Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[Muck]

Virginia Tech already tried to bolt to the SEC without UVA.

Source?

From everything I've seen VPI turned down the SEC the last go around.

 

[BigWoof31]

Agree about FSU getting the ball rolling again. Ga Tech would get them huge exposure in the middle of SEC country. I would love that.

You already have an engineering school that underperforms in football and tends to choke during March Madness. Why add another?

 

[TexasBuck]

Big 12 Footprint

 

[RugbyBuck]

You already have an engineering school that underperforms in football and tends to choke during March Madness. Why add another?

Yes, but not one in the south where I can see tOSU live. JHFC, priorities, Woof!

 

[Woody1968]

Source?

From everything I've seen VPI turned down the SEC the last go around.

No. VaTech put feelers out in the press, in order to guage the SEC's interest, but the SEC did not respond favorably, presumably because they did not want to be seen as breaking up 2 of the larger leagues. At the time, many people assumed the Big 12 would implode because of Texas A&M. There was never any offer of SEC membership on the table. The ACC then increased its buy out provision for conference withdrawl.

This comes from someone within the UVA administration, so take it for what it is worth. UVA is still a longshot for the B1G as it is a longstanding ACC member.

 

[Muck]

You already have an engineering school that underperforms in football and tends to choke during March Madness. Why add another?

Because the state has nothing else of value to offer.

No. VaTech put feelers out in the press, in order to guage the SEC's interest, but the SEC did not respond favorably, presumably because they did not want to be seen as breaking up 2 of the larger leagues.

That is almost the exact opposite of how I remember it.

Going back and rechecking the articles & 'insiders' I'm still going to have to disagree.

 

[Muck]

Florida State president issues statement on realignment

.../snip/...

I want to assure you that any decision made about FSU athletics will be reasoned and thoughtful and based on athletics, finances and academics. Allow me to provide you with some of the issues we are facing:​

In support of a move are four basic factors argued by many alumni:​

1. The ACC is more basketball than it is football, and many of our alumni view us as more football oriented than the ACC.​

2. The ACC is too North Carolina centric and the contract advantages basketball and hence advantages the North Carolina schools.​

3. The Big 12 has some big football schools that match up with FSU.​

4. The Big 12 contract (which actually isn't signed yet) is rumored to be $2.9M more per year than the ACC contract. We need this money to be competitive.​

But, in contrast:​

1. The information presented about the ACC contract that initiated the blogosphere discussion was not correct. The ACC is an equal share conference and this applies to football and to basketball there is no preferential treatment of any university with the exception of 3rd tier rights for women's basketball and Olympic sports. FSU is advantaged by that aspect of the contract over the majority of other ACC schools.​

2. Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M left the Big 12, at least in part because the Big 12 is not an equal share conference. Texas has considerably more resource avenues and gains a larger share (and I say this as a former dean of the University of Texas at Austin -- I watched the Big 12 disintegration with interest). So, when fans realize that Texas would get more dollars than FSU, always having a competitive advantage, it would be interesting to see the fan reaction.​

3. Much is being made of the extra $2.9M that the Big 12 contract (which hasn't been inked yet) gets over the ACC contract. Given that the Texas schools are expected to play each other (the Big 12 is at least as Texas centered than the ACC is North Carolina centered), the most likely scenario has FSU playing Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and West Virginia on a recurring basis and the other teams sporadically (and one more unnamed team has to join to allow the Big 12 to regain a championship game), we realize that our sports teams can no longer travel by bus to most games the estimate is that the travel by plane required by FSU to be in the Big 12 appears to exceed the $2.9M difference in the contract actually giving us fewer dollars than we have now to be competitive with the Big 12 teams, who obviously do not have to travel as far. Any renegotiated amount depends not just on FSU but the caliber of any other new team to the Big 12.​

4. Few believe that the above teams will fill our stadium with fans of these teams and so our lack of sales and ticket revenue would continue.​

5. We would lose the rivalry with University of Miami that does fill our stadium.​

6. It will cost between $20M and $25M to leave the ACC we have no idea where that money would come from. It would have to come from the Boosters which currently are unable to support our current University athletic budget, hence the 2% cut in that budget.​

7. The faculty are adamantly opposed to joining a league that is academically weaker and in fact, many of them resent the fact that a 2% ($2.4M) deficit in the athletics budget receives so much attention from concerned Seminoles, but the loss of 25% of the academic budget (105M) gets none when it is the most critical concern of this University in terms of its successful future. I present these issues to you so that you realize that this is not so simple (not to mention that negotiations aren't even taking place). One of the few wise comments made in the blogosphere is that no one negotiates their future in the media. We can't afford to have conference affiliation be governed by emotion ? it has to be based on a careful assessment of athletics, finances and academics. I assure you that every aspect of conference affiliation will be looked at by this institution, but it must be a reasoned decision.​

Eric Barron 
President
​

​

 

[Mike80]

Florida State president issues statement on realignment

[/LEFT]

In other words, it's not going to happen.

Maybe FSU will be left off of the re-alignment bus this time around?

 

[Mike80]

I see Big Ten conference expansion beyond the current 12 as unlikely. There just aren't any remaining attractive potential members. The fact people have thrown out schools like Iowa State (WTF?) evidences that.

The only thing that would change my mind about this is if Notre Dame or Tejas were to display interest. They're the only teams out there that would enhance the per-school value of the B1G, and per-school value is what this game is all about.

I'm with Davey, it's inevitable, much like eventually going to 12 was inevitable in 1993.

 

[IronBuckI]

I want to assure you that any decision made about FSU athletics will be reasoned and thoughtful and based on athletics, finances and academics. Allow me to provide you with some of the issues we are facing:

​

Not surprising, but the order that he listed FSU's priorities is pretty interesting.​

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

In support of a move are four basic factors argued by many alumni:

1. The ACC is more basketball than it is football, and many of our alumni view us as more football oriented than the ACC.

2. The ACC is too North Carolina centric and the contract advantages basketball and hence advantages the North Carolina schools.

Neither of which mattered one bit when FSU annually cut through the ACC like Patton on his way to Bastogne. It's only after they can't win the damned thing that the sorry bitches want to take their ball and go home.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Thought it was a well written explanation, myself.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Neither of which mattered one bit when FSU annually cut through the ACC like Patton on his way to Bastogne. It's only after they can't win the damned thing that the sorry bitches want to take their ball and go home.

They weren't much before Bobbah... so... good point.

 

[OSU_D/]

1. I love getting into the expansion hype as much as the next guy but I actually favor not-expanding and wish the SEC stayed at 12. I know some things were lost when we went to 12 teams but its hard to argue with the inclusions of PSU and UNL.

2. Give me just about any combination of BC, Rutgers, Maryland, UVA, GTech, ND, UNC, Toronto (Yes, I realize some of these could never happen)

3. I might have to assassinate Delany if he lets in any of Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, or any other Big 12 team not UT, or any Big East team (save Rutgers - thanks ORD).

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

1. I love getting into the expansion hype as much as the next guy but I actually favor not-expanding and wish the SEC stayed at 12. I know some things were lost when we went to 12 teams but its hard to argue with the inclusions of PSU and UNL.

2. Give me just about any combination of BC, Rutgers, Maryland, UVA, GTech, ND, UNC, Toronto (Yes, I realize some of these could never happen)

3. I might have to assassinate Delany if he lets in any of Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, or any other Big 12 team not UT, or any Big East team.