Meaningless Conference Names

Have you noticed that many college sports conference names have now been rendered virtually meaningless? College basketball´s Atlantic 10 conference is a prime example. Once upon a time, it consisted of 10 schools based in Atlantic coast states. But not anymore. Now it is comprised of 14 schools, three of which are the University of Dayton, Saint Louis University, and Xavier University. However, no one has bothered to change the name of the conference as a result of this evolution. Perhaps it should now be called the "All-over-the-Place 14."

Then we have college basketball´s Big East. Like the Atlantic 10, the Big East once consisted only of east coast universities. But it has undergone similar changes over the last 20 years. It now includes the likes of the University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, the University of Louisville, Marquette University, and West Virginia University. Maybe it should be renamed the "Big East of the Mississippi."

And let´s not forget about the Big Ten. (Lest you think I´m being inconsistent here, the Atlantic 10 uses the numerals while the Big Ten uses the word). Anyway, back in 1989, the Big Ten voted to allow Pennsylvania State University (more commonly know as Penn State) into their fold. However, no provision was made for renaming the conference. Therefore, true fans of college sports keep in the back of their minds that the Big Ten is really the "Big Eleven."