Around the Big Ten

[THE_WIZARD_]

You are the enemy now.

[AlabamAlum]

I was always the enemy.

[THE_WIZARD_]

You are hated unilaterally yes.

[Da Geezer]

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.

AA: You are using a surfeit of five-dollar words. Dyarchy?

[Dr. Strangelove]

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.

Everything I read suggests Stanford/Cal have very poor viewership even in their home market.

[Dr. Strangelove]

There's been talk that the Arizona schools and maybe Colorado/Utah would look at the Big12 now. Unless we pick off more Pac12 schools right away I don't know if that would happen. The Pac12 (back to 10 again) would maybe consider Boise State but I dunno who else. I think BYU could be a nice fit but they're supposed to be committed to the Big12. Adding any Mountain West team beyond Boise is just expanding for the sake of expansion and diluting the pool further.

[Whitley]

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.

1) UNC is not coming without Duke
2) While CFB is a driving force. You still need value for the other months. MBB is another driving force and UNC and Duke are blue bloods of MBB.

3) The research $$$$ dwarfs anything the big ten network gets. Add in CIC cooperative and any team that is a non AAU school is going to have to have something that makes them overlook that (for ND this is not a problem)

[Whitley]

Everything I read suggests Stanford/Cal have very poor viewership even in their home market.

Stanford I imagine is tied to ND. If it takes Stanford to get ND, still a major net positive.

[Tom W]

This whole thing just plain sucks ass.

It's the Big 10, not the NFL.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Don't be ridiculous. The B1G won't be the NFL. It will be the NFC.

dumbass

[Tom W]

Good point,

Still doesn't make it less of a greed-driven joke.

So, STFU..

[WM Wolverine]

Machiavellian in me says you target who you'd want from the ACC (if anyone) before even giving a phone call to Washington, Oregon, etc... You can get the Pac 12 leftovers whenever you want but you're competing with the SEC for the universities in the ACC...

I do think ND is finally forced to join a conference (SEC & B1G together make the rules going forward), not sure what's in their contract with the ACC but supposedly they can't join a conference for football unless it's the ACC. With that in mind, who are your ACC targets among North Carolina, Duke, Notre Dame, Florida State, Clemson, Pitt, Virginia.

[AlabamAlum]

1) UNC is not coming without Duke
2) While CFB is a driving force. You still need value for the other months. MBB is another driving force and UNC and Duke are blue bloods of MBB.

3) The research $$$$ dwarfs anything the big ten network gets. Add in CIC cooperative and any team that is a non AAU school is going to have to have something that makes them overlook that (for ND this is not a problem)

1) That may be so, but Duke is private and UNC is public which is a big deal. The state legislature doesn’t have sway with it like with two publics. But if it were a package deal, I’m sure both would be offered just like OU and Texas.

2) Basketball is not driving force in conference realignment or acquisition. It would be a consideration, but looking at basketball champions and powers over the past 10 or 15 years, and I would bet you that no power conference is interested in Villanova, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Louisville, UConn, or Kansas.

3). I have heard this said before. What do graduate level academic research dollars have to do with undergrad sports teams’ affiliations? Do you think a grant for the M medical school to study cancer related proteins would be in danger if BigTen athletics associated with some university outside the AAU? Because as someone who has been affiliated with university research, it has been my experience that undergrad athletics isn’t a subject the people in charge of assigning research dollars know or care about.

YMMV.

[Whitley]

1) Northwestern is also a private university that is in the Big Ten.

2) While CFB is a driver and the primary on the sports side. MBB is also the other money maker in college sports. You need content for the other months of the year.

3) TPTB ie the presidents/chancellors of the university care a great deal about the academic side. And they are the ones that have the final decision not the ADs. Given the Big Ten has the CIC as well they are not going to take in universities that are an academic oasis. Is it an absolute iron clad that s university has to be an AAU school no currently Nebraska isn't one. Nor is Norte Dame (but no one thinks they are not a very good academic school). But if you are not you have to have something else that is very compelling such as brand (Notre Dame), or a great market (Arizona State being in Phoenix).

Arizona State says they are not AAU members because they are not selective enough with undergrad admissions. IDK if that is true or not. If that is the case it seems fixable enough.

[iam416]

From a political perspective, UNC is more wed to NCS than Duke. But I also don't think UNC would want to jettison Duke.

And it's a CFB decision. That's the value add. Not ADDITIONAL grant money.

However, CBB live game inventory is also a value.

But, yes -- it's a CFB decision. And the B10 and SEC are clearly positioned to more or less tell the world to fuck the fuck off.