NCAA Teams Inexplicably Change Leagues

There are some things in this world that, no matter how smart you are, you’ll never fully understand.  What is dark matter?  Who shot Tupac and Biggie?  How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?  And of course, which school is in which conference for football?  Realignment began to take place in earnest a year ago, but now virtually no team is guaranteed to remain in the conference they are currently apart of. 

 Here is a primer as to the moves that have been officially announced or possibilities reported by major news outlets, because quite frankly I know I could use a list and I’m sure others would appreciate it too.  Keep in mind that as this article goes to print, rumors continue to swirl, and we are most certainly not done with realignment.

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC): Let’s start out with a conference that is relatively cut and dry.  Currently, the ACC has twelve schools, and none of them are currently seriously considering leaving the conference.  In addition, both the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Syracuse have officially declared that they will be leaving the Big East for the ACC as soon as they are able. The ACC has said while it is pleased with its new 14 team league, it also would not be opposed to expanding even further to 16 teams.  Specifically, both Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut have reportedly expressed interest in defecting from the Big East to join the ACC if they are approved. 

My Thoughts: Remember when Maryland was considered the northern limit for the ACC?  I half expect the Toronto Argonauts to join because, hey, they’ve heard of the Atlantic too.

Big Ten: Believe it or not, as of now the Big Ten does not plan to gain or lose any schools in the next few years.  The conference already added the University of Nebraska last year to gain its twelfth team, and consequently is now eligible to host a conference championship game. 

My Thoughts: I’m just happy that the winner of the Big Ten conference title still has the opportunity of a lifetime: to lose to an SEC school by 40 points in the national title game.

Big East: Oh, boy.  I’ll try to keep this as concise as possible.  As I mentioned before, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are definitely leaving, and Connecticut and Rutgers both want to leave.  Also, West Virginia announced last week that it was joining the Big 12.  If the Big East had 16 football teams like they do basketball teams, they could afford to lose 3-5 schools and still have a legitimate conference without replacing any of those teams.  However, only eight of the 16 schools that are currently a part of the conference have football teams, meaning that an already weak football conference would be utterly decimated unless it adds at least as many teams as its losing.  Thus, the Big East has reportedly invited Boise State, Navy, and Air Force to join the conference only for football, as well as Southern Methodist, Houston, and Central Florida for all sports.  Assuming that all these schools accept their respective invitations and only the schools guaranteed to leave defect, the Big East will have 11 football teams, still one short of being able to have a championship game.  The conference is reportedly considering adding Temple and/or Memphis as well.

My Thoughts: The Big East is such a pathetic football conference that the region “East” is considering changing its name.

Pac 12: Similarly to the Big Ten, the Pac 12 just expanded this year, adding Utah and Colorado, and reportedly is satisfied with the twelve teams they have right now.  Despite rumors of interest from Texas and Oklahoma, among others, the conference is not ready to further expand. 

My Thoughts: Oh, I see, Pac 12.  You’re just so easygoing and mellow that you’re not looking for any more schools.  That’s such a typical laid-back west coast attitude to have.  Surf’s up, bro!

Big 12: Yes, the Big 12 now has ten teams and the Big Ten has twelve teams.  Good, I’m glad we got that out of the way.  Last season, the Big 12 was the big loser, when both Nebraska and Colorado defected, and the developments this year seem no more promising.  Despite the incoming arrival of West Virginia and Texas Christian, the Big 12 will definitely be losing Texas A&M and most likely Missouri to the SEC.  Combine that with Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech looking for bigger paydays, and you get the Big 12 continuing to hold on.

My Thoughts: The strange thing about the Big 12 is either it will be the second-best football conference or it will cease to exist, as we know it.  There is no in between,

Southeastern Conference (SEC): The best football conference virtually every year has nothing to be concerned about.  In fact, it has already added Texas A&M and is most likely going to add Missouri, as the conference’s official website briefly reported before being taken down.  The SEC is a lock to have at least 14 teams within the next 2-3 years.

My Thoughts: The SEC is looking to move into the NFL, with the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins being relegated to Division III.

Mountain West/Conference USA:  Could there be a seventh major football conference in the coming years?  Since last month, there have been multiple reports that the two mid-major conferences are considering merging just for football, giving them a mega-conference.  As of now, there would be twenty teams, but considering that the Big East looks to poach at least four of these schools, don’t expect too big of a conference even if the two decide to join forces

My Thoughts: This is an excellent, original way for an undefeated team in a non-BCS conference to continue to have no shot at a national title.

 So what have we learned today?  I still don’t know who Carly Simon thinks is “so vain”, but at least we can say we understand the possible ramifications of major realignment across the NCAA. Maybe.