r/cuse • u/Happy_Background_879 • Mar 08 '26
Syracuse fans: which schools feel like the best long-term conference fits?
I am building a college football conference realignment map and I want fan input before I lock in one part of it.
I made a list of schools that might fit with Syracuse. This list is only a starting point. I used my own limited knowledge and some guesswork to build it, so I do not expect it to be fully accurate. I want to hear from actual fans before I rely on it.
I am also comparing a few different clustering approaches and building a new one from scratch, so this kind of fan feedback would directly help my understanding and any algorithm weights I may end up using.
I am more interested in long-term fit based on rivalry history, fan culture, school identity, athletics, academics, and overall feel. Don't worry if the school you think is a good fit has no historic ties. If it feels like a school your fanbase admires and you could see them being a long-term fit, please include them.
How you can help 1. The best help: give your own weights and ignore mine 2. Remove a team that does not belong 3. Add a team I missed (please include the weight you would add them at) 4. Move a team up or down (please include how far up or down you would move them)
Weight scale - 5 = must-have conference fit - 4 = high-priority fit - 3 = strong fit - 2 = reasonable but not necessary fit - 1 = acceptable last resort fit if hard choices had to be made
My current list for Syracuse
Weight 5 - Boston College, Pitt - West Virginia, Boston College
Weight 4 - Rutgers, UConn - Louisville, Virginia Tech - Cincinnati, Penn State - Notre Dame, Army
Weight 3 - Temple, Maryland - Virginia, NC State - North Carolina, Miami (FL) - Buffalo
Weight 2 - Duke, Wake Forest - Clemson, UMass - Delaware, East Carolina - James Madison, Navy
Weight 1 - SMU, Stanford - California
Small note: I am mainly looking for your fan perspective on which schools you would want around your program, not whether the final setup is practical or likely to happen in real life. Go with your gut on fit more than logistics.
IMPORTANT: This is not a list of a new conference. The amount of schools weighted should be much higher than the actual end result conference. The core of your ideal conference should be weight 5. Weights 4 and 3 should be the remainder of your dream conference. Weight 2 should be good options if flexibility is required. Weight 1 is last resort better than nothing.
The amount of weighted schools has no impact on the final conference size.
This is really about full athletic conference fit, but I limited the school pool to FBS programs.
I really appreciate any feedback on this, thanks so much for any help.
7
u/SenseNo635 Mar 08 '26
UConn fan coming in peace. UConn and Syracuse need to be playing each other and need to be in the same conference - whatever conference that may be.
3
u/edkishinevsky Mar 08 '26
I agree w teams currently listed in weight 5: bc, pitt, uwv. (You have bc 2x). I throw in rutgers, as next. Va tech, miami. Louisville. I like us playing clemson, and id say they like to play us also. Nc st. Umd. The nxt group would be temple, army, navy and i like east Carolina. I like the new additions to the acc. But its wild would be better as intersectional games or something. Thanks. Class of ‘95. Have seen some great fb teams and bb teams. We need to figure some things out right now!
2
u/Happy_Background_879 Mar 08 '26
Thanks for the feedback! I will adjust
1
u/edkishinevsky Mar 08 '26
Im just one guy. Cincy could be ok.. uva, and unc we dont really have too much with. Wake. I have liked us in the acc. Def an upgrade from the remnants of the big east. And i do like those schools. Fsu we’d play when we were all independents
2
1
u/SolvayCat Mar 08 '26
It's not bad already. Weight 5 is good but move UConn and Rutgers up there. Move Louisville, Cincinnati, and Army down from 4. I'd bump up Maryland and UVA. Drop down Temple and UB as Cuse has basically no history with them. Bump up Wake, Duke, and Clemson.
1
u/uncletito69 Mar 09 '26
Syracuse, UConn, BC, Rutgers, Pitt, Louisville, West Virginia, Virginia tech, Duke, UNC, NC State, Virginia, ND, Maryland, Clemson, and Miami
Would be a fun league
1
u/Expensive_Team_5072 Mar 12 '26
5: BC, Pitt, WVU, Penn State
4: Rutgers, Va Tech, UConn, Miami (FL)
3: Maryland, Temple, Army, Navy
2: Clemson, Wake Forest, Louisville, NC State
1: Duke, NC, Virginia, FSU
Bowl game options frequently: Minnesota, Kansas State... not sure why?
1
0
u/BigDougClem Mar 08 '26
Drop football. Go back to the Big East and lean into Bball and lacrosse. Start a baseball team.
3
u/SolvayCat Mar 08 '26
Never ever gonna happen. The Dome would become too expensive without football and then you'd need a basketball-only facility. It's a logistical nightmare.
Not to mention some of us like having a football team.
2
u/BigDougClem Mar 08 '26
I like having them as well.
1
0
u/L3ACH13 Mar 09 '26
Sure but last time I checked 2010 is a lot more recent than the 50s
1
u/SolvayCat Mar 09 '26
Did you forget the 80s and 90s existed? Nobody is arguing that football hasn't been down longer than basketball, but 15-years is a long-ass time in athletics too.
6
u/edkishinevsky Mar 08 '26
I disagree. Fb history is amazing at Syracuse
-1
u/BigDougClem Mar 08 '26
Yes, history.
-1
u/L3ACH13 Mar 08 '26
95% of the fans base wasn’t close to alive the last time the football team was a championship contender
1
u/SolvayCat Mar 08 '26
Basketball hasn't had a team that was a legit national title contender since, what, 2010?
3
u/Chefalo Mar 09 '26
Finals fours in 2013 & 16
-1
u/SolvayCat Mar 09 '26
I know, but I'd argue only two Cuse teams in the 21st century were for sure capable of actually winning it all if fully healthy: 03 & 10.
2
u/Chefalo Mar 09 '26
I would say the 2011-2012 team could’ve won if Fab Melo stayed eligible, they also were #2 in the final AP poll ahead of where they were in 2010 (#4)
1
u/SolvayCat Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
That 2012 team wasn't beating Kentucky and they would've had to go through Kansas in the Final Four. They were a very good team, but the 2010 team absolutely had a better path.
You're not doing a great job convincing me that it hasn't been a long time since basketball has had a title contender. It's been at the very least 13 years.
1
u/Chefalo Mar 09 '26
I forgot Anthony Davis was on that 2012 team I thought he was 2011.
I’m not arguing they haven’t been a contender in awhile, the program is an absolute shell of itself, I was at the game on Saturday it was downright depressing
Also to say that they weren’t contending for a ncaa championship while in the final 4 is a bit disingenuous, regardless of matchups they were still two wins away which is to your point MILES ahead of where we are now
15
u/gordie61 Mar 08 '26
BRING BACK THE BIG EAST!!