Q: So who's the next conference to fall/merge/split/divide etc
- Thread starter Anon1754760634
- Start date
Ironically I'm hearing that the SWSC seems pretty content for now despite the lopsided 13 team "conference"...that from a scheduling standpoint they still have the "Blue" and "Red" enrollment base in place which also allows them two crossover games.
Hmmm.
Hmmm.
Any conference where you don't play every team within the conference is inherently broken in my mind. If they truly split into two Divisions (so there are two champions) that would be better. Kinda like how the Upstate does it with Valley Division and River Division.
But if they did that - it is then woefully lopsided with 7 teams in one Division and 6 teams in the other.
SWSC is a like a three legged dog. they can limp along for awhile, but sooner or later have to head to the Doc to get the leg fixed or Ganggreen will set in.
Last edited:
In regards to the remains of the DVC and Upstate,... Two more "3 legged dogs" that need to see the Doc soon!!
Conference Chaos!! Conference Mayhem!!
Powers that be... time to get up and make some rain with some mergers and shiny new conferences!!!
Conference Chaos!! Conference Mayhem!!
Powers that be... time to get up and make some rain with some mergers and shiny new conferences!!!
Small schools, Interstate Eight is about to see changes, possible to see Morris and/or Kankakee to get involved
Interesting. Morris seems like a natural fit for the Interstate Eight.
No idea if this is even in the realm of possibility, but I'd like to see the ESCC add two teams and make it a 12-team league with two six-team divisions. Preferably, have a North/South setup to cut down on some of the travel.
I find it interesting that the ESCC only plays a 9-game conference schedule in basketball. It's easy to schedule basketball games, and I'm guessing they think all the travel involved with an 18-game conference schedule is not worth it. Baseball does it, but they have Saturday doubleheaders for the extreme travel matchups like Carmel/JCA, MCC/Marian etc. etc.
I find it interesting that the ESCC only plays a 9-game conference schedule in basketball. It's easy to schedule basketball games, and I'm guessing they think all the travel involved with an 18-game conference schedule is not worth it. Baseball does it, but they have Saturday doubleheaders for the extreme travel matchups like Carmel/JCA, MCC/Marian etc. etc.
If you played an 18 game conference schedule in basketball you would have no non conference games outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
They have North and South divisions they should play their division twice and the other division once. 18 is too many but 9 is too few conference games.
Does that crackup the Southland-the the remaining 5 try to glom onto the SSC (CM would be only one who could interest/hang in the SWSC), or do 1 or 3 Thorns ditch those 2 confetences to koin the Southland.
The SWSC is a cluster****. Start with the odd number in the conference, then toss in wild enrollment disparities. Add into the mix 3 schools that are dysfunctional or non-participating in a slew of sports and pose real safety risks when hosting events after dark. The administrators of these SWSC schools/districts are either lazy or gutless to allow this to continue. They must really have their heads in the sand to think this can go on any longer. The solution, regrettably, would not likely hold up to "political correctness," however, as it did not earlier in this millennium.
The Southwest Prairie is a 10-team conference and does this.
I understand why the ESCC only plays conference foes once. Travel is a nightmare in the conference. My point? It seems like a very loose association in basketball. When conference games make up such a small percentage of the overall schedule, they hold a diminished significance. Pat's/ND is a great rivalry in all sports. I've followed the ESCC for years. At one time, Carmel/JC had a decent rivalry, since they are both Carmelite schools, but that seems to have lessened. The distance between the schools is a contributing factor. I'd be hard pressed to name a truly intense rivalry between schools in the ESCC....other than Pat's/ND. And it's tough to build rivalries when you only play each other once in a given season.
I'm old enough to remember the old Illini-8 days. My sophmore year was the last year of that conference. I believe JC may have been independent my Jr. year, then joined the ESCC my Sr. year. There are no JC/JT West or JC/Lockport type rivalries in the ESCC for JCA. That's too bad for the school and kids. There was genuine dislike between schools in the old I-8 conference, which makes for great rivalries.
CCL is on the outs! The Blue teams are sick of playing each other/beating up on each other. Might not be completely dissolving but realignment has been talked about for multiple years.
Kevin Schmit from the Daily Herald just tweeted that Oswego, Oswego East and Bolingbrook have all declined invites to join the DVC for 2018-19. I know those schools were the targets, but not sure their declining the invites had been posted. DVC principals to meet and discuss options...
Same deal as the CCL Blue, why would you want to join a conference and get your head beat in for 9 weeks?
I'm looking forward to the development of a "virtual reality Madden" high school football conference---eliminate concussions, travel and the IHSA.
On that note, do any grouping of schools or even conferences participate in/sponsor videogaming competitions? Is it an IHSA recognized activity?
I think that NC and NN should break away from the Valley schools and try to hook on with another conference since it seems like no one is going to the DVC and no conference is gonna add 5 schools unless they already have an odd number. That being said their options are really limited, the WSC or Southwest Praire both work geographically but I doubt those schools would want to take on 2 more teams in either conference.
Not a rumor as there appears to be no chance of it happening, but how about:
West Suburban West:
Downers Grove South
Metea Valley
Naperville Central
Naperville North
Neuqua Valley
Waubonsie Valley
West Suburban Central:
Downers Grove North
Glenbard West
Hinsdale Central
Lyons Township
OPRF
York
West Suburban East:
Addison Trail
Hinsdale South
Leyden
Morton
Proviso East
Proviso West
Willowbrook
Plus or minus one other school, probably from the Metro Suburban- R-B and Fenton would be good candidates...
Stagg is looking to move simply due to football. Problem is non of the conferences near that have smaller schools have interest in them joining.
Truth to this first statement as reflected in Stagg road boys basketball win over H-F this Friday (who also lost at Evanston last night).
That is crazy!!! Thanks for posting Bruno, congrats on your first post. Really thought Oswego, Oswego East and Bolingbrook were locks. Now what?
Last edited:
In a perfect world... I would like to see the Naper-Plainfield Conference formed with the Plainfield schools joining Naperville. Perfect geographical fit, and I think we (NN) could get to five wins.
I think there was a lot of fear and handringing about consistently making the playoffs in that proposed conference of 8...... the Oswegos as it stands now are a lock to make the playoffs every year. Bolingbrook just missed the playoffs last year for the first time in like forever?
I think the best bet is either down the line the 5 schools get added to West Suburban as a division with one other team (per the layout above) or the 5 schools get absorbed into the Upstate and only play each other plus West Aurora in football.
i also think most conferences don't want to see any of these teams waltz thru their doors.... this could be a major long term problem for the 5 schools. They might have to break up per Clowns recommendation and hope the D203 schools find a home in the same conference and ditto with the Valleys.
That would be awesome, but I think they would have similiar hesitations a la Oswegos and Brook.
3 is an odd number - maybe Metea and Dub V should go Co-op and have just one football team for the two schools 
. Wouldn't affect their classification - both are 8A already and they would be about where Neuqua is with number of students!!
People like even numbers of schools to add to their merry little band!! Maybe I should proprose this at a school board meeting. Lol.
. Wouldn't affect their classification - both are 8A already and they would be about where Neuqua is with number of students!! People like even numbers of schools to add to their merry little band!! Maybe I should proprose this at a school board meeting. Lol.
At this point with Upstate 8 adding Glenbard South they will be set with 10 teams the only option the Naperville schools will have is to do something with the Southwest Suburban schools who have that odd 13 team set up but who knows if those schools would even be willing to entertain it.
The last option is to stay in the DVC play 1 non conference game and play home and away with other 4 teams.
The last option is to stay in the DVC play 1 non conference game and play home and away with other 4 teams.
Last edited:
For most sports yes there would be home and away but I don't think they would do that for football. I think they would play 4 conference games and 5 non conference games. Probably have to go out of state for at least two Maybe 3 games. Maybe they will work on a multi year home and away non conference schedule with CCL blue and West Suburban. That would handle 2 or 3 of the 5 non conference games.
Football wise a five team conference would need 10 weeks to play each other twice.
There are no byes conference play starts in week 1 and the odd team plays a non conference, it's how the DVC currently does it.
It is not mathematically possible for a 5 team league to play a true round robin in 9 weeks. It would take five weeks to play all the other four once. It would have to be unbalanced like the SWSC
Your right I'm missing the second bye week, for someone who does math all day at work I'm pretty terrible at it.
Last edited: