Design your own conference

[Norm]

Okay, give us what you think would be the best outcome for Marquette if UConn and Rutgers go to the ACC and the Big East collapses. Here's what my ideal conference for them would be - a 16 team conference made up of 12 football schools and 4 basketball only schools. Again, this is a pipe dream, so here goes:

Notre Dame
Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Kansas State
Baylor
TCU
Louisville
West Virginia
South Florida
Cincinnati
Marquette
Georgetown
Villanova
DePaul

This would set up two 6-team divisions in football with a championship game that could be held at Cowboys Stadium, with a game at Soldier Field every 5 years or so. A basketball tournament could also alternate between Dallas and Chicago.

For football it has 3 of the nations most storied programs in ND, Texas and Oklahoma, and gives them the opportunity for 4 out-of-conference games, which the teams should like.

As for basketball, that is one heck of a powerful conference. DePaul , USF and TCU are the weak links, but everyone else has a great bball tradition and would just beat on each other every night.

If that can't work out (and it most likely wont), then I'd look at a bball only conference of the following:

Marquette
Georgetown
Villanova
St. John's
Seton Hall
Providence
DePaul
Xavier
Duquesne
Butler
Detroit
St. Louis

(I'd also consider Davidson, St. Joe's, Bradley and Creighton)