Big Ten Expansion and the New World Order of College Athletics

Amid all the noise of the NFL Draft and the playoffs of the NHL and NBA, there is a storm cloud on the horizon that could change college athletics forever. You probably already knew the Big Ten was poised for expansion in the near future. But, did you know they are accelerating those plans? Did you also know the other major conferences, the SEC, ACC, and Pac 10 are already plotting their responses? Where could it all end? Let's take a look into the crystal ball and see!

Background

-Ok, at first, Big Ten expansion seems rather mundane. So what if they go from 11 to 12 or 14, they'll get their big money football title game, increase profits, hit new tv markets, blah, blah, blah. But, what about the ripples of this potential move? I was one of those folks who didn't think anymore about the effects of Big Ten expansion...until I read former Syracuse A.D. Jake Croumathel in this New York Times story yesterday. Here's an excerpt:

Eventually, Crouthamel said he saw the Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Southeastern Conference and the Pacific-10 forming four 16-team superconferences and leaving the umbrella of the N.C.A.A. (Just imagine the fight between the SEC and the Pac-10 for Texas.) He said that those leagues would form their own basketball tournament to rival the N.C.A.A. tournament.

“If you look at the history of what’s been going on for the last decade, I think it’s leading in that direction,” he said.

So, 64 teams forming their own intercollegiate athletic association? Their own tv deals, their own academic standards, their own champions? That's crazy talk, right? Maybe not as much as you'd think. To prove how easy it is to envision this scenario, let's tackle what this New World Order of College Athletics (NWOCA for short) would look like.

The Rules

We've taken the teams from the current BCS conferences (Big East, ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big XII, Pac 10). Also throw into the mix are Boise St. and TCU, which have been promoted from the ranks of the mid-majors into the NWOCA. That means some teams are going to have to bite the dust. If you're a fan of these schools remember, it's not personal, it's just business.

(1) Mississippi St. - One half of the Egg Bowl wasn't going to make it into the NWOCA. Both Mississippi schools have been dreadful in football and basketball for much of the last 15+ years, save a few bright spots. Ole Miss wins out due to its history and that scary lookin' Rebel guy.

(2) Iowa St. - Umm, if anyone can give a reason to keep Iowa St. in this conglomerate, that would be the first.

(3) Baylor - Despite the success of Scott Drew's run into the Sweet 16, there just hasn't been enough success on the football field to warrant them staying over teams with richer tradition or more recent success in their region.

(4) Washington St. - No, not the school of Ryan Leaf! A record of 3-22 since 2008, they were the school on the West Coast that missed the cut.

(5) The Big East - The biggest victim of the NWOCA will be the basketball behemoth formerly known as the Big East. Several schools with little or no football will be cut out of the pie. So, we'll join what's left of the Big East with some other smaller basketball powerhouses to create a 12 team basketball league on par with the NWOCA. The new conference with two divisions would look like this:

The Old School Basketball Alliance

Eastern Division

Georgetown

Temple

UMass

St. John's

Providence

Villanova

Western Division

DePaul

Xavier

Dayton

Marquette

Memphis

Butler

-A nice blend of old, dormant powerhouses and programs on the rise. The great basketball schools of the Northeast combined with the best from the heartland, this conference could either be accepted into the NWOCA Basketball Championship for a 76 team tournament, or could be the jewel of whatever's left of the NCAA.

-Ok, now on to the meat of the matter. Here's what the new 16-team superconferences, each with two 8-team divisions, will look like. We'll follow each with some pros and cons to the allignment.

Update: You can compare my conferences with Andy Staples of SI, who looked at what these superconferences might look like back in February. That was back when this was a moon landing level conspiracy...now we're at a grassy knoll level, people!

The New ACC

NorthEast Division

Boston College

UConn

Syracuse

Rutgers

Virgina

Virginia Tech

Kentucky

Louisville

Mid-Atlantic Division

Maryland

West Virginia

North Carolina

Duke

North Carolina St.

Wake Forest

Clemson

South Carolina

Pros: This is the new Big East in terms of basketball prowess. Not only are we keeping tobacco road together in the Mid-Atlantic Division, but we're adding some of the most prestigious programs in the country (Kentucky, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville). Kentucky and Louisville and UConn and Syracuse get to keep their rivalries, while forming new ones with other hardwood powerhouses. The New York media market is also surrounded with UConn and Rutgers, while Duke is practically a bastard child of New York in basketball.

Cons: Clearly the weakest of the conferences in terms of football, but, someone out of the four has to be the whipping boy. Kentucky, UConn, and Syracuse also lose a lot of their historic rivals.

The New SEC

Southwest Division

Texas

Texas Tech

Texas A&M

Arkansas

LSU

Ole Miss

Auburn

Alabama

Southeast Division

Tennessee

Vanderbilt

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Florida

Florida St.

Miami

South Florida

Pros: Wow, if this conference were to come to pass Mark May and those who love the current SEC may self-combust. In one division all of the Florida schools are finally reunited with their rivals to the north in Georgia. Also, Vandy is thrown in to raise academic standards, because we still care about the kids (wink, nudge, wink). On the other side, all of the big Texas schools are kept together. Can you imagine a conference championship between Texas and Florida?

Cons: Many of these schools don't offer much on the hardwood (South Florida, Ole Miss, Texas Tech). Also, some may question the inclusion of South Florida, but you can't argue with their progress in the toughest football recruiting area in the country.

The Big 16 (formerly the Big Ten)

East

Ohio St.

Cincinnati

Michigan

Michigan St.

Penn St.

Pitt

Indiana

Purdue

West

Northwestern

Illinois

Notre Dame

Minnesota

Iowa

Wisconsin

Mizzou

Nebraska

Pros: Notre Dame finally caves in and allows itself to join the NWOCA in the new Big 16 that sweeps the heartland. This may be the most balanced conference in terms of football and basketball. While Michigan and Ohio St. are in the same division, the possibility of them playing a Nebraska or Notre Dame remains possible in a conference championship. Also, little guy Cincinnati finally gets a crack at big brother Ohio St.

Cons: Ok, Northwestern might be a stretch, but again, we have to keep some sense of student-athletics, right? Also, Mizzou and Nebraska miss out on some of their long-standing rivals (Kansas, Texas, etc.). This conference could also use some improvement from programs like Minnesota, Indiana, and Purdue in football.

The Big West (formerly the Pac 10)

Great Plains Division

Kansas

Kansas St.

TCU

Oklahoma

Oklahoma St.

Colorado

Arizona

Arizona St.

West Coast Division

Boise St.

Washington

Oregon

Oregon St.

Cal

Stanford

USC

UCLA

Pros: Little guys Boise St. and TCU finally get to prove themselves against the "Big Boys" and avoid being in the same division. Also, all of the California schools stay together while the possibility of conference championships against the likes of Oklahoma and Kansas could be enticing.

Cons: Again, a bit of a weaker basketball conference, but a resurgence by UCLA and Arizona could do a lot to fix that problem. Also, Colin Cowherd may never want to travel east of Las Vegas ever again...come to think of it, that's actually a pro!

Final Thoughts

-So there you have it...this is what major college athletics could soon look like. Imagine the possibilities! A 64 or 76 team single-elimination Basketball Championship with no Bucknell's or Alabama A&M's taking up bids. A true Football Championship Playoff with the 4 conference champions playing each other in a single-elimination tournament. We can even throw the academic football schools in each conference (Vandy, Duke, Northwestern, and Stanford) a bone with some contrived Scholarly Athlete Trophy! Sure, the idea of Cinderella will be gone forever. There will be no more George Masons, or Butlers, or Boise St.'s but we will have the best of the best consistently playing each other. That's the price to pay for putting the almighty dollar above all else.

What do you think of our fantasy alignment...crazy conspiracy, or legit look at the future of college sports? Let us know by posting a comment below. You can also follow us on Twitter @RSS_Sports. Don't forget we'll be live blogging the 1st round of the NFL Draft this Thursday! Until next time, it's bye for now!