Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[Muck]

No Expanion for Mountain West...Yet

he Mountain West Conference isn't expanding again, at least not for now.

Membership issues are still on the table, but the league's presidents came out of their annual January meeting Tuesday with the following announcement:

"The Board feels strongly the membership configuration already established going forward creates outstanding prospects for future success."

More intriguing was the statement's mention of issues related to television partnerships.

There had been a firestorm of speculation that San Jose State and Utah State would join for a 12-school league eligible for a football playoff.

Last June, the presidents adjourned from their annual summer meeting with essentially no announcement, and then added Boise State a week later.

 

[jlb1705]

Actually, she taught at Texas before being hired away to Hyde Park. That being said, her feelings weren't that they were horrible or an embarrassment...just that there was hope for the talked about home run: Texas, Notre Dame, or even Syracuse/Pitt would have come much closer to expectations. It was about five minutes of conversation over lunch. Take it for what it's worth. It's U of C, and they would have rolled their eyes at anyone short of Cal or UVA.

I think that's more of a problem with the hopes and expectations of fans and alumni than with the Big Ten's actions or Nebraska's relative worthiness. The expansion speculation took on a life of it's own.

For my part, if you're open to an expansion and an opportunity like Nebraska comes along, you take it. If there are areas where they need to catch up to their new peers, you worry about that later.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I think that's more of a problem with the hopes and expectations of fans and alumni than with the Big Ten's actions or Nebraska's relative worthiness. The expansion speculation took on a life of it's own.

For my part, if you're open to an expansion and an opportunity like Nebraska comes along, you take it. If there are areas where they need to catch up to their new peers, you worry about that later.

And that's pretty much where I stand. I didn't want them, but it's not like we went and took Akron. Now, Corn Aggy can take advantage of what they've been handed and improve in the areas where they need to improve. It's in everyone's interests moving forward. Corntards just seem to get so butthurt if they're not being welcomed as the bestest, lollipops and puppy dogs thing to ever happen to the Big Ten.

 

[muffler dragon]

And that's pretty much where I stand. I didn't want them, but it's not like we went and took Akron. Now, Corn Aggy can take advantage of what they've been handed and improve in the areas where they need to improve. It's in everyone's interests moving forward. Corntards just seem to get so butthurt if they're not being welcomed as the bestest, lollipops and puppy dogs thing to ever happen to the Big Ten.

Or the fact that Corn Aggy or Corntards doesn't come off as endearing.

 

[Emperor Brutus]

Texas, Notre Dame, or even Syracuse/Pitt

Texas, Cuse and Pitt I get, but someone at U of C thought Notre Dame was a better fit academically? I mean yeah, undergraduate they might be better than Nebraska but the CIC could give a shit about that. I've never heard anyone speak of them in revered terms when it comes to R&D. There is a reason all of the other schools are AAU members including Nebraska. When it comes to football tradition sure Notre Dame would be a good pickup, when it comes to fitting into the CIC they have further to go than anyone else on our list. Missouri has better R&D than Notre Dame.

I am anti-Notre Dame, even if we go to sixteen I want nothing to do with the golden dome.

 

[MaxBuck]

I'm really happy with our new Big Ten brethren in Lincoln. SO much better than suffering with the denizens of Suth Ben.

 

[Gatorubet]

Best fan base that I have run into at a game. By a bunch.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I am anti-Notre Dame, even if we go to sixteen I want nothing to do with the golden dome.

The only reason I can even consider wanting them is so that in 10 years the kids entering the recruiting fray don't know ND for anything more than they know Iowa, Illinois or MSU. A once in a blue moon good, generally mediocre, nondescript, middle of the road B10 team.

They haven't been good in nearly 20 years, now I want to see them stripped of the only thing they have left, the novelty of their independent status.

 

[Emperor Brutus]

I want to see them join the MAC.

 

[matcar]

B10 and SEC revenue

Not sure where to post this...so I put it here since there's a lot of talk about revenues in this thread.

The beginning of this article isn't accurate because BTN revenue isn't reflected in the numbers, but corrections are made at the bottom.

http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney...stacks-up-against-the-sec-in-sports-revenues/

 

[OSU_D/]

http://frankthetank.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/you-cant-always-get-what-you-want-aggies/

It was as predictable as a lackadaisical road game for the Illini basketball team. When the University of Texas signed its network deal with ESPN, the drumbeats from people that aren’t looking at the big picture started: “Well, this means Texas A&M is heading to the SEC sooner rather than later.” It’s a stance that’s become reflexive among many widely read pundits. Unfortunately, that stance is absolutely and positively dead wrong.

 

[Muck]

From a Q&A with Cal's AD Sandy Barbour...

LINK

.../snip/...

Sandy question #4: What's going on with BCS contraction? Will we see fewer BCS conferences in the near future?

Response: This is on the minds of all AD?s right now, as we?re discussing the feasibility of contracting from 6 BCS conferences down to 4 within 4-5 years.

.../snip/...

 

[BuckTwenty]

ESPN blog

Interview with Dan Beebe, Big XII commissioner.

Talks about Nebraska and Colorado leaving, what's next for the league, third-tier television rights (for individual school networks), broadcasting HS sports on those individual school networks, Texas A&M and the possibility of them leaving the conference, future expansion for the conference... really good stuff.

 

[BB73]

CBS

Report: UMass will join the MAC

FBS football is about to get another new member, one that should make the already-competitive MAC that much more challenging.

The Midwestern league is set to announce that they will be inviting FCS power UMass to join as a football-only member, according to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. The MAC Twitter feed has already confirmed that a press conference has been scheduled tomorrow featuring both conference and UMass officials; it's all but official.
Per the Plain Dealer, the Minutemen will play a full conference schedule as soon as 2012 but won't be eligible for the league championship until 2013. UMass is the second football-only member that plays its other sports in the Atlantic 10, joining Temple, and brings the MAC's total football membership up to 14.

The addition of the Minutemen will allow the conference to return to two even seven-team divisions after an awkward set up the past few years with seven teams in the East and six in the West. (The league will likely move area rivals Bowling Green and Toledo into the same division to accommodate the addition.) But more importantly, the move gives the MAC a member with a strong history of terrific football at the FCS level.

Cont'd ...

 

[jlb1705]

UMass & Temple. The Cosby Bowl. Dress accordingly.