SB Nation Conference Re-Draft: Nine Rounds In The Books
by Brian Favat on Jul 17, 2011 4:30 PM EDT
in Conference Re-Draft Project
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The great offseason timekiller -- otherwise known as the SB Nation Conference Re-Draft -- rolls on. Here's a look at the six conferences through nine rounds:
Round 9+
-- Twelve Pack (Us): Boston College
-- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: Colorado
-- The Empire: Oregon State
-- Conference TMZ: Boise State
-- The House of a Thousand Sanctions: Vanderbilt
-- The Cult Of Les Miles: Georgia Tech, Ole Miss
Complete draft board below:
| BCI | BHGP | TSK | BECB | HoS | RCR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. Texas | 2. Florida | 3. Alabama | 4. Ohio State | 5. USC | 6. LSU |
| 2 | 12. Georgia | 11. Penn State | 10. Oklahoma | 9. Florida State | 8. Notre Dame | 7. Michigan |
| 3 | 13. U.C.L.A. | 14. Virginia Tech | 15. Nebraska | 16. Louisville | 17. Oregon | 18. North Carolina |
| 4 | 24. Wisconsin | 23. Miami (Fla.) | 22. Texas A&M | 21. Michigan State | 20. Tennessee | 19. Stanford |
| 5 | 25. Washington | 26. Auburn | 27. Arizona | 28. West Virginia | 29. Syracuse | 30. Arkansas |
| 6 | 36. Duke | 35. Kansas | 34. California | 33. Maryland | 32. Kentucky | 31. Iowa |
| 7 | 37. Clemson | 38. Illinois | 39. UConn | 40. Missouri | 41. Pittsburgh | 42. Oklahoma State |
| 8 | 48. Virginia | 47. TCU | 46. Arizona State | 45. Utah | 44. BYU | 43. South Carolina |
| 9 | 49. Boston College | 50. Colorado | 51. Oregon State | 52. Boise State | 53. Vanderbilt | 54. Georgia Tech |
| 10 | 55. Ole Miss |
Comissioners and Conference names: BCI: Twelve Pack; BHGP: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; TSK: The Empire (working title); BECB: Conference TMZ; HoS: House of a Thousand Sanctions; RCR: The Cult Of Les Miles.
Round nine saw five more BCS AQ programs come off the board. We scooped up the Eagles at 49. The Sisterhood and The Empire picked up two of the three remaining Pac-12 programs in Colorado and Oregon State. This year Boise State and Utah will just miss being conference mates in the Mountain West, but not in Conference TMZ, where the Broncos join the Utes as conference members.
House of a Thousand Sanctions continues to load up on private schools, adding Vanderbilt to a conference that already claims USC, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Brigham Young. Finally, The Cult of Les Miles is doing its best to get the old Southeastern Conference gang back together, scooping up Georgia Tech and Ole Miss and giving Red Cup Rebellion five programs that have played in the SEC.
So the question is where do we take the Twelve Pack from here? There are four picks before our pair of picks at the 10/11 turn. Who you like to join the Twelve Pack?
Here are the remaining programs left on the board:
- ACC (2) -- N.C. State, Wake Forest
- Big 12 (4) -- Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech
- Big East (3) -- Cincinnati, Rutgers, South Florida
- Big Ten (4) -- Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue
- Pac 12 (1) -- Washington State
- SEC (1) -- Mississippi State
- Notable Non-AQs -- Army, Central Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy
Your thoughts? Draft strategy, go.
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If available, I’d take Minnesota and Purdue. They are ranked 29 and 30 in terms of total AD revenue. Plus Minn. gets us a hockey school.
by chicagofire1871 on Jul 17, 2011 4:58 PM EDT reply actions
Plus these rank at 56 (purdue) and 64 (minn) in the US News and World reports ranking
by chicagofire1871 on Jul 17, 2011 5:15 PM EDT reply actions
Minn would be great
Minn would be great, and perhaps Navy.
looking at the Director's Cup:
ACC
67. NC State
74. Wake Forest
Big 12
35. Baylor
48. Texas Tech
58. Kansas State
60. Iowa State
Big East
86. South Florida
150. Cincinnati
158. Rutgers
Big Ten
28. Indiana
29. Minnesota
46. Northwestern
49. Purdue
Pac-12
135. Washington State
SEC
79. Mississippi State
others
63. Central Florida
88. East Carolina
90. Navy
107. Army
159. Memphis
You can’t go wrong with a Big Ten school. Strong academics, plenty of viewers, competitive athletics.
Indiana Thoughts
Indiana basketball is definitely on the rise with Crean as coach, but I would probably still pick Minnesota over them. I would also consider taking a flier on Central Florida if a run on Big Ten schools happens…
Depends on what is there
If a pair of two decent big ten teams fall to you, it’ll be good luck. Just got to hope someone bites on a few schools outside of your typical profile.
Indiana is a basketball king. It may be the fourth strongest program in the state right now, but I don’t expect their alumni to take this lull lying down. Basketball success is cyclical, after all.
Minnesota is a value pick for it’s market, and offers only a tourney caliber bball team. It claims four football championships and a great stadium, but would struggle to win the C-USA. Hockey isn’t what it was, but the recent realignment may help reestablish their competitive edge.
by Gopher86 on Jul 17, 2011 11:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Forgot to add...
Baylor is fool’s gold. Bball is shady + no Lace Dunn. Football is on the rise, but delivers no market. Their med school isn’t coupled with the University, which considerably downgrades their academic profile.
by Gopher86 on Jul 17, 2011 11:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Revenues
Looking at the revenues of these smaller/lower-tier BCS programs are misleading since they often factor in the TV money that the top few schools dictate. I doubt Baylor or Wake would pull in similar revenues if they were independent. Also odd that Navy doesn’t have their revenue numbers out in the open.
We’ve been looking at the 2007-08 revenue data inclusive of the private schools. Using data a few years back factors out a lot of the noise from the most recent Big Six TV contracts.
That said, look at Mississippi State. Plays in one of the best revenue conferences in the country (SEC), yet still pulled in a little over $30m (75th nationally, behind a bunch of C-USA and Mountain West programs).
Revenue doesn’t tell the whole story but it still is a useful indicator of market and interest.
Editor, BC Interruption
Revenue value picks
Top five draft reaches with respect to 2007-08 revenue rank
1. Florida State (Conference TMZ) — pick 9, rev rank 53
2. Boise State (Conference TMZ) — pick 52, rev rank 89
3. Utah (Conference TMZ) — pick 45, rev rank 80
4. Louisville (Conference TMZ) — pick 16, rev rank 44
5. Miami (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) — pick 23, rev rank 51
Top five draft revenue steals
1. Oklahoma State (The Cult of Les Miles) — pick 42, rev rank 10
2. Kansas (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) — pick 35, rev rank 11
3. Virginia (Twelve Pack) — pick 48, rev rank 26
4. South Carolina (The Cult of Les Miles) — pick 43, rev rank 24
5. Auburn (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) — pick 26, rev rank 7
Editor, BC Interruption
Very interesting breakdown
Looks like Conference TMZ didn’t use revenue at all.
After Auburn, Wisconsin, BC and Duke are all in the top 10 for “revenue value picks” which gives the Twelve Pack 4 of the top 10.
UCLA (12 spots) and Washington (8 spots) were our only revenue leaps, but that was more to lockdown two of the west coasts biggest markets.
Editor, BC Interruption
So is Ole Miss...
and we don’t drink at all.
I'm a Rebel, but I bleed the cherry and silver of the Lobos.
If Purdue and Minn are gone...
I might take a flyer on UCF. HUGE enrollment, 47k undergrad, with a new football stadium and an attrative location in Orlando.
by chicagofire1871 on Jul 18, 2011 12:20 AM EDT reply actions
REAL conference fantasy
I like the Indiana pick. They’ve got an amazing diving program additionally.
Minnesota and Indiana actually would be pretty good together. Minnesota is another good diving school. And I agree with those saying hockey’s gonna come back.
Thrilled we got BC! Matt Hasselbeck FOREVER. And I had a blast at CRASH Bs.The BC kids were super super friendly and had their 24 play festival going on at the same time, which was sooo fun.
Question: Since it’s fantasy and a conference re-draft, can we pull additional moves and say that Washington never got rid of it’s swimming program and KCAC was built at Magnuson Park (close to campus, where it was supposed to be) rather than Federal Way (half an hour away).
We’ve got one of the premier facilities in the US as well as the world for aquatics and because of former UW president William Gerberding not wanting a bunch of traffic near his house, it was moved to Fed-way and is drastically under used and UW swimming ultimately was cut because of it.
I mean… dream with me. This is a team that would have had Nathan Adrian, Tara Kirk, Ariana Kukors and who knows how many others? Cal and UW are super super close in the minds of most Olympic sports recruits (volleyball, crew, soccer, tennis, etc.) and so how many swimming recruiting battles vs. Cal would we have won if the program had existed as it was supposed to?
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs!
We will consider reconstituting the UW swimming team if we can start a Huskies men’s ice hockey program.
We need a few more hockey programs in the Twelve Pack.
Editor, BC Interruption
We have a hockey team.
You can find it here: http://www.huskyicehockey.com/
It’s not a varsity sport, but the games are very enjoyable and have their own crowd of Husky hardcore fans. I usually manage to get to about five matches a year now that I’m not a student at UW.
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs!
by jazzaholic17 on Jul 18, 2011 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions
We’ll have to see about bumping this up to the Division I level. BC and Wisconsin are feeling a bit lonely.
Editor, BC Interruption
Air force is a serios non-aq contender
The location could help turn the BCI conference into a smiley face.
B10 schools have the most value on the board but may not last to the end of the round.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Larry soon would be there. -Maji Man
Oh phone typos :)
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Larry soon would be there. -Maji Man
Completely forgot about Navy. Navy is better than Air Force any day of the week, granted I don’t really think we need Maryland, but… it brings a national presence.
And yeah, I can think of ties that Washington personally has to Navy and the interaction of alumni between those schools, but yeah…
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs!
Negative points
In the coed department?
by Gopher86 on Jul 18, 2011 8:52 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I vote for Minnesota or Indiana
But if both aren’t available I say go west and grab Fresno State. Another “scenic” area for Thousand Mile Apart Conference to get, decent coeds, good baseball, regionally involved, and Pat Hill’s mustache. Seriously look at this thing. It needs to belong….
Don't give up, don't ever give up ~ Jim Valvano
Pat Hill’s stache is the anti-Twelve Pack …
Editor, BC Interruption
by Brian Favat on Jul 18, 2011 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
And yet your strangely drawn to its magnificence....
Just like all else who bask in it’s excellence. The warmth you feel is that of the love the ’stache provides and all the ’stache asks in return is your to love it.
Don't give up, don't ever give up ~ Jim Valvano
Geography doesn't matter
at least it wasn’t supposed to factor into our inclusion criteria. Fresno=scenic? I think you were joking there, otherwise I’ve got a great pick for ya in scenic Piscataway, NJ? ;)
by chicagofire1871 on Jul 18, 2011 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Right
How the teams fit geographically should be one of the last factors we look at, if at all.
Editor, BC Interruption
Scenic was more or less a joke, I've never been to Fresno
As for geography part of it, I don’t where that came from I didn’t think the 12 pack was interested in that. I guess you got that from the “regionally involved” part of my spiel above. I was just saying that as they are big in their region (yes I know more pull for the BCS teams), as that is why they have a green V on the dog tag in their logo and on their uniforms.
Don't give up, don't ever give up ~ Jim Valvano
There’s really nothing of interest in the Central Valley. Ask the UCLA guys.
Editor, BC Interruption
Minnesota and Indiana really fit the bill best
Indy’s a little worse on the sports and market angles, I think. Minny isn’t great, but has pretty good potential, and the market is pretty solid. Academics are good at both.
Getting into Ohio and/or Florida would be terrific, but there really aren’t good options that have the academic/market/athletics qualities. USF and UCF are in terrific locations with terrific markets, large fanbases, and dedication to building their programs into winners, but they’re almost like glorified community colleges. Cincinnati is the same, minus the market, although Cinci isn’t terrible. I guess Clemson isn’t exactly MIT either, though, right?
Still wishing UConn could’ve been the pick instead of Clemson. Superior basketball, great potential for a new rivalry with BC, rising football, and while I’m sure you guys know more than I do aboutt their academics, I can’t imagine it’s bad.
QB Garrett Gilbert was the Beavis & Butthead episode of the 2010 college football season. Even when things were going well there was always one bad decision that meant he wasn’t going to score.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1070636.html
by burntorangehorn on Jul 18, 2011 1:56 PM EDT reply actions
Oh, and UVA and BC were big wins
Surprised it took this long for either of them to go.
QB Garrett Gilbert was the Beavis & Butthead episode of the 2010 college football season. Even when things were going well there was always one bad decision that meant he wasn’t going to score.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1070636.html
by burntorangehorn on Jul 18, 2011 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Clemson > UConn
Clemson and UConn are on par academically, but Clemson has a huge edge historically in football. Larger facilities, great game day atmosphere, a couple hundred more Ws and the 1981 National title. UConn was playing I-AA ball a dozen years ago.
Editor, BC Interruption
Clemson's like Syracuse: not really relevant this day and age
UConn may be falling ass-backwards into Big East titles, but the football program is certainly one on the rise, and the basketball program, while dirty, would’ve locked up basketball superiority.
I do wish Clemson would return to prominence, but it’s been a really long time since they’ve been real conference contenders.
QB Garrett Gilbert was the Beavis & Butthead episode of the 2010 college football season. Even when things were going well there was always one bad decision that meant he wasn’t going to score.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1070636.html
by burntorangehorn on Jul 19, 2011 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I would question whether UConn football is truly on the rise, or if they’ll become another Big East one-hit wonder to go with Louisville and Cincinnati. With no natural recruiting advantages, little to no history, and a small off-campus football stadium, I’m leaning towards the latter.
Editor, BC Interruption
Their recent bowl game and final four attendence didn’t look so hot, either.
You can only sell 4,000 of your 17,000 alloted seats to the Fiesta Bowl? http://blogs.courier-journal.com/ericcrawford/2010/12/16/uconn-fiesta-bowl-fiasco-2-5-m-in-unsold-tickets/
You’re playing in the final four and they have to give part of your allotment to Rice students? http://www.businessinsider.com/uconn-recruits-local-college-students-2011-4
Total homer pick...
…but Northwestern is a pretty great choice at this point:
- Top academics (arguably best in BCS, or in a 2nd place tie with Duke behind Stanford)
- In Chicago (which means Chicago media coverage, and convenience in terms of travel for road games there)
- Best women’s lacrosse program in the nation with a great venue right on Lake Michigan
- Excellent golf teams, good softball program, pretty good soccer and swimming teams, and the best women’s tennis team in the Big Ten
- A new facilities master-plan that will greatly improve their programs/venues
- A huge alumni presence in sports media (Mandel, Wilbon, Musberger, Greenberg, Shanoff, etc.) ensuring that your league gets mentioned frequently by alumni
- A great head football coach in Pat Fitzgerald
- A national alumni presence (that means you tend to see a surprisingly large number of Northwestern fans at NU road/bowl games, even if their home attendance is not always great)
- The possibility of occasional league games at Wrigley
- And a football team that has gone to 3 straight bowl games (and will probably go to a 4th) that has played some ridiculously entertaining football in the past 20 years (54-51 game vs Michigan in 2000; OT bowl games against Auburn and Mizzou; the Wrigley game, etc.)
Here at the Twelve Pack, we do love us some lacrosse (Virginia, Duke) …
Also, I got my masters at NU, so I’m hoping we can grab them with one of the last 3 picks.
Editor, BC Interruption
I'd say...
…the only teams I’d put above them that are left would be the other B1G schools. And arguably no other team left on the board has been better than Northwestern in football over the past 5 years.
Best football programs left ..
Winning percentage, 2006-2010
1. Cincinnati — 45-20 (.692)
1. Texas Tech — 45-20 (.692)
3. Hawaii — 46-22 (.676)
4. Navy — 44-22 (.667)
4. Tulsa — 44-22 (.667)
6. South Florida — 43-24 (.646)
7. Troy — 41-23 (.641)
8. Nevada — 42-24 (.636)
9. Rutgers — 40-24 (.625)
10. Houston — 41-25 (.621)
19. Northwestern — 34-29 (.540) :(
Editor, BC Interruption
For all the Rutgers jokes that've been made during the draft...
They may be an option down the road. Jersey is a populous state with one flagship University and decent football recruiting grounds. It’s also a good school.
Ever thought of adding Harvard and Yale as a combo? You wouldn’t have a championship game in football, but their collective football history is insane. Plus talk about deep endowment pockets.
/devils_advocate
If we could, I would prefer to stop at 10 teams. The 9-game football round robin and 18-game hoops home-and-home schedule format is superior to the 12-team, 2 division format IMO.
That said, since we have to pick 12, gotta go with 12 football playing members. No Big East-like hoops/football configuration for the Twelve Pack.
Editor, BC Interruption
Minnesota and Indiana
And for what it’s worth, non-revenue sports and “olympic sports” are exactly the same, it’s just different phrasing. Washington historically has a huge presence on the various national teams the US has produced… and I still consider Nathan Adrian ours considering he grew up here.
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs!
I have to agree with this - Minnesota and Indiana look like solid fits
UCF would be next on my list. Then Purdue only if you didn’t get Indiana.
I’d really love to have more exposure to Western television markets (which also allows greater scheduling time spread and thus more television options. (geography is irrelevant, but TV markets and time zones aren’t). Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone available of much interest. I’d be inclined to take a 12th round flier with the last pick on someone like San Diego St. or UNLV (they come to mind as teams in major western tv markets that should be available, have done no actual research to see who else fits the bill and what academics, facilities, etc. look like). Those two schools also continue the solid road trip destination theme.
Correct
geography is irrelevant, but TV markets and time zones aren’t.
That said, there’s a reason we aren’t in the Mountain Time Zone. Very few programs, if any, fit the mold. Colorado is the closest thing to a fit in the Twelve Pack, but you really want to have a pair in the same time zone for optimal TV scheduling. CU also doesn’t seem to have the same institutional commitment to winning that other programs do, and they are (or at least were up until recently) deep in the red as a department.
This is also why we picked up UCLA and Washington as early as we did. That combo is pretty powerful when it comes to western TV markets and regional interest. There are so few quality Pac-12 options that we had to pick those two up earlier than conventional wisdom would say to pick them up.
Editor, BC Interruption
None of the remaining western programs fit the academic mold ...
1. Washington State — USN&WR 111
2. Colorado State — 124
3. Hawaii — 159
4. San Diego State — 183
5. Nevada — 191
N/R — Air Force, New Mexico, UTEP, UNLV, Fresno State
May have to be content picking up a pair of Central Time Zone programs and then scooping up one of the above five programs as Mr. Irrelevant.
Editor, BC Interruption
Since nobody else has gone there.
What about Tech? Doesn’t boost the TV income a lot, but a natural rival for the No. 1 pick.
I’d like to see either S. Florida or UCF, and one of these might be available as the last pick of the draft. Rutgers has market potential, given that there’s no D-1 football program in NYC (well, Army, and if you stretch the geography, UConn).
Other thoughts:
A second Big Ten team is a plus
No more SEC (Manny’s old employer is all that’s left) or ACC
Air Force is an intriguing last-round possibility.
And — You guys are kicking A.
Tech academics are poor
It’s a tier 3 school. Word is their engineering school nearly lost its accreditation a few years back. Its a solid football pick up this late in the game, but it doesn’t fit the current mold for the 12 Pack.
by Gopher86 on Jul 18, 2011 10:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Texas will be able to play all of the natural rivals it wants OOC
Plus, Tech is in the middle of nowhere and adds no media value. Hell no.
Texas Tech provides a lot of value to some of these other conferences, but would stick out like a sore thumb in the Twelve Pack.
Editor, BC Interruption
I respect and honor the service of the fine graduates of Air Force/Army/Navy...
…but I have no interest in any of them in the conference ever. The key to drafting late round picks is to go for the high ceiling upside, and that is the biggest strike against the service academies. They simply will never be anything more than loveable underdogs.
Natural Rivals
Are different. Tech is not a natural rival of Texas how this draft is being done. How we’re drafting it, UCLA is a great rival for Texas, just as Virginia and Wisconsin are great rivals for Washington.
This we’re looking at culture first and geography second. Remember that.
Not like the Utah Jazz... it's about REAL jazz. Go Dawgs!
It looks like you might get lucky
I’m guessing Cincy wasn’t on your draft list.
Big Ten, I'm guessing
with at least one of the pair of upcoming picks.
USF Bulls off the board
BHGP is on the clock. Per their recent article, they’re looking at Indiana, among others.
It looks like you’re going to have your pick of a few B1G 10 programs: Minnesota, Purdue and Northwestern.
Yep, looks like it.
We certainly have our favorites of those four B1G programs, but would be more than happy landing two of them.
Editor, BC Interruption
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