The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Guest]

I see it the same way.

This business about BYU and ND being partners? Laughable. Yeah, sure if we're both independent it works out to schedule each other late in the season. So in that sense, we're partners with ND just like they are with Army, Navy, Boston College. What does that get us? A 2:1 in November. Nothing more, nothing less.

ND switching from Big East to Big 12 in non-FB sports? I don't see the point. To kill the Big East? Why does ND want to kill the Big East? I see no purpose. To get the Pitt to join the Big 12? Really? Step back. ND can join any conference in just about any arrangement they way. FB only. BB only. whatever. Are they going to go out of their way to kill the Big East just to get Pitt on board so they can join the Big 12? ?? And of all the players here, Delaney is the smartest and nastiest. If ND is joining a conference, he'll figure out a way to make it the Big 10.

On four super conferences all with 16 teams. I just don't see that either. There are reasons for conferences to get bigger and reasons to get smaller. 16 is not a magical number. I could see someone getting aggressive and going 20 teams with two 10 team divisions. I could see Texas, Oklahoma, and ND getting together and forming an 8 team elite conference with unequal revenue sharing. A lot can happen. I think the notion of four 16 team super conferences is way too clean and extremely unlikely.

Do you really think that the B10 would take the Non FB sports? I don't see that. I think the B10 will always use that as leverage to get what they really want - football.

Do you see the Big East ever calling ND's bluff and say, bring your football or go away? That is only threat that I can see that might make ND consider some changes short of football independence.

Oh - and I couldn't agree with you more about this "partner" thing. We need to find some new "partners" where our share isn't 33%.

[San Juan Sun]

If you have a viable theory on how the Big 12 could survive instead of the ACC, I would be interested in hearing it.

But, the reality is a stable Big 12 (if attained), would actually prevent super conferences from forming indefinitely.

What if the Big East gets pillaged, with the ACC, SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 cannibalizing them?

[Uncle Ted]

What if the Big East gets pillaged, with the ACC, SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 cannibalizing them?

I like that. The Pac-12 stays the Pac-12.

[BemidjiCoug]

Some thought from (or, more like, panic in) Big Ten Country...

I could see the Big Ten raiding the Big East (Pitt, Syracuse, West Virgina, Rutgers/Uconn) or stealing Missouri from the Big 12. That would bring them to 16 and expand to new markets.

[San Juan Sun]

I like that. The Pac-12 stays the Pac-12.

They could pillage the WAC or MWC too.

[Uncle Ted]

Because the Big12 is under too much strain. It didn't make a move earlier, and now it's under too much strain geographically.

It was once in a great position to pick up a couple of strong teams from surrounding conferences, but it chose not to do that. Instead it will almost certainly splinter as the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac poach from the remaining ten teams.

You are drinking too much of Stoop(id)s' kool-aid. BYU and ND will save the Big 12.

[jay santos]

Because the Big12 is under too much strain. It didn't make a move earlier, and now it's under too much strain geographically.

It was once in a great position to pick up a couple of strong teams from surrounding conferences, but it chose not to do that. Instead it will almost certainly splinter as the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac poach from the remaining ten teams.

Missouri's the only remaining team that might get poached.

A nine team Big 12 is plenty stable with the current schools + BYU.

Our paradigm has completely changed, ignoring that for decades nine team conferences did just fine. What's so bad about a nine team conference? As long as Texas, OK, OK St, TT, and BYU are playing FB every Saturday, they're going to have TV sets on. As long as Texas, OU, OK St, KU, K St are playing basketball games, they will have TV sets. Stop worrying about this poaching nonsense.

I think it's much more likely schools like USC and Ohio State are going to look at how much revenue Texas is pulling in, and say screw this subsidizing crap schools like Northwestern and Utah, we're out.

[jay santos]

What makes you so sure you will have $10,000 in 20 years.

I'm going to invest $10 each with you and Viking. I'm sure one of you can turn it into 10K.

[San Juan Sun]

I could see the Big Ten raiding the Big East (Pitt, Syracuse, West Virgina, Rutgers/Uconn) or stealing Missouri from the Big 12. That would bring them to 16 and expand to new markets.

Not if the Big 12 raids the Big East first.

[dabrockster]

Would you care to propose an alternative? If the only conferences left are the Pac-16, Big 16, ACC, and SEC, where else exactly do you think BYU would be able to land?

If you have a viable theory on how the Big 12 could survive instead of the ACC, I would be interested in hearing it.

But, the reality is a stable Big 12 (if attained), would actually prevent super conferences from forming indefinitely.

:livecoug::livecoug::livecoug::livecoug::livecoug: :livecoug::livecoug:

[jay santos]

I could see the Big Ten raiding the Big East (Pitt, Syracuse, West Virgina, Rutgers/Uconn) or stealing Missouri from the Big 12. That would bring them to 16 and expand to new markets.

New markets is BS. That's the biggest fallacy of this whole super conference thing. College football is national. Oklahoma vs Texas is going to get a 6.5 Nielsen rating no matter if the schools are labeled Big 12, Pac 12, Big 10, or independent. The same money is there.

[BemidjiCoug]

Not if the Big 12 raids the Big East first.

I think Louisville, TCU, and BYU to the Big 12. Make them 12 again, and hope that all this crap is over.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Would you care to propose an alternative? If the only conferences left are the Pac-16, Big 16, ACC, and SEC, where else exactly do you think BYU would be able to land?

If you have a viable theory on how the Big 12 could survive instead of the ACC, I would be interested in hearing it.

But, the reality is a stable Big 12 (if attained), would actually prevent super conferences from forming indefinitely.

It's not automatic that everyone goes to 16. 12 is a nice number. 12 means two divisions and also being able to play everyone in the other division once every two years. The only reason the SEC is going to 13 is because it's aTm and gets them into Texas.

There were 12 team conferences for years before the ACC and PAC went to 12.

Also, who's the axis of power in the ACC? Duke and UNC? They're not football schools. The only thing holding that conference together is the fact that Florida supposedly refuses to allow FSU into the conference?

If they SEC raids the ACC and lands Va Tech, then there's going to be a rush by the ACC to add a Big East team. It would likely be Syracuse or UConn, but neither is an adequate replacement for Va Tech football wise. FSU is out on an island because Miami is out of the picture into the foreseeable future and no one else in the ACC brings much of anything to the football table.

So, what's FSU's best option at that point? How about partnering up with a Big 12 that still has two top 5 programs and is increasingly getting involved with ND?

I don't understand why the ACC is considered sacrosanct. Two basketball schools are holding it together.

[San Juan Sun]

:livecoug::livecoug::livecoug::livecoug::livecoug: :livecoug::livecoug:

Your post only has seven emoticons. You're going to need to expand to keep up.

[BemidjiCoug]

New markets is BS. That's the biggest fallacy of this whole super conference thing. College football is national. Oklahoma vs Texas is going to get a 6.5 Nielsen rating no matter if the schools are labeled Big 12, Pac 12, Big 10, or independent. The same money is there.

When you have your own network you care about what markets your in. Not every game is Oklahoma vs Texas. Some are Utah vs. Colorado where only those two markets watch.