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

[TrackSuitAndTie]

VCU has finished outside the top 75 on Bart Torvik ONCE since 2008. That blows SMU basketball out of the water as a replacement school.

[1972Shocker]

Yeah, I marched in the last WSUMB in 1986. And even with the pretty sparse crowds it certainly made for a fun fall atmosphere. I fondly remember lining up in the band by Duerksen for the march to the stadium, leaves falling, alums milling by, great times.

My wife and I would go up on the south end of the "Shocker Mountain" ramps to watch you guys and gals make your entrance before going to our seats. We always enjoyed that.

[ShockBand]

My wife and I would go up on the south end of the "Shocker Mountain" ramps to watch you guys and gals make your entrance before going to our seats. We always enjoyed that.

The echo between the stadium and arena was so cool!

[WstateU]

The echo between the stadium and arena was so cool!

I sure miss it...

[DanielBryan]

I’m sure VCU would love to join a conference so they can play Rice & UTSA every year

[SubGod22]

I’m sure VCU would love to join a conference so they can play Rice & UTSA every year

But I'd bet they'd love to play FAU, North Texas, and UAB. All three finished in the Top 40 of NET. Charlotte was also a Top 100 team. Memphis was a Top 25 NET team. Tulane and Wichita could/should be Top 100 NET teams.

The A10 had three Top 100 NET teams and VCU was one of them.

NET at the end of last season would rank

13 FAU
22 Memphis
30 North Texas
39 UAB
54 VCU
98 Charlotte
107 Tulane
110 Wichita
123 Temple
159 USF
188 Rice
190 ECU
209 SMU
284 UTSA
324 Tulsa

Compared to the A10

54 VCU
77 Dayton
97 SLU
132 Fordham
137 Duquesne
139 George Mason
145 Davidson
160 Richmond
200 St. Bonnie
201 St. Joe
203 UMASS
211 Geo. Washington
223 La Salle
263 Rhode Island
269 Loyola

The AAC would have nine teams ahead of Fordham.

Now the A10 can be better and has been. But also, if the Big East decides to expand two of those top teams (Dayton/SLU) are on the short list.

[Shoxing Me Softly]

I’m sure VCU would love to join a conference so they can play Rice & UTSA every year

Maybe going from 250k payout to 2.2 million a year is an incentive. Also like half the A-10 isn’t garbage too.

[WstateU]

But I'd bet they'd love to play FAU, North Texas, and UAB. All three finished in the Top 40 of NET. Charlotte was also a Top 100 team. Memphis was a Top 25 NET team. Tulane and Wichita could/should be Top 100 NET teams.

The A10 had three Top 100 NET teams and VCU was one of them.

NET at the end of last season would rank

13 FAU
22 Memphis
30 North Texas
39 UAB
54 VCU
98 Charlotte
107 Tulane
110 Wichita
123 Temple
159 USF
188 Rice
190 ECU
209 SMU
284 UTSA
324 Tulsa

Compared to the A10

54 VCU
77 Dayton
97 SLU
132 Fordham
137 Duquesne
139 George Mason
145 Davidson
160 Richmond
200 St. Bonnie
201 St. Joe
203 UMASS
211 Geo. Washington
223 La Salle
263 Rhode Island
269 Loyola

The AAC would have nine teams ahead of Fordham.

Now the A10 can be better and has been. But also, if the Big East decides to expand two of those top teams (Dayton/SLU) are on the short list.

[WuShock16]

But I'd bet they'd love to play FAU, North Texas, and UAB. All three finished in the Top 40 of NET. Charlotte was also a Top 100 team. Memphis was a Top 25 NET team. Tulane and Wichita could/should be Top 100 NET teams.

The A10 had three Top 100 NET teams and VCU was one of them.

NET at the end of last season would rank

13 FAU
22 Memphis
30 North Texas
39 UAB
54 VCU
98 Charlotte
107 Tulane
110 Wichita
123 Temple
159 USF
188 Rice
190 ECU
209 SMU
284 UTSA
324 Tulsa

Compared to the A10

54 VCU
77 Dayton
97 SLU
132 Fordham
137 Duquesne
139 George Mason
145 Davidson
160 Richmond
200 St. Bonnie
201 St. Joe
203 UMASS
211 Geo. Washington
223 La Salle
263 Rhode Island
269 Loyola

The AAC would have nine teams ahead of Fordham.

Now the A10 can be better and has been. But also, if the Big East decides to expand two of those top teams (Dayton/SLU) are on the short list.

But…but…but… I thought Loyola was the next great thing in college basketball.

[pogo]

I happened to look because I thought Dayton played football. They do, but in the Pioneer League, which does not give scholarships. But in looking at their team pic, they clearly have no trouble getting players. I wonder what the cost is for Dayton to play football at that level.



They appear to get decent support, keeping in mind their stadium seats about 11.000.



Would Shocker Nation support enough at this level to have the fun of football on fall Saturday afternoon?

I have always loved Shocker football but as everyone knows I have been an advocate for its return only if enough money could be raised tp actually endow its return. Maybe starting small would be a way to perhaps whet the appetite of the locals and student body. If the proposed soccer/track facility could accommodate 10,000 it might be worth the investment to bring it back at a lower level to judge the interest. Go Shocks

[ShockerFever]

I’m sure VCU would love to join a conference so they can play Rice & UTSA every year

You’re as sharp as a popsicle stick.

[ShockerFever]

But…but…but… I thought Loyola was the next great thing in college basketball.

They weren’t ready for the enormous leap up to the A10.

[WstateU]

[Aargh]

When Loyola was good Moser was available and WSU was looking for a coach. Moser ended up at OU, which may be the end of his head coaching career. WSU fans weren't thrilled that Moser might be a candidate. That was probably a good thing. He would have been better than IB,but he was "above his level" past the MVC. Loyola reverted to being Loyola after they lost Moser.

Replacing SMU with Army and VCU is a HUGE win for the AAC if the VCU addition happens. Army is going to provide more TV views than SMU could imagine. VCU brings east coast fans. SMU was in a football hotbed and competing for BB fans with TCU locally and TT, aTm, Texas, and Baylor regionally.

UNT in the conference maintains exposure for WSU in that part of Texas, even though it's likely to be less visible than if SMU was still the opponent. VanVleet in Houston could more than make up for that by miles and miles.

Losing Houston to the B12 was a kick in the grapes, but losing Cincy and UCF was less significant from a basketball standpoint. Some of the adds since those left seem to be above the level that Cincy and UCF had gotten to. Outside of the obvious power conferences and the BE, the AAC seems to be the best BB conference. We're in the right place, and I believe we have the right coach.

[Singeril]

Losing UCF in basketball wasn’t a big deal. Of course losing Houston was huge…I also think losing Cincy, due to their history, hurts a lot.
As much as I’d like to see Shocker football, it’s not going to happen. WSU drew terribly in those last years…and that was when K-State were the Mildcats. Just AWFUL. Now, with KSU with a HGUE fan following, I don’t see how WSU could really develop a program that was followed with any real fan interest (other than from those of us here).