Conference Realignment: swap Rutgers/Maryland for Army/Navy
since there are so many moving parts why not look for ways to address "Delany's Mistake" during the shuffle by replacing Rutgers/Maryland with Army/Navy.
Pros:
- better recent winning tradition (in the last 10 years Army/Navy have had 3 AP Top 20 finishes and are 9-3 in bowl games; Rutgers/MD have 0 Top 20 finishes and are 2-6 in bowl games)
- better historic winning tradition (Army/Navy winning % is .568/.549 with 5 Heisman trophy winners and 4 national titles; Rutgers/MD is .493/.520 with 0 Heisman's and 1 national title if you count what Rutgers played in 1869 as college football )
- maintain the New York/DC TV markets
- already know how to efficiently pay their players
- upgrade to a more impressive alumni network and fan base
- less spray tan
- can monetize the Army/Navy game for the greater benefit of all; and what a GREAT rivalry game
- better academics (Maryland is solid and on par with both Army/Navy in terms of test scores and acceptance rate; but Rutgers...........not so much)
Cons:
- never schedule a service academy x2
- unable to count team handball and rifle prowess towards Director's Cup standings
- runs counter to the whole "large state school" ethos (with apologies to Northwestern and I guess USC)
“Delany’s Mistake”?
At this very moment in time, his decisions appear to be prophetic and may be the difference between the Big 10’s future as super conference versus what will become of the other non SEC conferences.
Though you could also make a case he started this ridiculousness. Yeah yeah, it was happening/woulda happened anyway, but he fueled it at the very least.
I remember a lot of criticism on this site about starting the BTN. That was his first step.
Starting BTN has been a difference maker for the conference.
The Big East turned down a big network deal and ND was the deciding vote. Imo this was what started all of it.
The Big East broke up when Miami, VaTech, Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College I believe all went to the ACC and then Louisville eventually was invited.
The BigTen formed btn and turned down Espn who promptly accepted the offer to form the sec network.
Within a few years conference revenue for the BigTen and Sec began skyrocketing which led to the second round of massive team moves, Nebraska invited to the big ten followed by Texas A&M and Missouri left for the sec and Colorado to the Pac12 along with the invite to Utah to leave the Mountain West….
Yeah - the BC/VT exit from the Big East to the ACC started this all and it hasn't really worked for either school. They chased the big $ and in the process they hurt their own brands and competitiveness and ruined what was once an all-time great basketball conference (their football wasn't bad either). But yes - that screwed the pooch and led to all of the other conference shuffling nonsense we have today.
Chaco, I think it’s time for you to turn in your key card.
I guess the implied sarcasm didn't quite register.
Ah, the old, "I got busted so I'll just say I was kidding," bit.
Yes, we have no bananas. Carolina duke is a much better idea if you are dipping into the east coast cabinet of blunders.
Yes. I really want my favorite players in the world to sacrifice kneecaps yearly due to constant chop blocks.
Wait. I mean HELL NO!
Plus: they chop block because of the height to weight charts that they have to maintain once they graduate and serve as officers in the Army, the Navy and the Marines. Ergo, they have smaller football players. I've always said they should drop a division just because of the ht-wt differences.
You spent a long time thinking about this pointless topic.
Big 10 schools swapping out the fertile HS recruiting territory of maryland and NJ for...what exactly?
What a great idea!
Play steady and clean programs regularly, and enjoy some of the patriotic vibe that ND gets.
Ain't never gonna happen but it's lots of fun to contemplate.
Let's start by agreeing Maryland and especially Rutgers suck and do not and never have belonged in the Big Ten. So bye bye. Army and Navy have character. And real athletic history. A definite upgrade.
Also...it will never happen.
Take it to 20. Add Notre Dame (dammit), Virginia, North Carolina and Stanford.
BTW, the whole "state school" thing isn't really a thing.
Or rather it's a meme that has been accepted as a thing, but conceptually it's not.
Michigan and a few others in the Big(ger) Ten have stellar academic reputations, equal to or better than most private schools, if we include all them in the US, not just the fancy names.
Even lower ranked Big Ten schools are better than many private schools.
The soon-to-be union representing the knees of Big Ten defensive linemen would need to call for a general strike (against the future generals).
This expansion is about control over the direction of professional college football. The Service Academies aren't going to be part of that world. Plus, they don't have the game-to-game interest - they almost always play the Army-Navy game at a neutral site. And, maybe most importantly, throwing schools out of the Big Ten isn't going to happen unless a school stops trying to field competitive programs. Rutgers and Maryland have done their part.
NO. It's boring ass football and would be a wasted week.
No, because they are hard to prepare for and one of them would grab a win from us every 3-5 years. (I like Army and Navy, just not in our conference.)
Let’s add Air Force and Georgia Tech too!
What happens with Citadel and Coast Guard?
Well, U of M Football is going to visit Grand Haven, which is known as Coast Guard City USA.
This is just so incredibly stupid
for real tho … can we get a sticky named “random thoughts on conference realignment” and everyone who wants to make an OP can just post it there?
Let’s add Hawai’i because I liked that episode of the Brady Bunch when they all went there.
You can't really go wrong with Jan in a bikini......
He does not agree with you....
That picture never gets old, like a sunset over Lake Superior.
I appreciate the thought and research that went into this and don't totally disagree. This shouldn't be as downvoted as it is (should be only moderately downvoted). +1 to try to even things out
There is zero upside to playing service academies. No credit for a win, scorn for a loss. Plus, they are taught to play dirty and target knees. No thank you.
How about:
Boston College and Hawaii
Toledo and Bowling Green
Central and Western Michigan
Miami and Miami
Why not drop the bottom academic schools instead Nebraska and mich state, could through in Indiana
talking about bottom academic schools and following it up with "through in Indiana"...chef's kiss
As if Navy and Army have decent bball programs?
Stop drinking and go to bed.
I know there's an "arms race" between Big Ten and SEC, but you took it literally.
No. I can’t stand playing military schools. Getting beat up even if you win better have a cup cake the following week
Are all you people incapable of recognizing obvious sarcasm?
Never schedule a service academy.
I'm not on board, sorry. Army/Navy would become the true chaos team, and I can see Michigan on the losing end of that way too often.
Sacrifice Big10 reputation for commitment to members who secured East Coast media contracts for guaranteed burned obligatory practice on the Triple Option ANNUALLY?
No.
Not at all.
OMG I hope the SEC is reading this right now, scheming to swoop in and "steal" Army/Navy from us.
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease....
I would rather try and kick a field goal with Lucy as the holder.