Bobcat Attack - Ohio Basketball - Conference Realignment - Gonzaga to the PAC 12; Memphis Staying Put

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Topic: Conference Realignment - Gonzaga to the PAC 12; Memphis Staying Put

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GoCats105

9/23/2024 3:51 PM

Action Network's Brett McMurphy is reporting that Gonzaga will join the PAC 12 for all sports and will receive a full conference revenue share, even without having a football team. However, CBS Insider Jon Rothstein has stated no deal has been agreed upon yet.

On the other side of the country, Yahoo's Ross Dellenger has reported that Memphis, Tulane, UTSA and USF are staying in the AAC.

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M.D.W.S.T

9/24/2024 9:52 AM

“Sources: Contrary to reports, Gonzaga currently has no deal in place to leave the WCC for the Pac-12” - John Rothstein

They're probably angling for the biggest piece of the pie.

Last Edited: 10/1/2024 4:17:43 PM by M.D.W.S.T

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GoCats105

9/24/2024 11:00 AM

Latest news that the MWC had to offer was that the eight remaining members had to sign a deal unanimously to stick together, otherwise the conference would be facing a possible dissolving. Of the eight, only Utah State was not committed and now they're reported to be joining the PAC 12 along with the other defectors.

It bodes well for the PAC 12 if the MWC dissolves, because then they would not be obligated to pay any exit fees for the departing members.

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GoCats105

9/25/2024 10:48 AM

Utah State has been confirmed as the 7th member of the new PAC 12. Now the MWC also has 7 members. More dominoes will surely fall in the coming weeks.

If the PAC 12 secures Gonzaga and some other combination of maybe St. Marys or Grand Canyon for basketball only, they may have themselves a really good basketball conference in the works.

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Andrew Ruck

9/25/2024 6:33 PM

These discussions pain me every time they pop up. I wish football would just do something on their own and the rest of the sports return to something sensible and focused on regional rivalries.

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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame

9/26/2024 1:19 AM

Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more

These discussions pain me every time they pop up. I wish football would just do something on their own and the rest of the sports return to something sensible and focused on regional rivalries.

I think it's just a matter of time before non-football sports revert back to geographic conferences.

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M.D.W.S.T

9/26/2024 9:18 AM

Talking about adding UCONN also. L-O-L

I guess maybe the money is okay, but good lord - talk about regional rivalries here when your nearest opponent is 2,000 miles away.

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GoCats105

10/1/2024 12:07 PM

Official now: Gonzaga leaving the WCC for the PAC.

UTEP is leaving C-USA for the Mountain West.

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SBH

10/1/2024 12:27 PM

If we really want WKU, we'd better act quick. Word is MAC presidents not crazy about their academic profile.

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GoCats105

10/1/2024 1:09 PM

PAC shaping up to be a pretty good basketball league. Essentially just shed the dead weight from the MWC and added Gonzaga. It's an upgrade from the WCC, just not sure how much. Will be interesting to see who else they go after. St. Mary's would be amazing.

Gonzaga - goes without saying

San Diego State - 13 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2000 (four of the last five), four Sweet 16s, 1 Final Four

Utah State - 12 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2000 (three of the last four)

Boise State - 6 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2000 (currently three straight)

Colorado State - 5 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2000 (two of last three)

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M.D.W.S.T

10/1/2024 4:18 PM

GoCats105 wrote:expand_more

Brutal for WCC.

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Bobcat Love

10/2/2024 2:12 PM

SBH wrote:expand_more

If we really want WKU, we'd better act quick. Word is MAC presidents not crazy about their academic profile.

Because Ball State, WMU, and EMU all have sterling academic reputations.

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SBH

10/2/2024 2:41 PM

Don't include Ball State in your list of bad schools. They have a decent reputation and are ranked 204 by US News. (OU is 179).

WKU is #377...as are Akron and EMU.

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greencat

10/2/2024 2:57 PM

WKU iirc has an acceptance rate around 99% or was at one time.

Makes you wonder who the one person was they said "no" to.

But without MTSU, that doesn't get the MAC into the lucrative Nashville/mid-state media market. It's full of $$$$ and still growing fast.

At #273, Middle is probably a bit underrated for academics.

Murray State is ranked #20 regional university in the south, it's a well kept secret as a quality academic school...but it's in the middle of nowhere.

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OhioCatFan

10/2/2024 5:50 PM

greencat wrote:expand_more

Murray State is ranked #20 regional university in the south, it's a well kept secret as a quality academic school...but it's in the middle of nowhere.

I taught at MSU for three years in the mid 1970s. This was when Constantine Curris (or as we used to call him "Constantly Curious') was president. He did a lot to improve the academic reputation of the school, though he did have his quirks. (He accused me of all sorts evil things when our student newspaper uncovered a prostitution ring out of Nashville that was operating with the involvement of some Murray State coeds. Both he and the Kentucky State Police wanted us to reveal our sources. We, of course, refused. Curris then personally called me out at a meeting of the MSU Board of Regents. Fun times!)

I looked up the US News rankings of just public schools and found the following, which might be relevant to this discussion:

UMass #26
SUNY-Buffalo #36
Temple #46
Ohio #97
WMU #158

More about Curris, here, it you are interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_W._Curris

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Bobcat Love

10/2/2024 9:09 PM

SBH wrote:expand_more

Don't include Ball State in your list of bad schools. They have a decent reputation and are ranked 204 by US News. (OU is 179).

WKU is #377...as are Akron and EMU.

Their current ranking is not indicative of their overall academic reputation.

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OhioCatFan

10/3/2024 10:34 AM

Bobcat Love wrote:expand_more

SBH wrote:expand_more

Don't include Ball State in your list of bad schools. They have a decent reputation and are ranked 204 by US News. (OU is 179).

WKU is #377...as are Akron and EMU.

Their current ranking is not indicative of their overall academic reputation.

At one time they had a pretty good journalism school, with a famous professor who had narcolepsy. As I recall his last name was Popovich. He apparently would fall asleep in the middle of a lecture, and then wake up ten minutes later and continue right where he left off. I'm assuming that he gave his lectures seated.

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GoCats105

10/3/2024 10:58 AM

Ahh yes, the academic discussion. Because that's what really matters at this point of where we are in conference realignment and college athletics. Get the best product you can on the court/field so you can present to a network your best package for more money. It's that simple. Nobody at FOX, ESPN or CBS truly gives a crap about where WKU falls in the US News & World Report's Academic ranking. And as much as I hate to say it, that's where we are.

Last Edited: 10/3/2024 11:00:22 AM by GoCats105

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greencat

10/3/2024 4:25 PM

GoCats105 wrote:expand_more

I agree. Get the WKU-MTSU deal done and get into that big sports media market and the prestige that goes with it. You want the MAC to be a 2-bid league in March? Then bite the bullet and ignore the academic standings of WKU and MTSU and sign them up. Forget what happened a couple of years ago. Yes, Middle screwed it up but never say never.

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BillyTheCat

10/3/2024 7:00 PM

greencat wrote:expand_more

It’s the South, all things are relative.