Conference conundrum

A few years ago, when my nephew Doug was running track for New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, N.J., he texted me from a track meet he was at in South Dakota.

South Dakota? What the heck was he doing out there, I wondered?

Well, he was out there competing in his conference championship. NJIT is in the Great West Conference. Take a moment for that to sink in. A school in Newark, about as east as you can get in these United States, is in a conference called the Great West – which has member schools scattered all over the lower 48 states.

This thought comes to mind with the news of Syracuse and Pittsburgh bolting the Big East for the ACC. The idea of Syracuse no longer being in the Big East, in particular, is mind boggling. I'm not a big college hoop or football fan, but when I think of the "Big East," I think of a droopy-eyed Jim Boeheim at the Garden in March.

Now SU, where is sometimes snows in May, is taking a ride down Tobacco road? But such is the nature of big-time college athletics these days, where money rules all.

Being a literal type of guy, I say these leagues should change names to eliminate the geographical references. The PAC 10 is looking to add schools from Texas? Makes no sense. Where's the PAC or the 10 in that equation? The ACC adding Northeast snow-belt schools? Gimme a break. I have no problem with the musical chairs these schools are playing. Just get the names more accurate, already.

I'm just glad we're in the MAAC, which is an incredibly stable league and where the name truly reflects the geography of most of the members schools.