Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[ScriptOhio]

My source, who is a Buckeye fan on HuskerBoard, says that Virginia is in, signed, sealed & delivered. Meeting between B1G brass tonight, and confirmation later this week.

Everyone knows there is only one truly reliable source for information like this:

:tongue2:

 

[ScriptOhio]

Expansion one of several items on Big 12 agenda

We're live from the lobby of the Four Seasons in Irving, Texas, where Big 12 athletic directors are considering expanding to 24 teams (take that, Jim Delany).

Well, 24 might be quasi-accurate depending on how commissioner Bob Bowlsby structures this ?alliance? with a 14-team ACC. The two could enhance their scheduling portfolio while staving off real expansion ? at least in theory ? though talks haven't progressed beyond the exploratory phase.
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During the pre-meeting luncheon, I spoke with a few people about the expected tone of the meeting. Based on those talks, here are a few questions or topics that could be addressed.

*How to maximize value without splitting up money more than 10 ways?

*Assuming the national landscape remains steady for a few years, most ADs really like 12, one AD said. Question is, will expansion become a necessity? Couple shrewd moves against you and you can drop from 3 to 6 in the power conference rankings just like that.

*Exit fees, exit fees, exit fees: Everyone's carefully watching that Maryland/ACC lawsuit for more than $50 million.

*For some, Bowlsby's comments to the Austin American-Statesman about an ACC alliance are the first they've heard of the concept. This meeting will address that curiosity.

*This isn't the first time these gentlemen have talked about expansion. Discussions like these don't happen in a vacuum.

*Which teams could add at least $26.2 million in annual value? That question needs to get answered, if it hasn't been already.

*Scheduling and bowl agreements will loom large during these meetings. One athletics director said he expects the five power conferences will structure their bowl agreements to avoid teams visiting the same bowl for two or three years in a row.

*One ACC source floated the idea to me about an ACC/Big 12 Network, but that appears unlikely and Bowlsby said the alliance discussions don't involve a multi-conference network. Big 12 schools have their third-tier rights tied up. West Virginia, for example, just signed a 12-year broadcast deal with IMG. Would have cumbersome to break such deals up.

Entire article: http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...pansion-one-of-several-items-on-big-12-agenda

 

[CincyInterloper]

Everyone knows there is only one truly reliable source for information like this:

:tongue2:

I have a sudden urge to order something from Amazon.com

 

[Muck]

Remember Purple Book Cat?

I meant, no, I won't shed any light on it.

The Rutgers/Maryland deal was on lockdown. I don't believe anything I hear anymore.

My friend went over the top in telling me from the start that Rutgers would not be part of any deal. He laughed in my face afterward, and said "what do you expect?" That thing was kept under wraps for a very long time and only leaked to ESPN after it had been an absolutely done deal. So no, I have no idea what to expect anymore. Further, I just moved from Chicago to Denver to work with the USOC, so no more beers with my friend. It has been a fun ride, but my insider connection to the inner workings of the Big Ten is now exactly 1,200 miles away.

He's a prick anyway, never should have listened to him. And you all never should have listened to me!

LINK

 

[Muck]

How The NCAA Causes Gigantism: The Story Of The Small Regional Conference That Swallowed Up The Continent

Starting in the 2013-2014 season, University of Maine at Presque Isle and Mills College in Oakland, Calif., will play in the same athletic conference. These now-Division III schools are over 3,000 miles apart. How did this happen?

The recent realignments by schools chasing football dollars have led to a complete clusterfuck, but it's important to note that the structural problems and institutional incentives of the NCAA can make these clusterfucks happen at any level of competition. The Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) is perhaps the most extreme case. Here's a brief history, with maps.

.../cont/...

I think there is something to be said about how the MAC has maintained itself through all of the expansion madness.

 

[BigWoof31]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-ninegame-possibly-10game-conference-schedule

Linked here because it's strongly related to Conference expansion and Gene Smith is quoted.

While the nine-game schedule is more likely, there are concerns with it as some Big Ten teams would play five conference home games and only four road games each season. Meaning that a team playing four Big Ten home games would have trouble playing seven home games on the season if it wanted to schedule marquee nonconference opponents.

One possible solution to this that the conference athletic directors are considering is the 10-game conference schedule. Of course, while that balances out home and road games in conference, it only leaves space for two nonconference games, which means it could be just as hard to get to seven home games on the season.

I would imagine it also relates to the Ticket Prices Thread. Since a season where Wisconsin, Penn State Michigan and Nebraska were all played at home (possible?) would probably make for an expensive season ticket.

 

[Abenaki]

Meaning that a team playing four Big Ten home games would have trouble playing seven home games on the season if it wanted to schedule marquee nonconference opponents.

One possible solution to this that the conference athletic directors are considering is the 10-game conference schedule. Of course, while that balances out home and road games in conference, it only leaves space for two nonconference games, which means it could be just as hard to get to seven home games on the season.

So, in other words:

Meaning that a team playing four Big Ten home games would have trouble playing seven home games on the season if it wanted to schedule marquee nonconference opponents.

One possible solution to this that the conference athletic directors are considering is the 10-game conference schedule. Which isn't a solution to this problem at all because teams will have even more trouble scheduling seven home games AND a marquee opponent.

Brilliant.

 

[JonBenke]

I really want to add North Carolina and Virginia.

What are the thoughts on divisions, has anyone here read/heard about a future with four divisions of four teams?

I'd love to have a 10 game conference schedule and a four team playoff to decide the champion.

 

[VBSJ]

Has the conference or BTN released the results of the Expansion Survey from December?

I don't think they have, but haven't been paying attention. Just didn't see what the hold would be for (outside of giving the results to prospective schools or advertisers behind the scenes or something).

 

[JBaney45]

I'd love to have a 10 game conference schedule and a four team playoff to decide the champion.

I would only be reluctantly supportive of this if the other 3 "superconferences" were structured the same way.


4 mega conferences with 4 team playoffs + the 4 team national playoff=16 team playoff.

I don't think we should make it harder for the top teams in our league to make the national playoff if that's now what everyone else is doing though.

 

[JonBenke]

Has the conference or BTN released the results of the Expansion Survey from December?

I don't know, but I know .. from living in Atlanta, GA .. that there are quite a few rumors around the expansion.

Georgia Tech wants in, for example, but is also leading the way in making Maryland pay their exit fee.

So many things make sense, but so many more make no sense whatsoever.

 

[Muck]

What are the thoughts on divisions, has anyone here read/heard about a future with four divisions of four teams?

We don't even have a good idea on what the 14 team B1G divisions are going to look like. There's certainly nothing out there on what the conference is thinking on how to set up divisions for a 16 (or more) conference with teams that aren't guaranteed to be members.

Now fan speculation as to what future divisions will look like? Yeah there's more of that than you can shake a stick at.

I'd love to have a 10 game conference schedule and a four team playoff to decide the champion.

That would require a change in the NCAA rules. Only a single CCG is currently allowed under the bylaws.

 

[HorseshoeFetish]

That would require a change in the NCAA rules. Only a single CCG is currently allowed under the bylaws.

Couldn't the BIG just put a TBA on every team schedule the week before the CCG?

 

[JBaney45]

We don't even have a good idea on what the 14 team B1G divisions are going to look like. There's certainly nothing out there on what the conference is thinking on how to set up divisions for a 16 (or more) conference with teams that aren't guaranteed to be members.

Now fan speculation as to what future divisions will look like? Yeah there's more of that than you can shake a stick at.

[/i]
That would require a change in the NCAA rules. Only a single CCG is currently allowed under the bylaws.

Well right, I would assume the NCAA would bend over and take whatever the major conferences want to do though.

 

[Muck]

Couldn't the BIG just put a TBA on every team schedule the week before the CCG?

The actual rule...

(c) Twelve-Member Conference Championship Game. [FBS/FCS] A conference championship game between division champions of a member conference of 12 or more institutions that is divided into two divisions (of six or more institutions each), each of which conducts round-robin, regular-season competition among the members of that division;

Completely off-topic but while going to the rulebook to C&P that I stumbled across this...

(a) Spring Game. [FBS/FCS] One contest at the conclusion of the spring practice period [see Bylaw 17.9.4-(a)], provided the contest is against a team composed of bona fide alumni or students or both; (Revised: 1/10/90)

Eddie George, Orlando Pace, Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway & Chris Spielman could play in the spring game? Why is this not happening?