This is a revised version of my national realignment plan. I have made a
few changes in the east. If you want to look both versions of
realignment, go to my web site at:
http://members.tripod.com/~unvarnished_truth/
Warning: This is rather long.......
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NATIONAL REALIGNMENT PLAN---REVISED VERSION
Well, I'm back again with a revised version of my National Realignment
Plan for Division I College Hockey. My first plan has ruffled some
feathers, especially in the CCHA/Michigan Wolverine camp. I will
address those criticisms later on. But I can say to you that I have not
singled out any one conference for destruction. I have been making my
decisions based on common sense and what is realistically possible.
That is all. Nothing more, Nothing less. Now, on to my revisions.
In my first plan, I left the eastern conferences alone. I just couldn't
come up with a plan that was workable. But, after looking at the plan
again, I saw some options that I didn't see the first time. They are
included in this revised version. So, without further delay, here is
the new and improved Realignment Plan:
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WCHA (10 Teams) Great Lakes Conference (8 teams)
Alaska-Anchorage Alaska-Fairbanks
*Bemidji State Ferris State
Colorado College Lake Superior State
Denver Michigan State
*Mankato State #Michigan Tech
Minn-Duluth Michigan
Minnesota Northern Michigan
North Dakota Western Michigan
St. Cloud State
Wisconsin
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CCHA (7 teams) MAAC (8 teams)
*Alabama-Huntsville American International
Bowling Green Canisius
Miami (OH) Connecticut
*Neb-Omaha Fairfield
*Niagara Holy Cross
Notre Dame Iona
Ohio State Sacred Heart
Quinnipiac
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ECAC (8 teams) Ivy League (6 teams) Hockey East (9 teams)
*Bentley Brown Boston College
Clarkson Cornell Boston University
Colgate Dartmouth Maine
Rensselaer Harvard UMass-Lowell
*Mercyhurst Princeton UMass-Amherst
St. Lawrence Yale Merrimack
Union New Hampshire
Vermont Northeastern
Providence
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Independents (2 teams)
Air Force
Army
*-Denotes New D-I Team
#-Denotes team that has moved to another conference
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL TEAMS IN DIVISION I: 58
______________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTION OF NCAA TOURNAMENT BIDS
1. Automatic Bids: 11
At-Large Bids: 5
2. Automatic Bids by Conference:
WCHA-------2
GLC--------2
HEA--------2
ECAC-------2
MAAC-------1
CCHA-------1
Ivy League-1
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EXPLANATION OF CHANGES.....
Here is a point-by-point explanation of my revisions:
The Western Revisions do not change. I considered all of the
suggestions that people gave me, but I determined that the western
alignments (although imperfect) are the best that can be done right now.
The biggest change in this revised plan is the formation of an
independent Ivy League Conference. The 6 Ivy League teams that play
hockey (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale) are
taken out of the ECAC and are given their own conference with one
automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. Since it is safe to assume that
the Ivy's won't want a postseason tournament, the bid will be given to
the regular season champion. The reasoning behind this change is
simple: The Ivy League schools have different priorities when it comes
to athletics than most other schools do. They emphasize academics over
athletics, they don't offer athletic scholarships, ect. As a result,
there has been some tension in the ECAC between the Ivy League and
non-Ivy League schools. By giving the Ivy League schools their own
conference, they can do things their way without offending the non-Ivy
League schools.
In order to fill the void left by the departing Ivy League, two incoming
MAAC teams are moved into the ECAC: Bentley and Mercyhurst. This will
balance out both the MAAC and the ECAC at 8 teams each. It also will
give Bentley and Mercyhurst a chance to compete in an established,
tradition-rich conference.
The remaining eastern conference, Hockey East, is left untouched. It is
the only conference that is not affected by realignment.
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A RESPONSE TO MY CRITICS.....
There are some critics that contend that I am protecting the WCHA at the
expense of the CCHA, and that I should throw all of the teams into one
big pool and divide them by geography. Also, some people didn't like
that the east was left untouched. Let me answer these in turn:
First of all, I have absolutely nothing against the CCHA. I respect the
accomplishments of this league and I certainly don't hold a grudge
against them. But any realignment plan must address the increasing size
of the CCHA. The league will expand to 12 teams next season with the
addition of Neb-Omaha. In addition, Niagara is hoping to enter the
league after it moves up to D-I and one has to assume that UAH will want
to join in a couple of years. On top of all that, there are rumors of
other schools in the CCHA area looking into establishing D-I programs.
Now the obvious question is: Where in the heck are these teams supposed
to go? If something isn't done soon, we'll be talking about a 16 team
CCHA in the next 5 years or so. This would ruin rivalries and destroy
most of the benefits of being in an established conference (just look at
the Basketball/Football superconferences). By splitting this conference
into two parts, we are giving this area of the country the breathing
room that it needs for future expansion.
However, we also must avoid what I call a "Scorched-Earth Policy" of
realignment. Having balanced conferences and room for expansion is
important, but maintaining traditional rivalries is also important. We
must avoid doing any unnecessary damage to the tradition that makes this
sport what it is today. This is why putting all of the teams in a pool
and aligning them based only on geographical concerns is the wrong road
to travel down. Both of my plans minimize the movement of teams and
carefully place the emerging programs in places where they will fit in.
After hearing criticism of leaving the east untouched, I went back and
did some more brainstorming. What I came up with was an independent Ivy
League and a smaller, more manageable ECAC and MAAC. The one conference
that escapes change is Hockey East, which I felt should be left alone at
this time.
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There it is. Feel free to comment.
Brian
(GO SIOUX!!!)
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