Looks like the major conferences are about to start a feeding frenzy in order to create 16-team super conferences. Here is what I think should happen:

The Big Ten picks up 4 teams to make a 16-team super conference. Notre Dame is a no-brainer. The other three would likely be Syracuse (opens the New York market), Iowa State (already has Iowa), and Missouri (always wanted to be in the Big Ten).

The Pac-12 picks up four teams from the Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Texas Tech. They form two divisions: The Pacific (the old Pac-8) and the Mountain (everyone else).

The SEC needs four more teams to get to 16. Texas A&M is a given. The other three are from the ACC: Clemson, Florida State, and Virginia Tech (as if the SEC needs to get any stronger in football). They remain in two divisions (East and West) broken roughly at the Alabama-Georgia line.

The remaining 9 teams in the ACC should absorb seven of the Big East football schools: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, and South Florida and form a 16-team super conference with two divisions (North and South?). Try to imagine the ACC basketball tournament!! The remaining Big East (non-football) schools go back to being just a basketball conference.

The Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences merge to form the Mountain Western Athletic Conference and convince TCU to stay instead of bolting for the now-defunct Big East.

The two Big 12 teams left out are Baylor and Kansas State. They join the 12-team Conference USA and start looking for two more teams to create their own super conference.

The BCS awards automatic qualifying status to the Pac-16, the SEC, the Big Ten, the ACC, and the MWAC. Conference USA asks for automatic qualifying status and is turned down.

Texas decides to go independent and starts negotiating with the BCS for a "Notre Dame-type" deal.

I think most of this super conference stuff appears to be defensive in reaction to other leagues forming super conferences rather than strategic. I think when most of these conferences realize that adding more programs may dilute not enhance revenue that it will slow down.

I don't think there is any reason that Clemson and FSU would want to go to the SEC and become irrelevant; nor would SC and Florida necessarily want them recruiting against them. They are better off in the ACC with a new league contract rather than 1/16 shareholders. College football has a nice monopoly going with the major conferences. Don't see any reason to disturb it. The only advantage I see is that the super conferences may eventually supersede the NCAA because they hold all the cards.

You are spot on friend GB54....is that for Great Big 5 fingers and four extremities?

bigtuba1;562801 said:

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Looks like the major conferences are about to start a feeding frenzy in order to create 16-team super conferences. Here is what I think should happen:

...

The Pac-12 picks up four teams from the Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Texas Tech. They form two divisions: The Pacific (the old Pac-8) and the Mountain (everyone else).

...

The two Big 12 teams left out are Baylor and Kansas State. They join the 12-team Conference USA and start looking for two more teams to create their own super conference.

...

Texas decides to go independent and starts negotiating with the BCS for a "Notre Dame-type" deal.

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If Texas goes independent (looking more likely once again) then wouldn't we rather have Kansas State over Texas Tech?

[LIST=1]

Good partner/rival for Kansas (makes KU's joining more likely;

Good basketball school (along with KU, Arizona, Southern Branch, could make us the preeminent conference);

Rising star among research universities.

That was toss-up for me. Tech or K-State.