Gonzaga Bulldogs: Football realignment is great for Zags
Chip Clark
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With all eyes on college football realignment, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are in a position to ride the wave to a bigger conference.
One of the biggest criticisms of Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball is that they play in the West Coast Conference. Because of that affiliation, many fans feel that the Zags get to coast down the stretch and pile up wins.
To be fair, there are some bottom-tier teams in the WCC, but every conference has them. I would counter that Gonzaga has a target on their backs as the lead dog. Their conference opponents would love nothing better than to put a notch in their belt with a win over one of Mark Few’s squads.
All that may change because of football realignment. Football is the engine that powers college athletics, but it isn’t everything. Basketball still carries significant weight. The Gonzaga Bulldogs can ride the wave of realignment to a better conference because of who they are and their track record.
Out of the Box
This is the era of bigger is better in college sports. There have been rumors of the Big East Conference’s interest in western expansion. College basketball fans would love to see the Gonzaga Bulldogs play teams like St. Johns, Georgetown, Villanova, and Depaul on a regular basis.
If GU has some alliance with or joins the Big East, they won’t be going alone.
From the West Coast Conference, San Francisco, Saint Mary’s, and Loyola Marymount come with the Zags. They would likely be joined by schools like Loyola-Chicago, Saint Louis, and Incarnate Word to form a Western Division.
Think about that for a second. The Big East would have schools in New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, Milwaukie, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Antonio, and Cincinnati. With that lineup, the Big East could command a considerable television contract.
Gonzaga is 9-1-1 ATS vs the Big East since the 2010-11 season
— Bets Stats (@betsstats) March 28, 2021
While a Mega Big East with Gonzaga is a logistical nightmare, several other scenarios are at play. And frankly, the Zags’ fortunes primarily hinge on what happens with the University of Washington.