On Friday, ESPN reported that the leading name for the new league is “America 12 Conference.” Nothing is official yet and league presidents are said to be considering other names.
However, the conference’s law firm has registered the domain name America12.org as well as the following: America12Conference.com, America12Sports.com, American12.org, American12conference.com, AmericaTwelve.com and TheAmerica12Conference.com.
While America 12 Conference is not necessarily a bad name, I’m just not sure why any new conference would want to have a number in their name in the current climate of conference realignment.
Out of the three FBS conferences that have a number in their name, the Pac-12 is the only one with an accurate number of members. The Big 12 Conference has ten members, while the Big Ten Conference has twelve.
For the 2013 season, the soon to be former Big East Conference will have 10 football members: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Rutgers, SMU, Temple, UCF, and USF.
In 2014, Louisville departs for the ACC while Rutgers heads to the Big Ten. East Carolina and Tulane will replace them, so the conference will still have 10 members.
Navy joins the conference in 2015, and sources told ESPN that they will likely add a 12th member at that time and that Tulsa is currently the only school under consideration.
The Big East Conference announced their 2013 football schedule last Wednesday. The first conference game under the new name will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7 when Houston visits Temple.
What do you think of the “America 12 Conference” name? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.
Football Schedules
I would’ve gone with East Central Conference, as the entire membership is in the Eastern and Central time zones.
I like that name. I would change the words around, and make it Central East Conference (CEC) or they want to have a catchy nickname, they can be the Central East League aka CEL. I do like CEC, making an easier change from Big (BEC) to Central (CEC).
CWC country wide conference
Metro Conference is a great rebranding and it describes its new members.
They probably don’t have the right to use that name.
Since they seem to want the word America in the name, what about the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Too simple to be considered.
looks like we had the same idea at the same time.
I like American Athletic Conference sounds great…start a facebook. Support page.
That’s the best sounding name so far. Wonder if it would commonly referred to as the American Conference after a while.
How about just the American Athletic conference. The AAC. Doesn’t reflect any number or geographical restrictions. You could even include Canadian schools if you wanted. They’re techincally American to.
how about the “Apathy 12″……….
Conference USA seems to have gotten it right.
I like that American Athletic Conference suggestion.
You got that right. Whatever they do the name will always be meaningful.
I liked “Great South” or “Metro South” as a name. The conference is almost all southern teams (well Cincinnati is on the border) and the center of gravity is approximately 10 miles northwest of Atlanta, Georgia (where I’d move the HQ … either there or Orlando where the Mouse lives given the ESPN contract).
Of course the south loves names with “America” in it, so I suppose this is appropriate. Heck the Big East name only meant something to the office workers in providence and maybe Connecticut – who are not too popular with the rest at the moment.
So I am fine with it.
UConn and Temple are in the northeast. That name won’t work.
Since the Big East originally had many more members as a whole, and is now down to 10 members, it should be called the Little East Conference.
C-USA v2.0
Bingo.
?
I like Metro American Conference. Sounds good to me.
There is already a Mid-American Conference (MAC) and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). I am sure they want to distinguish themselves from other conferences.
Eastern Athletic Conference (EAC) is my suggestion..But i do like the American Athletic Conference is a smart name idea.
Big America Conference.
Good suggestion Hugh. I had that in mind too.
Good to know that you are with me. I have had this name in mind for a while. It makes the most sense. :)
I would go with the Gulf Atlantic Conference since the majority of the teams fall along or between the Atlantic and the Gulf Coasts. They could have a Gulf Division and an Atlantic Division kind of like the ACC has their divisions named.
nice one James
GAC sounds good
I thought the catholic schools would be leaving in BB only. (those catholic schools are not in FB for “Big East”) Does this mean ND will leave too? (for BB)
Notre Dame (as of now) is scheduled to say with the new group (Cinci, UConn etc) for 2013-14 and then join the ACC. But they are talking about negotiating an exit one year earlier. Personally I expect they will be playing ACC hoops this fall.
ND announced a move to the ACC last September.
I like American Metro Conference, AMet or AMC (if the cable channel will permit).
I like Big America Conference (BAC) or All America Conference (AAC) or anything that covers the US as a whole. Then when they add Central and West teams the name still makes sense. A nationwide contest would generate a lot of interest up front.
Everyone things they are ready to add teams!
You can rank these 6 conferences any way you want, but these 6 are all light years ahead of the Unnamed Conference.
SEC
BIG XII
B1G
MWC
ACC
PAC 12
Once Cinci and UConn bail, USF and Memphis will be the flagship programs. No one will be rushing to join them. They will be similar to the MAC, the BELT, and the deleted CUSA. Depending on who is up and who is down; they will be anywhere from the 7th to the 10th best football conference.
Sorry Bill but the conferences you refer to only represent one half of the teams in Division IA. The BCS have kept the top 60 where they are and the government should have busted up the illegal monopoly a long time ago. Of course the NCAA is useless and just concentrates on basketball and Olympic sports. So the rich stay rich and all others stay “all others” but we can dream.
How about Conference 123 or Conference ABC…is that generic enough?
I agree that a number in a conference name, considering the current climate of realignment, does not seem feasible. You can capture a non-specific geographical, non-numerical, countrywide intent with any number of names. Example: HOMELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE.
There are some good names here. I think that a new comference name should be just that. NEW. Not a re-newal or a name common with others, yet respectful to and representative of all members, current and future. America, Eastern, Atlantic, Gulf, Mid, Big, etc. are words common to other conferences. I like HOMELAND ATHLETIC CONFERENCE OR HOMELAND CONFERENCE OR HOMELAND SCHOOLS ATHLETIC CONFERENCE. No geographical or numerical restrictions here. It encompasses everyone, everywhere, in the good old USA.
Homeland reminds people of Homeland Security and 9/11. Not commercially feasible.
That’s a fair point, Mike. However, HOMELAND represents autonomy of country and the proud, resilient people of America. In the same way it would represent a new, proud conference with the same independence and ability to grow and prosper. The phrase HOMELAND is not new and it’s positive inferences far outweigh any negative connotations.
It should be known as the NUC, the Nomadic University Conference. Their slogan should be: Stepping Stone to a Better (Conference) Tomorrow.
How about the Big Least?
and the name should be:
“American College Football Conference”
Anything that does not have American in it
“United States College Football Conference
There are also basketball teams involved.
…and now for something completly different:
“The Conference that makes biiing”
So many comments. So few that are worthwhile.
I like AmericaTwelve or THE AT for short. Roll Wave!
Or just get rid of the 12 altogether and just call it AmericaX. The X can stand for any number of teams and then you have THE AX for short.
Cost to Coast Conf. Tripple C.
Just call it “The East America Conference”
Gotta go with the Central Coast Conference… Piggy back off the ACC as I love the way it rolls off the tongue.. CCC…
I am not sure of a particular name but to incorporate the Phoenix bird symbol would be awesome – since this group of vagabonds is rising out of the ashes.
Of course using America or American in the name and the American eagle as the symbol would be great also, if not already taken.
The Big American Conference.
Well, since the Catholics are leaving, how about ‘The Godless Conference’?
BIG LAND CONFERENCE or URBAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Conference TBA!
They keep saying they’re working on their name and will announce it eventually, thus, Conference To Be Announced!
I kinda like Big American Conference, since it recognizes our country’s obesity epidemic. And we’d call it the Big A*s Conference most of the time. Conference East works best though. The “CE”. Since 10 of the 12 members once were in Conference USA it recognizes that, and it was once the Big East… hence “Conference East”.
Bring back the Metro Conference! Cincinnati, Tulane, Memphis, and departing Louisville all were part of the old Metro. All future members are located in large metropolitan cities anyway except for East Carolina. It definitely makes more sense than tabbing southwestern schools like Houston and SMU as members of an “East” conference. Not sure why a conference name has to have any directional names anyway. Metro makes sense.
How about something a little different, without the word conference in it… Alliance America.
That’s an excellent thought, Dan. ALLIANCE certainly defines an organization, it’s members and it’s goals. However, might it be too generic, not specific enough. I think of Alliance as pertaining to the NCAA and all member schools. Whereas a specific conference name within that alliance distinguishes it from others, thus creating more individuality. Just an observation.