Expansion tidbit

[WstateU]

Looks like I could use some Friday afternoon eye exercises...

TGIF!

[Shocker-maniac]

Words of wisdom from Paul Suellentrop:

http://blogs.kansas.com/shockwaves/2014/08/08/wichita-state-and-autonomy/

[Ixiah]

Okay, here are some mileage numbers:

Wichita to the MVC cities:

Missouri State (Springfield, MO) – 289 miles
Drake (Des Moines, IA) – 391 miles
Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, IA) – 515 miles
SIU (Carbondale, IL) – 572 miles
Bradley (Peoria, IL) – 579 miles
Illinois State (Normal, IL) – 579 miles
Indiana State (Terre Haute, IN) – 604 miles
Evansville (Evansville, IN) – 626 miles
Loyola (Chicago, IL) – 724 miles

Avg = 542 miles

Wichita to the MWC cities:

Air Force (Colorado Springs, CO) – 508 miles
Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO) - 572 miles
New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) – 593 miles
Wyoming (Laramie, WY) – 654 miles
Utah State (Logan, UT) – 1081 miles
UNLV (Las Vegas, NV) – 1267 miles
Boise State (Boise, ID) – 1338 miles
San Diego State (San Diego, CA) – 1512 miles
Nevada (Reno, NV) – 1559 miles
Fresno State (Fresno, CA) – 1660 miles
San Jose State (San Jose, CA) – 1810 miles

Avg = 1141
Div Avg. (five closest programs) = 681

Gonzaga (as comparison) from Spokane:

Boise State (Boise, ID) –427 miles
Utah State (Logan, UT) – 660 miles
Nevada (Reno, NV) – 795 miles
San Jose State (San Jose, CA) – 1019 miles
Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO) - 1035 miles
Wyoming (Laramie, WY) – 1040 miles
Fresno State (Fresno, CA) – 1104 miles
UNLV (Las Vegas, NV) – 1138 miles
Air Force (Colorado Springs, CO) – 1159 miles
New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) – 1403 miles
San Diego State (San Diego, CA) – 1467 miles

Avg = 1022 miles
Div Avg (five closest programs) = 787 miles and this may well be higher as this assumes a N/S rather then E/W divisions.

[FlyingWheat]

Sorry to fuel the conference realignment fire, but....

Mileage for the AAC
Tulsa (Tulsa, OK) ~177 miles
SMU (Dallas, TX) ~363 miles
Memphis (Memphis, TN) ~577 miles
Houston (Houston, TX) ~602 miles
Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) ~783 miles
Tulane (New Orleans, LA) ~830 miles
Temple (Philadelphia, PA) ~1319 miles
ECU (Greenville, NC) ~1347 miles
UCF (Orlando, FL) ~1364 miles
South Florida (Tampa, FL) ~1382 miles
Connecticut (Storrs, CN) ~1538

Avg = 935 miles
Division Avg (five closest schools) = 500 miles


On the plus side, the AAC is adding Navy as a football only member in 2015 and there is a pretty natural E/W split. Unfortunately, it looks like the split has 6 west schools and would work best with one more east school to work with Navy.

[Shocker-maniac]

You know which one I like the best?

The one that invites us to be a member of their conference.

[wu_shizzle]

Tulsa, SMU and Houston are in AAC.

Correct, no MWC teams are currently in the Central Time Zone.

[Kung Wu]

Sorry to fuel the conference realignment fire, but....

Mileage for the AAC
Tulsa (Tulsa, OK) ~177 miles
SMU (Dallas, TX) ~363 miles
Memphis (Memphis, TN) ~577 miles
Houston (Houston, TX) ~602 miles
Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH) ~783 miles
Tulane (New Orleans, LA) ~830 miles
Temple (Philadelphia, PA) ~1319 miles
ECU (Greenville, NC) ~1347 miles
UCF (Orlando, FL) ~1364 miles
South Florida (Tampa, FL) ~1382 miles
Connecticut (Storrs, CN) ~1538

Avg = 935 miles
Division Avg (five closest schools) = 500 miles


On the plus side, the AAC is adding Navy as a football only member in 2015 and there is a pretty natural E/W split. Unfortunately, it looks like the split has 6 west schools and would work best with one more east school to work with Navy.

Now show us that breakdown for the Big 12.

[FlyingWheat]

Now show us that breakdown for the Big 12.

Ask and you shall receive:
Oklahoma State (Stillwater, OK) ~128 miles
Kansas State (Manhattan, KS) ~130 miles
Kansas (Lawrence, KS) ~163 miles
Oklahoma (Norman, OK) ~177 miles
Texas Christian (Fort Worth, TX) ~357 miles
Iowa State (Ames, IA) ~426 miles
Baylor (Waco, TX) ~445 miles
Texas Tech (Lubbock, TX) ~539 miles
Texas (Austin, TX) ~548 miles
West Virginia (Morgantown, WV) ~1055 miles

Avg = 397 miles
Division Avg (five closest schools) = 191 miles

Obviously the B12 is the preferred conference, but I just don't see it likely with those types. Can you see Lawrence voting us in? Manhattan? But hey, they already have one basketball only school, maybe they'd be open to another.

[UofMemphis]

Mike Aresco (AAC commish) has made it pretty clear that he wants Army and BYU as football only members. Army has it's Olympic sports happily in the Patriot League (along with Navy) and BYU seems quite happy with their Olympic sports in the WCC.

East: BYU (fball only), Cincy, Houston, Tulsa, SMU, Memphis, Tulane
West: Army (fball only), Navy (fball only), UConn, Temple, ECU, UCF, USF
(No basketball divisions)

He also seems dead set against basketball only members as he feels that's what killed the Big East.

[Play Angry]

BYU has little to no incentive to join the AAC for football-only.

They seem more likely to hold out for a Big XII invite.

[UofMemphis]

BYU has little to no incentive to join the AAC for football-only.

They seem more likely to hold out for a Big XII invite.

With championship game deregulation coming (meaning you can have 10 teams, 2 divisions, and a champ game) the Big12 has zero want/need to expand.

Personally I'd just add WSU and call it a day...12 football/12 hoops...UConn, Cincy, Memphis, WSU, Tulsa, SMU, Houston, etc...That would be a damn fine hoops conference.

But Aresco wants no part of that.

[SirShoxAlot]

FOOTBALL killed the Big East! All these dumpster dwelling pigskin programs (alliteration, what's up) like UConn trying to make football a priority is what drove the BE into the ground. Motherf…

[UofMemphis]

FOOTBALL killed the Big East! All these dumpster dwelling pigskin programs (alliteration, what's up) like UConn trying to make football a priority is what drove the BE into the ground. Motherf…

I agree that there is a sharp divide between what was perceived to happen to the Big East, and what actually happened.

If WSU was added, it would be ONE team only, it's not like there would be a whole voting block of basketball only members, with their own agendas. (Like the BE)

[Aargh]

With championship game deregulation coming (meaning you can have 10 teams, 2 divisions, and a champ game) the Big12 has zero want/need to expand.

Personally I'd just add WSU and call it a day...12 football/12 hoops...UConn, Cincy, Memphis, WSU, Tulsa, SMU, Houston, etc...That would be a damn fine hoops conference.

But Aresco wants no part of that.

Neither Texas nor Oklahoma wants a playoff game in FB. It's one additional game that has to be won to get to a NC game. It's a possible "elimination" game and they want nothing to do with that. That's why the B12 dropped back to 10 members.

WSU to the B12 is - well - laughable.

[Shocker1976]

Neither Texas nor Oklahoma wants a playoff game in FB. It's one additional game that has to be won to get to a NC game. It's a possible "elimination" game and they want nothing to do with that. That's why the B12 dropped back to 10 members.

WSU to the B12 is - well - laughable.

IMO the Big 12 is more likely to be abandoned resulting in a Power 4 with sixteen members per conference than the Shockers being invited to join the Big 12.