BlitzBuster
Well-Known Member
OK before we get started here is something to think about. Back when the state of Iowa switched the small schools from conferences to districts alot of people said the same things about that are being said about the Big Ten expansion, can't break up rivalries that are in place, adds to much travel time or not geographically associated. As an example up here in NW Iowa the Lakes conference consisted of Spencer, Cherokee, Storm Lake, Spirit Lake, Emmetsburg, Sheldon, Sibley and Estherville. Estherville's biggest rivalry was Spirit Lake 17 miles to the West and Emmetsburg 25 miles to the south. The past 2 years being a 3A school we played neither of them in football and the only Lakes conference schools we played were Spencer and Storm Lake in district play and Sheldon and Sibley in Non-district play, the others were replaced with Sioux City Bishop Heelen ( 125 miles away) Seargent Bluff-Luton (105 miles) Maurice Orange City (85 miles) Le Mars (98 miles) and Denison- Schleswig (124 miles). I'll bet most of you out there don't remember it being any other way than it is now.
If the Big 10 does expand most everyone thinks it will raid either the Big 12 or Big East for team(s), a 1 school expansion doesn't cause many problems as far as the rest of the football world but 3 is a differnt story, also if the Pac 10 expands along with the Big 10 the college football landscape could and probably will change dramatically. For the sake of this discussion let's say both conferences expand to 14 teams. Since these 2 conferences are starting this domino effect they get there choice of teams everyone else has to react. Teams left in a conference that has been raided will be scrambling for new members for their confernce or another confernce to join. The SEC and ACC both being 12 team conferences will be able to pick and choose from the leftovers and the rest will fall together in either the Big 12 or Big East with one of them going away all together leaving 5 conferences of 14 teams that could look something like what follows possibly with new conference names:
Big 10: Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan St., Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio St. Penn St., Indiana, Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska.
Pac 10: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal., Washington, Wash. St., Oregon, Oregon St., Arizona, Arizona St., Colorado, Utah, BYU, and Boise St.
SEC: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi, Miss. St., Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vandy., S. Carolina, Texas, and Tex. A & M
ACC: North Carolina, NC St., Clemson, Florida St., Miami, Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, W. Virginia, and U Conn.
Big 12East: Oklahoma, Okie St., Texas Tech., Baylor, Pitt, Louisville, TCU, Kansas, Kansas St., Syracuse, ISU, Cincy, S Florida, and ???????????
Notre Dame may be forced away from their independent status to fill in the ??? marks or a Colo. St, Ball St. type school would get the call.
If the Big 10 does expand most everyone thinks it will raid either the Big 12 or Big East for team(s), a 1 school expansion doesn't cause many problems as far as the rest of the football world but 3 is a differnt story, also if the Pac 10 expands along with the Big 10 the college football landscape could and probably will change dramatically. For the sake of this discussion let's say both conferences expand to 14 teams. Since these 2 conferences are starting this domino effect they get there choice of teams everyone else has to react. Teams left in a conference that has been raided will be scrambling for new members for their confernce or another confernce to join. The SEC and ACC both being 12 team conferences will be able to pick and choose from the leftovers and the rest will fall together in either the Big 12 or Big East with one of them going away all together leaving 5 conferences of 14 teams that could look something like what follows possibly with new conference names:
Big 10: Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan St., Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio St. Penn St., Indiana, Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska.
Pac 10: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal., Washington, Wash. St., Oregon, Oregon St., Arizona, Arizona St., Colorado, Utah, BYU, and Boise St.
SEC: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Mississippi, Miss. St., Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vandy., S. Carolina, Texas, and Tex. A & M
ACC: North Carolina, NC St., Clemson, Florida St., Miami, Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, W. Virginia, and U Conn.
Big 12East: Oklahoma, Okie St., Texas Tech., Baylor, Pitt, Louisville, TCU, Kansas, Kansas St., Syracuse, ISU, Cincy, S Florida, and ???????????
Notre Dame may be forced away from their independent status to fill in the ??? marks or a Colo. St, Ball St. type school would get the call.
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