Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[Piney]

Mr. Ed on The Ozone said the other day that BTN contract has an annual franchise fee paid to the schools regardless of the networks profit margin. Given its size, some of the expansion candidates probably would not work if the goal is to increase per school income.

Hopefully this is pretty accurate, I wanna see expansion, but I don't want to add half the Big East.

I would tend to agree with Mr Ed if he got the correct numbers. I would tend to believe the correct numbers are what is in this Minnesota Star Tribune article:

Big Ten Network: Big man on campus | StarTribune.com

Best of all for the 11 Big Ten universities: Even after paying its guaranteed rights fees to the conference of more than $60 million last year, the network was so profitable that the Big Ten's share amounted to an additional $66 million, which each school shared in equally. "We hoped it would be profitable eventually. But it turned a profit in, what, its second year?" said Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi, whose athletic budget reaped an estimated $22 million in TV rights (including ABC, CBS and ESPN contracts) alone. "I don't believe anyone truly expected to be this successful this quickly. It's absolutely remarkable."

Another fun read was on a Northwestern message board about some guy that was out drinking with a guy from the Big Ten offices that the three main targets are Nebraska, Texas & Notre Dame with some crazy concession that Notre Dame & Texas get to only play 7 conference games. Same guy says there is some work behind the scenes that the Big 10 has told the Big East if they kick out Notre Dame that they wouldn't take any Big East teams.

Then also a follow up on the Texas board that Texas will only go to the Big 10 if the other 4 teams that are comming are Nebraska, Missouri, A&M and Notre Dame.

We are approaching the guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 flavors last night territory. Heck, who am I kidding... we passed that phase months ago.

Can you believe that we will have another year of these type of rumors and stuff?

 

[Jaxbuck]

Same guy says there is some work behind the scenes that the Big 10 has told the Big East if they kick out Notre Dame that they wouldn't take any Big East teams.

By far my favorite rumor.

I just can't shake the mental image of some dude in a cowboy hat, with a fine signing voice, pulling up to the meetings in his Winnebago and going all Vito Corleone on ND's ass behind the scenes.

 

[Buckeye86]

Then also a follow up on the Texas board that Texas will only go to the Big 10 if the other 4 teams that are comming are Nebraska, Missouri, A&M and Notre Dame.

works for me

 

[BB73]

Fiu's speculation of the eventual shakeout has 5 conferences of 16, with ND still independent:

CFN

...

After all the dust settles from expansion and realignment, here?s my best guess (with the new schools in each league in bold) for how the college football world will look ten years from now ?

ACC ? Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Florida State, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia

Big Ten ? Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Purdue, Wisconsin

Big 12 ? Baylor, BYU, Colorado State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, Utah

Pac 10 ? Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, California, Colorado, Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, Stanford, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Washington, Washington State

SEC ? Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech,Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

The Big East will dissipate with all its top teams being swallowed up, meaning there will be five mega-conferences with 16 teams each. That would make an upper-level division of 80 teams with Notre Dame staying independent and remaining in the BCS mix.

Army and Navy, all MAC and Sun Belt teams, six current WAC teams (Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, and Utah State), two Mountain West teams (Air Force and Wyoming), and seven Conference USA teams (Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, and UTEP), will create a mid-level division between the current FBS and FCS. They'll have the ability to play the upper-division teams and with bowl tie-ins, but they won't have the legal ability to be eligible for the BCS.

Cont'd ....

 

[sepia5]

Fiu's speculation of the eventual shakeout has 5 conferences of 16, with ND still independent:

CFN

Well, I hate those predictions and they seem very unlikely to me. We're willing to expand to that extent without adding Texas or Notre Dame? The ACC is willing to take the academic hit that goes along with adding Cincy, East Carolina, Memphis, UCF and WVU? The Pac-10 will expand beyond Colorado (and not even land Utah) to include schools that bring little market value and degrade conference academic standards, all in lieu of adding Texas? USF somehow fits in the SEC? Texas is happy to stay in a Big XII that adds New Mexico, SMU, BYU, Houston, Colorado State, and TCU while losing Colorado? Those predictions read like they were written by someone that only considered basketball, football, and, to a certain extent, geography. I don't expect those to be the primary concerns driving expansion.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

ACC ? Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Florida State, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia

I don't know. Word is there was a lot of grumbling among ACC blue bloods about taking Tech and Florida State. While the ACC isn't the formal academic consortium that the Big Ten is, I just can't see Duke, UNC, UVA, Wake or GT allowing the conference image to be diluted by the likes of East Carolina, Cincy, UCF, West Virginia and Memphis. That's 5 USN&WR tier 3 or 4 schools all at once.

 

[woofermazing]

Fiu's speculation of the eventual shakeout has 5 conferences of 16, with ND still independent:

CFN

Yea, that's not happening.

 

[Jaxbuck]

USF somehow fits in the SEC?

Can the play football? Check
When playing football do they fit the stereotype of southern speed? Check
Can they generate headlines from drama surrounding high profile football coaches? Check
Are they a good academic school? next

The only thing they are missing is a history of NCAA infractions and segregation as far as I can see.

 

[LitlBuck]

I don't know if this has been discussed before or not but I was wondering what type of effect this type of "merger" would have on the possibility of Nebraska and Missouri joining the Big Ten.

Big 12, Pac-10 talking about partnership for TV alliance, football schedules

By CHUCK CARLTON / The Dallas Morning News
Officials from the Big 12 and Pac-examined possible TV alliances as well as scheduling partnerships in football during preliminary talks Wednesday and Thursday in Phoenix.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe and Pac-10 counterpart Larry Scott attended, along with conferences athletic directors. The talks came against the backdrop of possible Big Ten expansion.

"Larry and I have talked for several months in regards to collaborating to enhance media value and working in any ways that might aid the two leagues and be a helpful alliance," Beebe said, confirming the talks.

Possibilities include working together on TV contracts or perhaps even a shared network. The two conferences feature 22 schools west of the Mississippi with strong bases in Texas and California markets.

Non-conference scheduling in football for "meaningful September games," Beebe said, could enhance future TV negotiations. The conferences already hold a men's basketball series.

Beebe said the conferences intend to keep separate identities.
"There's no desire to merge the two," he said. "We feel like 12 is the maximum number that operates well in football."

 

[woofermazing]

I Big 12-Pac 10 challenge would be awesome for football. Split the games up between the first 3 weekends and have them go from noon to night. Could be good stuff as long as its not Baylor vs. UCLA. It would be a while before they could work this out though given how far in advance schedules are put together.

 

[sepia5]

Can the play football? Check
When playing football do they fit the stereotype of southern speed? Check
Can they generate headlines from drama surrounding high profile football coaches? Check
Are they a good academic school? next

The only thing they are missing is a history of NCAA infractions and segregation as far as I can see.

I see what you're saying, but USF is a commuter school in a big city filled with lots of Midwesterners that plays in an NFL stadium off campus, has mediocre fan support, and really doesn't have much of a "campus life" to speak of. I can't think of another SEC school that resembles it. If you've been to UF and USF, for instance, the atmosphere at the two is night-and-day different. Saying USF fits the SEC is, to me anyway, like saying Miami fits the SEC. USF would be a better fit for the ACC, I think.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I see what you're saying, but USF is a commuter school in a big city filled with lots of Midwesterners that plays in an NFL stadium off campus, has mediocre fan support, and really doesn't have much of a "campus life" to speak of. I can't think of another SEC school that resembles it. If you've been to UF and USF, for instance, the atmosphere at the two is night-and-day different. Saying USF fits the SEC is, to me anyway, like saying Miami fits the SEC. USF would be a better fit for the ACC, I think.

True about the campus life but if the SEC thought they could make a buck off adding them they'd be in based on the football team. That's all that really matters to them.

 

[Piney]

I don't know if this has been discussed before or not but I was wondering what type of effect this type of "merger" would have on the possibility of Nebraska and Missouri joining the Big Ten.

Big 12, Pac-10 talking about partnership for TV alliance, football schedules

I don't see any chance of it affecting the chances of any Big XII team going to the Big 10.

Cuz this 'alliance' is only in TV contracts in pooling their resources to get a new TV deal. The only way it would affect Big 10 expansion is if they pulled together and did some sort of TV network together. THEN it could be an issue. But I have a sneaking feeling Texas is the reason that won't happen.

 

[bassbuckeye07]

I Big 12-Pac 10 challenge would be awesome for football. Split the games up between the first 3 weekends and have them go from noon to night. Could be good stuff as long as its not Baylor vs. UCLA. It would be a while before they could work this out though given how far in advance schedules are put together.

The Bear Bowl??? this screams ratings. They could play for a teddy bear trophy...

 

[k2onprimetime]

I guess the big ten offered Nebraska, Missouri, Notre dame and [strike] i think Pitt [/strike] Rutgers. thats what college football live is saying. IMO notre dame wont join, they cant hang with us and they would rather play Army and Navy.

Radio.810.in.KC.article

Big Ten makes initial offer to Big 12 pair

The Big Ten Conference has extended initial offers to join the league to four universities including Missouri and Nebraska from the Big 12, according to multiple sources close to the negotiations.
While nothing can be approved until the Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet the first week of June in Chicago, the league has informed the two Big 12 schools, Notre Dame and Rutgers that it would like to have them join. It is not yet clear whether the Big Ten will expand to 14 or 16 teams but sources indicated Missouri and Nebraska are invited in either scenario. Notre Dame has repeatedly declined the opportunity to join the Big Ten. If Notre Dame remains independent, Rutgers would be the 14th team. The Big Ten would then decide whether to stop at 14 or extend offers to two other schools. If Notre Dame joins, sources say an offer will be extended to one other school making it a 16-team league.