What Conferences Will Look Like in 2014

[MeanGreen61]

Conference USA - What It Is

East – East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, UCF

West – Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP

The 2014 Version Will Probably Be …

East - Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Memphis, Western Kentucky

West - Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Troy, Tulane, UAB. ULM

It’s not going to be pretty. Conference USA will suffer from geography, with the Big 12 stealing away the Texas teams, the ACC wanting UCF, and the Big East looking to fill out the roster with some of the eastern programs. There’s only one place to go: the Sun Belt. Getting Florida Atlantic and FIU would ease the pain of losing UCF and would keep a presence in Florida. Taking Louisiana Tech away from the WAC is a given, and rivalries can quickly be formed with Louisiana-Lafayette and ULM, while adding Troy would create a wee bit of a buzz and a rival for UAB. There might not be any power programs in the conference, but it would be competitive and entertaining.

2014 Conferences

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1095334.html

[Mean Green 93-98]

SMU to the Big XII? Not completely out of the question, but outside of a very recently resurgent football team (which is, admittedly, significant) it has little else to offer the conference.

[foutsrouts]

Conference USA - What It Is

East – East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, UCF

West – Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP

The 2014 Version Will Probably Be …

East - Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Memphis, Western Kentucky

West - Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Troy, Tulane, UAB. ULM

It's not going to be pretty. Conference USA will suffer from geography, with the Big 12 stealing away the Texas teams, the ACC wanting UCF, and the Big East looking to fill out the roster with some of the eastern programs. There's only one place to go: the Sun Belt. Getting Florida Atlantic and FIU would ease the pain of losing UCF and would keep a presence in Florida. Taking Louisiana Tech away from the WAC is a given, and rivalries can quickly be formed with Louisiana-Lafayette and ULM, while adding Troy would create a wee bit of a buzz and a rival for UAB. There might not be any power programs in the conference, but it would be competitive and entertaining.

2014 Conferences

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1095334.html

Southern Miss. goes away?

[Mean Green 93-98]

Southern Miss. goes away?

They put them in the Big XII as well.

[NorthTexan95]

I would be very surprised if things went the way this article predicts.

[foutsrouts]

SMU to the Big XII? Not completely out of the question, but outside of a very recently resurgent football team (which is, admittedly, significant) it has little else to offer the conference.

I really don't think the bigger schools would want to be associated with smu at this point, but I guess you can't totally rule it out due to the payoff factor.

[pastorgrant]

Conference USA - What It Is

East – East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, UCF

West – Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP

The 2014 Version Will Probably Be …

East - Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Memphis, Western Kentucky

West - Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Troy, Tulane, UAB. ULM

It’s not going to be pretty. Conference USA will suffer from geography, with the Big 12 stealing away the Texas teams, the ACC wanting UCF, and the Big East looking to fill out the roster with some of the eastern programs. There’s only one place to go: the Sun Belt. Getting Florida Atlantic and FIU would ease the pain of losing UCF and would keep a presence in Florida. Taking Louisiana Tech away from the WAC is a given, and rivalries can quickly be formed with Louisiana-Lafayette and ULM, while adding Troy would create a wee bit of a buzz and a rival for UAB. There might not be any power programs in the conference, but it would be competitive and entertaining.

2014 Conferences

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1095334.html

Why would Ark State be in the East and the Alabama schools be in the west?

[greenminer]

Why would Ark State be in the East and the Alabama schools be in the west?

You don't have to look to the future to see that geography is way down the priority list regarding conference alignments.

[NT80]

Why would Ark State be in the East and the Alabama schools be in the west?

Because this writer doesn't have a clue what he is talking about.

[SUMG]

What a load of crap. Is College Football News now a division of The Bleacher Report? Might as well be.

[shaft]

CFN/Fiutak's realignment theory is bad. It has conferences going to 14 and not 16.

If the SEC only goes to 14 adding A&M and FSU, then the Big Ten doesn't have to expand.

If the SEC does go to 16, I'm not sure why Mizzou & Clemson get in over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

[NT80]

If the SEC does go to 16, I'm not sure why Mizzou & Clemson get in over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Adding 2 in the west and 2 in the east keeps the current SEC division allignment (rivalries) like it is.

[SUMG]

The SEC has a great thing going....don't know why they would want to split the pie up....even 2 more ways...much less four.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Adding 2 in the west and 2 in the east keeps the current SEC division allignment (rivalries) like it is.

At the same time, if OU indicated they wanted in the SEC, I'm sure they would take them over Mizzou.

To be honest, I really don't get Mizzou to the SEC from either end. It doesn't fit Mizzou geographically or what they have indicated they want academically. And Mizzou doesn't add a tremendous amount to the SEC, either; at least not compared to other potential candidates.

[DallasGreen]

Conference USA - What It Is

East – East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB, UCF

West – Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP

The 2014 Version Will Probably Be …

East - Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, Memphis, Western Kentucky

West - Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Troy, Tulane, UAB. ULM

It’s not going to be pretty. Conference USA will suffer from geography, with the Big 12 stealing away the Texas teams, the ACC wanting UCF, and the Big East looking to fill out the roster with some of the eastern programs. There’s only one place to go: the Sun Belt. Getting Florida Atlantic and FIU would ease the pain of losing UCF and would keep a presence in Florida. Taking Louisiana Tech away from the WAC is a given, and rivalries can quickly be formed with Louisiana-Lafayette and ULM, while adding Troy would create a wee bit of a buzz and a rival for UAB. There might not be any power programs in the conference, but it would be competitive and entertaining.

2014 Conferences

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1095334.html

This is realistic as long as SMU lands elsewhere. Look for SMU to thwart any upward bid by UNT at every point possible.

[NTSUEagle]

Adding 2 in the west and 2 in the east keeps the current SEC division allignment (rivalries) like it is.

Not to mention, the natural Rivalries (Clemson/South Carolina and Florida State/Florida) will mean more. Seems logical to go to 16.