The Big 10 Expansion Groundswell

[Green Monstah]

Maryland and Rutgers to join?

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...en-sources-say.

Crazy. B1G just flipped the Fighting Irish the bird.

[The_Douger]

I could see them going to 16 by taking UNC and Duke.

Wouldn't surprise me at all.

[Scratch]

I could see them going to 16 by taking UNC and Duke.

Wouldn't surprise me at all.

Not Duke. They don't need 2 North Carolina schools. They would want Virginia or Georgia Tech before Duke. Virginia might not do it, but you can be certain that Ga Tech would.

[Applejack]

Big 10 Commish sez:

I think that what the paradigm shift is that other conference had, we had chosen not to, we explored the collaboration (with the Pac-12). It couldn't be executed. The Pac-12 couldn't do what they thought they could do. And at that juncture, we thought we should seriously think about contiguous states, AAU institutions and to determine whether or not that was plausible. We found out that it was, and we moved from there.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...ll-sources-say

[Goatnapper'96]

Big 10 Commish sez:



http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...ll-sources-say

Bizarre to me when I thought the ACC somewhat stabilized itself with ND joining, sort of.

[The_Douger]

That's what I thought as well.

50 million dollar buyout, ND joining up for 2/3 of a conf schedule in football, 14 teams, appeared stable.

Nothing is for sure anymore.

[USUC]

You think MD will pay the $50 Million buyout?

[The_Douger]

I bet it'll be thirty.

[Coach McGuirk]

I bet it'll be thirty.

why 30?

[The_Douger]

Just because nobody ever seems to pay the full amount to leave these days.

[Coach McGuirk]

Just because nobody ever seems to pay the full amount to leave these days.

So just number you pulled out of your ass.

[The_Douger]

My guess is as good as any.

I have yet to see someone pay a full payout or wait the fully allotted time to move.

remember, the Big East has a 27 month window to leave. Yet, the teams that are leaving from the BE are leaving much earlier than that.

[YOhio]

What's interesting to me is how most of the expansions over the past couple of years seem to have come like a thief in the night. Maryland, Rutgers, ND, and TCU happened quickly with little in terms of rumors beforehand. It's difficult to overstate how bitchin' it would be if we woke up one day with unexpected and sudden news of a joint BYU/B12 press conference.

[myboynoah]

What's interesting to me is how most of the expansions over the past couple of years seem to have come like a thief in the night. Maryland, Rutgers, ND, and TCU happened quickly with little in terms of rumors beforehand. It's difficult to overstate how bitchin' it would be if we woke up one day with unexpected and sudden news of a joint BYU/B12 press conference.

Yes, that would be very difficult to overstate.

[dabrockster]

Jim Delaney..

My Buddy sent me this archived article.. Thought I would re-share it..

I got a chuckle when I saw he sent a Bottle of Champaign with a note to Shapiro for ensuring the BTN actually happened..

In 2006, Delany went back to the negotiating table with Wildhack and executives George Bodenheimer and John Skipper. They hammered out a 10-year, $1 billion deal for roughly 40 football and 60 men's basketball games. Another 35 to 36 football games and more than 100 men's basketball games went to the BTN, which launched Aug. 30, 2007.

Feeling emboldened, Delany sent a package to Shapiro that included champagne and a note. Shapiro said the note read: "See, I did it."

"My reaction was: Who does that?" Shapiro said. "It was so juvenile. I sent the note to Bodenheimer and poured the champagne down the drain."

Delany said Shapiro's recollection of the note isn't accurate: "That's not how I would express myself. What I wrote was tongue-in-cheek. I believe it was: 'Enjoy the champagne while enjoying the network.'

"It wasn't juvenile at all. We did toast to Mark, and I was thanking him. If it hadn't been for him, we never would have pushed ourselves to do (the Big Ten Network). It was a continuation of the conversation. He left (ESPN), so I didn't get to tell him that in person."

Said Shapiro: "In every negotiation with Jim, there is a potential for fireworks. He's incapable of ordering a la carte. And in terms of this deal with ESPN and bringing Nebraska in and launching the network, he got the buffet. To his credit, he got it all."

He didn't even have to spring for the champagne.

"It was a pre-existing bottle in a cooler," Delany said. "It was a re-gift."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...espn-officials

Interesting thread about BTN and Fox. the possible money that will be forth coming for getting RU and Maryland..