While I agree with Ivan that college football will avoid another seismic shift in conference realignment, I think there’s still a chance we could see some slight movement in the not-too-distant future.
It may not happen this season or next, but what if Notre Dame decides to become a full member of the conference? The Fighting Irish will undoubtedly jump into the ACC, which could then snag Connecticut as its 16th member (to bolster its basketball roster, at least). Notre Dame was the last remaining prize in the conference realignment, and ACC commissioner John Swofford won the final battle by getting the Irish to join his league, at least in name.
And who’s to say the Big 12 won’t eventually expand to 12 teams so it can once again rake in millions of dollars in additional revenue from a Big 12 Championship Game. After losing Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC in July, the Big 12 added West Virginia and TCU to replace them. It still seems ridiculous that the Big 12 only has 10 teams (while the Big Ten has 12), so maybe schools like Boise State and BYU could become the 11th and 12th spots.
Of course, the battered Big East has been the biggest loser in the conference shakeup. In addition to losing TCU (which has never even played a game as a member of the Big East) and West Virginia to the Big 12, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the ACC next year. Starting in 2013, the Big East’s boundaries will stretch from Connecticut to Central Florida, from SMU to San Diego State. There’s still plenty of room — geographically, at least — to add a few more members.
We do know one thing: Clemson, Florida State and Virginia Tech, long considered potential targets for the Big 12 and SEC, aren’t going away. Before the ACC announced its new partnership with Notre Dame, its members approved a $50 million exit fee for any school that wanted to leave. So it’s safe to say the ACC is in for a while.
If only the Big East were this stable. If any of the big five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) want to expand in the future, Big East schools like Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville and South Florida would be the most attractive candidates. And, of course, those schools wouldn’t hesitate to leave for greener pastures.
