Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[bassbuckeye07]

Im beggining to believe this theory.... that Nebraska is the lynch pin.. I didnt see this blog posted I thought it was a pretty good read


link

By delaying Notre Dame's invitation the Big Ten can put as much pressure as possible on the Irish to seek shelter in the heart of the storm. We can also leverage the addition by threatening to offer any combination of Pitt, Syracuse, and/or Rutgers -- critically weakening the Big East, Notre Dame's home for basketball and non-revenue sports.
If Notre Dame stubbornly rejects the conference's overtures, Delaney can survey the FBS landscape and choose whether to stay at 12 teams (bigger conference rosters are unproven, after all), or add two or four additional members. At this time all of the usual suspects (Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Rutgers) will still be available.
Then again, if the Irish say yes...

 

[CincyInterloper]

You might want to follow NDSMC78 on their Rivals board. He's a beut' Says ND should drop football before joining a conference. He's like an obstinate "special needs" child. Nobody--not even other domers--can engage him. It's just pure, "conference bad" "conference never happen" "conferences always give notre dame what it wants."

And no, I'm not posting. Just enjoying the show.

It's almost like the more people say ND should join the Big Ten (for their own good), the more obstinate the child gets. Maybe he needs a nap.

 

[mross34]

If one of these conferences expands to 16 and the other want three conferences follow suit, it will be interesting to see if there are enough viable candidates to get them there depending on how the chips fall. There are plenty of teams out there who would be an adequate fit in one conference, but wouldn't be the least bit desired by any of the other conferences.

Assuming the Big 12 and the Big East are the conferences that get picked apart, here's how I'd break down the expansion candidates:

Strong fits for multiple conferences
1) Texas - Big 10, Pac 10, SEC.
2) Texas A&M - Likely going wherever UT is going. Could garner an SEC invite independently.
3) Nebraska - Big 10, Pac 10, SEC.
4) Missouri - Big 10, Pac 10, SEC.
5) Oklahoma - would likely garner Pac 10 interested even w/o Texas due to lack of decent candidates remotely close to West Coast. SEC would also likely be interested.
6) Oklahoma State - Probably going wherever Oklahoma is going.

Strong fits for at least one conference, with other options:
7) Notre Dame - If they want the Big 10, they can have it. ACC could also be interested.
8) Pitt
9) Syracuse
10) UConn
11) Rutgers - Whatever of these four schools the Big 10 doesn't take would be close to the front of the line for ACC invites, due to academic prowess and the lackthereof from other candidates. Would make a nice Northern division with Maryland, Va Tech, Virginia, and BC.
12) Colorado - Pac 10 bound unless they were bullied out of an invite by Baylor. If that happens, could generate Big 10 interest.

No Sure Things
Kansas - Could fit in Pac 10, but just doesn't seem like a good fit. The SEC would likely be able to use its recent success to avoid picking these teams.
Kansas St

Subpar Education Conference or Bust - The following schools are not strong enough academically for the ACC to come calling, and might not be appealing enough in terms of TV households (low amount provided by the school or already in the footprint) for the SEC to come calling.
Louisville
WVU
Cincinnati
USF

In Texas they trust
Baylor
Texas Tech - Pac 10 likely wouldn't be there if not for UT. Could garner SEC interest, but remember this is a team that, prior to Mike Leach's recent run of success, had finished in the top 25 (either AP or Coaches) a grand total of 2 times in 27 seasons and 7 times in the 67 seasons since the AP poll started. That, in combination with the lack of TV impact, probably pushes them down the SEC list.

SOL
Iowa State

Gamechangers - Schools from lower conferences that could draw interest
Utah - Pac 10 could very well find these guys to be a suitable match. Salt Lake City in the footprint.
TCU - Ditto for this. Dallas location and I'm not sure what the Disciples of Christ are, but they are not mormons. Which brings me to:
BYU - Seems like the Pac 10 doesn't want the Cougars as they just aren't the right fit.
UNLV - If the Pac 10 looks at population shifts, maybe they'd have an interest in Vegas, one of the fastest growing markets in the country.
East Carolina - Decent sized school and could fit in the ACC with the other Carolina schools or the SEC if they want North Carolina in the footprint.

Basically, the way I see it, three things will determine how the 16-team conference dominoes will fall, if they fall at all:

1) Does the Texas 4 stick together?
If they do, they likely end up in the Pac 10. If they don't, Texas & aTm likely end up in the Big Ten and the Pac 10 is left scrambling for viable candidates.

2) What does the SEC do and what are the expansion candidates' respective priorities?
Through this whole process, the SEC has been very quiet. It is hard to ascertain exactly how a school would view the SEC in comparison to the Pac 10 or ACC because of two issues.

The first issue, lack of academic prowess, would certainly make it a tough decision for a school like Georgia Tech, or even Miami, to leave the ACC, as the school president would likely be making the decision. Although unlikely, a school like Oklahoma could view a move to the Pac 10 as an opportunity to improve academics.

The second issue arises because the SEC already has a national TV deal in place, and adding more teams could just cause money already in place to be spread thinner.

3) Will conferences expand for expansion's sake?
This question piggybacks somewhat off the previous question, because a lot of it revolves around the SEC's actions. If the Texas & aTm end up in the Big 10, the SEC could step out and take Oklahoma and Ok. St. At that point the Pac 10 would have pretty much no way of getting to 16 teams without completely watering down their level of play on the field. Would the Pac 10 be willing to bring in 6 teams from the likes of Kansas, Kansas St., Utah, Colorado, TCU, Texas Tech, UNLV, and BYU?

What about if the SEC raids the ACC for Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Clemson? Is the ACC willing to sacrifice their strong academic reputation by bringing in Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, and WVU? Even if they did, is a conference headlined by Pitt, WVU, and Virginia Tech even remotely close to the football prowess found in the other 3 conferences. Wouldn't the 8 teams remaining just be better off in some Big East type arrangement?

What about the Big 10? If they find that Rutgers and Syracuse don't provide them with what they're looking for, do they stand pat at 14 if Texas ends up in the Pac 10?

Apologies for the length and if you read this whole thing, thanks and more power to you, but I've been thinking about this for a while and wanted to put it down on paper.

 

[CincyInterloper]

Does this mean 5 teams in Big Ten numbers or in arabic numbers?

• UT
• aTm
• Tech
• Baylor
• ????

Obviously, I can't count.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

I gave your post the thought that it deserved, and here are my thoughts (embedded in the quote)

I think he has and the offers have already been extended. That's why the Big XII meetings were contentious and the ultimatum issued to those two schools specifically.

Why would Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little publicly plead with Nebraska and Missouri to not bolt? Because she knows they're gone.

She probably got a call from Austin

Why would the Mountain West decide at the eleventh hour not to extend an invite to Boise St? Because they just realized KU, KSU, ISU, and CU are available prizes.

Agreed

Why would the AD of Colorado not shoot down the rumor of a possible Pac-16 merger? Because the rumor is true, he knows the Big XII is on the verge of collapse.
Agreed

But all of this begs the question: Why was the ultimatum laid down?

I believe the answer to that leads us directly back to Austin. This is all about Texas wanting to make NU, and to a lesser extent Mizzou, the bad guy(s). They want to bolt to the Pac-10 if the Big 12 can't stay together, but if they do it you can bet your ass that it will be the Huskers' fault that the league imploded (according to UT anyway).

Have the offers already been extended? I doubt it. If the offers (to apply for membership) had been extended, and UT knows it, I doubt that they make this play.

My speculation (and I acknowledge that's all this is) is that UT is trying to play on Nebraska's fear of being left without a chair when the music stops. If NU has an offer in hand, and the rest of the league knows it, there is nothing in the world more hollow than this ultimatum.

 

[muffler dragon]

IF Nebraska is offered by the Big Ten for membership and they accept; THEN does anyone see a problem for a resurgence in that football program due to heightened academic standards/admissions?

 

[mross34]

Didn't want to create yet another thread on this topic but I really wanted to see the results of this poll so, here we go:

http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...fer-big-10-handle-notre-dame-application.html

 

[starBUCKS]

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Double Chess for a Super Death Star Conference ? FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT​

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Love Frank's new blog with the hypothetical phone call Delany makes to Texas!​

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?Bill, we?ve got 2 spots left reserved for you and the Aggies. With Notre Dame aboard, we?re going to be the most powerful entity in all of sports outside of the NFL with or without you. You can receive around $40 million per year in TV revenue just for showing up and we?re not even getting into the academic benefits of the CIC. Are you going to let some meth-on-the-breath legislators down the street from your campus determine your future and shackle you with a ?Tech-Baylor-UTEP-UTSA-UTD-Northeast Texas Community College problem? forever? Maybe you can tell them that the legislature is going to have to figure out a way to make up for the $20 million per year in athletic money that you?re leaving on the table if you don?t get to actually do what?s best for your school, you know, like any other president of a world-class university is empowered to do without thinking about appeasing some overzealous politicians that would rather save a couple of football games in Waco and Lubbock than create the best flagship school possible. Heh, your friends at Missouri and Nebraska are looking to make twice as much TV money as you because they don?t have a ?Tech problem?. That would suck for you. Let me know. We?ll need to know by June 30th whether we?re going to invade New York and New Jersey instead. Delany out.?​

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[ORD_Buckeye]

IF Nebraska is offered by the Big Ten for membership and they accept; THEN does anyone see a problem for a resurgence in that football program due to heightened academic standards/admissions?

and conference level restraints on recruiting that they've never dealt with!

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Are you going to let some meth-on-the-breath legislators down the street from your campus determine your future and shackle you with a ?Tech-Baylor-UTEP-UTSA-UTD-Northeast Texas Community College problem?

Unfortunately, I think Frank is a little slow to realize that Texas is quite comfortable bringing along 3 (possibly 5) rubber stamp conference votes to its ultimate destination. What scares the crap out of them is ending up somewhere alone and with no special privileges.

 

[jlb1705]

Unfortunately, I think Frank is a little slow to realize that Texas is quite comfortable bringing along 3 (possibly 5) rubber stamp conference votes to its ultimate destination. What scares the crap out of them is ending up somewhere alone and with no special privileges.

They would always be able to swim in their money if they get bored or lonely.

 

[Dryden]

Adventures of the Big 12: Twelve Angry Men - Bring On The Cats

Texas: I call this meeting to order. Today's agenda topic: Who stays and who goes. I'm looking for a quick vote. Obviously, I like bossing all of you around, so I'm in. Oklahoma?

Oklahoma: Hell, I'll stay. Do you really think I want to join the SEC or Pac-10? I still go into shell shock when a woman asks me if I have a Trojan on me, or if I walk past a store in the mall that sells 'Crocs'.

Oklahoma State: In, yo. I'm afraid if I take this game to LA, I may get shot.

Colorado: Staying. Unless the Pac-10 offers, and then I'll leave so fast there will be burn marks in the carpet. But they don't want me without you guys, so I'm probably still stuck with you assholes.

Missouri: Anyone know where the nearest U-Haul place is?

Texas: Jesus, can you be more obvious?

Missouri: What? Do you think I like being irrelevant? Do you think I like hoarding championships in fucking Softball? And it's not even the cool softball where you drink and wear inappropriate t-shirts that say things like "Balls Going Deep". It's the lesbian kind of softball where half of the cars in the parking lot are pink Cadillacs, and the chicks that show up wear visors and Birkenstocks.

Kansas State: I'm not really into PC, but there's a lot wrong with what you just said...

Missouri: You know what? I don't care. I'm going to go the Big Ten, wipe my ass with piles of TV money, and spend my winters buried in lake effects snow.

Texas: Wiping your ass with money is awesome.

Missouri: So, yeah, I'm out. Fuck you, fuck you, (points at Kansas) and double fuck you.

Kansas: Well, that wasn't nice.

Texas: Alright, order...ORDER! Kansas State, what are you doing?

Kansas State: Are you kidding me? Do you think I want to join the Mountain West? In. A thousand times in.

Kansas: (Whispers to his attorney...) My lawyer says that it would be in my best interest to stay.

Kansas State: Your lawyer?

Kansas: At this point, I have the FBI and IRS so far up my ass that they've set up a branch office in my colon. So, I'm taking him wherever I go.

Kansas' Lawyer: No more questions.

Texas: What an embarrassment. Tech?

Texas Tech: In. I go where you go my liege.

Baylor: God spoke with me last night, and he said that I should form a conference with other like religious institutions supported by the Almighty himself. However, he said I had to fire Scott Drew because he's an Eddie Haskell-style prick of the highest order, and I said, "No." I like being good at basketball now. Also, those Oral Roberts kids creep me out. They're like a cult.

Iowa State: I will do anything to stay in this conference. Anything. I am not above handing out sexual favors, and I don't care who asks for it.

Texas: So if I ask you to have sex with a dirty hobo, you'll do it?

Iowa State: Absolutely. You can even tape it if you'd like. That would be a hundred times better than joining the MAC.

Texas: Alright, we'll put that on the agenda for tonight after dinner and drinks at Tomfooleries. Nebraska, what say you?

Nebraska: I am 100% committed to exploring all of my options.

Texas: Huh?

Nebraska: I am fully invested in this conference unless something better comes along.

Oklahoma: How does sitting on that fence feel?

Nebraska: It kind of chafes.

Texas: And, finally, I'm afraid to ask. A&M?

Texas A&M: I want to join the sex conference.

(Texas puts his face in his palms...)

Texas: Do you mean the SEC conference?

Texas A&M: Yeah, I want to join the sex conference.

Oklahoma: I think we should let him go.

Cont'd ...

 

[OSU_D/]

Maybe I'll get in trouble for highlighting the whole thing... but this is going to be taken down I have a feeling. There are some great ISU pictures at the bottom too if the link still works...

Wanted: New Athletic Conference

Wanted: New Athletic Conference - $1 (Ames, IA)

Date: 2010-06-07, 4:20PM CDT
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]



Wanted: New Athletic Conference.



152-year-old Land-Grant University seeks new Athletic Conference after potentially being hung out to dry by its current Athletic Conference.



We are a current member of the American Association of Universities and invented a little something called the computer. Ever hear of that bia?



We have had moderate success in collegiate athletics - moreso in the “Olympic Sports” that no one claims to care about, but will still boast about because they totally save our asses when it comes to shit like the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup (we’re currently 31st, btw).



Our football and men’s basketball programs are on the rise, however, thanks to the hiring of two hometown heroes. We even won a bowl game last year. (Can you say that Kansas State? I didn’t think so.)



We also know how to throw a mean party and our local law enforcement are “well-versed” in riot control (burning dumpsters rolling down Campustown are optional).



We’re used to being the whipping boy for other teams, but have been known to turn it around and take someone by surprise (I’m looking at you, Nebraska).



We would like to find a conference that respects us for who we are and doesn’t look at us as bottom-feeders. But, who are we kidding, we’ll gladly take anything if it means increased TV exposure and money. That goes for you Big 10, are you listening?



Missouri Valley Conference need not apply. For more information, please see www.widerightandnattylight.com



Also - Free to good home (or any home): one Big 12 Athletic Conference Commissioner. “Loyal” (as long as your name rhymes with “exas”) but wishy-washy. Has a tendency to shit the bed when faced with adversity. No returns.

• Location: Ames, IA
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

 

[Colvinnl]

How might Craig and Adam James fit into Texas Tech's decision and influence?

 

[AKAK]

You might want to follow NDSMC78 on their Rivals board. He's a beut' Says ND should drop football before joining a conference. He's like an obstinate "special needs" child. Nobody--not even other domers--can engage him. It's just pure, "conference bad" "conference never happen" "conferences always give notre dame what it wants."

And no, I'm not posting. Just enjoying the show.

Thanks for the tip.

Im beggining to believe this theory.... that Nebraska is the lynch pin.. I didnt see this blog posted I thought it was a pretty good read


link

I gave your post the thought that it deserved, and here are my thoughts (embedded in the quote)



But all of this begs the question: Why was the ultimatum laid down?

I believe the answer to that leads us directly back to Austin. This is all about Texas wanting to make NU, and to a lesser extent Mizzou, the bad guy(s). They want to bolt to the Pac-10 if the Big 12 can't stay together, but if they do it you can bet your ass that it will be the Huskers' fault that the league imploded (according to UT anyway).

Have the offers already been extended? I doubt it. If the offers (to apply for membership) had been extended, and UT knows it, I doubt that they make this play.

My speculation (and I acknowledge that's all this is) is that UT is trying to play on Nebraska's fear of being left without a chair when the music stops. If NU has an offer in hand, and the rest of the league knows it, there is nothing in the world more hollow than this ultimatum.

IF Nebraska is offered by the Big Ten for membership and they accept; THEN does anyone see a problem for a resurgence in that football program due to heightened academic standards/admissions?

As to all this... yeah... the "Nebraska as lynchpin" thing makes a good deal of sense.

Back to Cincy's question about "Why do we need Missouri and Nebraska?"

Well, I tend to think the idea is generally that the are at least (especially Nebraska) very comitted to football. My general point being that you can make the argument that given the additional financial resources that Big Ten membership offers, they could continue to improve.

I don't post about this stuff all that much, really, but, if you want to look at the landscape of recruiting as a facilities battle... the big ten $ goes a long way toward that. Heck, even Indiana is spending on football now that they've got a cash flow to work with.... and... that's really the danger of being "left out"-- if You're Kansas and have to go to the MWC.... you'll never make it back because the resources compared to the "haves" just won't be there. So, the quick answer is, when figuring out who to offer... you have to choose who is going to use the $ wisely.

I used to be in the mindset that we should be looking to Rutgers (Or at least generally east) but, my thought is that Missouri and Nebraska are excellent "growth opportunities" in that they have most of the things in place to get better and a little help might get them there.

Give them the resources Texas has, and see what happens.

So, yeah, get them in..... scare ND in... and.. I kind of say Screw Texas and go grab Virginia and whoever looks good that's left and available.

Point being that I kind of worry that SUNJ, Vandy, UConn, Ga Tech might not be "up to the task" shall we say of moving their programs forward...

Clearly Delany is tying to get teh big 10 in the position of very comfortably expending the resource on football that the SEC does.... whether that be facilities coaching salaries, etc.