Realignment Carousel Spins Up again (USC and UCLA to Big 10)

[Stickboy46]

With everyone gone next year, do OSU and WSU get to decide what to do with the NCAA and CF money due the conference?

Maybe the answer is to play 11 home games (unless someone wants to pay them a fortune to travel) and pocket every last penny from the conference coffers. Adding in the exit fees the other 10 schools are paying, that's got to be close to a new stadium each....am I right?

Yes they get the NCAA and CF for at least 2 years (thats the 2 year grace period to get back to 8 members)

No they don't get exit fees because the TV contract is up so there were no exit fees for the 10 schools to leave.

[WuDrWu]

With everyone gone next year, do OSU and WSU get to decide what to do with the NCAA and CF money due the conference?

Maybe the answer is to play 11 home games (unless someone wants to pay them a fortune to travel) and pocket every last penny from the conference coffers. Adding in the exit fees the other 10 schools are paying, that's got to be close to a new stadium each....am I right?

[BOBB]

I agree and if the MWC “rebrands” how desperate and undignified is that? Chasing the torn up flag that is all that is left of the PAC 12. “Oh look, we’re the PAC 12. We’re badass!”

Worked for the Holy Roman Empire for a good while.

[Stickboy46]

I see most of the MWC voting to disband (75 percent of the schools) and rebrand the PAC 12 for the power five autonomy. If they vote to disband, there is no exit fee. Your probably right about the AAC exit fee though and no one willing to pony that up.

In order to do that 9 of 11 MWC teams would have to vote for it. So you are still making a conference that is basically the MWC + the P2. That isn't going to get a significant bump over the existing MWC contract.

Also next to zero chance any new form of the PAC retains any of the current "power" benefits such as Autonomy or the current CFP cut. Only benefit to keeping the PAC name right now is the incoming already promised NCAAT and CFP payouts. Once those dry up it will be no different than the AAC or MWC. Except they also have a ton of legal issues tied to the PAC name right now too

[ShockerLane316]

I agree and if the MWC “rebrands” how desperate and undignified is that? Chasing the torn up flag that is all that is left of the PAC 12. “Oh look, we’re the PAC 12. We’re badass!”

So many schools want that P5 title and that is the only reason I see that happening... even if it's only for a small amount of time before there are just an NFC/AFC type of realignment with the Big Ten and SEC.

TV contracts have absolutely killed college athletics and I cannot stand it.

[Ashockalypse]

I see most of the MWC voting to disband (75 percent of the schools) and rebrand the PAC 12 for the power five autonomy. If they vote to disband, there is no exit fee. Your probably right about the AAC exit fee though and no one willing to pony that up.

I agree and if the MWC “rebrands” how desperate and undignified is that? Chasing the torn up flag that is all that is left of the PAC 12. “Oh look, we’re the PAC 12. We’re badass!”

[Ashockalypse]

The level of copium in here.

“Maybe we can get Northeast Westsouth Nebraska added for a real powerhouse conference.” It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Several more shakeups coming down the pike with the possibility of WSU getting bounced from the conference in the next decade. If you don’t see this you are willfully blind.

It can’t get worse. College fans are just pretending as it is. There isn’t real competition regardless of a few close games NIL and Transfer is the big sifter. It just takes a little time but you are watching the destruction nevertheless in real time. The fans that remain I’m afraid will have to suspend reality like wrestling fans.

[Ashockalypse]

This thread does make me wonder if the virtual dissolution of the NCAA which has actually already occurred basically eliminates schools like Tulsa and even Wichita State with a larger enrollment. Mere membership recognition by a rule enforcement body may have been required for existence. Somebody hand the microphone to Washington State.

[ShockerLane316]

Don't think the money is there for that. The P2 schools don't bring anything to the table. AAC schools leaving would be paying 20+ million to leave for next year. MWC schools would be paying 34 for this year and 17 for next year. That's a lot of money to go to a league that likely isn't bringing a ton more than the AAC is already making (putting together a bunch of schools worth 7 million in the AAC or 4 million in the MWC isn't going to magically make them worth 15+ million each just because they paired with 2 school no other conference wanted)

I see most of the MWC voting to disband (75 percent of the schools) and rebrand the PAC 12 for the power five autonomy. If they vote to disband, there is no exit fee. Your probably right about the AAC exit fee though and no one willing to pony that up.

[Stickboy46]

You are thiniking mostly in terms of the on the field of play success of a program plus what's good for Wichita State. However, what is driving realignment is primarily broadcast media money and what is attractive to those players. Now what is attractive to them are generally strongest teams in term of on the field success but those teams are not really in play for the AAC. However, what teams like Army, Navy and Air Force bring to the table is a national following. If it's good for the AAC it should be good for Wichita State, although whether or not it is good for Wichita State is not a factor.

That said I agree that getting Army would definitely be enhanced if paired with a good basketball school. And if that strengthens the Wichita State/Navy pairing that's a plus for Wichita State.

If an Army/VCU-type combo would open the door to perhaps attracting Air Force and Colorado State into the AAC fold then that would be something to pursue as well I would think. The big challenge there might be the MWC buyouts.

You just take them in 2025 or 2026. 2025 lowers the buyout to 17 million. 2026 they no longer have a media deal so no buyout at all. Or you just take the large chunk of money that SMU is going to dump to the AAC to help pay to move them right now.

[Stickboy46]

I think that we're headed to a MWC/AAC/P12 merger of the best teams. I don't know who will be in that final league or how big it will be but 12-14 is my guess. If it goes 16 maybe they try to add Gonzago too and we could be another basketball only school.

Don't think the money is there for that. The P2 schools don't bring anything to the table. AAC schools leaving would be paying 20+ million to leave for next year. MWC schools would be paying 34 for this year and 17 for next year. That's a lot of money to go to a league that likely isn't bringing a ton more than the AAC is already making (putting together a bunch of schools worth 7 million in the AAC or 4 million in the MWC isn't going to magically make them worth 15+ million each just because they paired with 2 school no other conference wanted)

[ShockerLane316]

I think that we're headed to a MWC/AAC/P12 merger of the best teams. I don't know who will be in that final league or how big it will be but 12-14 is my guess. If it goes 16 maybe they try to add Gonzago too and we could be another basketball only school.

[1972Shocker]

With all due respect to our military, adding Army would be a super meh addition imo. I’ll caveat that by saying if it was an Army/good basketball school combo, I’d be more for it.

You are thiniking mostly in terms of the on the field of play success of a program plus what's good for Wichita State. However, what is driving realignment is primarily broadcast media money and what is attractive to those players. Now what is attractive to them are generally strongest teams in term of on the field success but those teams are not really in play for the AAC. However, what teams like Army, Navy and Air Force bring to the table is a national following. If it's good for the AAC it should be good for Wichita State, although whether or not it is good for Wichita State is not a factor.

That said I agree that getting Army would definitely be enhanced if paired with a good basketball school. And if that strengthens the Wichita State/Navy pairing that's a plus for Wichita State.

If an Army/VCU-type combo would open the door to perhaps attracting Air Force and Colorado State into the AAC fold then that would be something to pursue as well I would think. The big challenge there might be the MWC buyouts.

[Maizerunner08]

With all due respect to our military, adding Army would be a super meh addition imo. I’ll caveat that by saying if it was an Army/good basketball school combo, I’d be more for it.

[ShockerFever]

The ones who've been mentioned as wanting to jump (for football) would still leave a basketball conference 3 million times better than where we're at. Yeah... I'll take Duke over Rice, Syracuse over ECU, Louisville over Tulsa. I would go on, but I literally couldn't recite the full membership of the AAC to save my life. A bunch of no-name directional University of Phoenix hopefuls.

Our SOS would certainly be through the roof. Not sure about our record though.

Id rather not be Rutgers.