notre Dame, albeit less likely, also potentially to the BigTen
- Texas A&M potentially to SEC
- Somewhat of a Pac 10 and Big 12 merger (like the link I posted above detailed) with Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor left in the dust (Jeff probably has a good idea of where they fit)

the_dawg

As far as the other four big 12 schools are regarded from what I'm getting is they will merge with the MWC and Boise St. So this is pretty much what I've put together for what DI football will look like

Big Ten---16 teams
Syracuse (Big East)
Rutgers (Big East)
Pittsburgh (Big East)
Penn St.
Ohio St.
Michigan
Michigan St.
Indiana

Nebraska (Big 12)
Missouri (Big 12)
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Iowa
Illinois
Minnesota

SEC---16 teams
Georgia Tech (ACC)
Florida St (ACC)
Miami (ACC)
Clemson (ACC)
Georgia
Florida
South Carolina
Tennessee

Kentucky
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Arkansas
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi St

Pac 10---16 teams
California
Oregon
Oregon St.
Stanford
UCLA
USC
Washington
Washington St.

Texas (Big 12)
Texas Tech (Big 12)
Oklahoma (Big 12)
Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Colorado (Big 12)
Texas A&M (Big 12)
Arizona
Arizona St.

ACC---16 teams
Connecticut (Big East)
Louisville (Big East)
Memphis (C-USA)
Temple (A-10)
Cincinnati (Big East)
West Virginia (Big East)
Maryland
Boston College

East Carolina (C-USA)
South Florida (Big East)
Duke
North Carolina
N.C. State
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest

Big 12/MWC merger---14 teams
San Diego St. (MWC)
Utah (MWC)
BYU (MWC)
UNLV (MWC)
Wyoming (MWC)
New Mexico (MWC)
Boise St (WAC)

Air Force (MWC)
Colorado St. (MWC)
TCU (MWC)
Baylor
Iowa St.
Kansas
Kansas St.

C-USA---10 teams
Houston
Marshall
Rice
SMU
Southern Miss
Tulane
Tulsa
UAB
UCF
UTEP

WAC---8 teams
Fresno St.
Hawaii
Idaho
Louisiana Tech
Nevada
New Mexico St.
San Jose St.
Utah St.

I could see the C-USA making a play for North Texas and Louisiana Tech to get back to 12 but haven't heard anything so I'm not putting it

Sun Belt---9 teams
Florida International
Florida Atlantic
Midd Tenn St.
North Texas
Troy
Western Kentucky
Arkansas St.
Lafayette
LA Monroe

MAC---12 teams
Akron
Bowling Green
Buffalo
Kent St.
Miami (OH)

Ball St.
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Norther Illinois
Toledo
Western Michigan

So that's DI football for ya. The Big East is now purely a basketball conference...so I'll let Maine Jeff take it from here...but this is what I've put together from everything I've read/heard/seen of what football will look like next year...yes that soon