Around the Big Ten

[WM Wolverine]

Washington is the obvious best candidate in the Pac 12 but only if there is a need for Pac 12 buddies to join USC/UCLA which sounds like is a future decision for the B1G and not one they will make anytime soon.

[WM Wolverine]

I do think there is a need for more Pac 12 universities to join the B1G for it to work out for UCLA, USC long-term.

[lineygoblue]

Adding Oregon and Washington would lock up the Portland and Seattle TV markets. Only one major TV market on the west coast missing would be San Francisco/Oakland.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Stanford and Bezerklie?

[iam416]

There's zero way they're adding Cal.

[iam416]

At this point, every school not in the Big 2 should be thinking about ways to get into the Big 2. So, the SEC and B10 are going to have the luxury of being very selective. There are a few clear value-add schools out there. Notre Dame. I think UNC. Probably Washington. Probably Oregon.

The thing is -- it's not necessarily about "TV markets" any more. It's about brand value. Georgia Tech would give you Atlanta and fit into the B10's haughty academic model, but their brand is garbage. They'd be a net drag.

So, there are going to be a lot of schools pleading for the lifeline -- from both the SEC and B10.

[Da Geezer]

The problem with adding anyone else is that USC & UCLA contribute so MUCH to the overall pot, that adding a team like Colorado or Oregon probably just dilutes it.

Ironically if the Big12 hadn't rushed to add teams like Cincinnati and UCF they could possibly accept half the remaining Pac12 right now if they wanted

Oregon State and Washington State are fucked. Destined for Mountain West probably when it's all said and done.

That's a good point about diluting the pot. Why would Illinois vote to add a team that would result in them getting less money from the TV rights deal?

For me, adding ND has always made the most sense, geographically and academically. If UCLA and USC want partners from the west coast, I'd favor Stanford (academics). I believe UNC and Duke come as a package.

[Whitley]

Getting ND (probably means Stanford comes too)
UNC and Duke would be ideal.

That gets you to 20 4 pods of 5 teams each
Pod 1
UNC
Duke
Maryland
Rutgers
Penn State

Pod 2
USC
UCLA
Stanford
Nebraska
Notre Dame

Pod 3
Wisconsin
Iowa
Purdue
Minnesota
Indiana

Pod 4
Ohio State
Michigan State
Michigan
Northwestern
Illinois

4 games against your pod . 5 games against everyone else. I think I would have the 5 games against 2 pods that would rotate every 2 years. For example Michigan could play:

Year 1: Indiana, Wisconsin, Norte Dame, UCLA, Stanford

Year 2: USC, Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, Nebraska


Or some combination like that.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Like I said...this will eventually become an AFC/NFC type setup down the road...each Mega Conference will have their own playoff with the winners meeting in the College Super Bowl. Schools not invited to the party will probably file all kinds of lawsuits but I do think that CFB will break away from the NCAA so the legal stuff will be moot. The leftovers can combine with the upper tier FCS schools and continue to compete as NCAA. Welcome to the future.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Getting ND (probably means Stanford comes too)
UNC and Duke would be ideal.

That gets you to 20 4 pods of 5 teams each
Pod 1
UNC
Duke
Maryland
Rutgers
Penn State

Pod 2
USC
UCLA
Stanford
Nebraska
Notre Dame

Pod 3
Wisconsin
Iowa
Purdue
Minnesota
Indiana

Pod 4
Ohio State
Michigan State
Michigan
Northwestern
Illinois

4 games against your pod . 5 games against everyone else. I think I would have the 5 games against 2 pods that would rotate every 2 years. For example Michigan could play:

Year 1: Indiana, Wisconsin, Norte Dame, UCLA, Stanford

Year 2: USC, Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, Nebraska


Or some combination like that.

Then for the non-cons do they play all $EC Schools or schedule the uninvited for what in all practicality would be exhibition games?

[Da Geezer]

A reasonable plan. But the fundamental problem during "Leaders and Legends" is that UM and OSU insist on playing yearly. So the pod with those schools and MSU will always have three of the top five or six football schools in the conference.

I'd be happy to play OSU on a rotating basis.

Swap UoM or OSU for Purdue and there would be a couple of good teams in each pod.

[lineygoblue]

I wonder what effect all this is going to have on the bowls.

[Da Geezer]

The more I think of it, I'd support adding 4 more teams and splitting the B1G into two divisions with the Original 10 and the New 10. Play 9 divisional games and then a crossover or two. I think all this consolidation will mean far less interest in non-conference games, and more interest in the bowls which would probably match teams from the BIG 2.

That keeps rivalries as much as possible. I remember seeing a poll in which 6 of the O-10 view UM as their primary rival. I can't remember which teams other than MSU and OSU, but it did include Minn and Ill (!).

[iam416]

One realistic long-term structural realignment is basically two conferences that equate to the NFC and AFC and, which in turn, break back down to regional-based divisions. If the B10 and SEC get large enough then they'll have to atomize a little and the rational way to do that is regionally (like, you know, the NFL). If the B10 reaches 24, e.g., you could easily see 4 divisions of 6 that are similar to previously existing conferences.

I sort of think that the B10 and SEC need to actually sit down and figure out how they exactly want to run CFB as opposed to this sort of ad hoc stuff. They're both at 16 now. And that's a great round number. But, if they expand further it ought to be at least with some sort of generalized framework for how they want CFB to look. Two leagues of 24 w/ the SEC swallowing up 8 additional southern schools and the B10 adding ND + some West Coast schools plus whoever else the B10 deems lucky enough to advance.

[AlabamAlum]

I expect the SEC to absorb some ACC teams in the coming years, and if we do go to 20 teams, I see a set-up just like what Talent mentionen.

And 24 teams may be possible, but I’m not sure after adding 4 from the ACC that there a lot of value-added propositions out there. Clemson, Miami, and UNC. Maybe Florida State, VaTech and Duke? Duke is definitely a mixed bag. Great basketball but shitty football, and we have to remember CFB is driving all of this.

There is no doubt that the SEC and BigTen form a dyarchy in this going forward and we really don’t need to worry about a consensus or how to win the “hearts and minds” of the other teams. We need to remember that there are going to be hurt feelings and we will be seen as the enemy by those on the outside looking in.