Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[kn1f3party]

I would be surprised if Chip Brown even mentioned the B1G without it being in passing. It seems he was one of the most vocal for UT to the Pac-10 last year and was viciously opposed to joining the B1G. And this year, everything I hear coming from his direction seems to be similar--except he likes the ACC now.

 

[Piney]

Is Chip Brown "The Server" on OrangeBloods message boards, or does he post as himself? Whoever "the Server" is has concurred with the northwestern poster Purble Book Cat that there is a faction of UT delegates pushing for UT to the B1G, but this poster maintains that the UT AD wants the ACC... take this, of course, FWIW

Also read a couple interesting posts relative to ND and its Hockey alignment... I, for one, didn't even realize the B1G formed its own hockey conference (taking B1G affiliated teams from the CCHA and WCHA)... this "The Server" character is implying that ND, which has not yet joined the other left-behind teams in a newly formed NCHA, is dragging its feet on its hockey affiliation while it waits to see what happens relative to the B1G, which requires full membership for its hockey affiliates.... all message board stuff, but interesting angle, nonetheless...

http://texas.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?SID=902&fid=61&mid=162821026&tid=162793324

*disclaimer - I basically posted the same thing on scout*

Naw, Server is just a regular poster from what I have gathered. And not a respected one (or an annoying one) whichever you prefer.

But apparantly he knows a guy that knows a guy that might have been involved in this 2nd group that approached the B1G.

As for Chip Brown... he is still basically dismissing the Big 10 as even a remote choice. The funny thing is the reasons he gave for going to the ACC is basically better reasons to go to the Big 10 (minus being able to keep the LHN and good baseball teams)

 

[Woody1968]

Is Chip Brown "The Server" on OrangeBloods message boards, or does he post as himself? Whoever "the Server" is has concurred with the northwestern poster Purble Book Cat that there is a faction of UT delegates pushing for UT to the B1G, but this poster maintains that the UT AD wants the ACC... take this, of course, FWIW

Also read a couple interesting posts relative to ND and its Hockey alignment... I, for one, didn't even realize the B1G formed its own hockey conference (taking B1G affiliated teams from the CCHA and WCHA)... this "The Server" character is implying that ND, which has not yet joined the other left-behind teams in a newly formed NCHA, is dragging its feet on its hockey affiliation while it waits to see what happens relative to the B1G, which requires full membership for its hockey affiliates.... all message board stuff, but interesting angle, nonetheless...

http://texas.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?SID=902&fid=61&mid=162821026&tid=162793324

*disclaimer - I basically posted the same thing on scout*

This theory about the hockey affiliation was posted yesterday by someone on the NW message board. Perhaps this "info" is just lifted from there...

 

[kn1f3party]

This theory about the hockey affiliation was posted yesterday by someone on the NW message board. Perhaps this "info" is just lifted from there...

Seems like his other theories match those on the NW board. Highly possible.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

Helpful, thanks fellas...

 

[Woody1968]

Florida State forms committe to review conference affiliation

 

[BuckTwenty]

Florida State forms committe to review conference affiliation

For a conference that is as united as any about staying together, Florida State sure looks like they are the single chink in the ACC armor. Makes sense. They have a history of being an independent school back in the day and have only been in the ACC for 20 years. They see what's going on in the SEC and Big Ten, and they want to be a piece of the action.

My first thought of FSU is that they are a dirty program. "Free Shoes U" and their recent academic scandal of historical proportions. I know they're not in the AAU, top 100 universities in the country, or their state's land grant instituation, and have an endowment of about $450 million. On par (in my mind) as a "lite" version of Oklahoma.

Interesting we're 400+ pages into this conversation and I can't think of a single time we've mentioned FSU as a possible expansion candidate for the Big Ten. Then again, there's pretty good reason. Still fun to think about, especially breaking into Florida. There's only one B1G expansion candidate in Florida though, and that's Ubet's boys... firmly entrenched and happy in the SEC.

IF Florida State were to bolt though, that opens the doors for plundering by the SEC (Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke) or the Big Ten (Maryland, Virginia, Boston College, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech).

 

[BrowardBuck]

Chip Brown is being fed what Texas wants to out in the public. I think it is very interesting that the B1G is very quiet right now. I believe there is much going on behind the scenes and I would not be surprised to see an announcement in the relative near future saying they are going to the B1G.

I think this has been in the works since last year and they are awaiting all of the dominoes to fall (aTm, then OU and oSu). Once that happens, they are then free to go where they want to go.

BB

This is a list of Texas' options according to Chip Brown from Orange Bloods. Much of the article seems to be just a bunch of propaganda and posturing. I feel dumber for having read it but in case anyone is interested:

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1264576

 

[BB73]

Once again, folks, this is NOT the 'Discuss Boise State' thread.

There is more than enough going on with potential expansion without that stuff being rehashed in here.

 

[knapplc]

I believe there is much going on behind the scenes and I would not be surprised to see an announcement in the relative near future saying they [Texas] are going to the B1G.

I think this has been in the works since last year and they are awaiting all of the dominoes to fall (aTm, then OU and oSu). Once that happens, they are then free to go where they want to go.

BB

If this was the case, why create the LHN? That hurts their chances of joining the Big Ten, not helps. If a Texas move to the B1G has been in the works for a year or so, the only explanation for entering into a contractual relationship with ESPN through the LHN is to intentionally fracture the remainder of the Big XII so it falls apart and they can move on freely.

But that makes little sense, since they could have moved on last year without those kinds of unnecessary machinations. The one thing holding Texas up from moving on last year was the LHN. Without it they would already be in the Pac-16.

 

[BUCKYLE]

If this was the case, why create the LHN? That hurts their chances of joining the Big Ten, not helps. If a Texas move to the B1G has been in the works for a year or so, the only explanation for entering into a contractual relationship with ESPN through the LHN is to intentionally fracture the remainder of the Big XII so it falls apart and they can move on freely.

But that makes little sense, since they could have moved on last year without those kinds of unnecessary machinations. The one thing holding Texas up from moving on last year was the LHN. Without it they would already be in the Pac-16.

The LHN may end up being the catalyst that destroyed the BXII. If that's what pissed off another Texas school so much that they left the conference, followed by OU and Okie St.

Maybe joining the Pac-whocares would have brought a lawsuit from other Texas schools that could also go, but that wouldn't be able to get into the ultra-exclusive B1G

 

[BrowardBuck]

Once the Pac16 deal went south and everyone seemed to step off the accelorator, I truly believe the real backroom stuff began. The LHN was already in progress at that point, or had at least already been negotiated. I am not such a conspiracy theorist to believe that the LHN was a ruse to destroy the B12, at least not from the B1G perspective. I do believe that once all the dust settled last year, real talks began with Texas and ND about the future. Everyone knew that aTm was still not really happy and the ONLY reason they stayed was because they were bribed with cash from several other B12 schools. That, in and of itself, sends a clear signal that they were NOT committed to the conference, no matter what the public statements said. While Delaney and the B1G have publicly stated that they were not interested in expansion, it simply is not true and it anyone believes that, I've got some land for sale. All you have to do is go back and look at what was said last year when the expansion coverage began to see the the B1G has designs of expanding and doing so into areas of population and market value...hence his statements last year about moving south and west.

Texas was in play last year (my opinion) but chose the Pac16, then backed out at the last minute. With the clearly unstable nature of the B12, it would only be smart for Texas to hedge its bets with regard to its future should the conference fall apart and that possibility was very high. I believe these talks have been going on for MONTHS. There is a reason why the B1G has been conspicuously quiet this time versus being out in the lead last year.

BB

If this was the case, why create the LHN? That hurts their chances of joining the Big Ten, not helps. If a Texas move to the B1G has been in the works for a year or so, the only explanation for entering into a contractual relationship with ESPN through the LHN is to intentionally fracture the remainder of the Big XII so it falls apart and they can move on freely.

But that makes little sense, since they could have moved on last year without those kinds of unnecessary machinations. The one thing holding Texas up from moving on last year was the LHN. Without it they would already be in the Pac-16.

 

[knapplc]

While Delaney and the B1G have publicly stated that they were not interested in expansion, it simply is not true and it anyone believes that, I've got some land for sale. All you have to do is go back and look at what was said last year when the expansion coverage began to see the the B1G has designs of expanding and doing so into areas of population and market value...hence his statements last year about moving south and west.

Texas was in play last year (my opinion) but chose the Pac16, then backed out at the last minute. With the clearly unstable nature of the B12, it would only be smart for Texas to hedge its bets with regard to its future should the conference fall apart and that possibility was very high. I believe these talks have been going on for MONTHS. There is a reason why the B1G has been conspicuously quiet this time versus being out in the lead last year.

I think you're exactly right that the B1G isn't sitting idly by while other conferences make back-room deals. Delaney is not such a rube as to sit around while the events that shape college football happen all around him. He's neck deep in anything that's happening. Delaney will assuredly have the B1G in an appropriate position when the dust settles. As Winston Churchill once said about Claire Chennault, "God Almighty, I'm glad he's on our side!"

I don't know about Texas being in play. We'll see. I have my biases against them and it's hard for me to speak dispassionately when they're involved in the conversation. If they are invited I'll swallow my bile and play nice, but I do not want to be in a conference with them ever again. Once burned, and all that.

 

[korchiki]

A real interesting piece of this is the play for Mizzou. While they do not really add anything in basketball or football, consider them from the geographic footprint perspective.

For B1G - Solidifies the Midwest to make sure no other conference can touch our footprint.

For PAC 12 - Gives them their much needed Midwest/East Coast presence. The big problem for them has always been no one on the east coast watches their games. Between Scott making their media days in NYC and the push for teams to play on the east coast (see USC @ Minn and Stanford @ Duke). Obviously a team like Oklahoma is a bigger draw but having Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Mizzou helps to ensure that a home game in Central time will be played every weekend.

For SEC - Mizzou definitely does not really make sense with the culture but this will allow the SEC to have a presence in the midwest and would hurt the B1G.

 

[RhodeIslandBuck]

In the end I think the conferences will look like this:

SEC
Adds: Missouri, Clemson, Florida State, Texas A&M

- Consistent with the previous rumors, just a hunch, but I think Missouri is no longer in play for a B1G spot. FSU looks like it's interested in looking around and Clemson seems to just fit the mold of an SEC program. A&M is self-explanatory.

Big Ten
Adds: Notre Dame, Rutgers, Kansas, Maryland

- I think the domers will realize maintaining independence will hurt their position on the title race with super conferences in place and will eventually give in. Adding Rutgers and Maryland adds huge east coast markets, especially with the addition of Notre Dame and it's huge east coast presence. Kansas is a solid university with average football but tremendous basketball. They need to be part of the super conference equation.

ACC
Loses: Clemson, Florida State, Maryland
Adds Connecticut, Syracuse, Cincinnati, South Florida, West Virginia, Louisville, Pittsburgh

- The ACC gets raided a bit by some of the bigger boys, but remains a super conference by essentially merging with the Big East. Easily the worst football league, but by far the best for round ball.

Pac-12
Adds: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

- Texas (just like ND) will realize some slight sacrifices might have to be made in order to stay part of the super conferences and their playoff possibilities. Oklahoma is a tremendous football program and adds some blue blood football to the Pac-12. Of course, as OU goes, so does OSU. Texas Tech isn't the most attractive team out there, but they provide a better option than Baylor or TCU in terms of financial benefit.

So the only notable teams left out are:

Iowa State: fit the B1G footprint, but don't provide much else
Kansas State: see Iowa State
Baylor: Not a fit for the SEC and better options for the Pac-12
TCU: Either TCU or Texas Tech for the last Pac-12 spot, a bit of a toss up
BYU: Former big 12 members just a little more attractive
Boise State: good football, nothing else

A lot of these teams could get picked up by the Mountain West or C-USA, although I would expect BYU to remain independent if this were to happen.