Luke Stedrak, a faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University, offers his thoughts on NCAA conference realignment and how it might affect college sports in 2024 and beyond.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The 2023-2024 college football season has officially kicked off, and it will mark the final one before massive changes next season. Thanks to earth-shattering NCAA conference realignment, the landscape of college football will never be the same, says Luke Stedrak, a tenured faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University.
At the beginning of the summer, everyone already knew college football would look different next season, thanks to the impending departures of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference. In addition, UCLA and USC both announced in December 2022 that they were leaving the Pac-12 Conference for the Big Ten.
Then, in the span of just a few weeks near the end of summer, the Pac-12 Conference was essentially dismantled, with all but two members bolting for other conferences.
Luke Stedrak explained that Colorado first announced its intention to join the Big 12. Shortly after, Arizona announced it would be doing the same.
Just a few days later, Washington and Oregon announced they were leaving for the Big Ten. California and Stanford were next to announce their departure, this time for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). That left only two Pac-12 teams remaining -- Washington State and Oregon State, both of which have yet to announce a new conference destination for 2024.
In addition to the additions of Stanford and California, the ACC added Southern Methodist University (SMU), pulling in yet another school from outside their geographic region in an attempt to stay relevant in college football for 2024 and beyond.
While the focus of all of these moves has centered on college football, Luke Stedrak points out that there will be massive implications in all college sports due to NCAA conference realignment. That's because every sport at each of these schools will play in their new conferences starting in 2024.
The NCAA conference realignment could cause major logistical and financial concerns for sports other than football and men's basketball. Travel costs might prove to be too much for some sports that aren't as well-funded, as teams from southern California (USC and UCLA) now have to travel to New Jersey (Rutgers) to play conference games, as Luke Stedrak explains.
In addition, traditionalists are concerned about the disappearance of long-time rivalries disappearing with the NCAA conference realignment.
The Bedlam Series -- held between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State -- has been held since 1904, but 2023 will be the last one on the schedule due to realignment. While other in-state rivalries may remain -- such as the "Civil War" between Oregon and Oregon State or the "Apple Cup" between Washington and Washington State -- there are no guarantees.
No matter one's opinion on the matter, it's very clear that college sports will look completely different next year thanks to the massive NCAA conference realignment that took place in only a matter of weeks late in the summer.
About Dr. Luke Stedrak
Dr. Luke Stedrak, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Southeastern Louisiana University, is renowned for K-12 school finance research, emphasizing constitutional rights in public schools. Stedrak's impactful work features in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal. He's earned the National Education Finance Academy Fellowship for distinguished research and is on the Education Law Association's Board of Directors.
Media Contact
Luke Stedrak, Luke Stedrak, 985-549-5714, luke.stedrak@selu.edu
SOURCE Luke Stedrak
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