Can Big 10 Expand?

Submitted by Hoke_Floats on

Slow day for me so I started to think about adding teams to the Big 10

I was going to create a post with a dream 4 universities for the big 10 to add to expand a al the SEC

I narrowed my list to member of the AAU members & Notre Dame

My Best 4 was

  1. Notre Dame
  2. University of North Carolina
  3. Duke
  4. Kansas

This would make the Big 10 an amazing B-Ball conference, but it really doesn't add that much for football besides ND. 

Also, I doubt that any of the 4 would even want to join our league.  I grouped UNC and Duke together, but they have such a history with the rest of the ACC it would be hard to pry them loose.

Non-AAU members could try a Kentucky and Tenn. grab, but I don't think they would leave the SEC

I know mizzou wants in real bad, but who could we pair them with and do they add that much to the big 10? 

rutgers?  I am not sold on them

Pitt?  too regional

What about Texas A&M?  Wouldn't that be something.  They are an AAU member and they are not happy with their current situation.  You could probably even convince Kansas to come with them.

 

Michigan248

August 15th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^

What happened was the sec chancellors said no they will not give a invite to A&M at this time, they went on to say they would reconsider if another team shows serious intrest because they do not want a 13 team conf.

1464

August 15th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^

I would have to put my top 4 as:

UND

Minnesota - Duluth

Boston University

University of Denver.

That would make us way stronger...

 

maizedandconfused

August 15th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^

1AA teams? 

Or division 2 teams?

We are not expanding for the immediate future, give it a rest.

Incidentally, UNC is a decent football school as well, but there is no chance in hell we take Kansas. 

Football is money.. think about ti this way. You average about 15 home games a season. If you take Syracuse , the biggest college bball crowd, at averageing about 23K/game thats 345 K fans. 

8 home football games at michigan net almot 900K fans. Thats just ticket sales.

CRex

August 15th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^

I don't see A&M as all that attractive.  They add travel costs for everyone in their division and are a small fish in the Texas pond.  I don't think having A&M in the conference helps much with recruiting in Texas (A&M already can't recruit against Texas).  All they really give us are some more B10 network subscriptions from A&M alums.  We could get the same from ND's extremely large fanbase without having to up conference travel costs.  

I think if Comcast keeps exiling ND off to Versus and shows a lack of interest in renewing their lucrative deal when the time comes, then ND considers joining.  At that point we pillage the B12 North for something to get us the Saint Louis TV market (Missouri or Kansas).  It's a decent size market without expanding anyone's travel costs significantly.  A 14 team B1G wouldn't be terrible if we're also playing 9 conference games a year (and not bad at all if we take it up to 10 confernence games).  You'd have 4 years off teams in the other division at a time.  

Of course the network executives still might have the "Rutgers gets us New York" dream.  I think that's foolish.  Having every single Michigan, ND, and tOSU alum in NYC demanding the BTN does a lot more to get it on basic cable than Rutgers does.  

CRex

August 15th, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^

I agree that Kansas is more attractive.  The only issue is the rumor that KU can't leave KSU behind if it goes somewhere else (the state government knows that KSU could never get into a decent conference on its own).  Missouri on the other hand comes without any strings attached.  

Wolvie3758

August 15th, 2011 at 12:59 PM ^

right now its all about the legaleese..TV conctracts, ESPN..law suits etc etc etc..Those have to be ironed out first..I read a very Intricate complicated set of legal issues as a result of ESPN TV contracts with the SEC and B12...conflict of interest,  who asked who first? Is ESPN encouraging the SEC which it has a contract with to raid the BIG 12 which whom it has a contract with ,payout increases and decreases..trust me its Complicated.....This is just a STALL for time..Its happening Folks.....This will start the flood gates opening..I Hope the Big 10 is ready to pounce...I think they are...I would not be the least surprised for 2-4 teams to be added within the next 6 months....we shall See

 

oh yeah if it were me? I would add ND, Mizzou, Ga Tech and BC...if No ND..Syracuse or Pitt

 

assuming OK is not available

Wolvie3758

August 15th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^

will be The Premier College Hockey League or close to the top...I doubt they would let that be a road block....right now SEC B10 and PAC 12 are the most secure and lucrative leagues..If your league is about to get downgraded again why wouldnt you want to go to the B10...Schools are going to have to make decisions Quickly in the immediate future...

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 15th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^

The Big Ten will be a middling league at best.  With MSU down the shitter, Wiscy and Minny struggling at the moment, OSU being a shit team in general, and PSU being a startup, what exactly do you expect out of the Big Ten?  HE and likely enough the NCHC will be much better.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 15th, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^

And why should fans care about whether a new market is opened up?  That's for the bean counters.  As a fan I want easy travel to games, decent regional rivalries, good competition that raises the cachet of my own loyalties, and schools that fit with each other well enough to compete.  If I'm going to realistically assess which teams might join, fine, but as a fan if I'm creating a wish list I couldn't care less what the damn Nielsen ratings are.

The fact that they fall within the existing footprint is 100% a positive, not a dealbreaking negative.

michiganbum3000

August 15th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^

While Duke and UNC would be nice for only basketball rights, the big bucks are in football broadcasting rights.  A lot of the basketball big money is tied to the NCAA tourney and outside of the money now there is not a huge amount to be made in terms of basketball.  I am without a doubt one of those people who want Notre Dame and Texas in the conference but I am skeptical that they will make the move anytime soon, and while i am satisfied with our conference now i will humor myself:

(1) Virginia Tech - not AAU but great academics, believe they would be willing to make the move, and think they're strength on the football field would fit in quite nice in the big ten - adding a school who in any given year could play in a bcs game.

(2) Oklahoma - though not an AAU school and wanted badly by the SEC, i believe their tradition and style of play fit perfectly in the Big Ten.  Would bring a solid team with good fans and excellent tradition.

(3) Ga Tech or Mizzouri - would be mainly for broadcasting rights in two huge markets but i dont think they add the tradition and power we like seeing in the big ten.  Geourgia may be a little too much out of the region but if they are looking to expand markets this would be big.  Mizzou would take the offer in a second and would love to join the big ten.

(4) Texas/Notre dame - both would be great additions to the conference in every aspect, but is iffy that they will go/stay independant or make moves.  If the conferences go the way of super conferences than Notre Dame would probably join a conference or if they get low-balled in negotiations for their next TV broadcasting and realize that they could make more money by joining a conference since they are not the powerhouse they used to be, then maybe they join.

 My dream four would obviously be Texas, Va. Tech, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame - I believe this would be a true super-conference that could compete with the SEC. While many believe Mizzouri is likely to be one of the few chosen if the conference does expand i believe it would be solely for broadcasting in the Kansas city/St. Louis market which is quite large in terms of broadcasting numbers - i do not believe they add anything to our conference.  Their football is somewhat average, as is basketball and i believe they would be a lower tier team in the big team that could not contribute in terms of tradition or being a powerhouse like Nebraska does.  As soon as Texas realizes that their conference is going to break unless they add lackluster football schools like UTEP, they should split rather than waiting a bit longer for the inevitable to happen.      

 

 

 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 15th, 2011 at 5:55 PM ^

It's.....ok.  Good engineering, not a great deal else, at least as compared to what the Big Ten typically offers.  Actually what I really thought was amusing was the idea that VT has "great" academics while Georgia Tech brings nothing but a TV market.  Makes me question the grasp on quality academics; GT is a far superior school to VT.

Mi Sooner

August 15th, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^

OU isn't coming and probably will have to carry their little brother, OState, with them, who we don't want anyway. My guess is that OU will end up in the PACnn when the dust settles. For some reason, those in Oklahoma regardless of complaining prefers the west coast over the southeast. They recruit heavily in both texass and California.

SwordDancer710

August 15th, 2011 at 1:31 PM ^

Notre Dame and Mizzou/Syracuse would be my preference. ND for obvious reasons, Mizzou for similar reasons as Nebraska (though on a lesser scale), and Syracuse for the NYC market. BC could be an interesting choice as well.

M2NASA

August 15th, 2011 at 1:45 PM ^

BC?  Has no one paid attention to what they've delivered to the ACC?

This goes here now.

 

UNC?  Duke?  They'll never leave the ACC - they run that conference and in no way whatsoever will the NC legislature let them leave NC State and Wake behind.

Kansas?  Seriously?  Shitty academics, shitty football tradition, delivers absolutely nothing market-wise.

Virginia Tech?  I'm amazed not just that someone brought them up, but that they actually think VT is a good school academically.

I'm amazed at how many dumbass, illogical schools are thrown out there.

mackbru

August 15th, 2011 at 1:50 PM ^

I just don't see how the league will go for a school like Syracuse; it's just too far away, and a big leap even from the next closest school (PSU). And, anyway, it's not exactly a football or rating powerhouse. The B10 doesn't want a dozen or so midwestern-ish schools, plus one in northern NY. That's silly and impractical. If the league expands, I bet it will do so incrementally: ND, Mizzou, Pitt, Kansas or the like.

M2NASA

August 15th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^

I'm not even arguing for SU in that post, I'm more amazed at the complete lack of logic in some of these names being thrown out there.

And if the Big Ten goes east, it's not going to be just Syracuse - they'll likely surround NY with SU, UConn, Rutgers, etc.  With ~19 million in the tri-state market, bringing in three schools to deliver it, is very much a moneymaking proposition even with the additional mouths to feed.