FanPost

It's My Alliance

The merger as it exists today is 8 CUSA - 8 MWC (7 football):

Marshall Tulane New Mexico Nevada
East Carolina Rice Colorado State UNLV
UAB Tulsa Wyoming Fresno State
Southern Miss UTEP Air Force Hawaii

We have to assume Big XII will add Louisville & BYU (or Cincy). When they do, AF will move to BEast. If the Mormons still refuse to play nice, Temple will replace Cincy in BEast.

I believe the Alliance wants 20 teams - 4 divisions of 5, 2 'conferences' of 10. 9 games against your half so everyone plays everyone. Semifinals = East #1 plays West #2 & East #2 plays West #1. Winners meet in your Alliance Championship Game.

So we need to add 5 full members with football & a non-football school to balance out Hawaii. I believe the Alliance should go after big markets to help tv contract $$$ (the only thing that can keep a conference this big together).

Philadelphia - Temple from MAC.Miami - FIU from SUN. San Antonio - UTSA from FCS/WAC. Salt Lake City - Utah State from WAC. Bay Area - SJSU from WAC. San Diego - SDSU (no-football) from Big West/MWC.

Atlantic Central Mountain Pacific
Temple Southern Miss UTEP Nevada
Marshall Tulane New Mexico UNLV
East Carolina Rice Colorado State San Jose State
UAB UTSA Wyoming Fresno State
Florida International Tulsa Utah State Hawaii & SDSU

Move SoMiss over to Central & UTEP to Mountain to keep it more regional.

The Alliance doesn't have to take the best football programs based on RPI's now that there's no automatic BCS bid at stake. Outside of middle-of-nowhere West Virginia, Mississippi & Wyoming - all these schools are in metro areas.

SUN is left with 9 members after USA jumps up from FCS & FIU leaves so Karl Benson raids WAC for LA Tech, Texas State & NMSU to reach 12.

With the other 6 WAC teams gone, Idaho joins MAC for football only - joining UMass to be their 13th & 14th teams. The rest of their sports in Moscow go back to Big Sky.

Now there's ACC, SEC & MAC with 14. BEast, XII, B1G, PAC, SUN with 12. And the Alliance with 20. Notre Dame & Army stay IND. 124 FBS teams.