Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$$$

[Win5002]

When you look at the message boards around the conference it is almost unanimous that all of the schools can't wait for the games with Nebraska. Although, I do think the Nebraska brand helps with TV negotiations.

Is Syracuse, Rutgers, UCONN going to provide this? Maybe we should consider bball too and Syracuse would give some great matchups, and maybe Rutgers can develop football. I know Pitt. doesn't add viewers but I think it would bring great rivalry with PSU as well as a very good bball program. Think of the players that went through that school in the late 70's and early 80's. Maybe if ND comes eventually it makes it easier to pick teams on quality and not just $$$ based on tv markets.

But I really hope teams that are added add something to the games, rivalries. I'm not naieve that money isn't important. But look at the the SEC. I could be wrong but I don't think they have the viewers the ACC does and probably not Big East but look how much money they bring in and its because of the quality of football.

 

[Palpatine]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

You're right. And that is why Notre Dame would be a great addition, and why nobody really wants Rutgers.

 

[ThunderHawk]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

Adding Rutgers is idiotic. Hell, even Rutgers doesn't care about Rutgers football. New Jersey is a pro state. They care about the Jets and Giants.

Nobody cares about Rutgers football. Nobody.

Same goes for Syracuse. Yeah, they have good basketball, but this ain't about basketball.

Adding a bunch of TV sets, as they like to say, seems pretty vapid if nobody is going to be watching them.

Frankly I wish the Big Ten would just stop now while its ahead.

 

[ILHawkeye]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

The Big Ten and other conference expansions are all about money. Sadly that's what college athletics is all about, increasing the value of the brand.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

Adding Rutgers is idiotic. Hell, even Rutgers doesn't care about Rutgers football. New Jersey is a pro state. They care about the Jets and Giants.

Nobody cares about Rutgers football. Nobody.

Same goes for Syracuse. Yeah, they have good basketball, but this ain't about basketball.

Adding a bunch of TV sets, as they like to say, seems pretty vapid if nobody is going to be watching them.

Frankly I wish the Big Ten would just stop now while its ahead.

It doesn't matter if they're watching, as long as they're paying. That's kind of the whole point.

 

[Hawkeye101]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

Thunder....I've been saying that since well, since way back, but nobody seems to get it.

It's not just a matter of the plain and simple fact that nobody cares about RU football, those cable companies in NJ will feel zero pressure from their subscribers to add the BTN to their line-up. Complete opposite from what happened in most of the B10 markets.

It will not bring the "NY/NJ" viewing eyes as so many seem to think. All they think about there is the Jets, the Giants and the Eagles.

Adding Rutgers is idiotic. Hell, even Rutgers doesn't care about Rutgers football. New Jersey is a pro state. They care about the Jets and Giants.

Nobody cares about Rutgers football. Nobody.

Same goes for Syracuse. Yeah, they have good basketball, but this ain't about basketball.

Adding a bunch of TV sets, as they like to say, seems pretty vapid if nobody is going to be watching them.

Frankly I wish the Big Ten would just stop now while its ahead.

 

[ssckelley]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

But adding Nebraska does add money. Not only do you add the TV sets in Nebraska but possibly the Kansas City market. Nebraska is also a national draw so you are adding 1 more team where the national media will pick up the big matchups.

 

[JHHawk]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

I agree that when you consider that only PSU and Nebraska have been invited to join the Big Ten in the last 60 years,you want to continue to see it be offered to special football schools only. ND is the logical third invite. If ND rejects us again, fine,stand pat. If ND wants in,then I can live with an invite from the east to balance it out.
I am thinking Rutgers or Md...whichever can guarantee entry into their big markets cable systems. I do not buy that a Big Ten with ND,Neb,Mich,OSU,PSU,Iowa and the rest would not move the needle in NY/NJ/PHilly....if they like football,they want to watch something on saturdays...and the Big Ten has the area powerhouses in PSU,OSU,Mich and ND...there are 30 million tvs in that area, there has to be at least a million transplanted midwesterners.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

Yes, sadly it is all about money. I have been following this expansion talk for quite sometime along with everyone else and you know what I have never seen discussed? The effect on the student athlete. The added stress of increased travel distance between some of these proposed conferences? What if Texas had joined the Pac Ten? Austin to Pullman, Washington? or the Big Ten along with Rutgers? Austin to New Jersey? So the schools would be raking in all this dough while the student athlete becomes less of a student and the universities and NCAA will still pretend they are students first. The athletes won't get a dime of the increased loot and we the fans will cast stones at those players who get caught taking some under the table. It is a joke and isn't it time we fess up to this charade and start paying the athletes something or de-emphasize athletics and better balance the academics?


Knight Commission Tries to Restore Balance Between Academics and Athletics

 

[troy]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

You're right. And that is why Notre Dame would be a great addition, and why nobody really wants Rutgers.

I agree with you. Why does Delany seem to want Rutgers?

 

[CAARHawk]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

The added stress of increased travel distance between some of these proposed conferences? What if Texas had joined the Pac Ten? Austin to Pullman, Washington? or the Big Ten along with Rutgers? Austin to New Jersey?
Knight Commission Tries to Restore Balance Between Academics and Athletics

Okay, first things first. Texas was NOT joining the Big Ten. That made no sense. Texas is all about maintaining competetive edge. Having to take that fast break offense north in the late fall would kill the edge. However, even if by some bizarre stroke of bad planning they did join the Big Ten. They still would not have been travelling to Jersey, because the only way Texas and Rutgers could join the Big Ten would be if they had joined a super-conference Big Ten. Accordingly, Texas would play teams in the Western region of the conference.

Second, if they joined the Pac Ten it was going to be with 8 teams from their immediate region. At best, they would travel to Boulder and they already did that occasionally in the Big 12. They would not have been travelling to Pullman.

I understand your argument that you need to think about the student athlete and I agree. Your support for your argument, however, does not hold up.

 

[BryceC]

Re: Doesn't excitement about Neb. coming make fans hope expansion isn't all about $$$

But adding Nebraska does add money. Not only do you add the TV sets in Nebraska but possibly the Kansas City market. Nebraska is also a national draw so you are adding 1 more team where the national media will pick up the big matchups.

It might add a little bit, but the KC market won't be added on that first tier of a cable package to get that 1.00 a household or whatever it is. And that's the business model of the Big 10 network, not selling Ro-tel.

Nebraska was 8th in the Big 12 for TV revenue last year for a reason. They are not a huge TV draw.