More 1-A Dominoes?

[Pounder]

Curious piece of speculation about Conference USA.

http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/bigeast/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=23252&start=0

Key word: speculation.

It partly makes sense. There are rumblings that the far flung schools in this conference are losing money. That would certainly cause schools to look elsewhere.

There's also a hitch. Whomever leaves must consider finding an established conference. Division 1 (currently overlorded by BCS schools) has sort of warned people the last few years that a new conference would not necessarily gain immediate support... specifically an automatic bid to March Madness. The main reason the current alignment has 65 schools is because BCS schools wanted to protect the number of at-large bids. A portion of the TV revenue is distributed to conferences based on the number of teams appearing and how far they go in the tournament.

Any redirection of C-USA schools, of course, invites the possibility that Louisiana Tech will get membership, bringing the WAC to 8 schools (a position that's a little too precarious for them given other NCAA regulations).

I doubt that anything manifests from this for at least a couple years, but if there's a time to start thinking about the future, this seems to be it.

 

[PSUVikings2]

It amkes some sense, people have been talking about that for awhile

WAC=Widespread Athletic Conference

Tech has to go

 

[Pounder]

BTW... while not necessarily related to 1-A, this is probably important in what pots are stirred... and not stirred.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/306579_seattleu08.html

The WCC not expanding means Pepperdine isn't going to the Big West, which would have stirred up a few things out west.

It also demonstrates what any Pilot will tell you... Gonzaga has a choke hold on the WCC. (That reminds me of something else... for all your complaints about Montana's choke hold on the Big Sky, I warn you that the grass is no greener elsewhere. Just remember, WAC fans, that the commissioner of the WAC is a Boise State alum, and a lot of the schedule was altered to feature BSU on TV... though the Boise State fans are upset because the 2007 football schedule creates a lot of short weeks.)

 

[WiViking]

However, the WCC does have tv contracts all over the northwest. Seeing a PSU basketball game on tv only happens if they face UO, Gonzaga or UW. I'd like to see the UP game heavily marketed and played at the Rose Garden or Coliseum. It could become a much bigger rivalry than it is.