Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[broken24]

There are alot of options available out there. What is fascinating to me is the Game Theory of whether the B10 does a 'pre-emptive strike' and offers 4-5 schools the opportunity to join up, decimating the Big East, forcing Notre Dame to beg to come in, else they'd be without a conference during this collusion, or will the SEC seize the initiative and leap forth first?

It seems that all the schools are talking to each other, and it almost seems like there have been some preliminary decisions made (Texas to the Pac10), if I read the tea leaves correctly. Maybe not.

However, some of you younger MBA types are better versed in GT than I am now, so whaddya say? Is the B10 looking to leap first, grab who they want, and then let the rest of the teams scuffle it out, or are they 'throwing expansion' out there, and letting someone else (SEC, ACC?) jump first, so they don't get left behind, then the B10 can take the high road and offer who they want anyway. The interesting chip might be if the Texas, Notre Dames and some of the lesser schools are not 'asked to dance' and form a loose coalition of Independent Schools. Any hypothesis on timing and who pulls the trigger first?

:gobucks3::gobucks4:

I was going to actually ask almost this exact question. Why did the B10 make the expansion announcement?

The 2 reasons I could come up with are:

1. To create a sense of urgency. As we know B10 has been rebuffed before and they don't want that to happen again. So, in creating the chaos (the end of big east/12 talk) and the talk of this being the last time for any realignment (16 team mega-conferences) ND will see that they have no choice but to join. This urgency holds true for other schools as well. It will be that much easier to sign a school(s) now than it would have been if it all was behind closed doors.

2. Texas can't be the first team to leave the Big12. As we know the B10 announcement caused the Pac10 to start looking. I think the plan was Pac10 takes CU and that makes it easy for Texas to jump ship. They would not be the greedy school that killed the B12.

 

[Dryden]

2. Texas can't be the first team to leave the Big12. As we know the B10 announcement caused the Pac10 to start looking. I think the plan was Pac10 takes CU and that makes it easy for Texas to jump ship. They would not be the greedy school that killed the B12.

Problem with this is that Texas is a greedy school and Texas is the B12. The Big 12 without Texas is basically just the old Big 8, and the schools that comprise the Big 8, regardless of their on-field football success, have zero negotiating power in the modern day reality of cable/satellite television.

And I am not slighting Texas by saying that. Texas should do what is best for Texas. In fact, if Texas puts the good of the Big 12 ahead of itself, I'd say they should fire the school President and AD. The situation being what it is, I also happen to think the best deal for Texas would be to join the Big Ten.

Together, we can rule the galaxy!

 

[BB73]

Together, we can rule the galaxy!

I really expected it would be one of the SEC guys to portray the Big Ten as The Dark Side.

 

[Dryden]

I really expected it would be one of the SEC guys to portray the Big Ten as The Dark Side.

There is nothing wrong with The Dark Side. You do realize The Empire won in The Empire Strikes Back, and since there are only two movies in the series (I have blocked Return of the Jedi and all subsequent films from my memory) that means The Dark Side is batting .500.

Evil will always triumph because good is dumb.

 

[Gatorubet]

I really expected it would be one of the SEC guys to portray the Big Ten as The Dark Side.

We know our place on BP.....

:p

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

We know our place on BP.....

:p

Nobody's holding you here against your will. Very poor example. More like this:

Us:

You:

 

[Dryden]

What Bucky Katt is trying to say is, you all are welcome to stay, provided you drink the Big Ten [strike]Kool-Aid[/strike] Juicy Juice.

 

[cincibuck]

Pssssttttt... Gatorubet is really Kunta Kinte. Pass it on.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Pssssttttt... Gatorubet is really Kunta Kinte. Pass it on.

Kunta Kinte? Try again....

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Nobody's holding you here against your will. Very poor example. More like this:

Us:

You:

This deserves a

!

:p

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

The absence of people in this picture has no meaning. There is no staircase behind the 3rd fireplace that leads to an underground hideout. And if there were such a staircase and/or hideout, which there isn't, certainly, nobody would be down there doing lascivious things.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

The absence of people in this picture has no meaning. There is no staircase behind the 3rd fireplace that leads to an underground hideout. And if there were such a staircase and/or hideout, which there isn't, certainly, nobody would be down there doing lascivious things.

So what you're saying is: The walls are adorned with tapestries so as to hide the fact that chips are missing from the paint.

 

[IronBuckI]

So what you're saying is: The walls are adorned with tapestries so as to hide the fact that chips are missing from the paint.

No, the chips have been accounted for, and are therefore, not missing.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

nobody would be down there doing lascivious things.

You made my google 'lascivious'.

I'm not sure whether to thank you or berate you.

 

[Gatorubet]

Pssssttttt... Gatorubet is really Kunta Kinte. Pass it on.

My name is......... is.......Tebowbee!!