Lots of news lately about possible conference realignments in the NCAA. I see the first official move was made today with Colorado agreeing to join the Pac-10. The Pac-10 is also looking at several other Big 12 schools. The Big Ten is looking at adding members with Nebraska and Notre Dame being mentioned.
So how will this affect college swimming? My gut tells me it's neutral or negative. I think football is the driving force in these realignments and it will just marginalize the non-revenue sports even more than they already are.
Any thoughts?
P.S. by the way, the Pac-10's possible realignment to a 16 team conference by adding six Big 12 teams will only increase the number of men's swim teams to seven in the conference (Texas and TAMU being the new ones). So the conference would go from 5/10 teams fielding men's teams to 7/16.
Parents
Former Member
If you think about it conferences are much more important in football, though. The only thing people really care about in basketball is the NCAA Tourney and that isn't nearly as tied to conference as football bowl games are. Yes, the conference tournament winners in basketball get an automatic bid to the dance, but good teams will get in regardless of their conference affiliation. In football many of the bowl spots are allocated to the various conferences.
I agree. For football, it comes down to football and the TV contracts that each conference can generate. Notre Dame can do well on its own - no other school can say that (though Texas thinks it can). After that, the Big Ten network is really important, then the SEC-CBS contract.
Nebraska cut itself a sweet deal - it was shortchanged in the Big 12 because the Texas schools took most of the money, and it came into a pot of gold because of the Big Ten network. Not bad for a state with fewer people than Metropolitan St. Louis.
Basketball TV ratings aren't very high until the tournament, and as you point out, conference affiliation isn't important in the NCAAs (unless you are in a minor conference like Patriot League - there conference is about the only way you'll get in).
If you think about it conferences are much more important in football, though. The only thing people really care about in basketball is the NCAA Tourney and that isn't nearly as tied to conference as football bowl games are. Yes, the conference tournament winners in basketball get an automatic bid to the dance, but good teams will get in regardless of their conference affiliation. In football many of the bowl spots are allocated to the various conferences.
I agree. For football, it comes down to football and the TV contracts that each conference can generate. Notre Dame can do well on its own - no other school can say that (though Texas thinks it can). After that, the Big Ten network is really important, then the SEC-CBS contract.
Nebraska cut itself a sweet deal - it was shortchanged in the Big 12 because the Texas schools took most of the money, and it came into a pot of gold because of the Big Ten network. Not bad for a state with fewer people than Metropolitan St. Louis.
Basketball TV ratings aren't very high until the tournament, and as you point out, conference affiliation isn't important in the NCAAs (unless you are in a minor conference like Patriot League - there conference is about the only way you'll get in).
