By Jon Brooks
Conference realignment has become a harsh reality in collegiate athletics. We've seen the fabric of long-standing geographic rivalries and institutional congruence torn apart by the zeal for lucrative television contracts.
It has become "survival of the fittest" among D-1 colleges and universities across the country. The once stable landscape has shifted into a pattern of unending shuffling and positioning.
The NCAA Men's Ice Hockey landscape changed most recently when Penn State moved their club program up to the D-1 level. That move meant six Big Ten member schools would sponsor D-1 programs -- the minimum number required to start a conference in the NCAA.
The move left the remaining WCHA and CCHA member schools scrambling to preserve their fortunes.
In the ensuing vaccuum, eight of the stronger WCHA and CCHA institutions forged ahead with plans to start what would become the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Notre Dame joined Hockey East (HEA) and the remaining schools aligned under the WCHA banner.
Notre Dame recently announced that it will be leaving Hockey East to join the Big Ten Hockey Conference as an affiliate member in the 2017-18 season.
The move leaves Hockey East with 11 member schools, and B1G Hockey with seven.
Odd numbers aren't typically ideal in a conference structure, and South Bend's move has created a flurry of discussion about a possible 8th B1G Hockey member, and a 12th Hockey East member.
Jason Gonzales of the Minneapolis Star Tribune speculates about the B1G possibilities in an article published on March 24:
While Big Ten deputy commissioner Brad Traviola says he doesn't "think there is a natural rush to go from seven to eight," you have to believe they have their eye on someone.
Many have predicted this move will open the door for Arizona State to join B1G Hockey as an affiliate member. The size of that school and their membership in the Pac-12 are seen as appealing attributes. ASU has suggested that they would be more comfortable in a conference with schools the size and scope of those in the B1G Hockey Conference.
The question is whether the Big Ten would buck the predictable and find an eighth member institution that brings a solid hockey pedigree. As Gonzales points out, "North Dakota would be an obvious choice for immediate success and facilities, but it is comfortable in the NCHC."
But how "comfortable" is North Dakota in the NCHC? Would they entertain offers from another conference?
North Dakota represents the glue that holds the NCHC together. They are a true "hockey school" with solid financial stamina, bringing warm bodies to conference tournaments and offering a tremendous hockey pedigree.
If Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is feeling especially bold, he could make a move for the Fighting Hawks. If his moves as commissioner illustrate one thing, it's that he isn't bashful about increasing the reach and scope of the Big Ten Conference.
Before someone brings up the point that the NCHC has been "more competitive" than the B1G on the ice the past three seasons, these decisions are less about the sport itself, and more about cold, hard cash.
Some have also wondered about the possibility of UNO representing the "University of Nebraska System" in the Big Ten Hockey Conference. The NU Board of Regents governs three schools in Nebraska -- University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha and University of Nebraska at Kearney. All three schools share programs and resources, and use the same fundraising arm (the NU Foundation).
(There have also been murmurings about UNL eventually starting a B1G Hockey program of its own and playing at Pinnacle Bank Arena...)
Since this entire piece is about hypotheticals in the "hyper-realignment" world we live in, I've recently been thinking about the concept of Omaha and North Dakota approaching Big Ten Hockey together at some point down the road.
I know it might seem a far-fetched idea, but North Dakota would have a natural allure to the B1G, and Omaha brings an established media market that is well-versed in the Big Ten conference.
Moreover, the Big Ten would have an opportunity to grab two well-funded and supported programs west of the Mississippi River -- programs boasting beautiful facilities. Add in Arizona State and you'd have a fairly nice 10-team hockey conference.
I'm sure the Big Ten would prefer a scenario where schools like Iowa, Illinois or Nebraska started hockey programs in order to help preserve "conference purity." But considering the financial realities of collegiate athletics (Title IX, etc.) it might be folly to think such a thing will happen in the next decade.
Some will question whether or not UNO or UND would ever want to make a deal with the devil...or ever seriously consider the possibility.
Considering that Johns Hopkins competes in the B1G in lacrosse and Denver competes in the Big East in lacrosse, conferences have shown a willingness to bolster numbers in "niche" sports with schools outside the norm.
The national TV exposure (the B1G boasts multiple cable channels) is a carrot that could attract a school like North Dakota should the B1G ever come calling.
The national TV exposure (the B1G boasts multiple cable channels) is a carrot that could attract a school like North Dakota should the B1G ever come calling.
That said, being an "affilate member" means you are perpetually on the outside looking in, and such a school could find itself shoved aside at some point in the future.
From an institutional point of view, the current NCHC schools are well aligned in terms of size and scope. From a spectator point of view, it would be a shame to have anything thwart the conference's current makeup. The NCHC has proven itself to be one of the finest conferences in terms of competition the last three seasons.
The Big Ten Hockey Conference has struggled in terms of postseason success the past three seasons. No one knows what the "powers that be" in the B1G might do in a quest to bolster the numbers.
Omaha (and Nebraska in general) has proven itself a good market for the Big Ten. The Big Ten Baseball Tournament featured record crowds when it was held in Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park in 2014, and the city will host again in 2016 and 2018 (the 2014 championship game was the largest single-game conference tournament attendance in NCAA history).
(Omaha, being an event town, has a penchant for supporting high-profile sporting events like the College World Series, and I belive it could support the Big Ten Hockey Tournament if held here...).
The appeal of playing in a conference with "name schools" like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State and Notre Dame has to be appealing merely for the marquee value (especially in a market like Omaha, where hockey doesn't have the intense following it does in other parts of the country).
It is interesting to speculate on potential realignment. Whether or not any of the notions presented are in the realm of possibility is subject to debate. One thing is for certain... UNO has to be wary of the evolving landscape, continually watch their back, and try to read the tea leaves for the future.
We don't want that.
ReplyDelete#Mavs stay STRONG & in The NCHC.