Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[DaddyBigBucks]

...Delany was 'had.'

...

The above is admittedly out of context and was not your point; so I don't think I'm really disagreeing with you when I say that Delany would have been had if UT had been allowed into the Big Ten with special privileges. As it stands, I think Delany is doing just fine.

The era of mega-conferences is coming regardless of who likes it and who doesn't. Delany has the Big Ten on a glide path to land in a very good position in the new era.

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

but they gain a negligible new TV market.

I disagree with this. Nebraska is a national brand name. Adding Nebraska helps the Big Ten Network expand into TV markets outside the Big Ten footprint. From what I have read on this thread alone we have the Big Ten Network in Oregon, Washington state, Florida and northern Alabama. Are they going to try to sell the Big Ten Network into new markets in the transition period for Nebraska to enter the Big Ten. Most definitely.

 

[kn1f3party]

The clear winners to this point:

The Big Ten, Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M, OU

The wash:

Pac-10, Mountain West, Baylor, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas State

The clear losers:

Colorado, the Big XII, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State

--

Up to now, Nebraska in the Big Ten is by far the biggest win. Yes, they have buyout penalties that I'm certain they will contest, but they have improved the strength of the Big Ten and put themselves in one of the best conferences with one of the best payouts. Texas, Texas A&M, and OU basically accepted bribery from the Big XII and have now solidified their positions as the only three teams that matter in the Big XII.

The Pac-10 gained Colorado and (presumably) Utah. The Mountain West replaced Utah with Boise State, maybe an upgrade in football but overall a loss. Baylor, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa State, and Kansas State all still have homes. This to me is a wash for them.

The losers: Colorado, whom is going to get raped by the Big XII and whom was basically forced out by rumors and threats by the Texas legislature. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are now officially labeled as cronies that can't go anywhere that matters without their big brothers dragging them along. What is worse, they could have objected to all of the unfairness of this and it would have fell apart, but now they lost their balls and will let the roosters rule the roost.

The Big XII, as a conference, lost the most over the past week. Their instability and lack of legitimacy has only been confirmed by the storm of media that has resulted from conference realignment. They've publicly made it known they are going to have to bribe and be bullied by the University of Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M to keep their conference together--to have jobs. They lost two great schools, lost the only hope the north division had in going to a BCS bowl in the conference championship game, and have only staved off the threat of disbanding for a relatively brief period of time in terms of college football.

The best part about all of this?

It isn't over! The Big Ten is still in their exploratory phase and I have no doubt that things will heat up in another 6 to 9 months, this time we'll be looking east and at one particular school in northern Indiana.

I'm happy with where we are today but know we'll have to do more. It could always be worse, we could be the Pac-10 or the Big XII--both of whom have epically failed in my eyes. The Pac-10 expanded to expand, they didn't strengthen their conference at all. The Big XII, downsized and are worse off for it.

 

[AuTX Buckeye]

So he basically admits he was being used by the Texas admin... nice...

High Lonesome said it. UT dislikes Orangebloods very much, I'm sure alot of the information given was a misdirection, but for someone who use to work at a large newspaper (chip @ the dallas morning news I believe), I'm absolutely dumb founded that he would fall for it hook line and sinker...

gives me even more reason not to trust what is put before me on TV, everything with an unhealthy grain of salt

 

[OSU_D/]

The losers: Colorado, whom is going to get raped by the Big XII and whom was basically forced out by rumors and threats by the Texas legislature. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are now officially labeled as cronies that can't go anywhere that matters without their big brothers dragging them along. What is worse, they could have objected to all of the unfairness of this and it would have fell apart, but now they lost their balls and will let the roosters rule the roost.

Colorado may be "losers" in the sense that they have to pay $15 million and their athletic dept is already struggling, but every CU alum I know is happy to be affiliated with the soon to be Pac-12 instead of the Texas-12. In their eyes getting to the Pac-12 with a substantially higher academic reputation as a conference as well as home to most alumni not based in Colorado is a huge win.

 

[brutus2002]

I don't give a shit about markets and rating projections...show the rest of the country kickass matchups and your rating will be high...thats common sense. The prospect of Nebraska-Iowa/Nebraska-PSU etc make my mouth water as a college football fan.

Mizzou and Rutgers dilute the conference...may add money in some ways but IMO at the end of the day the higher the quality of the product the more money that can be made. I could fucking care less about rutgers-PSU...really who gives a fuck outside of PSU and Rutgers.

The SEC talk shows down here are talking shit about the B10...They are nervous for good damn reasons. They will no longer have the most attendance...They don't want to say what they are thinking...shit the B10 just stepped up to the plate and hit that motherfucker over the fence.

 

[zincfinger]

[quote='BusNative;171799;1]St. Louis and KC... you and others can debate whether or not that part of the I-70 corridor is shit, jack or otherwise. I'm abstaining.[/quote]One factor with St. Louis is that the BigTen already has a decent presence there. I lived there for a few years and ran into a lot of BigTen alumni and fans. This was before BTN was created, but it wouldn't shock me if BTN is on basic cable in St. Louis now, and if it's not, it certainly is on the sports package with a pretty good subscription rate. My point is that adding Missouri wouldn't really add the St. Louis market to the BigTen's media empire, it would just augment the BigTen's already-existing foothold there.

 

[southcampus]

I don't give a [censored] about markets and rating projections...show the rest of the country kickass matchups and your rating will be high...thats common sense. The prospect of Nebraska-Iowa/Nebraska-PSU etc make my mouth water as a college football fan.

Mizzou and Rutgers dilute the conference...may add money in some ways but IMO at the end of the day the higher the quality of the product the more money that can be made. I could [censored]ing care less about rutgers-PSU...really who gives a [censored] outside of PSU and Rutgers.

The SEC talk shows down here are talking [censored] about the B10...They are nervous for good damn reasons. They will no longer have the most attendance...They don't want to say what they are thinking...[censored] the B10 just stepped up to the plate and hit that [censored] over the fence.

I agree with what the first part of this said. I didn't bother to read the rest. These big markets don't watch bullshit games for a reason. If we wanna tap into these big markets, we've got to attract big time programs from big time markets. I still think Va Tech would be a good fit, barring we take another school from that region, like maybe a Maryland (Borderline school IMO). Getting a ND is a best case scenario because they have a huge market. Getting a Syracuse is doable but mostly like kissing your cousin. But IMO, getting a Rutgers isn't really a step in the right direction. One more school with their hand in the pot that isn't really contributing much.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

I have a hard time believing the (temporary) holding pattern we find ourselves in wasn't one of the scenarios Delany had planned for. One has to believe they've planned for about every iteration of reshuffling shortly after they got the ball rolling. The positives for the BigTen at this point include:

-picking up UNL (obviously)
-exposing the BigXII as a house of cards
-revealing Tejas as a 'me first' institution
-exposing the other texas schools, and more surprisingly OU and OkieSt, as unapologetic hangers-on of Tejas

It's also interesting that Delany's subtle overtures sent the PAC-10 commish scrambling to try and gobble up new schools. His flying around and public offerings and public rebuffs resulted in a lot of egg on the PAC-10's face, imo.

I said several months back that it's great that the BigTen seems to be in the drivers seat in this whole thing, and I feel that we are still very much in that position.

 

[t_BuckeyeScott]

The point about picking up Missouri is that all around including academics, geography and other athletics, St. Louis and KC, make them a decent fit in the Big 10. No they're not the end all be all, but if taking Missouri ment destroying the Big 12 so the other dominos would fall and we get ND after the fallout so be it.

 

[zincfinger]

What surprises me is how willing these school are to bend over for Texas, OU and now aTm without even looking at other possible options first. There may not be much in the way of better options but jesus stick up for yourselves a little.

I agree...you wonder if the Pac 10 would have taken them without Texas/OU...if so, I would have bolted.

And if I was Mizzu I would of been making last ditch ovations to the Big10 saying please please take us. I don't care if we don't get a full a share for 10-20. Just get us out of this mess.

What makes you think those schools didn't do that? I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Missouri had already received a polite "no, not at this time" from the BigTen. And regardless of whether Tech even bothered asking, it was obvious that whatever offer they received from the Pac-10 was 100% contingent on Texas joining. So with the possible exceptions of A&M and OU, none of these schools had any BCS alternatives outside the rump BigXII. Their options were precisely, stay in the rump BigXII under the terms dictated to them, or go join whatever mid-major conference was willing to take them. Being a serf on the UT manor is probably the better option. And with OU and A&M, even if they could have found a BCS home on their own, why bother since they didn't get the sharp end of the stick in the BigXII deal? Not to mention, any BCS options those two might have had would have likely carried some significant drawbacks as well.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I don't disagree with your sentiments, but it seemed to me that the Big 10 kept all discussion private until they were all but forced to speak/leak. In as much as it was a business deal designed to be of benefit to both parties it still seems to me that Texas was duplicitous and that Delany was 'had.'

I don't think so. I think he had sit back and let things play out in order to let Texas play their hand. I don't think anyone really had a sense for the depth of Texas' Machiavellian manipulations and self-serving b.s. before the last couple of weeks. Now we and everyone else in college football knows. Texas played their hand of tag-along members, Bevovision, 7 game conference schedules and all the rest, and Delany said, "thanks but no thanks; contact us when you're ready to be an equal member of the Big Ten." I don't think he was had at all.

As much as it pains me to say this, the one who looks bad is Gee for having gone off on his own and contacted the UT Prez. Gee comes off as naive and foolish for thinking Texas had a "Tech Problem" when it's clear that Tech, Baylor and rest of the B12 South were not a "problem" from Texas' viewpoint but rather were pawns in UT's end game of maneuvering a hostile takeover of whichever conference they ended up in.

 

[kn1f3party]

Another theory: we shifted focus from Missouri to Nebraska because (A) they were obviously interested, (B) we knew it could be a league-killer for the Big XII, and (C) we were calling the Pac-10 + 6 bluff. I've said since it started that I just don't see this Pac-16 thing going down. The Pac-10 appears to be moving to 12 with or without Texas. Utah is likely next. During the next iteration, there is one less seat to fill. Now, the scenario for the remaining Big XII members does not favor them leaving. All of them have a much weaker argument now when negotiating with new conferences. We'll continue to go about our business, but you hit it on the nose in terms of exposing the Big XII. The move of Nebraska, while significant to both parties, is only seismic because of the wave that went through college athletics in the past week.

 

[Piney]

I have a hard time believing the (temporary) holding pattern we find ourselves in wasn't one of the scenarios Delany had planned for. One has to believe they've planned for about every iteration of reshuffling shortly after they got the ball rolling. The positives for the BigTen at this point include:

-picking up UNL (obviously)
-exposing the BigXII as a house of cards
-revealing Tejas as a 'me first' institution
-exposing the other texas schools, and more surprisingly OU and OkieSt, as unapologetic hangers-on of Tejas

It's also interesting that Delany's subtle overtures sent the PAC-10 commish scrambling to try and gobble up new schools. His flying around and public offerings and public rebuffs resulted in a lot of egg on the PAC-10's face, imo.

I said several months back that it's great that the BigTen seems to be in the drivers seat in this whole thing, and I feel that we are still very much in that position.

This is the beauty of having multiple directions to expand. If any border showed an early weakness Delaney was able to pounce. The initial pressure levied from the Big 10 was to put everything in motion. The Big XII cracked first and we were able to grab Nebraska.

But I really think Delaney thought he could get Texas and he still wants them. While Texas is getting heat, maybe this initial process humbled them a bit and that will help in future expansion scenarios.

Heck, Texas Tech almost solved the 'Tech Problem' for Delaney with the rumor of not accepting the deal and going elsewhere on their own.

But all is quiet now on the western front. While it might be quiet for a few more years, it will be ripe for the picking at a later date.

Now it is time to regroup a little and start the eastern offensive. Delaney has time on his side. Another season can add additional pressure on so many front. What if Brian Kelly flops in his first season? Time for Big East teams to try to impress, What if Rutgers wins the Big East? Or maybe Syracuse starts returning to form in their 2nd season with their new coach.

I am sure this doesn't affect Delaney's planning. Maybe it tweaked it a bit with what conspired to the west.

All I know is I have to actually get back to work, damn it!

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

But I really think Delaney thought he could get Texas and he still wants them. While Texas is getting heat, maybe this initial process humbled them a bit and that will help in future expansion scenarios.

I agree that Delany wanted Tejas this go-around, but I think that ship has sailed. If they are able to get BevoVision (credit to ORD for that name ) rolling and profitable while playing in the BigXII 2.0, I see them going independant if there's another big shakeup in 5-10 years. I just don't see that leopard changing it's spots - especially once they've got their own network.