The winds of change blew frequently in the early part of the decade.
The summers of 2010, 2011 and 2012 were rife with wheeling and dealing as colleges played a game of conference musical chairs, hoping to find a better seat than the one they previously occupied. The offseason chaos that seemed so constant then is much more subdued now, with the power conferences remaining mostly stable in recent years.
There was rampant speculation at the time on which schools and conferences "won" or "lost" in conference realignment. Now that ample time has passed, it's possible to evaluate who really did well and who didn't in the major shifts that changed the college football landscape. Here, that's what we set out to do.
Using a few criteria -- including on-field success, finances and future outlook -- and by obtaining financial data, as well as speaking with athletic directors and conference commissioners, we evaluate how the dozen programs that moved between (or into) Power 5 conferences fared in their move, and also which of those five conferences succeeded (or failed) in conference realignment.
(Editor's note: All financial data was obtained via open-records requests unless otherwise noted.)
COLORADO
Joined Pac-12 in: 2011
Record vs. league since joining: 13-42
How it's worked out: This one could be viewed either way. From a standpoint of pure on-field football success, the move hasn't worked out. But is that really because the Buffaloes switched conferences? They were struggling before they left the Big 12 (21-40 in their past five seasons), and it's hard to say that simply remaining in the Big 12 would've changed that. What the Buffs did find is a more stable conference that brought them closer to their California alumni base ("We have more than 30,000 alumni on the West Coast," athletic director Rick George said) and put them in a conference that George called more "compatible" with Colorado academically. And now, the football future is looking bright: After five consecutive losing seasons, they went 10-4 last year and won the Pac-12 South, recruiting has improved, they've had major football facility overhauls (their Champions Center is a pristine headquarters for the football program) and athletics revenue has grown gradually in recent years ($58.3 million in fiscal year 2013; $64.2 million in 2014; $67.8 million in 2015; and $77.2 million in 2016). "Last year was a really good step for us," George said. "I think moving forward, our program will be in a much better position consistently to compete for that top spot that we were last year."
NEBRASKA
Joined Big Ten in: 2011
Record vs. league since joining: 31-18
How it's worked out: It got the Cornhuskers out of a league that was on unstable footing at the time and into one that has been stable and strong. The Big Ten is currently second only to the SEC in per-school revenue distribution. and Nebraska is reaping those benefits. The athletic department revenue has risen significantly (it went from the $73 million to 74 million range at the end of last decade to over $100 million each in the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years), and donations are up, too. They've been competitive on the football field, regularly in the top 25, but perhaps haven't had quite the success the fan base hopes for. Still, they've won at least nine games all but one season since joining the Big Ten.
UTAH
Joined Pac-12 in: 2011
Record vs. league since joining: 25-23
How it's worked out: Like TCU, it got the Utes into a power conference at a time when they previously weren't. And like TCU, Utah's on-field football success while outside of a power conference had a lot to do with it. It took them a little time to "get their sea legs" on the field, as athletic director Chris Hill put it, but the past three seasons have seen Utah finish ranked in the top 25 and win at least nine games. Financially, this has been a great move for the Utes. Fiscal year 2016 was their best yet, pulling in $79.4 million in revenue, a far cry from the $25 million it was 10 years earlier. "We're there now, in terms of our growth," Hill said.
MISSOURI
Joined SEC in: 2012
Record vs. league since joining: 19-21
How it's worked out: There has been some good and some bad for the Tigers since joining the SEC. The good: They won two SEC East football titles in their first three years, showing they could be competitive in a league many thought they wouldn't be, and the athletic department has reaped significant financial benefits. After being in the red the three years preceding their move to the SEC, Missouri's athletic department turned a profit each of its first four years in the SEC. Donations went up both in football and many other sports. The bad? There was turnover in the university administration after a football boycott, and following Gary Pinkel's retirement, the football program suffered its worst season since 2001, going 4-8. The Tigers have had a losing overall record three of their five years in the league even though they're in a weaker SEC East. The future in football remains uncertain. Furthermore, the basketball program has hit rock bottom, going from a perennial NCAA tournament team in its late Big 12 days to one that hasn't gone in four years and is 27-68 in the past three seasons.
TCU
Joined Big 12 in: 2012
Record vs. league since joining: 25-20
How it's worked out: Simply put, it gave the Horned Frogs a seat at the table with college football's big boys. For whatever criticism the Big 12 takes, it's still a better alternative than TCU's previous home (the Mountain West), and it saved the Horned Frogs from the Big East, which dissolved in football. Athletic department revenue is way up (TCU pulled in $10 million in revenue in the 2008-09 school year; by 2015, that number was up to $38.8 million), and the Horned Frogs are plenty competitive. They were a College Football Playoff contender and Big 12 co-champion in 2014 and followed that with an 11-win season in 2015. It hasn't always been peachy (they also have two losing seasons in the past four years), but recruiting has improved significantly, facilities have been upgraded and Gary Patterson shows signs of going nowhere, which is a good thing. Athletic director Chris Del Conte credits the stability provided by a chancellor (Victor Boschini) and coach (Patterson) staying for an extended period (both have been at the school in their positions 15-plus years). "The Big 12 has been phenomenal for us," Del Conte said. "It's given us an opportunity to be on that stage and recruit on that stage and provide a phenomenal platform for our university."
TEXAS A&M
Joined SEC in: 2012
Record vs. league since joining: 21-19
How it's worked out: When the Aggies initially made the move, a common outside opinion was that they would "get their brains kicked in," as Kevin Sumlin once said. That didn't exactly happen. They went 20-6 in their first two seasons, and while they've plateaued since (three consecutive 8-5 seasons), the move has been mostly positive for Aggies athletics. The team's 11-2 debut season in the conference and Johnny Manziel's Heisman Trophy created a buzz rarely seen in Aggieland. The result? A lot more revenue. The Aggies were able to renovate Kyle Field to the tune of $485 million and have spent nearly $530 million total on football facility renovations. The athletic department hauled in $167 million in donations alone in a two-year span (2014-15 and 2015-16), with a significant portion of that money earmarked for Kyle Field. The media-rights revenue has also skyrocketed ($21.3 million in 2014-15, $28.7 million in 2015-16), and the new stadium has allowed football ticket sales to go from $24.4 million in 2008 to $41.7 million eight years later. All that adds up to a healthy athletic department. Now if the Aggies can translate that to more wins (their conference record in recent years leaves much to be desired), the fan base would be much happier. That said, the football program is much more relevant than it was in its twilight Big 12 years.
WEST VIRGINIA
Joined Big 12 in: 2012
Record vs. league since joining: 22-23
How it's worked out: While the Mountaineers just had their best season since joining the Big 12 (they were 10-3 in 2016), they haven't yet reached the level they were in their Big East days (they averaged 9.5 wins per season their last 10 years in the conference). That said, West Virginia had to get out of the Big East because it was dying, and then-athletic director Oliver Luck deserves credit for engineering that move, because it's better to be at the adult's table than to be at the kiddie table when it comes to revenue. Still, it's an awkward fit geographically (the closest Big 12 school to West Virginia is Iowa State, more than 850 miles away), and it has come at a cost: Travel expenses for the athletic department are way up, going from right around $5 million in 2011-12 to $9.1 million in 2014-15 and $7.2 million in 2015-16. That is offset by media-rights revenue, and the department revenue has nearly doubled ($55 million in in 2008-09 to $105 million in 2015-16), so they're in good shape financially, but the program has yet to find the consistent on-field football success that it did before moving.
PITT
Joined ACC in: 2013
Record vs. league since joining: 18-14
How it's worked out: Consider this: Had Pitt not joined the ACC, it wouldn't have been able to afford the NCAA's cost of attendance mandate. "That would have been a complete recruiting disadvantage," Wendy Meyers, Pitt's executive associate athletic director for business administration and human resources, said. Prior to entering the ACC, Pitt wasn't fully funded for scholarships. Not only has that changed, Pitt has also enhanced its summer school opportunities and life skills program for its athletes, and it has made its coaching salaries more competitive with the rest of the ACC. It has increased its staff, from athletic training and strength and conditioning to the hiring of two dietitians. According to the most recent federal tax return, Pitt received $23,604,756 for the 2015-16 year. Since joining the ACC, Pitt has also improved its facilities, upgraded its video and technology resources for the coaches, invested in nutrition, fundraising, marketing and media relations -- "all things we would not have been able to do if we hadn't joined the ACC," Meyers said. "When you're able to do this for the student-athletes, it's very exciting."
SYRACUSE
Joined ACC in: 2013
Record vs. league since joining: 9-23
How it's worked out: The No. 1 reason was stability. "You cannot underestimate the importance of that," said athletic director John Wildhack. The Orange have also seen a tremendous financial benefit. The ACC distributes its revenue equally, and according to the most recently released federal tax return, the 14 full-time member schools received an average of $26.3 million for the 2015-16 year. In addition, the league also collectively paid its schools more than $13.2 million in championship reimbursements. According to Syracuse.com, the current ACC payout is more than double what Syracuse made in the Big East. According to the report, during its final year in its old conference, Syracuse received $11.9 million in conference payouts. While the football program is still struggling to contend against Clemson and Florida State in the Atlantic Division, joining the conference has been a competitive upgrade for other sports such as lacrosse, basketball, soccer and field hockey. "It was a good marriage of all our sports," Wildhack said.
LOUISVILLE
Joined ACC in: 2014
Record vs. league since joining: 17-7
How it's worked out: Louisville's operating budget has risen from $77.2 million for the 2013-14 academic year prior to joining the ACC to its recently approved $104.5 million budget for the upcoming 2017-18 year. "I think it's raised our boat in every level, in everything we do," athletic director Tom Jurich said. "Whether it's marketing, whether it's academics, whether it's performance, whether it's community pride, fundraising -- everything has increased substantially since we've joined the conference." Travel has become even easier because all teams in the league are in the same time zone, and Jurich said the move has been "phenomenal" from a recruiting standpoint. "It gives you such a great home," he said. "You're not dealing with that what-if? Where are you going to be next year? You're in a major conference that has a great historical value to it." Fans are familiar with the teams, and the athletic department has grown exponentially in fundraising alone. Competitively, Louisville has been a strong addition to ACC football and was in the College Football Playoff conversation last year after hammering then-No. 2 Florida State 63-20 and losing a nail-biter to Clemson 42-36.
MARYLAND
Joined Big Ten in: 2014
Record vs. league since joining: 8-17
How it's worked out: Even though the Terps aren't winning the Big Ten title in football, joining the league was still a big win for the athletic department. Maryland has won a league-high 25 conference championships in other sports since joining the Big Ten, including nine this year. The exposure Maryland has gotten from the Big Ten network has enhanced its brand and helped its operating budget, though the program has yet to share in the league's full revenue because it does not become a full member until the 2019-20 school year. In spite of Maryland's struggles competitively in football, the program still increased its attendance by 14 percent and season-ticket holders by 25 percent during the first year it was in the league. In 2015, Maryland led the Big Ten and was fifth in the nation in men's basketball attendance. Coach D.J. Durkin took the team to a bowl game in his first season and lured in the nation's No. 20 recruiting class, but there is still a long way to go to close the gap with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
RUTGERS
Joined Big Ten in: 2014
Record vs. league since joining: 4-21
How it's worked out: To understand it, you have to look beyond the win-loss record in football. Rutgers was underfunded before joining the Big Ten, but once it becomes a fully financially integrated member of the Big Ten in 2021, the athletic department will have the resources to finance the support it needs to become more competitive. Athletic director Patrick Hobbs doesn't want to wait. He's already overseen the opening of a new $2.5 million strength and conditioning center he says is "as good as any in the Big Ten," and on Aug. 6, Rutgers will unveil its new $9 million practice fields. The athletic department is already working with architects on designs for a new locker room. Hobbs said that every coach he works with has told him they are seeing interest in Rutgers "from a quality of athlete above where it was in the past." "When you say to a kid, 'You're going to play Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State every year," he said, "that has an effect." Rutgers still has to grow as an athletic brand, but it wouldn't have had that opportunity in the Big East. "Our donors are responding in ways they frankly haven't before," said Hobbs. "We're hitting historic levels in fundraising. All of that has me firmly in the belief we're already on the road to success. ... The folks who don't think we belong in the Big Ten just aren't paying attention, because we're coming."
CONFERENCES
ACC
Gained: Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt
Lost: Maryland
How it's worked out: Had the ACC not expanded to 14 teams, the television deal with ESPN likely never would have happened. "The one-word answer is opportunity," said ACC commissioner John Swofford. "It gives us opportunities we'd never have otherwise. I think it's enhanced our league in every way. We wouldn't be where we are with the 2019 launch of the ACC-ESPN channel without growth, and not just growth, but quality growth." The ACC and ESPN agreed to a 20-year deal, and the conference extended its conference rights deal nine years through 2035-36. That grant of rights makes it financially untenable for a school to leave, giving the ACC the utmost long-term stability. The only way the ACC would change would be to grow even more, should Notre Dame ever decide to join a conference. Notre Dame is locked into an agreement that it would join the ACC if it ever joined a conference. If that happened, then the ACC would likely add one more program to have balanced divisions in football. "There's no question we're better and stronger as a league," Swofford said.
BIG 12
Gained: TCU, West Virginia
Lost: Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas A&M
How it's worked out: While things are not quite as volatile as they were in the summer of 2010,when it looked like the conference might be on the verge of extinction, the league has had its fair share of issues since then. The entire "Will they expand or not?" fiasco of 2016 was a poor look for the league. There remains no conference television network, while their counterparts in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC all have one. And even though they have a grant of rights deal that likely keeps the conference intact until 2024-25, the national perception of the league is that, while competitive and having some quality teams, it can be dysfunctional at times and is behind the others (the league has been left out of the College Football Playoff two out of the first three years and it is the only league without a conference football championship game, a distinction that will change for the first time in 2017).
Big Ten
Gained: Maryland, Rutgers, Nebraska
Lost: Nobody
How it's worked out: The conference got exactly what it was looking for -- which goes much deeper than football and basketball teams. Every new member was in a contiguous state, and the league was also looking to grow with institutions that were similar academically. Maryland, Rutgers and Nebraska have brought the Big Ten over 800,000 new alumni combined and hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research money. Commissioner Jim Delany wasn't expecting any of these programs to come in and beat Alabama in in their first three years in the conference. Instead, the benefits of expansion have been measured on a broader scope. The league has taken advantage of a profitable market, with offices in D.C. and New York, and championship sites in both Baltimore and New York. The Big Ten also has a marketing agreement with the Yankees, and it has expanded its brand not just for athletes, but also prospective students.
Pac-12
Gained: Colorado, Utah
Lost: Nobody
How it's worked out: We'll call them a winner for now, but it's a precarious position if things don't change, particularly when it comes to revenue, in the future. The conference took a home run swing at a Pac-16 that didn't formulate but still added a pair of teams. Colorado was a football bottom feeder for its first five years in the league until it turned in a 10-4 campaign last year, which included a Pac-12 championship game appearance. Utah has fared better, finishing in the AP Top 25 each of the past three seasons and having four winning seasons in its first six. The conference is stable, it has quality programs in attractive locations, and early in the decade seemed to be ahead of the media-rights revenue curve. The latter part has changed. The Pac-12 Network suffered to get the kind of distribution that its Big Ten and SEC counterparts did, thus creating a revenue gap. The league paid out an average of $28.7 million to each school in fiscal year 2016 while the SEC distributed roughly $40 million per school and the Big Ten distributed nearly $35 million per school. "I think a lot of us, ADs especially, are concerned about this gap that's growing in TV revenue [between the Pac-12 and] the Big Ten and the SEC," Utah athletic director Chris Hill said. "We're concerned we're going to get priced out if we're not careful."
SEC
Gained: Missouri, Texas A&M
Lost: Nobody
How it's worked out: The conference expanded its geographic footprint, and both football programs had success early on (the Aggies started 20-6 in the first two seasons, and Missouri won SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014). In 2014, two years after the schools joined, the SEC Network launched, and it has been successful in terms of distribution and revenue. That has only strengthened the conference. The league outpaces every other in the country when it comes to media-rights revenue distribution.