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With Nebraska now joining the Big 10 and ESPN reporting the Big 10 is close to adding Notre Dame and Boston College to its conference could we see the end to the CCHA or at least realignment. The Big 10 could now have its own Hockey Conference. Just look at these teams that could form the Big 10 Conference.

Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Nebraska
Notre Dame
Penn State
Boston College
Ohio State

Hate to admit it but that would be one very nice conference.

Except you forgot Wisconsin. Also, Nebraska and Penn State don't have DI hockey and aren't likely to add it anytime soon.

This has been discussed over and over again. If this ever happened it would disrupt college hockey to the point that it would likely fold. There are far more smaller schools in college hockey than in any other sport, many of which are perennial power houses. To create a "super conference" by stealing these larger schools from the other conferences to form a "Big Ten" conference would be suicide.

Besides, Nebraska doesn't have a hockey team. It's the University of Nebraska at Omaha that has the team.

I know it would be suicide if Big 10 started its own hockey conference but I still think college hockey would survive. As far as Penn State goes they have a lower division program and have been wanting to move up to D1. I did forget about Wisky. Replace them instead of Nebraska and now you have an even stronger conference.

I don't think the Big 10 gets either Notre Dame or Boston College. I have never heard BC and the Big 10 mentioned in the same sentence during this whole thing so I'm not sure where that came from. As for ND, I just think they are too stubborn and won't drop being an independent for football, and while all of this is centered around $$$, ND doesn't need the cash, and for everyone thinking the Big East is going to collapse and force ND into the Big 10, the only thing that is going to collapase is Big East football, leaving the Big East a non-football conference like they were until the 90's

I don't see BC going to the B10 either, let alone leaving Hockey East, for that matter. I could see Cincy moving to the Big Ten, if Mizzou moves as well. It makes sense geographically, and Cincy has a large fan base in the city. Though OSU wouldn't like it much at all...

As for the CCHA, I really think the league should allow UAH in for next year. With all the programs stable, and UNO leaving, the time is right to bring Alabama-Huntsville into the fold and bring us back up to 12. Plus, they're easily the strongest of the currently independent teams.

jg4242 wrote:the time is right to bring Alabama-Huntsville into the fold and bring us back up to 12. Plus, they're easily the strongest of the currently independent teams.

Not too hard, since they are currently the only independent team.

rood wrote:

jg4242 wrote:the time is right to bring Alabama-Huntsville into the fold and bring us back up to 12. Plus, they're easily the strongest of the currently independent teams.

Not too hard, since they are currently the only independent team.

There's that! I'd forgotten that the other three CHA schools had gotten picked up already... Doesn't change the fact that the move makes sense for both UAH and the CCHA.

jg4242 wrote:I could see Cincy moving to the Big Ten, if Mizzou moves as well. It makes sense geographically, and Cincy has a large fan base in the city. Though OSU wouldn't like it much at all...

UC doesn't have the academics for the Big 10, and even if they did Ohio State would probably still not allow it to happen

The Great Realignment of 2010 will have absolutely no direct or indirect effect on college hockey conferences.

BGDrew wrote:The Great Realignment of 2010 will have absolutely no direct or indirect effect on college hockey conferences.

Agree 100%. Comparing D1 hockey conferences to D1 football conferences are two entirely different animals.

Unfortunately, Hockey is the only sport that isn't going to be affected in a negative way when all of the conference realignments are said and done. Well, fortunate for hockey, unfortunate for the rest. Plus the Big 10 is looking to expand to 20 teams by the 2013 season. If they do that then they very well could establish their own hockey conference, assuming that at least 3 of the new schools have hockey (a broad assumption I know).

ANYWAY...for now I think the CCHA is safe and I'm liking the way the new coach is handling the program so far, albeit I'm looking on from a pretty far distance now-a-days.

drumstix2388 wrote:Unfortunately, Hockey is the only sport that isn't going to be affected in a negative way when all of the conference realignments are said and done. Well, fortunate for hockey, unfortunate for the rest. Plus the Big 10 is looking to expand to 20 teams by the 2013 season. If they do that then they very well could establish their own hockey conference, assuming that at least 3 of the new schools have hockey (a broad assumption I know).

ANYWAY...for now I think the CCHA is safe and I'm liking the way the new coach is handling the program so far, albeit I'm looking on from a pretty far distance now-a-days.

I don't think there are 3 other teams with hockey that are going to be in the mix with the expanding Big10. None of the Big 12 schools have D1 hockey, and the only other schools with hockey that are academically/athletically near the Big10 are ND, BC, and Air Force. I doubt that BC would leave the ACC or Hockey East, and I think we can all rule out a service academy being invited to the Big10.

Even if the Big10 expands, I highly doubt we'll ever see a successful Big Ten hockey conference.

No offense but I have heard BC and ND mentioned with great frequency and increasing speculation. That said who cares, it wont change hockey, not one bit.
and imagine for one second just how fast college would be corrupted if they did...a BCS type championship would soon follow and that whole national popularity contest...blagh...
dont want it.

I know it's a definite possibility that ND would move, but I'm really not sure that BC would want to change allegiances. The B10 may want them, but I don't think BC would want to travel that far for conference opponents in all their sports...

Even if they were to both join the B10, I really don't see BC wanting to give up its place at the top of the Eastern hockey world.