Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[BB73]

The more I think about it the more I just don't believe the 'usual suspects' list of B1G targets.

I think if NCAA armageddon comes that Delaney will be going after much bigger game than Missouri (who he already gave the could shoulder to), Cuse & the rest of that mess.

PAC gets Oklahoma & the SEC gets A&M (with FSU/V Tech/etc) and the B1G gets f'n Rutgers?!

I just don't buy that for a minute.

If it all blows up I see another push for ND and the core ACC schools (NC, Duke & 1 or 2 of NC St, Maryland & VA) being on the table.

FWIW there are rumors that there is now contact between A&M & B1G as well.

I see Syracuse and Rutgers as Plan B options for the NYC market if ND doesn't happen, just like they were in 2010. ND and Mizzou could be added to the 'West', and any 2 or MD-VA-GT-NC could be added to the 'East'.

aTm could be resurfacing aTm-B1G rumors just to make the SEC nervous (in order to get them to act more quickly). And Delany certainly is capable of floating some rumors just to stir the pot and see how others react.

 

[Muck]

I see Syracuse and Rutgers as Plan B options for the NYC market if ND doesn't happen, just like they were in 2010.

I understand the reasoning behind that line of thought I just think it's bogus.

New Yorkers just don't give a shit about college football and Rutgers vs whoever isn't going to change that.

Want to get eyeballs in NY? Duke vs Indiana or UNC vs MSU basketball games will draw far more attention than any combination of shitty NE football schools.

If the B1G gets stuck with Rutgers it'll be a bigger failure than all the Land O Lakes divisions, baby blue B1GT3N logos & splitting up The Game combined.

 

[Bleed S & G]

VaTech was my thought as well. Virginia, VaTech, ND and Missouri would be interesting.

Blah.

I would rather add West Virginia before Virginia.

ND, Mizzo, WV, VT would be nice adds in this neck of the woods..

But would love to get Texas, Okie, & ND. I would be fine with taking A&M + Okie State if we could rope in Texas & OU.

This post is strictly from a football perspective.

 

[Woody1968]

I understand the reasoning behind that line of thought I just think it's bogus.

New Yorkers just don't give a shit about college football and Rutgers vs whoever isn't going to change that.

Want to get eyeballs in NY? Duke vs Indiana or UNC vs MSU basketball games will draw far more attention than any combination of shitty NE football schools.

If the B1G gets stuck with Rutgers it'll be a bigger failure than all the Land O Lakes divisions, baby blue B1GT3N logos & splitting up The Game combined.

I keep saying this, and I will keep saying it. This is not true. New Yorkers DO follow college football, but they follow teams from all over the country, and not necessarily local schools. That said, Syracuse does have a lot of local alumnai, and is still a better choice than Rutgers, despite Rutgers getting some attention the one season they were good. The product can be hyped here. NYC is all about hype.

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

I don't think The Big ten wanted the Texas/Texas A&M package from a few years ago, I don't think they would go for a Oklahoma/Okie St package now. If we are going to rehash this whole expansion topic again, I would love Oklahoma by itself and then pick up either ND or Virginia. ND for its national brand or Virginia for its academics, which is important to the Big Ten.

 

[Muck]

I keep saying this, and I will keep saying it. This is not true. New Yorkers DO follow college football, but they follow teams from all over the country, and not necessarily local schools.

The actual TV ratings tend to belie your claim. Sure New Yorkers follow college ball...but per capita fewer do so than practically anywhere else in the country.

Still that entire point is tangential to the fact that if 'capturing' the NY market requires you to absorb multiple crappy programs are you really coming out ahead in the long run?

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

The actual TV ratings tend to belie your claim.

Would ratings matter as much as just getting the Big Ten Network on the cable systems in New York?

 

[knapplc]

But would love to get Texas

After they destroyed the SWC (ask our Arky friends about this if you don't believe me), after they drove off Colorado and Nebraska from the Big XII, after they have lied about their intentions with their network, after they have allied themselves with the single biggest thing that is wrong with college football (ESPN), after they have strong-armed the remainder of the teams in the Big XII, all I can ask is...

Why?

 

[knapplc]

I was specifically referring to (alleged) new developments not discussions that happened to Nebraska being given a seat at the B1G kids table.

We'll see about that kid's table in October.

 

[jlb1705]

Would ratings matter as much as just getting the Big Ten Network on the cable systems in New York?

Low demand = Weak negotiating position for the BTN in trying to carried the basic packages, which is where the real money is.

Remember how long Time Warner Cable held out? Imagine how long a provider would be able to go on like that if a miniscule percentage of their customers actually cared enough to bitch about it or switch to a competitor.

 

[Woody1968]

The actual TV ratings tend to belie your claim.

Sure some New Yorkers follow college ball...but per capita fewer do so than practically anywhere else in the country.

Are you talking ratings from all games combined over the course of the day, or just from the ABC/ESPN game of the week? Go to any bar here on a Saturday, and I guarantee there is a game on with people watching.

 

[Woody1968]

After they destroyed the SWC (ask our Arky friends about this if you don't believe me), after they drove off Colorado and Nebraska from the Big XII, after they have lied about their intentions with their network, after they have allied themselves with the single biggest thing that is wrong with college football (ESPN), after they have strong-armed the remainder of the teams in the Big XII, all I can ask is...

Why?

Agreed. Screw texas. We don't need their demands, and if we did land Oklahoma, we'd also have the better half of the Red River Rivalry.

 

[Muck]

We'll see about that kid's table in October.

Yes you will.

Penn State fans used to be pretty optimistic as well before they got their fill.

 

[jlb1705]

Are you talking ratings from all games combined over the course of the day, or just from the ABC/ESPN game of the week? Go to any bar here on a Saturday, and I guarantee there is a game on with people watching.

It's a bar. What else are they going to put on the TVs? The true measure here (and where there may or may not be money to be made) is in home televisions.

 

[Pheasant]

Blah.

I would rather add West Virginia before Virginia.

ND, Mizzo, WV, VT would be nice adds in this neck of the woods..

But would love to get Texas, Okie, & ND. I would be fine with taking A&M + Okie State if we could rope in Texas & OU.

This post is strictly from a football perspective.

Meh, I'd take the cavs. They have better colors, better campus, better girls...oh and the academics make WVU's look like a JUCO.