I'll be coming home from offshore Monday, then it's off to Texas for Thanksgiving, so the updates will be a few and far between until the week after Thanksgiving, when I have a good amount of days off to report before returning to work.
On a side note, after much consideration I have decided to alter my conference alignment starting next season. My current alignment seemed like a good idea at the time, but turns out to be just a little too far-fetched. Instead, I'll go with a system that better reflects the current rumors and movements around the league...a kind of 'what if' situation with a little fantasy thrown in. Here's how it will pan out:
-The PAC-12 officially invites Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. As a result, TCU and West Virginia withdraw their acceptance into the Big XII, reducing the conference to just four teams.
Code:
[b][u]PAC-16[/b][/u]
[b]EAST WEST[/b]
Texas Oregon
Texas Tech Oregon St.
Oklahoma Washington
Oklahoma St. Washington St.
Arizona USC
Arizona St. Cal
Colorado Stanford
Utah UCLA
-In an effort to keep pace, the SEC officially invites Georgia Tech and Florida State. With new members Missouri and Texas A&M already incoming, the SEC is now at 16 teams.
Code:
[b][u]SEC[/b][/u]
[b]EAST WEST[/b]
Florida Alabama
Florida St. Auburn
Georgia LSU
Kentucky Arkansas
Tennessee Mississippi St.
Vanderbilt Ole Miss
Georgia Tech Missouri
South Carolina Texas A&M
-With new members Pittsburgh and Syracuse already committed to the ACC, the conference decides not to add any more members, and simply restructure the division alignment to stay at 12 teams.
Code:
[b][u]ACC[/b][/u]
[b]Atlantic Coastal[/b]
Boston College Miami
Pittsburgh Clemson
Syracuse North Carolina
Maryland NC State
Virginia Wake Forest
Virginia Tech Duke
-With just four members remaining, the Big XII strikes a merger deal with the Mountain West to maintain it's automatic BCS bid. Under the agreement, the Big XII retains Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, and incoming team TCU, and adds Mountain West schools Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State, Hawaii, and San Diego State. To round out the conference, the Big XII adds independent and former Mountain West school BYU, and former C-USA schools Houston and Tulsa. The Mountain West conference is no more. Wyoming decides to go independent.
Code:
[b][u]Big XII[/b][/u]
[b]EAST WEST[/b]
Baylor Boise St.
Kansas Nevada
Kansas St. Fresno St.
TCU Hawaii
Houston BYU
Tulsa San Diego St.
-The WAC adds former C-USA school UTEP, and former MWC schools UNLV, New Mexico, and Colorado State to join current members Idaho, New Mexico State, and San Jose State. Montana replaces Utah in FBS play and joins the new-look WAC, and Louisiana Tech leaves the conference.
Code:
[b][u]WAC[/b][/u]
Idaho
UNLV
San Jose St.
Colorado St.
Montana
New Mexico
New Mexico St.
UTEP
-The Sun Belt replaces FIU and FAU with FBS newcomers West Texas and Texas State. Troy, Mid Tenn St., Arkansas State, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, and North Texas all stay with the conference, while Western Kentucky heads back to the FCS, reducing the conference to eight teams.
Code:
[b][u]Sun Belt[/b][/u]
Troy
Mid Tenn St.
Arkansas St.
West Texas
Texas St.
ULL
ULM
North Texas
-Pittsburgh and Syracuse have left the Big East, and TCU has cancelled their plan to move in, but West Virginia has decided to stay. The conference is left with West Virginia, UConn, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, and USF. In danger of losing their automatic BCS bid, the conference adds former C-USA school UCF, accelerates the entry of Villanova into the conference, and also adds FBS newcomer Appalachian State. But the biggest news comes with the acceptance of Notre Dame as it's 10th member, adding legitimacy to the conference so that it can maintain it's automatic BCS bid.
Code:
[b][u]Big East[/b][/u]
Notre Dame
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Louisville
USF
UCF
Rutgers
UConn
Villanova
Appalachian St.
-When the dust settles on their failed merger with the Mountain West, the C-USA is left with ECU, Marshall, UAB, Memphis, Southern Miss, SMU, and Tulane. The conference adds formers WAC school Louisiana Tech, to come up to nine teams.
Code:
[b][u]C-USA[/b][/u]
ECU
Marshall
UAB
Memphis
Southern Miss
SMU
Tulane
Louisiana Tech
-With the Mountain West disbanded and some teams left out in the cold by conference realignments, the door is open for a new conference to emerge. Former Mountain West school Air Force joins former independent military schools Army and Navy in the new conference, as well as former MAC schools Temple, Ball State, Northern Illinois, and Bowling Green, and former BCS schools Iowa State and Minnesota to form the Great American Conference. (This new conference will actually be the Mountain West in the game)
Code:
[b][u]Great American Conference (GAC)[/b][/u]
Army
Navy
Air Force
Temple
Ball St.
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green
Iowa St.
Minnesota
-The MAC retains Akron, Kent State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami University, Ohio, and Toledo, but loses Bowling Green, Temple, Northern Illinois, and Ball State to the newly-formed Great American conference, and Buffalo to FCS play. The conference adds former Big Ten school Indiana to come up to nine teams.
Code:
[b][u]MAC[/b][/u]
Central Michigan
Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Toledo
Akron
Kent St.
Miami Univ.
Ohio
Indiana
-In the whirlwind of re-alignment, the Big Ten remains relatively unscathed, but does lose two of their more mediocre programs in Indiana and Minnesota to reduce the conference to ten teams.
Code:
[b][u]Big Ten[/b][/u]
Penn St.
Ohio St.
Michigan
Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Iowa
Nebraska
Purdue
Illinois
Northwestern