DCI vs. NCAA

First of all, if anyone took notice that it's been a little while since my last post, the reasoning is simple: I just got married this past weekend! Clearly the preparations thereof consumed a good deal of my time. The irony of this adjustment in time is that my wife has probably had to hear more about the things I'd likely be blogging about--largely college football realignment--than she otherwise would.

I started talking a little here about the fact that the G7 proposal in DCI and the current expansion/realignment issues in the NCAA are running concurrently, but it seems the more either goes forth, the more they look the same. From where I sit, there are five large parallels between the two. Interestingly enough, they all end in y:

Money: Come on, this one is a given. In each case, those who have it want more of it. In DCI, the G7 claim that everyone will see more money, though they don't hide the fact that a higher proportion will go to them. In the NCAA, it's pretty clear that it's every conference--and nearly every school--for itself. In each case, it's a smaller subset that gets the bulk of the loot. Which leads me to...

Hegemony: Perhaps the biggest example of this is the presumably Texas-driven agreement to keep the ten remaining BigXII schools intact, While it gives them all security, it gives Texas nearly unbridled power to do as they please, including the All-Horns-All-The-Time Network, if they so choose. Of course, in DCI the G7 would be your power brokers, keeping the 16 other World Class corps at bay and calling into question the very existence of the Open Class corps.

Uncertainty: In each association, the landscape remains unstable, with schools/corps wondering what's going to happen next: Who may be the next one out the door, what may happen to your conference, and what the future may hold. And speaking of the future...

Animosity: While decisions are changing very rapidly, the realignment itself won't be taking place for over another year. The G7 proposal and Nebraska moving to the Big Ten are slated for the summer of 2011. Colorado to the Pac-10 is effective in 2012. That gives 1-2 seasons sharing a conference/schedule with teams that may see each other as the enemy. Expect a lot of stank-eye from sideline to sideline.

And finally, Opportunity: I'd be lying if I said the news in each arena didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, just because of the potential that exists for something really awesome. Now I'm willing to admit things could also go horrible wrong, but I can't wait to see how it shakes out!