Conference Realignment Thread v. 2016

[Bill Marsh]

IMO the only reason to expand from 10, which is a great number, is to raise the profile of the conference. (No matter how good it is, any conference can always get better.) Any addition would have to be a Home Run. The value would be in adding games that are "must see" TV. Average team rating is less important than creating high profile match ups.

I see little likelihood that any P5 program or even any P5 aspirant will drop football any time soon. If true,then the only program which has proven that it can compete at this level, that has achieved a #1 ranking recently, that goes to the tournament every year, whose coach isn't going anywhere for a long time to come, and who is an institutional fit is Gonzaga. GU is on the record as saying that it would love to be part of the BE. If they are ready willing and able to take on the travel that would be involved, I don't see why any current BE would object to one long road game a year - maybe less - even for minor sports.

Let the debates ensue about whether travel makes this a non-starter. For the record, the problems are greatly exaggerated for anyone but GU itself.

[_lh]

IMO the only reason to expand from 10, which is a great number, is to raise the profile of the conference. (No matter how good it is, any conference can always get better.) Any addition would have to be a Home Run. The value would be in adding games that are "must see" TV. Average team rating is less important than creating high profile match ups.

I see little likelihood that any P5 program or even any P5 aspirant will drop football any time soon. If true,then the only program which has proven that it can compete at this level, that has achieved a #1 ranking recently, that goes to the tournament every year, whose coach isn't going anywhere for a long time to come, and who is an institutional fit is Gonzaga. GU is on the record as saying that it would love to be part of the BE. If they are ready willing and able to take on the travel that would be involved, I don't see why any current BE would object to one long road game a year - maybe less - even for minor sports.

Let the debates ensue about whether travel makes this a non-starter. For the record, the problems are greatly exaggerated for anyone but GU itself.

Even if Gonzaga made sense logistically, they are overrated. I don't see them as a necessary addition and certainly not worth the problems to add a program we don't need.

UCONN and ND are the only two that will ever make sense. Both are of course long shots and would only be available under strange circumstances. Stay at 10 or add either one of these two if given the chance.

[TrueBlueJay]

I know there is a lot of history for UCONN, but I don't get the conversation around them. Are they dropping football? No or Yes. That is the answer to your question about UCONN being in the BE. I think we all know the answer is - No.

[Bill Marsh]

IMO the only reason to expand from 10, which is a great number, is to raise the profile of the conference. (No matter how good it is, any conference can always get better.) Any addition would have to be a Home Run. The value would be in adding games that are "must see" TV. Average team rating is less important than creating high profile match ups.

I see little likelihood that any P5 program or even any P5 aspirant will drop football any time soon. If true,then the only program which has proven that it can compete at this level, that has achieved a #1 ranking recently, that goes to the tournament every year, whose coach isn't going anywhere for a long time to come, and who is an institutional fit is Gonzaga. GU is on the record as saying that it would love to be part of the BE. If they are ready willing and able to take on the travel that would be involved, I don't see why any current BE would object to one long road game a year - maybe less - even for minor sports.

Let the debates ensue about whether travel makes this a non-starter. For the record, the problems are greatly exaggerated for anyone but GU itself.

Even if Gonzaga made sense logistically, they are overrated. I don't see them as a necessary addition and certainly not worth the problems to add a program we don't need.

UCONN and ND are the only two that will ever make sense. Both are of course long shots and would only be available under strange circumstances. Stay at 10 or add either one of these two if given the chance.

UConn and ND are never happening. Never. So, you're saying "no" to expansion. That's fine.

If the conference, however, decides to pursue expansion, Gonzaga is as good a fit as nylons will find.

- 18 consecutive tournaments
- multiple Elite 8's and Sweet 16's
- perennially ranked and has been as high as #1
- bringing in the best recruiting class in school history next year
- plays in a sold out home area every game and has a bigger arena available

You don't have to agree with how highly they've been rated, but their stature in the sport is undeniable. They are in fact a household name in college basketball.

Travel is what's overrated. Once a year a BE school would have to take a trip in each of the required sports. Simply substitute it for another elective long road trip. If it's paired with a trip to Creighton, all you've added is the return trip from Spokane for an East Coast school since the flight to Spokane from Omaha is the same length as the return flight from Omaha that the traveling team would have taken anyway.

Adding Gonzaga is a travel problem for Gonzaga, a problem which they'd happily accept. The notion that it would be a problem for anyone else is an argument that's hard for me to buy.

[whiteandblue77]

Cleric: "O Lord, bless this thy BigEast, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large chu...
Brother Maynard: Skip a bit, Brother...
Cleric: And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou make a Holy Conference. Then shalt thou count to TEN, no more, no less. TEN shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be TEN. ELEVEN shalt thou not count, neither count thou NINE, excepting that thou then proceed to TEN. TWELVE is right out. Once the number TEN, being the TENTH number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Basketball Conference of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall be snuffed.

[_lh]

I said both UCONN and ND are long shots but they are the only two that makes sense. If not them, stay at 10. Gonzaga is overrated and too far. It makes no sense and will never happen.

[Bill Marsh]

I said both UCONN and ND are long shots but they are the only two that makes sense. If not them, stay at 10. Gonzaga is overrated and too far. It makes no sense and will never happen.

Why are they too far? I say they're not.

UConn and ND are not long shots. They will never happen.

I like 10, but if Fox says they want more content, who do you add?

[_lh]

I said both UCONN and ND are long shots but they are the only two that makes sense. If not them, stay at 10. Gonzaga is overrated and too far. It makes no sense and will never happen.

Why are they too far? I say they're not.

UConn and ND are not long shots. They will never happen.

I like 10, but if Fox says they want more content, who do you add?

Either will Gonzaga because they are too far. If they were closer like Creighton, they would have been added over Creighton. UCONN is more realistic at this point.

[Bill Marsh]

I said both UCONN and ND are long shots but they are the only two that makes sense. If not them, stay at 10. Gonzaga is overrated and too far. It makes no sense and will never happen.

Why are they too far? I say they're not.

UConn and ND are not long shots. They will never happen.

I like 10, but if Fox says they want more content, who do you add?

Either will Gonzaga because they are too far. If they were closer like Creighton, they would have been added over Creighton. UCONN is more realistic at this point.

If it's too far, why did 70% of the league schedule trips just as far - or even farther in some cases - this year alone?

[_lh]

If it wasn't too far they would already be in the BE.

Gonzaga is never going to happen. The only two that make any sense to add (even if they are both extreme longshots) are UCONN and ND.