Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[AuTX Buckeye]

How will Big10s divisions be split up assuming we cap at 12 teams with NEB?

Geographically it seems like it would split as follows....

West
NEB
WISC
IOWA
MINN
ILL
NW

East
OSU
scUM
PSU
MSU
IU
PU

Big problem with this... its just like the big 12 ... the East is loaded, the West will rise up sometimes but not be constant. So far the SEC's the only conference that has a couple of high end teams in both divisions.

 

[Dryden]

A source at Notre Dame, though, indicated that the school likely has "moved on," with another saying that a top Notre Dame official assured the Big East that it intends to keep teams such as men's and women's basketball in the league.

If that's the case, the Big Ten appears likely to cap at 12 teams.

Part of the Big Ten's motivation to add only one school is its desire to avoid being viewed as responsible for causing college football Armageddon.

*cough* bullshit *cough*

As somebody wrote on the Mizzou board I was browsing last night, Delany doesn't give a rats ass if he "causes" college football Armageddon. This isn't a game, he's playing for keeps.

Delany didn't strut out into the market and throw over the apple cart to get Nebraska. Sure, Nebraska is a nice prize and all in addition to one or both of Notre Dame and Texas, but Nebraska alone is not an option.

The Big Ten must grab Texas. It blocks any realistic further expansion by either the Pac-10 or SEC. We'll cede all those pro sports cities along the Atlantic to the Big East/ACC -- they don't watch college football anyway.

If the end result is Notre Dame stays independant and we've driven Texas into the arms of the Pac-10, then I'd call this expansion plan a complete failure. We didn't start all this to add TV sets in Omaha and Lincoln.

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

*cough* bull[censored] *cough*

As somebody wrote on the Mizzou board I was browsing last night, Delany doesn't give a rats ass if he "causes" college football Armageddon. This isn't a game, he's playing for keeps.

Delany didn't strut out into the market and throw over the apple cart to get Nebraska. Sure, Nebraska is a nice prize and all in addition to one or both of Notre Dame and Texas, but Nebraska alone is not an option.

The Big Ten must grab Texas. It blocks any realistic further expansion by either the Pac-10 or SEC. We'll cede all those pro sports cities along the Atlantic to the Big East/ACC -- they don't watch college football anyway.

If the end result is Notre Dame stays independant and we've driven Texas into the arms of the Pac-10, then I'd call this expansion plan a complete failure. We didn't start all this to add TV sets in Omaha and Lincoln.

I hope your right, I hope we do get Texas. I'd love to hear woodward and bernsteins explain this one... they seemed to be pretty high on it til the girls from the west coast came calling. Now they're all ready and set to go to the west coast every week to cover the games (YEAH RIGHT they aren't getting the budget for that).

They had an entire hour of people calling in saying how much they'd love to screw OU and leave them in no mans land and head to the Big Ten. This just seems more like ESPN induced ADD (or ADHD whatever flavor floats your boat).

 

[gracelhink]

If the end result is Notre Dame stays independant and we've driven Texas into the arms of the Pac-10, then I'd call this expansion plan a complete failure. We didn't start all this to add TV sets in Omaha and Lincoln.

Dryden is spot on here. From the Trib article in the previous post.

While it creates marquee, TV-friendly games such as Nebraska-Iowa and Nebraska-Wisconsin, expanding to 12 won't do much to stretch the reach of the Big Ten Network, which became profitable in its second year by attracting 45 million TV households.

Nebraska is a state of 1.8 million people and its largest TV market, Omaha, ranks 76th nationally with around 410,000 TV homes. That's smaller than Toledo.

 

[cincibuck]

How will Big10s divisions be split up assuming we cap at 12 teams with NEB?

Geographically it seems like it would split as follows....

West
NEB
WISC
IOWA
MINN
ILL
NW

East
OSU
scUM
PSU
MSU
IU
PU

You can't put the top four programs in one division. You have to split OSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State between the two, otherwise you end up with the problem the Big XII faced, an unworkable geographic division. Funny but if they'd put Oklahoma in the North the conference would probably not be the subject of conference raids, but might be doing their own raiding.

It's also a problem facing the Pac 10 -- adding Texas and aTm is only going to increase the imbalance that exists between the South of Santa Barbara teams and everyone else.

 

[Dryden]

Dryden is spot on here.

Thank you. :p

Population of the entire state of Nebraska: 1,796,619
Population of the greater St. Louis municipality: 2,879,934

So we're extending an invitation to Nebraska but leaving Missouri in a lurch? I don't think so. This isn't over.

 

[Tlangs]

Not sure if this angle has been discussed:

So the B12 disappears and Pac 10 and big 10 become 16 team conferences. Lets say the BCS stays as is for another 5 years. Does the rule stay in place that only two teams from 1 conference can get in? This would be good news for Utah, Boise, TCU, etc.

This basically opens up 1 or 2 slots to "non-bcs" schools every year.

 

[woofermazing]

The Big 10 question: Academics role

The Lincoln Journal Star compares the academic cooperation in the Big Ten/CIC to the Big XII.

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

Not sure if this angle has been discussed:

So the B12 disappears and Pac 10 and big 10 become 16 team conferences. Lets say the BCS stays as is for another 5 years. Does the rule stay in place that only two teams from 1 conference can get in? This would be good news for Utah, Boise, TCU, etc.

This basically opens up 1 or 2 slots to "non-bcs" schools every year.

Remember, the EARLIEST any of this expansion is going to officially happen is before the '12 season. Now i'm not sure how long the latest BCS contract is, but I believe ABC/ESPN won it. I have to believe there is a clause in there to redo everything in the event of CF conference Armageddon. This BIG 10 expansion talk was going on long before the new contract was signed, so I gotta believe it was put in there.

so lets say we get 4 super conferences. 2 spots guaranteed so thats 8 total, leaves 2 left. The 2 teams per conference rule will be out the window... so yeah theres a small chance... about like it was this past year, but I see it becoming a regular thing unless one of the little guys joins the super conferences.

 

[sepia5]

You can't put the top four programs in one division. You have to split OSU, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State between the two, otherwise you end up with the problem the Big XII faced, an unworkable geographic division.

If you're alluding to a need for two of those programs in each division, then I don't know, man. I don't want to see OSU and Michigan split unless the two are still guaranteed to play each year, and you aren't going to put PSU in the same division with the likes of Nebraska, Iowa, Minny and Wisky. I tend to think an East-West division allignment, as described above, wouldn't be as unbalanced as it may first appear. In reality, PSU has only been a slight tick better than Wisky since PSU joined, and with Wisky primed for a big year and PSU rebuilding to some extent, that gap may narrow after 2010.

I expect this move would actually help Nebraska's program quite a bit by making them a "hot" team in recruits' eyes for a period of time, perhaps putting them back over the hump and into that elite category (especially if they can increasingly pluck talent from PA and OH). I think the move could also help Iowa, in that it creates a new big-time rivalry with Nebraska that kids will want to be a part of.

There's no doubt in my mind that a division headlined by OSU, PSU and scUM would be stronger than one headlined by Nebraska, Wisky and Iowa, but I don't think the gap is quite as great as it may first appear. In general, I'm somewhat skeptical of attempts to balance power between divisions, anyway. When the North-South divide was established in the Big XII, Nebraska, Kansas State and Colorado made it look like a relatively even split (remember, Oklahoma was down at that time). Hell, one could even argue the North was stronger in the mid-90s to early 2000s. My how that changed. These things are pretty cyclical, and while I do think a headline of OSU, PSU and scUM is more steady than Nebraska, Wisky and Iowa, scUM is doing its best to prove my point these days, and PSU has thrown out its fair share of stinkers as well.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Mandel column defending Nebraska, should they choose to join the BigTen.

Nebraska ready to make right move at right time - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

let's keep PSU in the same conference as OSU & Michigan....just to keep those fuckers under thumb.

 

[kn1f3party]

Colorado set to announce move to Pac-10 - Matt Hayes - College Football - Sporting News

Colorado to announce move to Pac-10 today.

 

[Tlangs]

If you're alluding to a need for two of those programs in each division, then I don't know, man. I don't want to see OSU and Michigan split unless the two are still guaranteed to play each year, and you aren't going to put PSU in the same division with the likes of Nebraska, Iowa, Minny and Wisky. I tend to think an East-West division allignment, as described above, wouldn't be as unbalanced as it may first appear. In reality, PSU has only been a slight tick better than Wisky since PSU joined, and with Wisky primed for a big year and PSU rebuilding to some extent, that gap may narrow after 2010.

I expect this move would actually help Nebraska's program quite a bit by making them a "hot" team in recruits' eyes for a period of time, perhaps putting them back over the hump and into that elite category (especially if they can increasingly pluck talent from PA and OH). I think the move could also help Iowa, in that it creates a new big-time rivalry with Nebraska that kids will want to be a part of.

There's no doubt in my mind that a division headlined by OSU, PSU and scUM would be stronger than one headlined by Nebraska, Wisky and Iowa, but I don't think the gap is quite as great as it may first appear. In general, I'm somewhat skeptical of attempts to balance power between divisions, anyway. When the North-South divide was established in the Big XII, Nebraska, Kansas State and Colorado made it look like a relatively even split (remember, Oklahoma was down at that time). Hell, one could even argue the North was stronger in the mid-90s to early 2000s. My how that changed. These things are pretty cyclical, and while I do think a headline of OSU, PSU and scUM is more steady than Nebraska, Wisky and Iowa, scUM is doing its best to prove my point these days, and PSU has thrown out its fair share of stinkers as well.

It would have to be east west just due to travel for the non major sports:

East: PSU, OSU, MSU, scUM, IU, Purdue
West: Neb, Iowa, NW, IL,Minny, Wisky

from a fooball perspective this is about as even as your gonna get. Plus I don't see any "rivalries" being in seperate divisions. Unless you count the jug thingy between Minny and scUM and the axe between Wisky and scUM. We have the Illibuck with IL but we don't play them every year currently.

Basketball...East is much better than west.

I am a firm beleiver that OSU and scUM need to be in the same division so they don't have a situation where they would play eachother twice in a row.

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

I have a feeling this is going to blow up in woodward and bernsteins face. This is from his article Orangebloods.com - Source: Nebraska regents clear path to Big Ten

According to sources, Colorado will also opt out of the Big 12 and accept an invitation to the Pac-10.

A legislative source with knowledge of Texas A&M said officials from A&M and Texas will meet on Thursday to discuss all the goings on and to make sure they are on the same page if the Big 12 falls apart.

According to sources, A&M and Oklahoma both have had conversations with the SEC. A&M's conversations with the SEC may have been to appease A&M regent Gene Stallings, who won a national title as coach at Alabama and would love to see the Aggies in the SEC.

But Orangebloods.com has learned Gov. Rick Perry, a diehard Aggie, will work to make sure Texas and Texas A&M stay together.

Other sources have said that Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will do whatever Texas and A&M are doing.

A source said Texas and Texas A&M remained steadfast in lobbying for the Big 12 to stay together until Nebraska's decision to leave became evident.

Sources said the six Big 12 schools would begin participating in the expanded Pac-10 beginning in 2012. That should make for an incredibly uncomfortable next two football and basketball seasons with the schools who could be left behind.

This is about sums up the whole damn process its sources and more sources. I think they are taking pages out DC's playbook. thats possibly 7 different sources in that one part, theres more listed in the article. I know where theres smoke theres fire, but hell this feels like a Texas brushfire burned up [censored] in all directions at once.