Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[ORD_Buckeye]

Do you know if these are the criteria by which Delaney and the University Presidents would move?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that numerous statements were made to the effect that, while football was obviously driving the bus, the complete package would be looked at.

it would be interesting to see how ND fits the criteria above.

Interesting question. Here are my thoughts:

Historical and Current strength of football program at time of invitation: equal
Historically, ND is ND. It's why we hate them, but they are relevant. Current, clearly weaker than Nebraska today or Penn State in 90.

National interest in football program: equal
Edge to ND. Even when they're losing, their NBC numbers are good. Another decade in the wilderness, and who knows, but ND joining the Big Ten now would be of huge national importance and interest.

Media Markets: strong edge to Penn State
Huge Edge to ND. No college program turns on more television sets in the DC-Philly-NYC-Boston corridor than ND. Add that to a very strong interest in heavily Catholic California. Penn State and Nebraska are regional programs with some national interest when they're doing well.

Academics: strong edge to Penn State
Huge edge to ND undergraduate. For law and business schools: slight edge over Penn State and big edge over NU. Doctoral, research and faculty considerations lagging behind both.

Basketball: equal--glaring weakness in both
Hell, they've at least been to a Final Four. Currently a borderline top 25 program, which is still better than NU or PSU.

Olympic Sports: strong edge to Penn State
I do think that the recent 19 for Penn State is an off year. They're usually a pretty consistent top 12 program and competitive for best in the Big Ten. ND is usually a top 15 finisher with even better years. Hockey program's taken off. Strong Olympic sprorts (many women's sports, lacrosse, fencing, etc). Good women's b-ball. I'd say equal to Penn State and a clear cut above NU.

 

[SidehatchHusker]

Well, if that's all that is important to your university, you're welcome...I guess.

You clearly need a lesson on Nebraska. We know what we're doing over here (in more than just football). Your multiple references to "corn aggy" tell me you've had a negative experience with Husker fan(s) somewhere in the past. Sorry to hear that.

We'll do the conference proud. We compete hard. We'll continue to upgrade our academics. We're as passionate of a fan base as anyone. And we'll have your back (even if some don't have ours).

GO BIG RED

 

[jlb1705]

Your multiple references to "corn aggy" tell me you've had a negative experience with Husker fan(s) somewhere in the past. Sorry to hear that.

I doubt it. Corn Aggy actually sounds like a term of endearment in the way he's used it so far. You'll know ORD is really getting his hate on when he starts calling you guys Corn Fredo or otherwise inserts Nebraska into a Godfather-based narrative.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

You clearly need a lesson on Nebraska. We know what we're doing over here (in more than just football). Your multiple references to "corn aggy" tell me you've had a negative experience with Husker fan(s) somewhere in the past. Sorry to hear that.

We'll do the conference proud. We compete hard. We'll continue to upgrade our academics. We're as passionate of a fan base as anyone. And we'll have your back (even if some don't have ours).

GO BIG RED

Look, I'm not saying NU was a horrible choice. Also, it's not that I've ever had any bad experiences with your fanbase; although I was sickened by the "Sal's Dead; Go Big Red billboard that was taken out years ago. I've just never really cared for Nebraska. Didn't care for Osborn or any of your "glory teams" from the 90s. Combine that with the fact that NU was NOT the home run that Texas or the domers could have been, and you'll have to forgive my trespass of borrowing some shaggy bevo terminology.

What's done is done. It's now in everybody's best interests that Nebraska come into the conference with the strengths that it currently brings and gets its [censored] together in the areas it needs improvement. I'm not rooting against Nebraska; I'm just being realistic that there are areas where they need to step up their game.

 

[Muck]

Fox Lands Rights to Pac-12 Title Game

The inaugural Pac-12 football championship game is heading to Fox, solidifying the network's college football imprint after losing the Bowl Championship Series.

A person with knowledge of the one-year deal told The Associated Press on Thursday that it is valued at $25 million ? $14.5 million for the title game and $10.5 million for additional games that comes with the conference's expansion from 10 to 12 teams starting next season.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details were not made public.

No date has been decided for the game, although the person said it likely will be played on Dec. 3, giving Fox a doubleheader with the inaugural Big Ten title game.

.../cont/...

 

[MaliBuckeye]

Fox Lands Rights to Pac-12 Title Game

And the year long siege against the Pac-12 begins in earnest at eSECpn...

 

[BB73]

Looks like bEvoSPN is close to becoming a reality.

Statesman

ESPN, University of Texas 'very close' to forming Longhorns TV channel

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ? ESPN and the University of Texas are "very close" to concluding negotiations to pair the two entities and form an exclusive television channel dedicated entirely to Longhorn sports , an ESPN executive said Sunday.

Burke Magnus, senior vice president for college sports programming, told the American-Statesman that once the deal is finalized, ESPN would show perhaps one or two Longhorn football games and up to "eight or 10" men's basketball games per season, even more than first acknowledged .

When Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds announced plans for the school to develop its own network, he expressed hope the channel would include one football game and four to six men's basketball games.

Other programming would include a vast amount of women's basketball games as well as baseball, softball, volleyball and golf. "We'd show every Texas athletic event that is not nationally distributed," Magnus said.
Dodds has said Texas would like to launch the network in 2011.

In addition, Magnus did not discount the fact that ESPN, by linking up with Texas, could enhance its chances of winning the rights to all Big 12 football games when the conference puts them up for bid next April. "It doesn't hurt," Magnus said, "but you can't draw a straight line. The Big 12 knows how we feel about them."

Cont'd ...

 

[CHU]

Already knowing that FOX is the backer of the Big Ten Network, any thought to if FOX can even remotely put up a worthy bid for the Big Ten when the contracts expire in 4-5 years (with basketball one year apart)?

I don't think FOX can put up a substantial bid and realize the Big Ten can't get what the SEC got because the Big Ten has games on its own network (taking games away from an ESPN).

Kind of hope Delany and the conference office hold ESPN over the coals and bilks them for every cent.

 

[muffler dragon]

Already knowing that FOX is the backer of the Big Ten Network, any thought to if FOX can even remotely put up a worthy bid for the Big Ten when the contracts expire in 4-5 years (with basketball one year apart)?

I don't think FOX can put up a substantial bid and realize the Big Ten can't get what the SEC got because the Big Ten has games on its own network (taking games away from an ESPN).

Kind of hope Delany and the conference office hold ESPN over the coals and bilks them for every cent.

I believe you're talking apples and oranges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ten_Network

The Big Ten Network (or BTN) is an American sports television network dedicated to the Big Ten Conference. The network currently reaches approximately 40 million households nationwide and is available up to an estimated 73 million households in the United States and Canada.[1] It is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering a single college conference.
The network is a 20-year joint project of the Big Ten Conference, and Fox Entertainment Group (a division of News Corporation). The Big Ten Network is majority-owned (51%) by the Big Ten Conference, with Fox Entertainment Group holding a minority interest (49%).[2] Fox handles the administration and affiliate sales operations of the channel. The conference announced the formation of the network on June 21, 2006.

cont

 

[Emperor Brutus]

Good news for the WAC.

Finally, some good news for the WAC: Proposal 2010-100 passes

Posted on 01/13/2011 by dmccarney
At long last, some welcome good news for the Western Athletic Conference.
Proposal 2010-100 was adopted Thursday by the NCAA’s Legislative Council, which will allow the WAC to remain an FBS/Division I league as it is currently composed. Provided, of course, it doesn’t continue to hemmorage members, which likely will remain a concern for the forseeable future.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2011/01/ncaa-wac-action-at-the-national-convention/

 

[MaxBuck]

Good news for the WAC.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2011/01/ncaa-wac-action-at-the-national-convention/

Will the Big Least be able to remain FBS? Addition of TCU had to help.

 

[scooter1369]

http://www.centralfloridafuture.com/mobile/expansion-crunch-time-ucf-is-the-best-fit-for-big-east-1.2431124

UCF coaches and players won't admit it. The athletics department won't admit it.

But I will.

Being a member of Conference USA is embarrassing for our entire athletic department.

It's time to move on.

this chick nails it.

 

[Muck]

this chick nails it.

Nails what?

That UCF fans/alums/students (or whatever she is, I didn't read the link) have a delusionally inflated opinion of their place in the world?

Hell the last time the Big East was looking for bottom feeders they took South Florida over UCF. Getting passed over for a school that didn't even have a football team five years earlier...now THAT is embarassing.

UCF was ignored this time around as well (TCU & Villanova getting the nod).

If you don't bring enough to the table to merit invitation from the most sad sack collection of cast offs in BCS AQ land....then maybe you should shut your pie hole about how you're too good for your current conference.

Apparently UCF is now officially the Bearcats of Florida.

 

[Mrstickball]

Nails what?

That UCF fans/alums/students (or whatever she is, I didn't read the link) have a delusionally inflated opinion of their place in the world?

Hell the last time the Big East was looking for bottom feeders they took South Florida over UCF. Getting passed over for a school that didn't even have a football team five years earlier...now THAT is embarassing.

UCF was ignored this time around as well (TCU & Villanova getting the nod).

If you don't bring enough to the table to merit invitation from the most sad sack collection of cast offs in BCS AQ land....then maybe you should shut your pie hole about how you're too good for your current conference.

Apparently UCF is now officially the Bearcats of Florida.

To be fair, the Bearcats got clobbered by an SEC team last time they played 'em in a bowl game. UCF actually won :-p

 

[scarletmike]

I think your understanding of UCF is slightly askew, Muck. Even though I am by all qualifiers an "outsider" that doesn't even attend UCF, I think part of the barrier to being added to a BCS conference is not only because of their sudden sports status rise, but because of the sudden rise of the University as a whole. I can see where large, traditional institutions that have been around since the days before the forward pass would be hesitant of UCF's stability and validity, given that UCF sprang up out of nowhere and became one of the largest (by student body count) universities in the nation (I believe they eclipsed tOSU's student count this past year) in a comparative blink of an eye. Of course, USF is a similar situation, but Orlando isn't exactly known as a sports town, while Tampa has a few major league pro teams. UCF currently has some trouble filling its stands for games, but once again, Orlando isn't a sports town and everyone won't come out right away. When I mention wanting to transfer to UCF, I get a lot of "UCwhat?" reactions unless I'm talking to someone else in the hospitality field.

Yes, the Big Least isn't exactly a power conference (especially in football), but it isn't necessarily a slouch when you think about academics and school prestige either. There are some well-known, well-established universities outside of sports in the conference, and letting in a University that went from nothing to bigger than OSU in the blink of an eye...I'd be weary of letting them into what I view as my elite circle. Their time will come, and I think they'll do rather well.