Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[woofermazing]

One nice thing about having your own network, you get to control the content.

SEC/ESPN deal has much to prove : The Kentucky Kernel

So far I think BTN production quality has been pretty good, with the exception of the cameras at the IU game.

 

[muffler dragon]

Nebraska just doesn't excite me at all. Throw in their lack of institutional control, reliance on partial qualifiers, small and unexciting (road trips to LINCOLN!!!) market and mediocre academic profile, and they are just a lousy pick.

Not that it's any better. Just clarifying.

 

[jlb1705]

The more I look at this, the more I think that people are looking too hard for warts with some of these institutions.

If any of these schools in the discussion were a slam dunk they would've been in the conference a long time ago.

To me the real question is, "Which candidates represent the best value to current members, and also have a chance to assimilate into the Big Ten profile?"

Notre Dame can work toward improving their graduate education and gaining AAU membership. Nebraska can eliminate the recruitment of partial-qualifiers. The Big Ten has a few trump cards (athletics dollars, academic dollars, increased stability) in hand to get institutions with a few warts to commit to cleaning them up. Such an approach is not unprecedented. See M*ch*g*n State's admission to the conference prior to being admitted to the AAU.

BTW, Nebraska's location does not bother me at all compared to Notre Dame's They're a proven draw both at their stadium and on TV. Road trips would indeed suck, but it's not as if South Bend is a large world class destination either. The attraction is not their location, but rather how well those programs capture attention beyond their boring podunk towns. Both of those programs do as well in that regard as any the Big Ten could hope to add.

 

[jlb1705]

Yeah, was a lil simplistic with Nebraska being better than Notre Dame. But what can the Big 10 do in regards to Notre Dame? Would you be willing to give Notre Dame special considerations to join the Big 10? Cuz I really think that is the only way those stubborn elitist pricks would be willing to come over. And by the time they would be willing to come to the Big 10 as equal partners they will be a shell of their former self.

No special considerations at all. They don't deserve it.

Besides, it may not be necessary. If the Big Ten maneuvers in a way that alters the landscape so drastically that ND literally has no real alternative, then they would seemingly be forced to accept it. And after the way the last dance between the Big Ten and ND went down, I don't think I'd want it to happen any other way besides a hostile takeover.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Yeah, was a lil simplistic with Nebraska being better than Notre Dame. But what can the Big 10 do in regards to Notre Dame? Would you be willing to give Notre Dame special considerations to join the Big 10? Cuz I really think that is the only way those stubborn elitist pricks would be willing to come over. And by the time they would be willing to come to the Big 10 as equal partners they will be a shell of their former self.

I also believe the Big 10 will not allow the partial qualifiers that Nebraska likes taking, so they will have to conform to get in.

We'll never give them any special treatment. Our hope of getting them is if the Big East has the balls to kick them out. Both the UCONN president and coach have hinted that there might be some form of ultimatum in the works.

Domers, being domers, have really treated the Big East like shit, from refusing to do true home and homes in football to poaching Brian Kelly from UC. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the powers that be in the Big East are more than ready to tell the domers to get lost.

Part of me wants to see the domers in the Big Ten and part wants to see them completely frozen out. I go back and forth on the issue.

 

[BB73]

Nebraska just doesn't excite me at all. Throw in their lack of institutional control, reliance on partial qualifiers, small and unexciting (road trips to Omaha!!!) market and mediocre academic profile, and they are just a lousy pick.

It seems odd, but I believe that Nebraska has the most all-time Academic All-Americans in football.

Nebraska Football's All-Time Academic All-Americans - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

It seems odd, but I believe that Nebraska has the most all-time Academic All-Americans in football.

Nebraska Football's All-Time Academic All-Americans - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

The program has always been kind of schizophrenic. They bring in a lot of good kids from in-state who do well off the field. At the same time, and in order to play at an elite national level, Osbourne brought in tons of real questionable out of state characters from Christian Peters to Lawrence Phillips.

Those great NU teams of the 90's were probably the worst collection of characters this side of Barry Switzer. Hell, even Randy Ayers would have backed off half the players on those NC teams.

 

[Piney]

We'll never give them any special treatment. Our hope of getting them is if the Big East has the balls to kick them out. Both the UCONN president and coach have hinted that there might be some form of ultimatum in the works.

Domers, being domers, have really treated the Big East like shit, from refusing to do true home and homes in football to poaching Brian Kelly from UC. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the powers that be in the Big East are more than ready to tell the domers to get lost.

Part of me wants to see the domers in the Big Ten and part wants to see them completely frozen out. I go back and forth on the issue.

I totally agree about not giving the Domers special treatment, but the way things are going, it seems like that would be the only way they would come to the Big 10 at this time. The one reason that I have moved on from them coming to the Big 10.

But it is true, the best way for the Big East to try to save the conference is to kick Notre Dame out and hand Notre Dame on a platter to the Big 10.

But the problem is that a majority (or however many votes are needed) of colleges probably DON'T want to save the Big East. Really the only schools that would want to kick Notre Dame out are UConn, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincy & South Florida as those are the schools that have the most to lose. That is a little short of the majority of schools needed to vote them out.

If you are Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt do you have any reason to try to save the Big East if by doing so prevents them from going to the Big 10? Also the non-football colleges (aren't they all catholic schools?) probably have no reason to want to kick out Notre Dame if the end game of breakup of the conference is a new conference with all of the non-football schools and Notre Dame for all the other sports.

So yeah, IF they do want to save the conference, kicking out Notre Dame might work. But that is a big IF and even then the Big 10 getting Notre Dame might not stop the expansion to 16.

 

[jwinslow]

What special treatment are you talking about Piney? Revenue? BCS berths? NBC contracts?

They used to have some nice perks, but many of them are now dwarfed by what Northwestern has now, let alone what they'll enjoy once the BTN matures and the league expands. Trading in NBC for regional coverage & BTN deals would be a sacrifice, but they'd have a big cash upgrade to do so.

 

[Buckeye86]

Rittenberg uses the Directors Cup standing to look at expansion candidates which is an interesting way to look at it.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Rittenberg uses the Directors Cup standing to look at expansion candidates which is an interesting way to look at it.

interesting that, by that criterion, none of the candidates would rank higher than fourth in the conference

 

[Buckeye86]

interesting that, by that criterion, none of the candidates would rank higher than fourth in the conference

for this year, it would be even more interesting to look at some historical trends or averages, not it!

 

[jwinslow]

Rutgers and Pittsburgh both continue to rank outside the Big Ten's range for the Directors' Cup, but Rutgers would be added primarily for its geography and potential in football.

Do people in Chicago watch the BTN for Northwestern? Or because they are intrigued by matchups involving UM/UW/OSU/IU/ILL? I have a sneaking suspicion it is the latter, just like it would be for NYC & great matchups with Texas/ND vs OSU/UM/PSU.

Rutgers 'potential' was never realized in a terrible big east league without a full set of teams. That's not going to change when their toughest games switch from USF/WVU/Pitt to OSU/UM/PSU.

 

[Buckrock]

It seems odd, but I believe that Nebraska has the most all-time Academic All-Americans in football.

Nebraska Football's All-Time Academic All-Americans - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

True but Tommy Lee from Motley Crue was also accepted at the school. Nebraska does not fit the large prestigious research institutions the Big 10 is looking at. ND, Syracuse and Rutgers do. Plus they cater to large markets.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Rittenberg uses the Directors Cup standing to look at expansion candidates which is an interesting way to look at it.

interesting, while it doesnt take into accounts like more emphasis for revenue sports, growth of sports, creating potential revenue sports (ie mens hockey and maybe lacrosse?), academia considerations, geographic footprints, alumni, tvs, etc...