Kansas, again...
Kansas/Big Ten talk picking up again...
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sports/kansas-big-ten-imminent-big-12-conference-realignment/
Alright! If we play our cards right we may get a steal or two from the MAC! Sigh. I get that it’s about money and territory but I still want a good product on the field.
August 4th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
Be great for the conference in BBall, assuming they come through their current scandal ok.
Kansas is only good when they cheat. So the Big Ten's plan is to just let them cheat?
Yes. And football recruiting might find some real gems on those Kansas prairies. Was not Gale Sayers known as ‘The Kansas Comet’? And Barry Sanders hailed from Kansas, too.So KU joining the Big Ten would give Harbaugh another fertile recruiting ground (sort of) to exploit to the max.
Isn't it easier to lift prospects from KS if they're NOT in the B1G, but floundering around somewhere in the Great Below?
Exactly CFraser! Don't want the Big 12 leftovers. The only two teams worth having were UT and OK. I think the only choices should be - B1G combines with ACC or the top B1G teams (UM, OSU, PSU, WI, and maybe IA) leave the B1G for football and join the SEC.
... Why?
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:48 PM ^
So Ohio state can have a cross division rivalry with Kansas, Illinois, and Nebraska which will allow UM to maintain their cross division rivalry with Wisconsin, Iowa, and northwestern.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:01 PM ^
I know it keeps getting said this is only about football. But dang, Kansas has had some great basketball. The BIG10 has great basketball too. Maybe if there is a money share issue Kansas will negotiate some pro rated amount. Being in the BIG10 would be great for Kansas basketball.
Don’t worry about Kansas sharing money. They do a very good job of that. Just ask their players.
I'll give KU $50/year to join the B10. Take it or leave it
Seems reasonable. I mean, they did get outbid for Zion Williamson after offering only $120K...
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:01 PM ^
This would be the most Kevin Warren thing ever. Derp... let's do this because Kansas is such fertile recruiting ground.
The basketball argument is lame, Kansas does not get their talent from Kansas. Joining the B1G gives them more access to the Great Lakes. It's a no brainer for them and a freeze brainer for Warren.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:26 PM ^
You realize Warren has only been commissioner for 1 year? There is no Kevin Warren pattern of behavior.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:30 PM ^
Cancelling football season then having a season after the sec decided to have a season.
Again, that was the school Presidents. Warren works for them, just like Goodell works for the owners in the NFL. He may have handle the messaging wrong, but he didn't have the power to start or cancel the season. Presidents/Chancellors Hold 'Ultimate Authority,' Not Commissioner. Since 1952, the Big Ten Conference has been run by the Council of Presidents and Chancellors and the commissioner reports to that group on all enforcement of conference rules and regulations.
It seems like there's a sizable amount of the population that will never understand this sort of thing. They'll get pissed at Warren for decisions of the university presidents. They'll get pissed at Goodell for decisions of the owners. They'll get pissed at agents of players for the decisions of players. It proves exactly why those positions exist. Bunch of nearsighted goofballs!
Yeah? Warren & Goodell are just puppets, sent out to take the wrath of the populace for decisions made by their puppet-masters?
Hmmm... what's that pay?
And while we're at it, what's being their apologist pay?!
Yeah, that’s actually exactly what they are. The reason they’re paid so much is because they take the heat for everything and are in charge of the day to day operations of the conference/league. But all of the major decisions and rule changes are decided by the presidents/owners.
Here, the Big Ten even lays it out there for everyone to see on their website:
https://bigten.org/sports/2018/6/13/big-ten-council-of-presidents-and-chancellors.aspx
Warren didn’t cancel the season. The school presidents did that. Warren is just the poor sap that has to go out there and make the announcement so uninformed people that don’t understand the duties of a conference commissioner and the structure of an athletics conference can shit on him.
I thought we were doing hawt takes in this thread not measured reasonable takes.
Adding a school(s) to the conference is way above Warren's pay grade. He may be a point of contact between all interested parties, but these decisions are made at the athletic director, Presidents and Regents level. It's more than who is on the football schedule next season, these moves create and break bonds between the huge institutions that universities are. Especially for the Big Ten, which has the AAU membership "requirement" and CIC to consider.
It wasn't above Delaney's grade.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:01 PM ^
least credible outlet possible unfortunately :(
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:02 PM ^
Who would the other team be? If there's no mention of the another team, I think it's just smoke and mirrors coming out of a desperate Kansas.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:55 PM ^
The big ten had 11 teams for quite a while, I don’t think even numbers are a requirement.
August 4th, 2021 at 12:05 AM ^
But that was before the era of divisions and conference championship games. If expansion is happening, an even number is a must
August 4th, 2021 at 12:34 AM ^
Not necessarily a must. The ACC played a 15 team no-division schedule just last year.
If you must keep divisions for consistency in schedules and rivalries, a 15 team, 3 division conference could work with 8 conference games and a 4-team mini playoff for the conference championship. As long as everything else is being blown up around conference alignments, why not get creative with scheduling?
I wouldn’t use last year as your example of what a normal year might look like. Only reason the ACC did that was because everyone did a conference only schedule and ND didn’t want to be left in the dark. They’re not continuing that model and there is no reason to do anything like that in a year without special circumstances
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:59 PM ^
Maybe it's not desperation. Maybe they don't want to be in a conference that will be less relevant now. They do have a great basketball program. Being in the BIG10 rather than a devalued BIG12 seems like an appropriate move for their basketball program.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:04 PM ^
If 18 teams is where this all is going, FSU and Clemson seem poised to fill out the SEC.
The B1G is in much better position than the ACC to be next in the pecking order. If that is the case, 4 of: Notre Dame, Kansas, Georgia Tech, UNC, Duke, and Virginia is where the B1G would probably go. Pitt, Syracuse, and I guess outside shot to Iowa St are the other 3 on the table, but none of those move the needle either geographically, financially, or performance wise.
The ACC can add some decent schools leftover and add some Big 12 castoffs, and take a shot at schools like Memphis, UCF, SMU, Cincy, and Houston.
The Pac-12 can get a couple Big 12 remaining schools, and maybe add BYU in the mix. Not too many schools out west that fit into the Pac-12 (like Boise St).
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:55 PM ^
394 million for an ACC school to break the contract per ESPN U. That is not happening.
August 4th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
$394 million? More than a third of a billion?
Yes because their Grant of Rights agreement doesn't run out until the mid 2030's whereas the Big XII version expires after 2024 season.
A lot easier to let the lawyers argue about an extra 2-3 years than 12.
What I could see happening is once the SEC and Big Ten get new media deals in the next few years that dwarf the ACC that they look for other avenues and could lead to them falling apart. But one or two teams just deciding to leave won't be it.
I like those choices. Notre Dame, Virginia, NC and Duke would be my, very clear, pick from that group-now that would make the B1G a basketball conference...maybe Kentucky would like to switch...Syracuse would fit nicely as well. (The only reason to consider Kansas is so that I can make the 2 hour drive to Lawrence to watch a Michigan game ;) )
August 4th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
I'm just going to keep saying this until my head explodes:
ESPN is not going to pay the SEC more media rights money to raid another ESPN owned conference. The FSU/Clemson to SEC stuff is complete bullshit dreamed up by message boarders who don't know shit from apple butter.
The ACC's Grant of Rights has everyone locked in until 2036, which means any movement is not going to happen until at least 2030 when you're closer to that deal being up. Clemson/FSU have NO POWER to start an ACC breakup because their chosen destination is an ESPN conference.
If the ACC breaks up, it will be because the Big 10 convinced the Mid Atlantic high academic ACC programs to leave a league they founded and still feel like they have the most control over, which is not impossible but certainly not an easy thing to pull off. At that point, if the ACC is already falling apart, you could see ESPN letting the SEC take Clemson/FSU. But ESPN is not going to make the first move against their own league, that's insanity.
August 4th, 2021 at 12:57 PM ^
I agree that the teams you listed are the schools the Big Ten should be targeting but I disagree that they don't bring value. the addition of Duke, UNC and Kansas means the Big Ten has a lock on college basketball's identity when coupled with the Big Tens blue blood programs. no other conference could match that. Georgia Tech gives you a footprint in the Atlanta media market, Syracuse totally locks up New York the #1 media market, and Virginia locks up the DMV area.
I wouldn't stop there though, I would add Miami to have a footprint in Fl. and make a trail towards Texas. I know the biggest prizes are off the table but Texas is too big of a market to not pursue. taking Colorado, Ok. State, and the strongest remaining Texas schools (Houston, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech). with an emphasis on having presence in Houston and Dallas..
From there you make an agreement with the Pac 10 to play 2 games and the Big 10 and Pac 10 champs meet in the Rose Bowl and not even the SEC could compete with the product in ALL sports.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:17 PM ^
Yay sanctions, maybe.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:33 PM ^
“Kevin Warren doesn’t impress me much,” Shania Twain.
August 4th, 2021 at 12:03 AM ^
So you’re Brad Pitt?
August 4th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
I've always felt Shania had weird expectations if looking like Brad Pitt, being a rocket scientist and having a nice car weren't enough to impress her but "keeping her warm in the middle of the night" was. Maybe she could try an extra blanket.
August 3rd, 2021 at 10:40 PM ^
Kansas, we're not with Toto anymore.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:00 PM ^
It’s just like the Reddit game of college football risk. We’ll need to sacrifice Maryland and Rutgers but we’ll win Kansas which will give us access to Colorado and New Mexico. We’ll regroup in New Mexico before taking Utah and Arizona!
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:25 PM ^
I’d be happy to sacrifice Rutgers and Maryland.
I don’t need anything in return.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:17 PM ^
I could get behind this....
If they come with USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington and either Stanford (preferable) or Colorado.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:23 PM ^
Adding Kansas and Iowa State would be peak B1G.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:27 PM ^
If the B10 adds anything, it will be the Pac12. Nothing else makes sense or is viable.
August 3rd, 2021 at 11:49 PM ^
Kevin Warren says hold my beer.