Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[jwinslow]

100 year decisions aren't made over short term football performance.

Like how loaded the east was with PSU & Michigan. That perception was destroyed by september.

 

[RugbyBuck]

GA Tech in the East and Vanderbilt in the West. Move mighigan Lite to the West and call it a day. Fcuk Tejas.

 

[Woody1968]

What makes anyone think that UT's drivers would behave any differently if allowed in the Big Ten? You might even note the lack of concern among Texas and Oklahoma fans over Ohio State jumping TCU AND Baylor into the CFPS - it's because they don't give a damn. They know that if either of them had been ranked ahead of the Buckeyes they would have gotten in, CCG or no CCG.

You must not be reading the threads on shaggybevo, if you don't think their fans are going nuts over it. They have been reduced to a meltdown that one would expect from Ped State. I have no respect for them. At all.

 

[Bleed S & G]

GA Tech in the East and Vanderbilt in the West. Move mighigan Lite to the West and call it a day. Fcuk Tejas.

This would awesome, but, what is the difference between Vandy & Texas when thinking about 2016 TV Deal?

 

[Woody1968]

This would awesome, but, what is the difference between Vandy & Texas when thinking about 2016 TV Deal?

One Bazillion Dollars....

 

[Dryden]

Divisional balance does not matter. From 2000-2009 the Big XII placed a team into the BCS championship game 7 times in 10 seasons. Nebraska represented the north once, while Oklahoma or Texas represented the south six times. The Big XII went 2-5 in those games.

 

[Muck]

It didn't take long before Missouri and Colorado decided they'd had enough. They left because they did not want to play in a conference where the rules so benefited one member at the expense of all the others. Nebraska took the offer from the Big Ten and never looked back for the same reason. Even Crazy aTm could see that big brother wanted nothing less than total control and the SEC was only glad to give them an escape route.

Colorado has wanted to be part of the Pac for decades. Nebraska has been flirting with the Big Ten for even longer. Missouri was thrilled to be associated with a group of better schools, then jumped to the SEC to salve their butthurt. A&M left because of their inferiority complex & desire to one-up 'big brother' (and are another school that has long been interested in their new conference).

Texas wanting 'total control' was not the core reason for any of those schools leaving the Big 12.

One Bazillion Dollars....

Sounds about right.

 

[cincibuck]

Like how loaded the east was with PSU & Michigan. That perception was destroyed by september.

1. Note that I stated only three of the perpetual powers were in the current East.
2. I'll take any bet that over the course of the next 30 years the big four, UM, PSU, UNL, OSU Will dominate Big Ten football for the same reasons that Okie and Texas will dominate the Big 12 and Ol Miss, Mississippi State, Arky, aTm and Kentucky will fade in the SEC.

 

[AKAK]

None of the SWC flotsam is ever going to be considered by the conference just because you erroneously believe it needs an 'in' with the state of Texas.

IF the SWC was the ship, wouldn't that make the schools the jetsam?

Meh, I never can get my maritime terminology right... I mean starboard.

To your point though TTech, Baylor, TCU, Houston, Rice, SMU? Yeah, not really B1G material. And to Dryen's point, who really cares... I mean, the Big XII north was most years more resembled a dog pound than a footbal division, you're almost better off having the good teams together to ensure they play each other every year.

 

[jwinslow]

1. Note that I stated only three of the perpetual powers were in the current East.
2. I'll take any bet that over the course of the next 30 years the big four, UM, PSU, UNL, OSU Will dominate Big Ten football for the same reasons that Okie and Texas will dominate the Big 12 and Ol Miss, Mississippi State, Arky, aTm and Kentucky will fade in the SEC.

I think most people would have bet that PSU would outpace Northwestern in B1G titles, or that PSU & UM would not have been some of the easier games on the Maryland schedule.

If you asked me in the mid-00s how Texas would fare in 2014, I would have never predicted them to be greatly inferior to Baylor and TCU.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

The six 'power five New Years bowls' are perfect for an eight team playoff.

There are currently 62 P5 schools.

Actually, there are 65:

14 in the Big Ten
14 in the SEC
14 in the ACC
12 in the Pac 12
10 in the Big XII
Plus Notre Dame

So getting to 64 means losing a current team. Now if that current school were Notre Dame, then I'd certainly have no problem with losing them.

The Bigxii is going the way of the big east. Absorb the bigxii.

Agreed. And then add seven more schools to get the number up to 72.

That makes four 18-team conferences, each with two 9-team divisions.

Each 9-team division would be divided into three 3-team "pods". Each team would play each of its pod-members every year, plus 2 teams from each of the other pods in their division, plus one team from each of the pods in the other division, for a total of nine conference games.

For example, an expanded B1G might look something like this (I'm not making any comment on whether the my additions are reasonable or desirable, they are strictly for purposes of illustration):

EASTERN DIVISION..............WESTERN DIVISION
Pod 1.........................Pod 1
Ohio State....................Illinois
Michigan......................Northwestern
Michigan State................Wisconsin

Pod 2.........................Pod 2
Penn State....................Minnesota
Maryland......................Iowa
Rutgers.......................Iowa State

Pod 3.........................Pod 3
Notre Dame....................Nebraska
Indiana.......................Oklahoma (or Missouri)
Purdue........................Kansas

So every year, Ohio State would play:
Michigan
Michigan State
2 from the Penn State-Maryland-Rutgers pod
2 from the Notre Dame-Indiana-Purdue pod
1 from the Illinois-Northwestern-Wisconsin pod
1 from the Minnesota-Iowa-Iowa State pod
1 from the Nebraska-Oklahoma-Kansas pod
3 non-conference games (preferably one from each of the other Power4 conferences)

Of course, this means that there needs to be another split in the NCAA divisions. This makes sense, since the vast majority of the non-P5 schools don't have a chance anyway. Make it 5 divisions: D1; the 64 FBS schools, D2; former FBS schools, D3; former FCS schools, D4; former D2 schools, D5; former D3 schools. FCS and FBS are already two different divisions. Make it official.

That makes four 16 team D1 conferences.

I think everyone can see where it's going from here: eight divisions of eight teams. division winners get in. NO ONE ELSE. CCGs can determine the ones and twos.

There's your eight team bracket.

That's essentially what I've been saying for years. I originally liked the 64-team concept, but I think that 72 teams works just a little bit better.

I don't see lots of positives at all. OU is essentially Nebraska II--a school that brings absolutely NOTHING to the Big Ten other than football. Texas is a complete package (football, basketball, olympic sports, television markets, national alumni base and AAU), but they also bring a mindset and mentality that would threaten to rip the Big Ten apart. They would be a divisive cancer. Although I was no fan of inviting Nebraska, they are in the conference now, and I certainly think we would respect their wishes (and their experiences) vis-a-vis Texas, and there's no doubt as to what those are.

I would definitely take Oklahoma over Texas. Oklahoma is a decent market in its own right (certainly better than Nebraska) plus it is close enough to the State of Texas to grab some of that market (especially DFW). I also like the fact (the traditionalist in me) that Nebraska and Oklahoma are old rivals, and Nebraska-Oklahoma would give the B1G West a rivalry almost as compelling as Ohio State-Michigan.

 

[Woody1968]

I would definitely take Oklahoma over Texas. Oklahoma is a decent market in its own right (certainly better than Nebraska) plus it is close enough to the State of Texas to grab some of that market (especially DFW). I also like the fact (the traditionalist in me) that Nebraska and Oklahoma are old rivals, and Nebraska-Oklahoma would give the B1G West a rivalry almost as compelling as Ohio State-Michigan.

Agree. I would hold my nose and take Oklahoma over Texas, maybe making a full share contingent on academic progress.

 

[TampaBuckeyes]

1. Note that I stated only three of the perpetual powers were in the current East.
2. I'll take any bet that over the course of the next 30 years the big four, UM, PSU, UNL, OSU Will dominate Big Ten football for the same reasons that Okie and Texas will dominate the Big 12 and Ol Miss, Mississippi State, Arky, aTm and Kentucky will fade in the SEC.

If Kentucky fades any more they'll disappear.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

None of the SWC flotsam is ever going to be considered by the conference just because you erroneously believe it needs an 'in' with the state of Texas.

IF the SWC was the ship, wouldn't that make the schools the jetsam?

Actually, there is a legal distinction between "flotsam" and "jetsam". Flotsam are goods from the wreckage of a ship (found floating), while jetsam are goods deliberately cast from a ship (jettisoned) in an effort to save the ship. It will be interesting to see which Big XII teams end up as flotsam and which as jetsam.

 

[AKAK]

Actually, there is a legal distinction between "flotsam" and "jetsam". Flotsam are goods from the wreckage of a ship (found floating), while jetsam are goods deliberately cast from a ship (jettisoned) in an effort to save the ship. It will be interesting to see which Big XII teams end up as flotsam and which as jetsam.

Why don't we jetsam Penn State real quick, just for fun.