Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[Steve19]

If, I'm the Big Ten brass, I am salivating at the idea of Texas and Notre Dame joining. The three biggest and best traveling fan bases would all be in the same conference. That would be ridiculous and the biggest moneymaker in college sports alone. The Big Ten would out-earn every other conference by a huge margin.

If I'm the Big Ten brass, I see two schools who believe that they deserve special deals, one of whom I can dismantle by stopping my teams from playing them.

Should be interesting.

 

[Piney]

fire up the rumor mill again

Link



If Texas is just waiting for Oklahoma to bury the Big 12, they may get their wish soon.

While I do put my faith in what PBC says more than some here. This just confuses me.

Why post this? This almost makes Texas look desperate, or worst case make it seem like there are splinter groups amongst the Texas decision makers.

Another thing about refusing to take Oklahoma due to academics. Basically it seems like the University presidents went outside their comfort zone by taking a borderline academic school like Nebraska, and refuse to do so again. What if we never took Nebraska last year? Would Oklahoma have been more seriously looked at?

Then again, we might not have been in this position if we didn't take Nebraska last year (ie Big XII-II-I-? imploding). But just maybe the reason Oklahoma is getting the cold shoulder now.

If I'm the Big Ten brass, I see two schools who believe that they deserve special deals, one of whom I can dismantle by stopping my teams from playing them.

Should be interesting.

On the flip side, those two schools have special circumstances. BOTH have individual network deals that need special deals to make them work and maybe gradually bring them into the BTN. Also those schools know they will not only bring in alot more money... they will be bringing in a SHITLOAD of money to the conference as a whole.

I think staying at 8 conference games isn't a big 'special deal' and allowing a more flexible conference schedule shouldn't be a 'special deal'.

The only real special deal these schools may or may not be getting is due to their current network deals. Notre Dame may be the easiest integration of the two actually since their deal is done in a few years and it is for their home games only. Plus they may not come into the conference til that deal is over/the deal can be bought out.

The Texas network is the biggest sticking point about being a special deal. But maybe with Oklahoma leaving the leverage in giving them a special deal may be turning into the Big Ten's favor. So I would rather wait til those details are closer to being final before deciding either way.

 

[MaxBuck]

Clearly Tejas wishes to remain in a viable Big 12. Almost as clearly the Big 12 is increasingly not viable. If the conference dissolves (NOT inevitable), then Tejas has a choice: stay independent or join the B1G. No other home is really suitable for them. Independence is fraught with uncertainty. And Notre Dame also joining seems to be a requirement for Tejas.

Or at least that's the way I'm reading things right now.

 

[BB73]

Got UCF twice and missing Texas Tech and the smurfs.

It does seem like the PAC12/14 want to get to 16. They have supposedly offered OK, OK ST, Texas and Texas Tech. If they can't get Texas PAC12/14 might stop there. They want the Texas market as much as anyone but who do they take? They won't take Baylor, SMU nor TCU because of religion. Do they raid CUSA? Make a play at A&M? Forget the state or Texas and go after Kansas and Kansas St?

The purple poster has said that ND only wants a 8 game conference schedule.

Thanks for catching the UCF/TTech error. I also changed the SEC's 14th team to an either/or of WVU/Mizzou.

Delany wants to go to 9 conference games, and it's already been agreed to by the current members. If ND wants in, and the prospects of the BCS locking out the teams that aren't in the 5x14 conferences could force their hand, I think they'd go for a 9-game schedule as long as Texas is their protected crossover game. The 8-vs-9 thing would seem to be one of the less important factors.

The 14-teams with 9 conference games scenario allows everybody to play the 6 teams in the other division twice in 6 years, so it stlil seems like they're in the same conference as your team. Only having 8 games would make that twice in 12 years, which is awfully rare for a fellow conference member. I prefer the 8 games with the current 12 team format, but I like the 9 games if a league goes to 14 teams.

For those thinking about Larry Scott's recent comments about the PAC wanting to stay at 12, I see that as just legal posturing, to not appear to be predatory in public so any comments can't be used in the potential lawsuits by the Baylor/TTech/ISU/KU/KSt folks after their league is further gutted.

 

[BB73]

Clearly Tejas wishes to remain in a viable Big 12. Almost as clearly the Big 12 is increasingly not viable. If the conference dissolves (NOT inevitable), then Tejas has a choice: stay independent or join the B1G. No other home is really suitable for them. Independence is fraught with uncertainty. And Notre Dame also joining seems to be a requirement for Tejas.

Or at least that's the way I'm reading things right now.

It's possible they don't want to stay, and are simply letting aTm and the Oklahoma schools leave first so they aren't seen as the bad guy.

Well, aren't seen as the bad guy any more than the Longhorn Network made them appear to be. But TLN was the thing needed to get the floodgates to open. :tinfoil:

 

[MaxBuck]

Even if Okie and/or Okie State were to depart the Big 12, I see Tejas as being able to recruit one or more of the following to be reasonable replacements to keep the league at a minimum of 10 teams: TCU (yes, I know, they just joined the Big East - so what?), SMU, U of Houston, BYU. So if Beebe is aggressive, he still might be able to save the Big 12. I don't see dissolution of the Big 12 as a fait accompli, but I'm not sure Beebe has the ability to keep it together.

This will be an interesting few months.

 

[Woody1968]

Even if Okie and/or Okie State were to depart the Big 12, I see Tejas as being able to recruit one or more of the following to be reasonable replacements to keep the league at a minimum of 10 teams: TCU (yes, I know, they just joined the Big East - so what?), SMU, U of Houston, BYU. So if Beebe is aggressive, he still might be able to save the Big 12. I don't see dissolution of the Big 12 as a fait accompli, but I'm not sure Beebe has the ability to keep it together.

This will be an interesting few months.

Outside of BYU, none of those schools is going to add anything to the Texas conference.

 

[MaxBuck]

Outside of BYU, none of those schools is going to add anything to the Texas conference.

Sure they are. Another Longhorn "W."

Man, are you slow on the uptake.

 

[Mariotwins]

Seriously, how else would they get bowl eligible

 

[knapplc]

Another thing about refusing to take Oklahoma due to academics. Basically it seems like the University presidents went outside their comfort zone by taking a borderline academic school like Nebraska, and refuse to do so again. What if we never took Nebraska last year? Would Oklahoma have been more seriously looked at?

This is a good question. I tend to think that even without Nebraska, Oklahoma doesn't get in. While Nebraska's academics are not up to Big Ten standards today, Oklahoma's are far worse. It is possible, even likely, that taking a borderline school in Nebraska sealed Oklahoma out, though. There is definitely a loss of prestige by taking Nebraska right now, just like there was when taking Penn State 20 years ago. You guys brought PSU along and they're far more respectable today than they were then, as Nebraska will be (hopefully sooner rather than later) but it may be too much to take on two "project" schools at the same time.



However, that's presuming academics are in any way steering this ship, and frankly, I don't think they are at all. If the B1G was more interested in building themselves up academically Nebraska doesn't get invited. Why would it? The University of Kansas is a more prestigious school (barely) than we are right now.

The driver in this situation is athletic revenue, and specifically football, and even more specifically, growing the BTN brand. Oklahoma can do that because, like Nebraska, they are a national rather than a regional brand. They bring eyeballs to televisions across the nation, and they help in basketball as well as football. Nebraska is a football-only draw, so OU is superior there.

But if we're just talking money, football money, TV money, then the obvious answer is Texas and Oklahoma can go to hell. Texas is the biggest money-maker out there, and when they pull their heads out of their collective behinds, they're a national TV draw in a number of sports, academically they are very similar to the bulk of the Big Ten, and while they're disparate culturally, they are not SO MUCH so that they cannot assimilate. There are myriad problems with having Texas in your conference, and I'm not going to beat that dead horse again, but if they can check their egos and play along, they could help the B1G and the BTN create a monster brand that would easily compete with the SEC/ESPN.

 

[Woody1968]

This is a good question. I tend to think that even without Nebraska, Oklahoma doesn't get in. While Nebraska's academics are not up to Big Ten standards today, Oklahoma's are far worse. It is possible, even likely, that taking a borderline school in Nebraska sealed Oklahoma out, though. There is definitely a loss of prestige by taking Nebraska right now, just like there was when taking Penn State 20 years ago. You guys brought PSU along and they're far more respectable today than they were then, as Nebraska will be (hopefully sooner rather than later) but it may be too much to take on two "project" schools at the same time.



However, that's presuming academics are in any way steering this ship, and frankly, I don't think they are at all. If the B1G was more interested in building themselves up academically Nebraska doesn't get invited. Why would it? The University of Kansas is a more prestigious school (barely) than we are right now.

The driver in this situation is athletic revenue, and specifically football, and even more specifically, growing the BTN brand. Oklahoma can do that because, like Nebraska, they are a national rather than a regional brand. They bring eyeballs to televisions across the nation, and they help in basketball as well as football. Nebraska is a football-only draw, so OU is superior there.

But if we're just talking money, football money, TV money, then the obvious answer is Texas and Oklahoma can go to hell. Texas is the biggest money-maker out there, and when they pull their heads out of their collective behinds, they're a national TV draw in a number of sports, academically they are very similar to the bulk of the Big Ten, and while they're disparate culturally, they are not SO MUCH so that they cannot assimilate. There are myriad problems with having Texas in your conference, and I'm not going to beat that dead horse again, but if they can check their egos and play along, they could help the B1G and the BTN create a monster brand that would easily compete with the SEC/ESPN.

Nebraska and Oklahoma are tied at 101 in the latest US News and World Report rankings for national universities.

 

[Gatorubet]

Nebraska and Oklahoma are tied at 101 in the latest US News and World Report rankings for national universities.

I was surprised to see Minny, Rutgers and Clemson tied.

 

[knapplc]

Nebraska and Oklahoma are tied at 101 in the latest US News and World Report rankings for national universities.

These rankings vary year to year. This year they're tied with Nebraska. In recent years they've been ranked well below us.

 

[sepia5]

These rankings vary year to year. This year they're tied with Nebraska. In recent years they've been ranked well below us.

So Oklahoma's academics are improving and yours are getting worse?

 

[knapplc]

So Oklahoma's academics are improving and yours are getting worse?

This is really the point that we want to discuss here? USN&WR's current year rankings?

You do realize that USN&WR doesn't SOLELY rank schools based on academics, right?