How many teams and thoughts of Big 10 expansion

W

Win5002

Well-Known Member
there are rumblings out there the Big 10 is maybe more likelye to go with 14 or 16 teams instead of 12 teams.

My first thought is why give all that revenue to 3 or 5 new teams, especially with the value of the Big 10 network. But I wonder if this is some of the conference thoughts. If the trend is to go to 4-6 major super conferences of 16 teams eventually(probably college football's answer to a playoff 4 super conference champs), maybe they realize soon each of those conferences will have a TV network. By making the initial strike of adding teams if they go to 16 they could ensure they will always have the most television sets in their conference, and have probably the "pck of the litter so to speak".

I think if the Big 10 could get Boston College and probably Rutgers(because of all the television sets) and threaten to take another Big East team or more it may have a real bargaining chip against Notre Dame. As well as threaten none of its members will play them. Because if the Big 10 goes to 16 the SEC, Big 12, ACC, Pac-10 will do the same and if the Big East is destroyed due to schools taken from it Notre Dame seriously begins to having to look at being left out in the cold.

If the conference went to 16 teams assuming Texas is dead, I think this would be a good group of 5. Notre Dame, Boston College, Rutgers, Missouri & Nebraksa, and if Notre Dame says no take the next best Big East school.

Or they could destroy the Big 12 with Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri.
 
Personally, I favor the destroy the B12 route. I know everyone wants to try to get NYC TVs, which is a nice goal, but I would take the guaranteed TV sets in Texas by poaching Texas and A&M first. If we landed those, I wouldn't care who else we got, we could leave Missouri out in the cold and pick up Rutgers if Delaney was really confident he could bend Time Warner over to bring in the NYC market (I don't think he could). I like the thought of Okie and Nebraska, but the problem is they are both small states. I guess my wish list for 16 would be:

1) Texas and A&M
2) Notre Dame (would help national sales of BTN for discounted prices)
3 and 3a) Rutgers/'Cuse (assuming NYC can be brought in to BTN range at a good price)
4) Tennessee (big state with die hard fans - good in BB and FB)
5 and 5a) Oklahoma/Nebraska
6) Missouri
7) Pitt
8) Cincy

I know OK and NE wouldn't necessarily be accretive for TV revenues in their states, but they would add prestige in FB, which would further drive revenues down the road. With population trending south, I think getting the Texas market locked down would be the biggest possible win and adding TX would create enough of a football powerhouse that the experts couldn't badmouth the B10 anymore. The thing that scares me about the Big East teams is that their fans would be a question mark in terms of travelling to bowl games, which could hurt the conference's profitability.
 
There's been a TON of speculation on B10 expansion. I think the honest answer (albeit lame answer) is no one is going to know for sure until something is announced. It is fun to come up with some what-if dream scenarios but it's all futile IMO.

That being said, I'd like to think alot of the expansion talk is smoke and mirrors to get ND to finally join. That would be the ideal situation for me, ND making it 12 with a playoff game and however they decide to divide up the conference and play the games will be alright with me.

If it's 14 teams I'm still going with ND as one of them and Pitt as another. The reason being I think the B10 would have to poach a Big East team to scare ND into joining and I hate the idea of Rutgers being a B10 school (I don't care what you say, adding Rutgers will NOT get the B10 Network onto very many tv sets in NY). For the third team I'll say Missouri because although I would love to play Nebraska every year I hate them too much to want anything good to happen to them, and being invited to join would be the best thing for them. Also, as much fun as it would be having a chance to beat them year in and out you would have to trade that off with having to listen to and put up with their obnoxious fans all year long every year. Plus Mizzou has the much greater TV draw for B10 Network.

16 Teams: I just don't see this big of a seismic shift as realistic right now. It may be that this is what college football is going to trend towards down the road, but I see it as a slow trend not all of a sudden like this. Adding 5 teams to the 11 existing in the B10 would take away a lot from its identity. If the powers that be do see this as the trend I think they go to 14 now, staying ahead of the curve and increasing the B10 appeal and pick the last two when they know they can get who they want.

Sidenote: What happens to the B12? I think CO goes to the PAC 10 and if Mizzou or another B12 school goes to B10, I think the best thing the B12 could do is add Arkansas and Oklahoma to the B12 North. The North will then not be such a joke. OK and Okie State could still play every year if they wanted to bend some rules. Also Ark has some natural rivalries there. Then the South could add another one of the Texas schools, most likely Houston or TCU. What I would really like to see is the B12 just fall apart and have those dopes in NE completely distraught, but that would just be too good to be true.
 
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I live in SEC country. They firmly believe it is happening. Texas is the crown jewel. The SEC is going hard after them.

The initial talk about the Big Ten going large has started a ball rolling that is not going to stop. Get used to the idea. The Big Ten has scared the other leagues into feeling that they have to jump now, or they will get trampled.

The SEC people are saying this is all going to shake out to 4 major conferences

Pacific
Northern
Atlantic Coastal
Southern

It might just be talk, but the powers that be are talking very seriously about it.

Looking at this list, I could be interesting to see where other leagues try to sneak up to the Big Ten footprint. For instance, if the Big Ten does not take Missouri, it would make sense for the ACC or the SEC to jump on that team with close borders to Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

If the other leagues choose not to pick up the Kansas schools, you could imagine the Pac Ten trying to work into the middle of the country with a combination of Colorado, Kansas, KSU, Utah, etc.

This is happening guys.
 
I guess I'm still stuck in old school mode. I liked the Big 10 better when it was still 10 teams. I have grown used to Penn State over the years, but still resisted more expansion. Now I am ok with expansion, but please keep it at 12. Of course I want Notre Dame to be #12, but don't know if we can get that done. I just think more than 12 teams is too much. I know it's all about the money. but there's nothing wrong with a little tradition. I would hope that the Big 12 stays in tact as well. Maybe the PAC 10 could steal a couple of Mountain West teams. If we do go to 12 in the Big 10, my choice second to Notre Dame, would be Pitt. Mostly because of regional sense.
 
People now always think things need to be changed, and that change is always better. Well for college football it is not. I am all in favor of going to 12 teams. I'll be disappointed if we go to 14 teams, but probably will survive. But I'll be devastated if the Big Ten ignores its tradition and ruins college football by going to a 16 team league. It's unfortunate. Hopefully people think long term and don't do anything hasty, but I have a bad feeling this larger expansion idea is gaining traction.
 
It is beyond gaining traction. It is going to happen. As I said before, the Big Ten got everyone excited and now the other leagues want to be super-conferences. So, if the Big Ten doesn't jump at the idea, the other leagues will be able to fire their first shots.

The Big East and (believe it or not) the Big 12 are realing. The big teams from both of these conferences are completely salivating at the idea of being able to join a more healthy conference and the less big teams are scared to death. K-State, ISU, Baylor, etc., they see the very real possibility that they could end up being out of a major
conference. Some will be, but others will scramble to preempt that from occurring, which will just keep the momentum moving forward.
 
I'd be OK with landing one team and making 12 (ND), but 16 is just too much. What happens to traditions?
If the Big10 adds the Texas teams, the entire landscape of the conference will be changed. As a Midwesterner, I like the Big10 being in the Midwest (PSU is a stretch, but I've grown to like it). This will diminish some of the pride in having a team from your region competing against the big boys from other regions on a nation stage.
 
The BCS killed tradition. It has been a slippery slope since that whole thing got going. Sorry, but your good old days are gone.
 
The decision primarily will be for economic reasons. The idea of expansion is to generate more money for the existing schools. A school will not be admitted if it reduces Iowa's revenue. Which schools will put more money in Iowa's pocket? Think TV sets!

The schools that make economic sense are Boston College, Notre Dame & Rutgers. With the Kansas City & St. Louis markets, Missouri also is a consideration.

Little brother need not apply. So, forget Cincinnati & Pittsburgh. In addition, forget Syracuse and West Virginia. Penn State is actually a little closer to NYC than Syracuse. West Virginia has two-thirds the population of Iowa. These four schools bring nothing to the table financially.

Other than Missouri; Oklahoma, Texas & Texas A&M are the logical choices from the Big 12. Kansas has about the same population as Iowa and Nebraska's population is less than West Virginia's.

Remember, think TV sets.
 
People need to get off the ND and Texas pipe dream. Never in a million years. Bookmark this thread and tell me how right I am in 3 months.

There is a pretty good chance that the Big 10 can destroy the Big East. There is a pretty good chance that one of the following will come to make 12, or all three will come to make 14: Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse.

Chances are that it is done already.
 
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Texas ain't going anywhere, but do we need them? What if the Big Ten doesn't get Univ of Texas, but goes after another Texas school? If the point of expansion is TV sets, then we don't need Texas, we just need to get into the Texas media markets.

How about these additions?
Notre Dame
Rutgers
Missouri
Baylor
Texas Tech

Blast away.
 
GhostofBTT said:
People need to get off the ND and Texas pipe dream. Never in a million years. Bookmark this thread and tell me how right I am in 3 months.

There is a pretty good chance that the Big 10 can destroy the Big East. There is a pretty good chance that one of the following will come to make 12, or all three will come to make 14: Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse.

Chances are that it is done already.
Click to expand...


I would be willing to bet a soda that when the dust settles that ND is part of the Big Ten expansion.
Order of likelihood of joining the league:

1. ND
2. Rugters
3. Mo.

I think these will be the trio of schools that join if they only go to 14,which is cast in stone.

If they go to 16 then add:

4. Syracuse
5. Nebraska

In the hunt

6. Pitt
7. Texas and A& M

I highly doubt that Boston College will jump again after their recent move to the ACC.

I will be shocked if it does not come down to the above teams,in some order.
 
tt and Nebby have bigger TV draw than Syr, Rut, and Mizzou. TV draw, not TV sets. But IMO the TV draw is more important, it shows how many people are actually tuning in and not just how many TV sets are in the schools footprint.

Also, JMHO again, but I don't know how realistic the NYC market is. If anyone has ever lived out east, specifically NYC, you know what I mean. My impression of people's sports preference out there was this:

1. NFL
2. MLB
3. NBA
4. NCAA BB
5. NCAA FB

People out there just really dont care as much about college sports, especially football. Soccer maybe could even challenge college football for #5 on that list and definately surpasses it in a World Cup year.

I think there is one position open for a B12 team (assuming TX and TAMU are out) and that position is going to be either MZ or NE. Between the two I see NE with a bigger TV draw but MZ counters that with a stonger athletic program and less draw but more TV sets (draw is more important but sets do matter). In the end NE academics will hurt it and MZ will get the nod.

I think the Big East talk (Pitt, Syr, Rutgers and UConn) is mostly a ploy to scare ND into joining. For it to work B10 would need to take at least 1 if not more Big East teams with ND. There may be legit chance at gaining traction in NYC but for that I think you would need to take at least Syr and Rutgers to have a shot. But I think the B10 would prefer the TX market with TX and TAMU, its more of a sure deal but a much tougher get. So my opinion 14-ND, Pitt, Mizzou; 16 + Syr, Rutg OR TX, TAMU. I don't think TX and TAMU is going to happen and I don't want to see schools like Syr and Rut in the B10 but I would like the ND Pitt MZ additions.
 
BA96MA99 said:
Texas ain't going anywhere, but do we need them? What if the Big Ten doesn't get Univ of Texas, but goes after another Texas school? If the point of expansion is TV sets, then we don't need Texas, we just need to get into the Texas media markets.

How about these additions?
Notre Dame
Rutgers
Missouri
Baylor
Texas Tech

Blast away.
Click to expand...

Because Texas is one of the national name-brand programs. They easily have the most fans in Texas, and they get much more attention from the rest of the country. I mean, who in California watches Baylor play Oklahoma State? Now how many watch Texas play OK State? I bet the number is much higher. Non-Texas fans will tune into Texas games just because it's Texas. I don't think we get them, but that's why we wanted Texas more than any other Texas school. They deliver WAY more revenue.
 
CAARHawk said:
I live in SEC country. They firmly believe it is happening. Texas is the crown jewel. The SEC is going hard after them.

The initial talk about the Big Ten going large has started a ball rolling that is not going to stop. Get used to the idea. The Big Ten has scared the other leagues into feeling that they have to jump now, or they will get trampled.

The SEC people are saying this is all going to shake out to 4 major conferences

Pacific
Northern
Atlantic Coastal
Southern
Click to expand...

They are correct, four "super conferences" is where college football is going to end up. Which BTW is the reason Notre Dame cannot afford to hold out.
 
There is no way the Big Ten goes to 16 teams without including Texas or Notre Dame. One interesting scenario I saw was the Big Ten adding two teams first, possibly Rutgers and Missouri, schools that would open up new markets for the B10 network, allow for a conference championship game and also start a chain reaction in the other conferences. As teams start to reevaluate their conference situation, schools, like Notre Dame, might realize that there are going to be some major changes coming and now's there best chance to get into the B10.
 
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