OT: Kansas Jayhawks basketball and Conference Realignment
As I read a newly released article on ESPN claiming the Mountain West has Kansas and Missouri and their radar, I wonder: can Kansas set up a split conference deal for their football and basketball programs (sort of) how ND is?
I can't see Kansas joining the MWC for all athletics as it would completely bring down their basketball legacy by being in a two-bit conference (for basketball that is).
If they can split conferences, where do you see them going? Personally I can see them joining the SEC before the Big Ten, ACC, or Big East. Imagine Kansas vs. Kentucky every year.
but I don't think you can compare the pull it has to ND.
Well that would be a fun matchup to see every year, but I would love to see them in the Big Ten. I mean you have Little Brother, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, and Michigan. I mean the Big Ten did put a bunch of teams into the tournament last year and they have such great basketball tradition that adding Kansas would make the season that much more fun to watch.
There's been speculation of a Big East expansion to the BigXII left overs. Adding them to the Big East would be further Big East insanity on the basketball fronts.
And also speculation of Kansas going to the Pac-10 instead of Texas A&M. See this Kansas City Star article.
I realize money is driving this and Kansas is in the middle of the country, but has this not reached a level of absurdity when both the Big East and the Pac-10 are seen as possible homes for Kansas?
I want Kansas for basketball. Yeah it would be tough playing Kansas every year but at least the Big Ten would gain on the ACC and Big East.
As for the MWC, i do not think Kansas or Missouri would want that in any way. Could you imagine Kansas basketball playing TCU, BYU, Utah, UNLV, etc.. twice a season. Kansas basketball would be over as we know it. Then Missouri for football, i know they are not on th same level as Michigan but still playing those teams, they would never get to an elite level.
I think with conference expansion we will see the MWC down-slide a bit. Boise will still be good, but they will never get anyone to play them still. The MWC will still make no money compared to B10, Pac-10, and SEC. Of course if they do receive a BCS bowl bid in the future, my statement is worthless.
and would bring nore to the table than lets say a UConn...
pillage the other conferences to become football-centric megaconferences, I have a feeling the leftover bball-centric schools will join forces to create a super awesome bball megaconference. Something along the lines of:
Kansas, Duke, UNC, NC State, Maryland, Virginia, Wake, Syracuse, UCONN, Louisville, West Virginia, Cincinatti, and 4 other leftover schools.
The only options I see for Kansas is to either join the MWC or form their own conference with the B12 leftovers. Or maybe C-USA? Memphis is the only strong team in the conference since Cinny and Louisville left.
This has been my favorite option/possibility since the expansion talks heated up: Kansas and their "Leftoverture" conference. I'm sure Kerry Livgrin wouldn't mind the new publicity.
I'm shocked no major conference wants their basketball team. It wouldn't be right watching their basketball team play in the Mountain West.
The fact that Kansas is hanging in the breeze really demonstrates how much football trumps basketball when it comes to revenue.
It's all about MARGINAL revenue. While college basketball makes a ton of money (see, $10 billion contract recently signed to broadcast march madness), schools will make about the same amount regardless of what conference they are in because of the NCAA tournament revenue sharing and because all of the major conferences have relatively equal bball tv contracts. On the other hand, schools can gain a lot more football money by switching conferences because there is a large disparity betwwen the tv contracts of different conferences.