Why not Kansas?

Submitted by CMUBlue on

I know that the focus is on Texas and N.D. but with Bill Self crying like he is why isn't Kansas in the picture.  I don't know about the academic side of things but Kansas wouldn't be horrible for football (better than IU); it would be an upgrade for basketball.  Kansas fits in nice geographically and would help with an East/West divisions.  What does everyone think?

Erik_in_Dayton

June 13th, 2010 at 6:45 PM ^

They were fighting pro-slavery forces.  Kansas/Missouri was the front line of the fight over slavery prior to the Civil War. 

 

As to KU and the Big Ten, Kansas brings the following:

A football team that has generally been very poor but that has, of course, has some success of late.

The men's basketball team doesn't need explained.

Lawrence is a great college town,but pretty far from most Big Ten Schools.

The academics are on par with Indiana?  KU is an above-average state school, no more or less.

The biggest TV market is Kansas City, which isn't that big and which is divided between KU and Missouri fans. 

...As a KU grad, FWIW, I don't think KU is a great fit for the Big Ten.  On the other hand, I don't think Rutgers is either. 

Double Nickel BG

June 13th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^

and it mostly comes down to Kansas only have 6 mens sports and 9 womens sports. Dont quote me on the exact numbers. But it would be far and away the smallest AD in the conference.

cadmus2166

June 13th, 2010 at 6:25 PM ^

Supposedly if Texas A&M chooses the SEC instead of the Pac-10, Kansas has surpassed Utah as the team most desirable to the Pac-10, per http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1093756  (Behind paywall).  Also behind a paywall is the story of how the Big 12 might actually survive as a 10 team conference, pending a TV deal...  http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1093803

These come from Chip Brown who has been on the money so far.

Mr. Robot

June 13th, 2010 at 6:31 PM ^

Because other schools are better geographically, academically, and athletically.

Primarily though, because Kansas has a small athletic department, the bulk of which (basketball) has gone and gotten into some serious trouble, pending investigation.

The Pac-10 could use them though. A good basketball team to boost their profile there, and rule-breakers to boot!

WolvinLA2

June 13th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^

Let's compare Kansas to Rutgers (a team very much on the bubble who most of us are against joining):

Footprint Expansion- Edge Rutgers.  Kansas has a very low population, so those TV's adding the BTN gets us very little compared to adding the state of NJ.  Also, Rutgers has a larger alumni base nationwide (due to a much larger enrollment) and as it is, Rutgers averages almost exactly the same number of fans per football game, despite playing in the Big East.

Academics - Edge Rutgers.  Rutgers is the #26 public college nationally, Kansas is #43, tied UC-RIverside, SUNY-Stony Brook and Alabama.

Football - Tie.  Both teams have been historically bad, with one 11 win season each in the last 5 years and a recent string of bowl berths (even though KU missed a bowl last year, controversially fired their coach, and is looking like they're back to bottom feeders).  I'll still call this one a tie.

Basketball - Edge Jayhawks.  No question.  However, schools like UConn and Syracuse (and maybe even Maryland) are comparable in bball and  beat up on KU in all the other categories.

When you break it down, KU makes little sense. 

Seth9

June 13th, 2010 at 6:50 PM ^

While adding Kansas would be beneficial financially (a great basketball program that would add its own state and Missouri (between Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas, we could probably take the whole state, or at least every major media market), Kansas appears to be hitched to Kansas State, which is not worth it. Also, adding Kansas is a poor option compared to the other schools still on the table (Texas and ND, for example) and the Big Ten knows that it can pick up Kansas if it whiffs on the big schools first.

Sac Fly

June 13th, 2010 at 7:39 PM ^

... but it dosent add the revenue that a good football team does, having that basketball team doesent give the school enough pull to get into a major conference, and it's a shame because one of the best programs in the country is going to be taking a major hit if they have to join the mountian west or C-USA

Wolv1984

June 13th, 2010 at 7:38 PM ^

Also, some former employees of the Kansas Athletic Department are currently under federal (yeah the FBI) investigation for fraud and I think some fiscal charges as well.  The fraud involved tickets and department money according to the news reports.  So far everyone has been a former employee, so the school hasn't been hit yet, but who knows what skeletons are in what closets over there.  

Indiana Wolverine

June 13th, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^

of teams probably isn't what Delaney is going for either... with an even number I'd almost think that if he/they want to go any higher then it'd need to be a double inclusion... so with Kansas would have to come Mizzou or Cuse or Rutgers...

Njia

June 13th, 2010 at 9:49 PM ^

Lemme see ... There's a ticket scandal brewing in Lawrence that'll even make the Men of Troy blush. There have been recruiting violations (and NCAA penalties) as recently as 1988 and 2006 in both football and basketball. And admitting a school whose cheer is "Rock-chalk-Jayhawk" ("Hey, Scooter! Gimme two words that rhyme with 'Jayhawk'") is just stupid.

FgoWolve

June 13th, 2010 at 11:31 PM ^

TV market doesn't always mean something when you have a brand name like Kansas. Pundits are arguing that's part of the reason Nebraska was preferable over Missouri and Rutgers which are each in much larger markets. You stick that Jayhawk on enough merchandise and TV screens, and people will watch it.

And I hardly think that ticket scandal going on is even worth considering. This is the kind of scandal that pops up, heads roll, house is cleaned, and it's gone. It's a criminal matter inside the University involving sales to the general public. It's probably not gonna haunt the University in terms of NCAA sanctions over a matter of years. (Which is what a prospective conference might be concerned with for instance.) Conference expansion is a LONG term goal. It would be terribly short sighted to overlook a brand name like Kansas just because of some ticket scandal that will fade from our memory in about 3 years.