The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Surfah]

What the? When did I score my own emoticon?

You're welcome!

[San Juan Sun]

Huh?? I have DirectTV and have full access to Big 10 Network all the time and so can anyone nationally.. Not sure where the distributing problem is that you are talking about??

It might be locally with Time Warner problem but with DirectTV.......

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Not everyone wants DirecTV. Crazy, I know.

[kccougar]

What the? When did I score my own emoticon?

[Uncle Ted]

I would think that their history would make the Conference better. Unless its like a you hit my dog with your car and called my wife ugly type of histories?

With UT it's like that kind of history. Gary Patterson has been on the local sport channel a few times recently talking, like aTm, how he doesn't like the LHN. TCU's baseball team has earned some respect with UT in recent years, however. Out of the Big 12, TCU only regularly plays Baylor. That reminds me... that game is tonight. I need to remember to set the DVR because its high school football night and I'll be at the local game.

[dabrockster]

Not everyone wants DirecTV. Crazy, I know.

Then you're not committed..

[Uncle Ted]

While nice from a fan perspective, there is so much that would have to happen to pull it off. And motives of all players involved are not to create a nice, clean playoff for a national championship.

The NCAA football players are for an one-game playoff. I posted the link that gave the results of this survey about this awhile back. (I am just heading out the door otherwise I would look it up for you.)

[jay santos]

The NCAA football players are for an one-game playoff. I posted the link that gave the results of this survey about this awhile back. (I am just heading out the door otherwise I would look it up for you.)

Players, meaning the power brokers. If they wanted it, they could attain it a lot easier than creating four nice, clean super conferences.

[Jeff Lebowski]

What the? When did I score my own emoticon?

It's based on your body of work.

Don't worry, you are a lovable pessimist.

[Paperback Writer]

Here's what's going to happen with these networks. Delaney signs a deal where he gets $1 for every subscriber in his territory. Then he goes and signs Rutgers. And gets ungodly amount of money for the Rutgers territory. And DTV comes back and says wow we got burned on that one. Big 10 ratings in NYC didn't change one bit after adding Rutgers to the conference. Michigan-Ohio St got a 4.9 in NYC last year and they got a 4.9 in NYC this year. I guess that whole $1/subscriber thing was a dumb idea. Let's redo the contract to make it based on actual viewers. Then Michigan-Ohio State say this is crap we added all these schools and now our share is lower than before. Let's recreate a new conference with just the original 10 and drop all these losers like Rutgers and Missouri that were brought in just to increase a temporary TV contract. And thus the whole crazy thing continues.

I think this analysis is very close; except that the bean counters in the Big Ten and with the content distributors (cabel companies, etc) have a fairly good idea of the numbers and ratings going in. That's why the Big Ten was careful in who they added (and why they didn't add Missouri). Last year, Notre Dame and Nebraska added the most value (in that order). The Big Ten won't accept Rutgers because they don't have a large following and their footprint is dominated by the NFL. In short, they don't add enough value - everyone else's share of the pot is diluted. This is what's been stated above only that the decision makers know this going in - not after the fact. Consequently, the only program out there that the Big Ten will attempt to land is Notre Dame (again) and the Big Ten will probably also accept Pittsburgh to have an even number of teams and appease JoePa who wants an eastern team to pair with Penn St. It also helps that Pitt will be a fourth conference rival for Notre Dame along with Michigan, Michigan St., and Purdue (half of Notre Dame's annual rivals would be in-conference).

Another criteria that is very important to the Big Ten is academics. Nebraska barely passed their litmus test. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh are both acceptable. This is what becomes problematic for Big 12 schools joining the Big Ten. Texas would be accepted immediately (if the Longhorns gave up the LHN whcih is not likely) but politics might pair UT with Texas Tech and the Big Ten won't accept Tech. Same thing with the Oklahoma schools. Oklahoma might pass the academic litmus test but Okie St will not. And OK politics will probably pair OU and Okie St.

So I don't foresee the super conference scenario for a long time. What I think will happen is the Big 12 will go to 10 teams with BYU and survive another crisis. The SEC will add Texas A&M and possibly Virginia Tech. And if Notre Dame decides it doesn't want to be independent any longer, the Irish will join the Big Ten with Pittsburgh. Losing Pitt and Virginia Tech might cause the Big East to collapse and what's left might have to form a new non-BCS conference. Lately, the Big East hasn't deserved to be a BCS conference.

[LiveCoug]

It's based on your body of work.

Don't worry, you are a lovable pessimist.

I accept my lot in message board fandom life.

[LiveCoug]

Chip puts percentages on Big 12 survival vs Pac 12 raid:

"One Big 12 administrator told Orangebloods.com Big 12 staying together has 70% chance; Pac-12 raiding B12 a 30% chance."

Interestingly enough, those are just flip flopped odds that some Austin writer gave the other day.

[BemidjiCoug]

I'm not out West, and you have no idea what (or even if) I'm thinking.

I live in Big 10 country, where they are still having issues with BTN distribution. Keep in mind that Fox owns 51% of BTN, but still has had a tough time getting it onto cable and satellite systems 3 years in. Now multiply that conference TV station problem by 5 (or 4 for Shoganai). Each of those stations is going to have to be added on as a premium channel by whatever distributor picks them up. I highly doubt that a Big TenNetwork style station will work for multiple conferences, each with more territory but less population density that the Big 10.

I haven't noticed the issues that you are talking about. I have lived in 3 states in the Midwest over the past few years and can say that I never had any problem getting the station anywhere in Big Ten country.

There have been issues getting it added to cable providers out east. Thus, the reason they would want to add Big East teams and create demand for the network.

I agree that the Big Ten Network won't work for multiple conferences, they aren't in the same situation. But, I was specifically addressing why I felt the Big Ten would raid the Big East not why other conferences were expanding.

Honestly, I think the Big Ten wishes that things would go back to the way they were before the BCS was created. People in the places I have lived just want to drink beer and see their team to go to the Rose Bowl and hope they won't have to play USC.

[SoCalCoug]

This is latest from Ketch at OB's...



Hmm... TCU may need to make yet another conference move. SEC?

I don't know, I think Gary Patterson knows something we don't know. We're going to regret not moving to the Big East with TCU, I'm sure.

[SoCalCoug]

Do the math folks. It's not rocket science. 4x16 superconferences + no Pac-16 interest = B1G or nothing for BYU.

Unless you theorize that the Big 12 somehow survives and the ACC gets pilfered. But that doesn't seem as likely right now.

In other words, as far as BYU is concerned, nothing can be done - I hear you, Shoganai.

[Blueintheface]

Come on Venomous Viper, post something. That's right, I can read your mind.