Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[muffler dragon]

I envision the discussions like this:

UC BoR: "We don't have any recourse, so would you let us make a public statement to save face?"
UCLA: "Sure, whatever. Deuces."

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I mentioned this in another thread but I believe the problem for USC and UCLA is the changing demographics in LA county which has led to a less fertile recruiting base and a drop in attendance.

View attachment 33046

Football is a black/white sport for the most part and without that demographic it's going to be tough to field a competitive team. You can see in the chart, the black and white populations in LA county have been decreasing while the Latino population has been rising. I think this a very real issue that no one wants to say out loud but it's relevant. Moving to the BIG will help their recruiting and get more TV exposure which will increase their revenues. I'm not sure what they're going to do about attendance because during the best of times LA is full of fair weather fans and if you're not winning no one is going to come to the games. I can honestly see the Pac reclassifying into a mid major in the not too distant future. The decline has been dramatic in both football and basketball.

It's not just Hispanics. Living in Chicago where there's still a steady stream of Polish and Irish immigration, I don't see their kids assimilating and adopting football the way previous waves did. With the proliferation of youth soccer and ability to now watch it on American TV (and that shit always on year-fucking-round), they're just maintaining their parents' affinity for futbol.

 

[Woody1968]

It's not just Hispanics. Living in Chicago where there's still a steady stream of Polish and Irish immigration, I don't see their kids assimilating and adopting football the way previous waves did. With the proliferation of youth soccer and ability to now watch it on American TV (and that shit always on year-fucking-round), they're just maintaining their parents' affinity for futbol.

Yeah, it's just a matter of time, and CTE is hastening the transition.

 

[dragurd]

Yeah, it's just a matter of time, and CTE is hastening the transition.

Concussions actually are higher in soccer last stat I saw so it's a perception on safety vs actual safety. Though you don't have the lineman issue

 

[DubCoffman62]

It's not just Hispanics. Living in Chicago where there's still a steady stream of Polish and Irish immigration, I don't see their kids assimilating and adopting football the way previous waves did. With the proliferation of youth soccer and ability to now watch it on American TV (and that shit always on year-fucking-round), they're just maintaining their parents' affinity for futbol.

I know that Chicago has probably the largest Irish and Polish populations but I had no idea that they were still streaming in at the rate that Central Americans are entering the southwest. Have they changed the demographics much there as they have here?

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I know that Chicago has probably the largest Irish and Polish populations but I had no idea that they were still streaming in at the rate that Central Americans are entering the southwest. Have they changed the demographics much there as they have here?

Irish not nearly as much as Polish, though it is present. With Polish (and other Eastern European), it's still very prominent. I could take you to multiple markets on the NW side where everyone (employees and customers) is speaking Polish, and and it's not confined to old grandmothers. I'm sure it's not the massive waves that it was 120 years ago, but it's still going on.

 

[DubCoffman62]

Irish not nearly as much as Polish, though it is present. With Polish (and other Eastern European), it's still very prominent. I could take you to multiple markets on the NW side where everyone (employees and customers) is speaking Polish, and and it's not confined to old grandmothers. I'm sure it's not the massive waves that it was 120 years ago, but it's still going on.

There's a large Polish and former Yugoslavia population here in Phoenix, mostly Croatians and Serbs

 

[Dryden]

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Gonzaga's candidacy, Pac-12's future, Texas and Oklahoma exit plans on deck with Big 12 brass set to meet

There are a lot of moving pieces for the Big 12 to consider at its upcoming meeting

www.cbssports.com

Apparently Juggalo University isn't bringing in the .

 

[CincyInterloper]

Gonzaga's candidacy, Pac-12's future, Texas and Oklahoma exit plans on deck with Big 12 brass set to meet

There are a lot of moving pieces for the Big 12 to consider at its upcoming meeting

www.cbssports.com

Apparently Juggalo University isn't bringing in the .

Adding Gonzaga to the Big 12 makes no sense to me. They are already stacked with basketball teams, and what happens when Mark Few retires?

 

[Bestbuck36]

Adding Gonzaga to the Big 12 makes no sense to me. They are already stacked with basketball teams, and what happens when Mark Few retires?

Much better fit in the PAC if they are going to move up. Of course not having football might be an issue out west. No one left in the Big XII plays football so they probably don't care.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Gonzaga's candidacy, Pac-12's future, Texas and Oklahoma exit plans on deck with Big 12 brass set to meet

There are a lot of moving pieces for the Big 12 to consider at its upcoming meeting

www.cbssports.com

Apparently Juggalo University isn't bringing in the .

They're not meant to. Their job is to bring the lulz, a d they'll excel at that.

 

[Jake]

SMU?

 

[Jaxbuck]

SMU?

Well, I guess technically it is "more inventory".

 

[CincyInterloper]

SMU?

The PAC is in kind of a tight spot now. Not sure what their best option is other than try to prevent further defections. Adding SMU might actually accelerate the downward spiral. Oregon and Washington must be praying hard for a B1G invitation.