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Where do these leagues turn now in terms of scheduling with most power conferences toying with the idea of all going to 20 games?

That’s to be determined.

This writer wrote over the summer that the Atlantic 10 and American Conference needed to investigate an early-season “challenge” in an effort to get the teams at the top of their respective leagues better games, but the American’s addition of Wichita State may have changed its urgency to participate in such an event.

With the addition of the Shockers, this league now has a bona fide top-tier program to go alongside Cincinnati, SMU, Temple and others.

Another thing to keep in mind?

The American hasn’t gotten the mileage it’s hoped the past few years out of its two strongest brands — UConn and Memphis.

If that changes, this could be easily be a four- or five-bid league on an annual basis.

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Most college coaches will tell you that scheduling is the second most important part of any program, after recruiting, and it’s going to get even harder.

If most teams from Power 5 leagues are committed to 20 conference games — and in the Big Ten’s case, an additional tilt in both the Gavitt Games and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge — then there’s going to be very little wiggle room with scheduling.

“You’re going to be committed to 24 or 25 games before you can even begin your schedule when you consider that you’re also probably playing in a preseason tournament,” one Big Ten assistant told FanRag Sports last week. “There’s going to be minimal room to work with.”

And that also severely hurts programs in leagues like the Atlantic 10 and the Mountain West because it inhibits their ability to get home-and-home situations with teams that boast a higher level of cachet.

With 20 league games in place, the metrics are set up for teams from the Power 5 conferences and the Big East to eat up the majority of the at-large bid each-and-every March.

“The Big Ten isn’t doing this to get six teams in the NCAA Tournament,” one Big Ten head coach said last week on the condition of anonymity. “They’re doing this to get programs like Penn State and Nebraska into the NCAA Tournament. Going to 20 league games will create more opportunities for teams that aren’t usually in contention. That’s the goal of this.”

	Temple TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple College became Temple University in 1907. Located in Philadelphia, Temple is a comprehensive public research university with 34,000 students, 8 campuses, and 300 academic degree programs. Notable alumni include Bill Cosby and Daryl Hall. Temple's nickname is the Owls and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	St Bonaventure SAINT BONAVENTURE Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a liberal arts college located on 500 acres in southwestern New York state. SBU offers 43 undergraduate majors, the most popular of which are elementary education, journalism, psychology, accounting, marketing, finance, and management. Total undergraduate enrollment is 2,000. Virtually all freshmen and most undergraduates live on campus. A founding member of the A10 Conference. Famous athletes include Bob Lanier. Historical nickname was the Brown Indians, but later changed to the Bonnies. Their mascot is a wolf.