John Marinatto wants to talk alignment

[Cow Pie]

This is more or less the Little XII trying to make nice with the Big East which is likely to raid them... and the BEast trying to make nice with the ACC who will raid them if the SEC takes one of their teams, or if the SEC expands to 14 or 16 teams.

The entire thing is pathetic... the Big East can play nice all it wants, at the end of the day when A&M goes to the SEC, the SEC is going to take a team from the ACC, who is going to turn around and take 3 teams from the Big East, who is gonna turn around and take 6 teams, 3 from the Little XII and 3 from CUSA.

The ACC is the big fish... the Big East is the medium fish... and the littleXII is the guppy

[Jihme]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/sports/ncaa-chief-suggests-summit-on-conference-expansion.html?_r=1

N.C.A.A. Chief Suggests a Summit on Conference Expansion

By PETE THAMEL

Mark Emmert, the president of the N.C.A.A., reached out to several top college officials Monday, suggesting a meeting to discuss a less cannibalistic and more collegial way to approach conference expansion.

“I think people have asked him to make some phone calls,†Pacific-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. “He’s doing exactly what he should be doing.â€

Before a meeting or conference call can be held, Emmert told conference officials that he needed clearance from the N.C.A.A.’s lawyers. Tension is high among some commissioners, as Texas A&M of the Big 12 appears headed to the Southeastern Conference in the near future. The Big 12’s Dan Beebe and the SEC’s Mike Slive had a heated phone conversation last week about a potential move, according to a high-ranking college official with direct knowledge of the call.

As conferences teeter on the edge of significant realignment, Emmert’s proposal shows the level of concern among major college sports officials. Emmert lacks the authority to make unilateral decisions about realignment, but he can preach common sense.

“Those conversations start and stop with that there’s no N.C.A.A. authority on these topics,†Scott said.

The genesis of a potential meeting came from conversations between the Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner, John Swofford; the Big East commissioner, John Marinatto; and Beebe about a more constructive way to conduct business. Each of their conferences again faces potential reshaping. Beebe is facing a potential crisis for the second straight year, and the reverberations could be felt in Swofford’s and Marinatto’s conferences.

When Emmert was briefed on those conversations, he asked if he could contact Scott, Slive and the Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delany. The N.C.A.A. confirmed in a statement Monday night that Emmert reached out to “a number of presidents and commissioners related to the recent conference realignment issues.â€

“He’s in a position of influence,†Scott said. “He’s doing what members are asking him to do.â€

[BleedGreenAndGold]

They can talk all they want. Unless the NCAA stops it (and if they try it could get really ugly and who knows what happens), when the dominoes start to fall it'll be grab and growl.

[South_Florida_Flip]

Marinatto should be fired.

Why would you say that?

Because the conference is in prime position with the new TV contract on the horizon and he wants to play the nice guy.

you honestly think that this is what this meeting would be all about? Marinatto hold some nice trump cards right now.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

A might not be so crazy scenario....Say um gets the death penalty. The ACC then kicks them out and invites USF. The ACC would want to keep a prescence in Florida South of Tally. It would set up a natural rivalry with FSU.

[smazza]

brilliant move

from 3 conferences

two will be formed

[Jihme]

i would love to see the BE/ACC/B12 team up to form two 16/18-team conferences.  maybe it'll make the basketball realignment that much easier.  imagine duke and UNC in our BE BB schedule.  that would be cool to see.

[ncentonze]

A might not be so crazy scenario....Say um gets the death penalty. The ACC then kicks them out and invites USF. The ACC would want to keep a prescence in Florida South of Tally. It would set up a natural rivalry with FSU.

Is there a way UM could legally be kicked out of the conference? are there certain rules that may have been violated that would cause UM to get the boot?

Of course ACC would not want a dead in the water school like UM(if they receive severe penalties from the Shapiro thing), and would rather have an upcoming school like USF. But it what possibility could this happen?

[ncentonze]

Is each conference a business entity? Could the Big XII buy out the Big East like a Google buys Motorola and absorbs it into it's own?

I can't just see one of the 3 mentioned conferences just giving up and saying "here ACC, you can take X, Y, and Z and Big XII you can take A, B, and C."

[Orlando Bull]

I don't see how the ACC fits in, but, the BE and B12 could come up with 'championship' like game where each conference sends their champ to play a "bowl" type game during championship Saturday. It would rival the larger conferences championship games and give the BE and B12 champ an additional chance to prove themselves prior to bowl selections.