G6 Conference Realignment

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Your welcome kit includes a seven-day trial to ESPN+

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Somehow we were able to escape midweek games during our last 3 years in the MWC.

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a holding penalty in a crucial moment in your first road game against a P4 opponent

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This is one of the main things I think sucks about this from a TCU fan perspective - non conference scheduling. I think we can give up any notion of ever getting a P4 team, especially a mid or higher tier one, to schedule a home and home with us, or even a 2 for 1. I think the P4 will shut out a lot of us from non conference scheduling, and at best may give us a one way game. But I think its more likely we get shut out from being scheduled all together.

Also, bowl tie ins will suck. Our 1st place team that doesn't make the playoff or NY6(if it still exists) will probably have its top bowl slot being a pre Christmas game against the 9th place team from the Pac 12.

Here are the teams I want to be added to the Big 12, in order, depending on how much expansion is done:

Team #9/10: UCF & Cincinnati
Teams #11/12: Boise State & BYU
Teams #13/14: Houston & Colorado State
Teams #15/16: Memphis & UNLV
Teams #17/18: New Mexico & USF
Teams #19/20: East Carolina & SMU

Pods in a 12 team setup: (WVU-Cincy-UCF) / (Baylor-Texas Tech/TCU) / (Iowa State/K State/Iowa State) / (Boise State/BYU/Oklahoma State)

Pods in a 14 team setup: (WVU-Cincy-UCF) / (Houston-Texas Tech-TCU-Baylor) / (Oklahoma State-Iowa State-Kansas State-Kansas) / (Boise State-BYU-Colorado State)

Pods in a 16 team setup: (WVU-Cincy-Memphis-UCF) / (Houston-Texas-TCU-Baylor) / (Oklahoma State-Iowa State-Kansas State-Kansas) / (Boise State-BYU-Colorado State-UNLV)

Basically the pods work like the WAC in the 90s, they rotate, but the pod containing WVU, UCF will never be in the same division as the pod containing the Western schools.

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UAB seems to be at the top of the list for the AAC, after that it’ll be quite the mess. Likely new additions will come from Conference USA and the Sun Belt

Teams from C-USA and Sun Belt that will be discussed (in alphabetical order): App State, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Rice, Southern M
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Whether it's CUSA, the Sunbelt, or some new conference that forms from the leftovers of several leagues, I think if you can get ULL, LaTech, Southern Miss, UAB, Rice, and maybe South Al and Tulsa you'd have the beginnings of a strong, well rounded conference.

I'm still and probably forever of the opinion that outside of the power conferences, football conferences should be separate from other sports.

Schools that can make good football opponents can be more disparate in geography and competitiveness in other sports. Since football is the best chance at making money, let them maximize their value without wildly blowing up the expenses for the other sports.

You could build a pretty strong baseball conference out of some of those unwanted G6s too. Not that baseball drives any of those decisions in the least but but there's some good programs in that bunch

Agreed

The G6 powers need to consolidate and form a new premier conference of their own.

NORTH:

Cincinnati
West Virginia
Marshall
Memphis

SOUTH:

Houston
SMU
Tulane
Louisiana

EAST:

UCF
USF
UAB
APP St

WEST:

Boise St
BYU
San Diego St
Colorado St

Let's say you build a small, 8 team league of the following schools in a post-apocalyptic scenario:

Southern Miss
Tulane
Rice
La Tech
Louisiana
UAB
Arkansas State
Troy

This league would be mocked nationally (it's the opposite of what ESPN wants), but would probably heavily outpunch expectations on an annual basis and be the closest thing you could get to a powder-keg at the G5 level.

Baseball in that conference would be SEC-esque. There are like 7 top 70 RPI teams in that league.

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They gotta go get Colorado State. They're dumping money into athletics while the Buffs worry about hurting feelings. They could easily capture the Denver market with this move.

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I 100% agree. Colorado State is academically stronger than three current Big 12 members, it’s a large school that fits the profile of several current Big 12 members, they just built a beautiful on campus stadium, nice campus, beautiful town, fastest growing state in the country, and only one meaningful in-state rival.

CSU are buried in debt. They NEED to find revenue sources from somewhere or it will bite them in the arse.

This might be a situation similar to MD and the B1G - where CSU's backbreaking issues can be solved in a conference move that also passively helps the new conference.

I like CSU more than BSU for the XII - and it's not close.

If I’m the Big XII, I’m waiting to see what the playoff format is. If it stays at 4 teams, you’re not getting into a playoff regardless of what you do.

If it goes to a 5 or 6 AQ setup as we’ve heard proposed, you better make sure you lock yourself in as the 5th best conference.

Add:
1) BYU - Only team I’d add if the playoff doesn’t expand. Large, national fanbase with a big time stadium, historic success and the biggest budget available. The only reason not to add BYU is political discrimination.

2) UCF - Biggest G5 brand, massive enrollment, and in an important growing market in Florida. They can easily field competitive teams in a filled stadium.

3) Cincinnati - Natural partner to West Virginia. Historic success, considered a pseudo-power conference team from years in the Big East. Good hoops program.

4) Memphis - Regional proximity, large stadiums, powerful basketball program, access to southern talent

I wouldn’t add any more than 4 because you want to have flexibility to schedule more OOC games like the American currently.

I then go to CBS, sign an exclusive to get at least one game (football and basketball) broadcast nationally every week and every other game simulcast through CBS Sports Net and Paramount+. That gives you a major broadcasting partner who will actually promote your product unlike ESPN who has rights to 4 other conferences to promote over you.

Sign an exclusive with a neutral site venue to get a good week 1 matchup annually.

Hit the nail on the head in the intro.