A lot of talk here about switching conferences?

[Kung Wu]

Ya'll need to get a lot more creative. There are ways that a basketball first school can get in the Big-12 or any other league. There are schools out there that have good football programs that can compete in the Big-12 but can't afford for the rest of their sports to be in the Big-12 (due to travel costs for example).

So ... WSU to Big-12 (or any other conference) supplemented by School X's football team.

It's much trickier but these types of arrangements are do-able with a savvy architect. The very best thing that could happen to us is our presidential replacement for Beggs comes from such a conference and would like to rejoin it from a sports standpoint (would be very lucky should that happen).

[DoubleJayAlum]

Ya'll need to get a lot more creative. There are ways that a basketball first school can get in the Big-12 or any other league. There are schools out there that have good football programs that can compete in the Big-12 but can't afford for the rest of their sports to be in the Big-12 (due to travel costs for example).

So ... WSU to Big-12 (or any other conference) supplemented by School X's football team.

It's much trickier but these types of arrangements are do-able with a savvy architect. The very best thing that could happen to us is our presidential replacement for Beggs comes from such a conference and would like to rejoin it from a sports standpoint (would be very lucky should that happen).

Every BCS conference except for the Big East REQUIRES its members to field a football team and a men's basketball team. As a result the conference's bylaws would have to be changed and that is a lot more complicated than I think you are giving it credit for. Further, I think all of the major conferences have looked at the instability of the BIg East and vowed to avoid the headache by making sure that every school has both football and basketball.

[SubGod22]

KU and KSU wouldn't allow us in even if something like that were an option. If we were realistically looking to bolt, without footballl, we'd be looking at talking to the Horizon or seeing if the new National Conference (or whatever they change it to in the future) really is interested in non-football schools being a part of it. There has been talk of them adding 4 to 8 non-football schools in the future. How they'd want that broken up, I'm not sure. But it's at least been considered. But their focus right now is adding a few more football schools to the mix.

The Horizon does seem to be improving. It's a small step down at the moment, but I think the Butler money the last few years is giving a little jolt to some of the other schools. I'm not sure what kind of money those schools typically spend though and if we joined we'd probably have the same complaints that we do with our current **** (c-r-a-p) conference. So really, there's not a lot of options for us stuck here in the middle of the country. We're not close enough to any other decent conference.

The only other possibility would be for the A10 to grap us and Creighton and go to two 8 team divisions. The West would be stronger than the East, but it would still be a pretty good conference and looks to be the best option if it were out there. Can you imagine a division of Creighton, SLU, Wichita, Dayton and Xavier all together? Those would be some fun games.

[SubGod22]

Every BCS conference except for the Big East REQUIRES its members to field a football team and a men's basketball team. As a result the conference's bylaws would have to be changed and that is a lot more complicated than I think you are giving it credit for. Further, I think all of the major conferences have looked at the instability of the BIg East and vowed to avoid the headache by making sure that every school has both football and basketball.

That may be true, but I think an exception can and will be made if someone can pull Notre Dame away from the BE. There's a lot of speculation online about that as I think the B12, B10, SEC and ACC would all love to have ND, even if it were for non-football. If a conference allows a team to have it's own channel and/or deal then they could possibly convince ND to bring football as well and keep their deal with NBC.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I would not be surprised if Marquette, St. John's, DePaul, Providence, Seton Hall, and Georgetown break off from the football schools.

I used to think this would happen too. However, now that teh Big East has survived the latest realignment and is actually stealing teams from the A10, I don't think it ever happens. If those schools you name break off and form their own conference there are two problems:

1) They walk away from the NCAA $$$$ paid to conferences for appearances/wins in the NCAA tournament. Based on the number of Big East credits, we are talking about huge money here that would not be replaceable even with the most lucrative TV contracts, which those schools would be able to negotiate anyway.

2) Their "new" conference wouldn't be entitled to an autobid to the NCAA tourney for at least five years.

I'm convinced that the only way teams would leave the Big East is if they have a conference to join. It is financial suicide to form your own conference without an autobid and past NCAA tourney payouts. Those schools have huge budgets and would have to cut their athletic departments to UNI/Evansville/Indiana St levels and they would never do that.

[DoubleJayAlum]

That may be true, but I think an exception can and will be made if someone can pull Notre Dame away from the BE. There's a lot of speculation online about that as I think the B12, B10, SEC and ACC would all love to have ND, even if it were for non-football. If a conference allows a team to have it's own channel and/or deal then they could possibly convince ND to bring football as well and keep their deal with NBC.

You've got me - Notre Dame is the exception. But it is the only exception.

I tend to think that if Notre Dame finally relents and moves their FB team into a conference, they will move their basketball team to the same conference, especially with the instability in the Big East.

[ripemupshocks]

https://shockernet.net/forum/showthread.php?11102-Conference-Shake-Up-2.0

[martymoose]

This...

[SubGod22]

You've got me - Notre Dame is the exception. But it is the only exception.

I tend to think that if Notre Dame finally relents and moves their FB team into a conference, they will move their basketball team to the same conference, especially with the instability in the Big East.

I agree. And I've heard that the B12 is trying to pull that off. Or has. ND can be picky, but everyone wants them.

[rrshock]

What is going to happen to the autobid that C-USA has right now? I think they would be foolish to let it go. Why couldn't 8just to 10the schools break off and join the C-USA? Thus they already have an auto bid

[ripemupshocks]

What conference upgrade could WSU make? As a basketball only school, I dont c the MWC or CUSA being an option. The only upgrades in conferences with BO schools are the A-10 or gasp The Big East. The A10 does go as far west as St Louis but I dont c geographically it making much sense. Although they do have 14 teams and if they add CU as well they could make two 8 team divisions. The BE is losing Cuse and Uconn to ACC but I think they have already replaced those schools Boise and someone else. Geographically, at least, the BE would make sense but I just dont c it happening. The Horizon is the only other option but it is not an upgrade.

Another thread????? WSU plays a lot more sports than just basketball, FYI...

No Chit and none of them generate real revenue.......Maybe you havent been following current events but Football is king followed by BB.....a distant 2nd. If a basketball program like KU was about to be banished to the MWC during the B12 realignment, then that should tell you where CBB ranks in the big picture of TV revenues. If a school doesnt have FB they dont have much to offer.

By the way, nice slam newbie. That should endear you to long time ShockerNetters.

[SubGod22]

What is going to happen to the autobid that C-USA has right now? I think they would be foolish to let it go. Why couldn't 8just to 10the schools break off and join the C-USA? Thus they already have an auto bid

CUSA and MWC are both planning on disbanding and joining together. They have to do that in order to get out of their current media deals so they can negotiate a better one. Both conferences are giving up an auto bid. One conference disbanding and joining the other would create problems for the media deals as they wouldn't have to be negotiated yet and would be split amongst a lot more schools.

Personally, I think they'd probably be better off staying where they are. The MWC could take UTEP and add USU and CUSA could go ahead an add North Texas and FIU and be fine. If they wanted two more they could add MTSU and someone else. Actually heard someone mention Arkansas State at one point. Or even trying to take one of the UT-?? teams from the WAC. This would allow both conference to keep thier NCAA money and auto bids.

Part of me think the new National Conference will fail within 10 years if it happens. That's a lot of travel and there could be more attractive possibilities with less travel down the road. the NC is a stop gap measure I think. But if it does hold on and work out, it has some solid potential.

[WstateU]

perhaps they offer D-1 Ladies mud wrestling as well.....

Great idea @pinstripers:! I'll buy season tickets. :good:

[SubGod22]

And KU was never in danger of going to the MWC. They would have been picked up by one of the BcS conference. KSU on the other hand....

[60Shock]

So our course of action or non-action is?

1. We do nothing and flounder around in this worthless conference for the next 8,000 + years?

2. Our new Prez and AD and their multiple future successors actively pursue and take the lead in forming a new non-football playing conference?

3. We sit back and watch CU, MSU, and perhaps other MVC schools over the next 50 years or so pursue greener pastures, but good ol' ultra conservative WSU, Bradley, Drake, and Evansville remain true to the MVC and welcome Emporia State, Fort Hays, and Heights HS into the league?

4. We swallow the bullet and bring back football in the year 2525 (If man is still alive?) at the total cost of one trillion trillion $ plus change?

5. Do absolutely nothing so that our great, great, great, great grandchildren will have something else to ***** about besides KU and why they won't play us?