Realignment Rumors

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Realignment Rumors

Interlocking schedules is going to be the way to go come the 2012-2013 season. It worked great when the WCHA and HE did it.

It worked great? Then why did it stop after a few years?

[davyd83]

Re: Realignment Rumors

It worked great? Then why did it stop after a few years?

Ummm...the cost of flying back and forth may have had something to do with it.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Realignment Rumors

Ummm...the cost of flying back and forth may have had something to do with it.

Given that flying is a heck of a lot more expensive now (because of fuel costs, etc.), why would it work better than last time?

[yooper(UP) hockey]

Re: Realignment Rumors

I think that a conference of SCSU, UMD, BSU, MTU, NMU and MSUM would have some stability should an Anti-6 conference form and the political pressure inside MN might be enough to keep MN playing those teams (at least the 4 MN based teams) on a semi-regular basis.

The real losers would be the other 6 teams: UAA, UA(F), Ferris, WMU, LSSU, and BGSU. Those neams needing a home may cause a cascade through AH and ECAC breaking the teams up into 3 or 4 smaller conferences.

I think that at the end of the day if all that happens, 2 major changes happen:
1.) college hockey loses between 2-4 teams
2.) The tournament returns to a 12 team format.

MTU can get some wins with this format, too

[du78]

Re: Realignment Rumors

There is a mathematical problem with this. It can't be done the way you described with the two leagues having different numbers of teams. You are talking about a 6-team western conference and a 10-team HEA. (Correct?) The western teams would in total play 6*8=48 games vs. the HEA, while the HEA teams would play 10*8=80 games agaisnt the west. That does not compute. Each of the western teams would have to play more eastern teams than vice versa. One way would be if each HEA team played 6 western games while each western team played 10 eastern games.

I like your math. Under that scenario, the eastern teams would only have to make 1 to 2 road trips west per year. The western schools would make 2 to 3 road trips east per year. For the western schools doing road trips via air is more the norm especially for DU, CC, UNO and to a lesser extent UND. The road trips to the HE schools would be easier than the road trip to Houghton. The western schools would still have 4 games to play OOC teams.

[dggoddard]

Re: Realignment Rumors

To me conference realignments should make sense for the participants before I start believing in the possibility. I don't understand how an anti-Big 10 conference benefits those schools over their present situation. While the Big 10 had money as the overriding reason to form that conference, I don't see an enhanced TV deal out of this, nor a strengthening of rivalries to boost attendance. All I do see are increased travel costs as have been mentioned already as well as a lot tougher road to reach the NCAA's.

Miami & Notre Dame will probably break even, with increased playoff revenue sharing offsetting increased travel.

TV is a factor because DU & UND have TV deals. The five of the six teams involved will see attendance increases [UND will host more marquee games, so they will still come out ahead]. They will also be able to offer recruits the opportunity to play elite competition every weekend.

The four Minnesota schools didn't want to spend the money to travel, so they opted out. Of course this was well before UMD won a NC, so perhaps that might change something.

[davyd83]

Re: Realignment Rumors

Miami & Notre Dame will probably break even, with increased playoff revenue sharing offsetting increased travel.

TV is a factor because DU & UND have TV deals. The six teams involved will see attendance increases. They will also be able to offer recruits the opportunity to play elite competition every weekend.

The four Minnesota schools didn't want to spend the money to travel, so they opted out. Of course this was well before UMD won a NC, so perhaps that might change something.

So the increased playoff revenue will offer Miami the extra $100,000 to make up the difference in travel costs? There are only three playoff scenarios. A six team, one site tourney, a four team, one site tourney, or #6 at #3/ #5 at #4 preliminary round on home ice, then a four team, one site tourney with those two winners taking on the top two seeds.

[Almington]

Re: Realignment Rumors

So the increased playoff revenue will offer Miami the extra $100,000 to make up the difference in travel costs? There are only three playoff scenarios. A six team, one site tourney, a four team, one site tourney, or #6 at #3/ #5 at #4 preliminary round on home ice, then a four team, one site tourney with those two winners taking on the top two seeds.

Is a third option: Play all the games on home ice in 3 game series:
#6 at #3/ #5 at #4 preliminary round
#6 at #3 winner at #2 / #5 at #4 winner at #1
Winners play at higher seed to see who wins.

If you wanted to maximize revenue (and, resultantly total # of games) that is the path that you'd take.

I don't see the increase in playoff revenue either overall. From having 6 sets of first round games plus ~60k tickets sold currently in the WCHA to having 2 home playoff series and ~45k in tickets under this plan. Even curing the number of teams in half, I just don't see how this maintains the current levels of league payout. Plus, I can't see Notre Dame nor Miami really liking having the Conf. tourney at the X long term, ND got a taste of what the conference tournament would be like every year with the clearly biased crowd at the F4 this year.

I see this as just one more step down the path to losing multiple teams in the west, which I think could have a significant negative impact on college hockey as a whole.

[4four4]

Re: Realignment Rumors

Its gonna happen, you can bet your 2002 NC Banner on it.

Sorry from what have been told it will not happen. If by chance things change I believe it would be great for Minnesota and Wisconsin because this way they are not under any obligation to play the newly formed ButtHurt Conference. I gurantee if the WCHA splits again without the Minnesota schools the likelyhood of a Big Ten school showing up in Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota will be about zero. Just remember the Big Ten wants as many home games as possible.

[davyd83]

Re: Realignment Rumors

Sorry from what have been told it will not happen. If by chance things change I believe it would be great for Minnesota and Wisconsin because this way they are not under any obligation to play the newly formed ButtHurt Conference. I gurantee if the WCHA splits again without the Minnesota schools the likelyhood of a Big Ten school showing up in Colorado, Nebraska and North Dakota will be about zero. Just remember the Big Ten wants as many home games as possible.

You will still see Minnesota and North Dakota play, but possibly only one series a year.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Realignment Rumors

There is a mathematical problem with this. It can't be done the way you described with the two leagues having different numbers of teams. You are talking about a 6-team western conference and a 10-team HEA. (Correct?) The western teams would in total play 6*8=48 games vs. the HEA, while the HEA teams would play 10*8=80 games agaisnt the west. That does not compute. Each of the western teams would have to play more eastern teams than vice versa. One way would be if each HEA team played 6 western games while each western team played 10 eastern games.

This is bad math. The 6 western teams would play a total of 10 games each vs HE, for a total of 60 games. The 10 HE teams would play a total of 6 games each vs the western teams, for a total of 60 games.

The issue is that the 3 Beanpot teams currently only have 5 available non-conference games. They only way to have an interlocking schedule would be to drop HE league play to an 18 game schedule (as previously mentioned).

Sean

[uaafanblog]

Re: Realignment Rumors

This suggestion was first floated in the Denver newspaper.

This suggestion was first floated by DG and Swami TO the Denver newspaper. They started the rumor ... he reported it. Then they came back and highlighted his reporting of the rumor. Don't ever say DG doesn't watch FOX news.

And notice now how all you people are talking about it? Kevin Pates got mentally abused at the Frozen Four by this "buzz" of something that is actually NOTHING.

DG should apologize to the "journalists" for abusing them. Or perhaps these "journalists" should act like "jounalists".

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Realignment Rumors

It worked great? Then why did it stop after a few years?

The interlocking schedule was made when the WCHA was at 6 teams and HE was at 7 teams. The original schedule had each team playing 2 vs each team in the other league. This would have given the WCHA a total of 20 WCHA games and 14 HE games for 34 total games (the NCAA limit was 38 games at the time). HE would have had 3*7=18 HE games and 2*6=12 WCHA games for 30 total games. However the WCHA expanded to 8 teams before the interlocking schedule began. This would have made the schedule 28 (7*4) + 14 = 42 games, so this forced the WCHA into pod scheduling of 3*4=12 + 4*2=8 for the same 20 WCHA games. HE was able to add the additional 4 WCHA games for a total of 34 games. After the original 2 year agreement it was modified to have each team play 1 vs each team in the other league. This new agreement allowed the WCHA to go to a full 7*4=28 game WCHA schedule plus 7 HE games for 35 total games. HE went to 6*4=24 HE games plus 8 WCHA games for 32 total games. The following season HE went back to 6*3=18 HE games. In 1989 HE added Merrimack, which was probably the determinibg factor in the ending of the interlocking agreement.

Sean

[dggoddard]

Re: Realignment Rumors

This suggestion was first floated by DG and Swami TO the Denver newspaper. They started the rumor ... he reported it. Then they came back and highlighted his reporting of the rumor. Don't ever say DG doesn't watch FOX news.

And notice now how all you people are talking about it? Kevin Pates got mentally abused at the Frozen Four by this "buzz" of something that is actually NOTHING.

DG should apologize to the "journalists" for abusing them. Or perhaps these "journalists" should act like "jounalists".

Lemme see if I have this straight.

I started the rumor between afternoon viewings of the Glen Beck Show and The Factor.

Then I recruited Puck Swami to also post the rumor [the so-called "Second Shooter on the Grassy Knoll."]

Mike Chambers picked up on the online chatter and posted an article in his blog.

Somehow Notre Dame caught wind of the rumor and quit the CCHA effective in 2013-14.

Then the smaller Minnesota schools let it be known that they didn't want to/couldn't afford to fly to games and opted out of the proposed Super Six Conference.

Once Scott Sandelin heard that Duluth wouldn't join the Super Six, he had his agent call Penn State.

The WCHA media guys not wanting to get left behind on the story of the decade by Mike Chambers [a.k.a. The Brad Malone Mangler], picked up on the story at the Final 5 in St. Paul.

By the Frozen Four, the story is completely out of control and schools like Clarkson, RPI, RIT, St Lawrence, Union and Colgate are firing coaches and making plans to form their own mini-conferences.

[CHFAN222]

Re: Realignment Rumors

The easiest way for HE to get more games with WCHA teams would be for HE to drop the total # of league games. The easiest way for this to happen would be for 2 more schools to join HE men such as UCONN for men, URI, or Syracuse. The latter 2 would have to decide to bite the bullet and start a mens team while UCONN would have to finally decide to invest in their program. IDK how much truth there is to the ND rumours but the other 3 schools mentioned would seem like the most likely schools to add programs to HE.