Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[Buckeye737]

I reluctantly chose Maryland as well, but has anyone here had experience with their fans? They only care to read that their team did well. I have a coworker from there and an ex from there. Also, I had a case there and went to Baltimore way too many times. My colleague was a wimp and I had to do the late night runs for toothbrushes and stuff, half hour walks away in every direction. It is a nightmare of a town with horrible people everywhere. I despise no town in this nation more than Baltimore. People tried to mug me (unsuccessfully) etc. a couple times. It is a pool of crap.

I don't know any Maryland fans personally, but I did visit their message boards during the summer of 2010 conference realignment craze. The fans on that board were all about going to the B10. I was pleasantly surprised, although they were slightly delusional about how well they'd do in the conference in basketball. I also read a Syracuse message board with posters who wanted nothing to do with the B10. I was a bit surprised at that also.

 

[sepia5]

I don't know any Maryland fans personally, but I did visit their message boards during the summer of 2010 conference realignment craze. The fans on that board were all about going to the B10. I was pleasantly surprised, although they were slightly delusional about how well they'd do in the conference in basketball. I also read a Syracuse message board with posters who wanted nothing to do with the B10. I was a bit surprised at that also.

In my experience, Syracuse fans today are Syracuse basketball fans, and they love their conference rivalries, particularly with Georgetown. From that perspective, I totally understand why they'd want to keep that intact.

 

[EasternBuck]

Laying all logic and rumors/news aside I would like to see us add these four schools.

Texas
ND
Va Tech
Georgia Tech

I think it would be a nice push out West and down South for schools that would mesh well for the BIG's football image. Yes, I am think only about football. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MaxBuck]

I've said Tejas, Oklahoma, Duke and UNC.

1. Tejas qualifies on every criterion: excellent academics, excellent market, excellent athletics.

2. Okie comes along for the ride with Tejas, but brings academic baggage.

3. Dook added in order to compensate for the academic embarrassment of adding Okie.

4. Tarheels added in order to preserve rivalry on the hardwood with Dook, and also because they qualify on every criterion except gridiron excellence.

With all this said, I think Florida should be in play for the B1G because they also qualify on every criterion and because I think many in the UF system secretly abhor their association with the halfwit SEC, realizing that in allying with the B1G they can continue their athletic excellence while thumbing their nose at the resurgent Alabama Crimson Tide: "we actually care about education, you rednecks, but we don't need to ignore athletic excellence."

Oh, almost forgot. Fuck the University of South Bend.

 

[cjmik_75]

If everyone could play well with others...
Notre Dame
Texas
Georgia Tech
Virginia

Realistically, everyone (I'm looking at you fightin' irish and longhorns) won't play well together. Ever.

I say Fuck any further expansion. But it's probably gonna happen so...

...Georgia Tech, Virginia, Missouri and either Rutgers/Syracuse.

 

[EasternBuck]

I've said Tejas, Oklahoma, Duke and UNC.

1. Tejas qualifies on every criterion: excellent academics, excellent market, excellent athletics.

2. Okie comes along for the ride with Tejas, but brings academic baggage.

3. Dook added in order to compensate for the academic embarrassment of adding Okie.

4. Tarheels added in order to preserve rivalry on the hardwood with Dook, and also because they qualify on every criterion except gridiron excellence.

With all this said, I think Florida should be in play for the B1G because they also qualify on every criterion and because I think many in the UF system secretly abhor their association with the halfwit SEC, realizing that in allying with the B1G they can continue their athletic excellence while thumbing their nose at the resurgent Alabama Crimson Tide: "we actually care about education, you rednecks, but we don't need to ignore athletic excellence."

Oh, almost forgot. Fuck the University of South Bend.

I think it would be fun to have them in the BIG. I just dont see them leaving the SEC. But it would be fun to watch them come in and officially join an thereby kills all southern speed in the state.

 

[Ryan36_1]

Throwing reason out the window and looking for long term dominance:

-ND
-TX
-KS
-OK

That adds:

-3 top 10 all-time football teams (B1G would have 7 of top 8 winningest programs )
-2 top 10 all-time basketball programs (B1G would have 4 of top 13 winningest programs)
-Large national presence
-Large TV markets (TX second largest state with 3 top 10 cities - throw in the ND impact in the New England area)
-inroads with NBC contract
-is contiguous
-Overall is a solid addition academically (2 AAU schools, ND is solid undergraduate, and Oklahoma isn't that far off from where Nebraska is in US News rankings)


OK back to reality.

 

[buckiprof]

1. Notre Dame, because they are still Notre Dame.

2 & 3. Missouri and Kansas, because they fit the Midwest, flagship, AAU, research profile.

4. Maryland - also fits the flagship, AAU, research profile, and expands the footprint into the East Coast.

I could live with this, however, my preference would have Georgia Tech in place of Kansas. Georgia Tech expanding the footprint into Georgia would be nice to go along with a Maryland expanding into the East Coast.

 

[muffler dragon]

ND for a nation-wide impact...

Screw Notre Dame.

Oh, almost forgot. Fuck the University of South Bend.

I agree on all accounts. The only way (and it's slim as hell) that I would have any interest in the fucktwats of South Bend being a part of the B1G is if they are getting screwed and fucked six ways from Sunday. Humiliation is the order of the day.

 

[Ryan36_1]

From orangebloods:

Trade KS for Mizzou and that would be my dream scenario if everyone played nice (not likely)

Edit: Also didn't see this posted here yet - from PBC

http://northwestern.rivals.com/showm...2289928&Page=2

The Big Ten has already approved an arrangement by which Texas could become a member of the Big Ten conference, and maintain its Longhorn Network. All bowl and other revenues would be divided in the same way as the other schools, however Texas would not share in the revenues of the Big Ten Network.

 

[Bobby Hoying]

What happened with Nebraska and their AAU membership? :(:(:(:(

I just read that back in April scUM and Wisconsin kicked our new family member out of the elite academic club???

One thing I loved about the Big Ten expansion talk last year was that everybody said our conference was like a family (unanimous votes, CIC, etc.) But now we kicked one of our schools in the teeth.

I love all the expansion ideas (with Texas especially) but if all the B1G schools can't work together than what is the point of a conference?

I would love for Texas to join us but do you think they will treat Minny and IU as equals? I don't think so. And I think that is one of the things that makes the B1G so stable and successful.

 

[cincibuck]

1. Notre Dame, because they are still Notre Dame.

2 & 3. Missouri and Kansas, because they fit the Midwest, flagship, AAU, research profile.

4. Maryland - also fits the flagship, AAU, research profile, and expands the footprint into the East Coast.

Penn State - Maryland used to be a huge game for both schools --

 

[BuckTwenty]

From orangebloods:

Trade KS for Mizzou and that would be my dream scenario if everyone played nice (not likely)

Edit: Also didn't see this posted here yet - from PBC

http://northwestern.rivals.com/showm...2289928&Page=2


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Wow. Sounds like Texas is definetly in play for the B1G. Whether it actually happens remains to be seen, but that's exciting stuff. If the Big XII falls and Texas joins as #13, we will end up winning the expansion race. There was smoke a few months ago that if Texas joined the conference, ND would finally jump on board. If that happened, we could decide to stay there at 14 or go to 16.

 

[Buckeye86]

So, not to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but yeah, this:

1. Michigan [0.73453]
2. Notre Dame [0.73266]
3. Texas [0.71730]
4. Oklahoma [0.71704]
5. Ohio State[0.71592]
6. Alabama [0.70747]
7. Southern Cal [0.70496]
8. Nebraska [0.70131]
9. Tennessee [0.68993]
10. Penn State [0.68940]

would be a nice conference lineup.

Texas, Notre Dame, Nebraska in the West.

Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State in the East.

 

[Piney]

PBC speaks again...



http://northwestern.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=57&tid=162506546&mid=162506546&sid=901&style=2

Terms Presented by Notre Dame and TexasReply
Earlier this evening, Notre Dame and Texas jointly presented the Big Ten Conference with their proposed terms of entry into the conference. These terms resulted from lengthy discussions among both schools and the Big Ten over the past several months.

The major items include:
1. The preservation of an eight game (plus championship) conference football schedule. Both ND and Texas wish to preserve rivalries with non-Big Ten universities on a regular basis. This would require the Big Ten to abandon its current plans of a 9 game conference schedule.
2. The staggering of the schedule to allow for mid-season scheduling with non-conference football opponents.
3. The preservation of the status quo conference makeup until approximately 2014, unless the Big XII fails to retain key (NOT including A&M) conference members. This will provide the member schools, acting in unison, with the greatest leverage negotiating ongoing television contracts, particularly with ESPN.
4. Should Texas depart the conference for the Big Ten before ND due to the further disintegration of the Big XII, ND will remain independent until approximately 2014
5. The Longhorn Network would remain independent until approximately 2014, at which point the network would become a part of an expanded Big Ten Network (specifically referred to as "BTN2"), likely either in partnership with Fox, NBC, or less likely ABC

The Big Ten just wrapped up a meeting to initially consider all of the terms presented by the schools, including the aforementioned.

Notably, there is a general discontent with the reporting of the situation by ESPN with specific regard to Texas. ESPN has, for self-serving purposes, drastically exaggerated the lean of Texas to the Pac12 conference in nearly all commentary. ESPN has essentially waged a propaganda campaign to drive support among the Texas stakeholders to the Pac12 conference. ESPN has gone so far as to attempt to accelerate the disintegration of the Big XII to pressure Texas into making an immediate conference change decision. Texas has steadfastly resisted change, and will do so until the appropriate time occurs for Texas to stand in a strong position to renegotiate television contracts, including with ESPN.

In reality, the preference expressed by Texas' relevant leadership is to depart the Big XII for the Big Ten at the time that gives Texas the greatest leverage in negotiating a new television rights deal. The Big Ten and Texas agreed that Texas should do what is best for Texas, which they also both agree is a move by Texas to join the Big Ten Conference. Delaney's top priority has been to create an environment for Texas and Notre Dame to join the conference on mutually benefical terms.

Notre Dame has an interest in preserving its traditional rivalries, three of which occur already in the Big Ten, and creating a new national rivalry with a traditional powerhouse. The Big Ten believes that ND prefers independence, but realizes that it will soon have no choice but to join a conference. The Big Ten also believes that ND is trying to position itself so that if it must join a conference, it does so on the most favorable terms possible. Hence the return to the 8 game schedule and a protected game with national power Texas. The Big Ten will attempt to create a mutually beneficial environment for ND that allows it to preserve a great deal of independence to retain all its traditional rivalries within the conference context.

The initial mood at the Big Ten to the terms provided by the two schools is "receptive."