# In college football, "East" is now as meaningless as "10" and "12" **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321 "2011-12-07T00:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/1 "2011-12-07T00:21:24Z")
[It’s been rumored for a couple of months that the Big East was trying to get Boise State, but they’ve now trumped even that by getting San Diego State.](http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7323183/sources-big-east-announce-boise-state-four-others-joining-conference) SDSU and Boise will join in only football in 2013, with SMU, Central Florida, and Houston joining in all sports. Navy will reportedly also join the conference and they’re still trying to get Air Force. Both of those schools would also be football-only. If all of that happens, by 2014 or 2015 Big East football will include current members Louisville (KY), Rutgers (NJ), Connecticut, and South Florida, with newbies Central Florida, SMU and Houston (TX), Navy (MD), Air Force (CO), Boise State (ID), and San Diego State (CA). Although Louisville and Rutgers and Connecticut have all been trying to leave and they could still do that. EYE LUV COLLIDGE FUTBAWL! ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/2 "2011-12-07T00:46:14Z")
If I were the dictator of college sports, I would mandate that the Big East drop football and become a basketball-specialized conference. Let UConn, Louisville, and Rutgers leave. Notre Dame Georgetown DePaul St. John’s Marquette Providence Villanova I’m sure they could scrounge up a few more teams; that would still be quite a good basketball conference. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/3 "2011-12-07T02:57:19Z")
If you don’t think that the tail is wagging the dog, think of the travel implications for Boise State and San Diego State. These guys are suppose to be taking classes (we all know that is a farce) but you would think they could keep up appearances. Consider the time zone changes. It’s “The Wizard of Oz” when the curtain gets pulled back. Yet, we continue to buy into it. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/4 "2011-12-07T03:13:21Z")
What kind of implication does Navy into Big East have on the Army/Navy game? Army/Navy happens this weekend. I cannot imagine the Big East would want a team playing a game after the bowl bids are extended. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/5 "2011-12-07T04:14:59Z")
But we have to preserve the bowl system for tradition. TRADITION! ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/6 "2011-12-07T04:22:35Z")
And I have yet to see any college located in the sky! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/7 "2011-12-07T04:54:44Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > If you don’t think that the tail is wagging the dog, think of the travel implications for Boise State and San Diego State. These guys are suppose to be taking classes (we all know that is a farce) but you would think they could keep up appearances. Thing is: it’s not really a farce for quite a few of these athletes. It’s like the stupid commercial says “Almost every one of us is going pro in something other than sports”. I think it’s pretty clear that the conference commissioners don’t really give a shit about the academic side of things, but the football players who are actually trying to get a college education are going to struggle with all the travel time. The coaches have got to be shaking their heads too. There’s a huge physical and psychological difference between a 2-hour bus ride and a cross-country flight. This is madness. Damn you Texas! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/8 "2011-12-07T06:24:39Z")
Why single out college football? Look at the NFL divisions. Dallas is in the East. St Louis is in the West. Indianapolis is in the South. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/9 "2011-12-07T06:27:53Z")
This is got to be a sign of the end of the current system, right? I mean, this is totally unsustainable. This is not going to last for more than a few years before it all spins apart. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/10 "2011-12-07T12:49:37Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > This is got to be a sign of the end of the current system, right? I mean, this is totally unsustainable. This is not going to last for more than a few years before it all spins apart. I get the feeling you’ve been saying that for quite some time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/11 "2011-12-07T14:28:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why single out college football? Look at the NFL divisions. > > Dallas is in the East. St Louis is in the West. Indianapolis is in the South. Yeah the NFL isn’t ideal. But given the limitations they were working under with realignment, I think they are reasonably good. And vastly better than the pre-realignment divisions. Dallas is perhaps the worst. But was kept in the East for historical reasons. St Louis should be in the West. There really isn’t a 4th NFC team that is closer to the west coast. You could maybe put Minnesota or Dallas in the West instead. But that is pretty much a lateral move. Neither of them is really much closer. And yes Indy should be in the AFC North, move Miami to the South and Baltimore to the East and you would have much tighter divisions. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/12 "2011-12-07T14:48:18Z")
I think maybe some schools are trying an end-run around the BCS by trying to get every school into a BCS conference. That, combined with the planned merger of Conference USA and Mountain West…it looks like a lot of teams are trying to get on a lifeboat, any lifeboat, before the ship sinks. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/13 "2011-12-07T16:54:59Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I get the feeling you’ve been saying that for quite some time. 😉 Nope. I’m an SEC homer. All else equal, I’m pretty happy with the way things are. 😃 No, I was speaking in terms of logistics. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/14 "2011-12-07T17:32:35Z")
So long Mountain West Conference, it was nice knowing you. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/15 "2011-12-07T17:51:38Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > So long Mountain West Conference, it was nice knowing you. This won’t kill the conference. They’re getting Nevada, Hawai’i, and Fresno State, the three strongest football programs in the WAC. Essentially, the MWC is now what the WAC ten years ago. (They’ll be the best non-BCS confrence and may occasionally get a sniff of a BCS bowl.) San Diego state is apparently now where Virginia Tech was ten years ago (on the East Coast). ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/16 "2011-12-07T17:53:31Z")
> [@Bartman](#): > > Yeah the NFL isn’t ideal. But given the limitations they were working under with realignment, I think they are reasonably good. And vastly better than the pre-realignment divisions. > > Dallas is perhaps the worst. But was kept in the East for historical reasons. St Louis should be in the West. There really isn’t a 4th NFC team that is closer to the west coast. You could maybe put Minnesota or Dallas in the West instead. But that is pretty much a lateral move. Neither of them is really much closer. And yes Indy should be in the AFC North, move Miami to the South and Baltimore to the East and you would have much tighter divisions. I was thinking about this the other day. Every weird alignment is for rivalry reasons. Dallas v. Washington (and everyone else) Miami v. New England St. Louis v. San Francisco Kansas City v. Oakland (and every one else) Baltimore v. Pittsburgh and Cincy ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/17 "2011-12-07T19:26:07Z")
> [@HookerChemical](#): > > This won’t kill the conference. They’re getting Nevada, Hawai’i, and Fresno State, the three strongest football programs in the WAC. Apparently, Fresno State has realigned its priorities and is shafting the shit out of the football program. Pat Hill just got fired, and I was hearing on the radio this morning that the program has undergone absolutely crushing budget cuts recently, including mandatory coaching staff furloughs, etc. Sounds like Fresno State, always on the cusp of breaking out, is about to become absolutely irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/18 "2011-12-07T19:57:24Z")
Time to re-brand the conference as the “Big Country Conference” (BCC) or “Big American Conference” (BAC). ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/19 "2011-12-07T20:26:01Z")
Big NEWS Conference (North East West South)) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321/20 "2011-12-07T20:45:20Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > I think maybe some schools are trying an end-run around the BCS by trying to get every school into a BCS conference. I don’t think it’s an “end around the BCS” so much as it is “we want a share of the BCS money that the automatic qualifier conferences get” (plus, they do well in the men’s basketball tournament, and half of the TV contract money is based on how well your conference has done in the previous six years). > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why single out college football? Look at the NFL divisions. > St Louis is in the West. Minnesota belongs in the North, and if it wasn’t for keeping the Dallas-Washington rivalry, Dallas would belong in the South. That makes St. Louis the westernmost NFC team besides SF, Seattle, and Arizona, doesn’t it? > [@notfrommensa](#): > > What kind of implication does Navy into Big East have on the Army/Navy game? Probably the same implication that USC being in the Pac-12 has on its annual game with Notre Dame. Hmmm…actually, Navy being in the Big East might be a problem, since it has three rivalries (Army, Air Force, Notre Dame). I can see getting rid of Notre Dame if necessary, but still, that limits its out-of-conference opportunities. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-college-football-east-is-now-as-meaningless-as-10-and-12/605321.md?page=2)