Bobby Digital

September 18th, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^

If this ends up an autobid conference:

West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers, UConn, Cinncinaii, TCU, USF, and Villanova(?)

(Their autobid has been indefensible for years already imo, but there you go)

 

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 5376

Sonofdetroit

September 18th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^

I'm talking about the University of Tennessee from the SEC. I don't know much about the money that the conference makes but I'd venture to guess the B1G pulls in more. They would fit in every nicely in every sport.

I just don't believe this conference will settle on bringing in some cupcake schools that don't academically fit and are halfway across the country. I think the B1G will pull a shocker and grab a team from the SEC.

Joined: 03/03/2009

MGoPoints: 123

Moonlight Graham

September 18th, 2011 at 12:13 PM ^

Here's my bold prediction: The Big 12 and Big East will dissolve, but if the Mountain West plays their cards right, they are in a good position to pick up one of those two lost BCS auto-bids. Here's the scenario:

ACC goes to 16, adding Rutgers, UConn, Syracuse and Pitt. 

B1G goes to 14, adding Notre Dame and Missouri (sorry Kansas, by Pitt going to the ACC there's no other option to add to you and get the B1G to an even 16). 

Pac 16 gets TT, Texas, OU, OSU. 

SEC adds West Virginia. 

The Big East is left with no "East" teams, only USF, Louisville, Cincinnati and TCU. 

Big 12 is left with KU, KSU, ISU, and Baylor. 

This is where the Mountain West could create a pretty compelling 16-team cross-country conference where the 8 remnants of the B12 and Big East (assuming TCU as a Big East member) for an "Eastern" (more of a "Central") division and the "West" division is comprised of the Mountain West conference, sans TCU but adding back in BYU:

EAST
Baylor
Cincinnati
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
South Florida
TCU

WEST
Air Force
Boise State
BYU
Colorado State
New Mexico
San Diego State
UNLV
Wyoming

The winner of this conference's championship game should certainly warrant one BCS spot or a playoff berth. 

Joined: 09/12/2011

MGoPoints: 7559

joeyb

September 18th, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^

I say we just grab Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Notre Dame. Then we put Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois in one division and Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan, MSU, OSU, and PSU in the other division. I think, even with other conferences going to 16 teams, that would make us the premiere conference and would probably be enough to make BTN standard on every cable provider in the country. Let Texas and ND have their own channels that get packaged with BTN and the revenues still get split. Home games that would be on BTN can be on those channels. I think everyone would be happy with that.

Joined: 10/12/2008

MGoPoints: 16869

justingoblue

September 18th, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^

Once they're in and the state politics and revenue sharing deals are done, they're just one vote out of 13/14. Plus, if they won't "play nice" they have the M/OSU/PSU bloc against them, and they're kidding themselves if they think anything in this conference can get done without those school's approval.

Joined: 11/16/2010

MGoPoints: 29741

friendlyNeighb…

September 18th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^

i don't think this is likely to force nd's hand.

nd just needs the big east to exist. they'd prefer that its strong, obviously, but as long as it is a viable basketball conference, they're fine. this is almost certainly not the time when the big east is going to be laying down ultimatum's for nd.

if the big east entirely implodes. i'd be surprised if nd can't find an arrangement with the big east/big 12 wreckage in some sort of non-football arranagement - possibly in a similar role to texas.

even if that option didn't exist, nd could always return to the long-since-past days of being independent in everything and develop a virtual "nd network" in combination with nbc/versus. it's be logistically challenging, but i suspect that it'd be workable.

the only thing that will force nd's hand is continued sucking at football. as long as the football brand holds value, nd will have viable options. on the other hand, if swarbrick wants to join the B1G this may be the pretense that allows him to do it and justify it to his alumni who truly hate (and i do mean hate) the idea of joining a conference.

Joined: 04/17/2010

MGoPoints: 143

friendlyNeighb…

September 18th, 2011 at 3:13 PM ^

the last several marketing surveys i've seen have suggested that nd remains in the top few slots in terms of brand. i think they'd actually be in pretty good shape getting into major markets, because the fanbase is more national than regional - a relatively unique virtue of nd from the perspective of a network.

but, even if they can't put together their own network, its not hard to imagine that they could renew with nbc for football and then try to get a bunch of basketball games on versus or negotiate a separate deal with espn.

if the football program gets off life support, i can't see anybody forcing nd's hand.

Joined: 04/17/2010

MGoPoints: 143

ppToilet

September 18th, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^

Just to hit some magic number?  14 or 16?  Who cares?

If I'm a B1G school, all that I'm thinking is that it's more of the pie to share.  Unless you are bringing something to the party, why do I want you bringing your fork and spoon?

Joined: 04/18/2011

MGoPoints: 5253

ChicagoB1GRed

September 18th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^

Notre Dame --- an independent that would join a conference only as a last resort.

Texas -- a conference member that would join a conference to act as an independent .

How's either a good fit?

Joined: 06/10/2010

MGoPoints: 1207

gajensen

September 18th, 2011 at 4:08 PM ^

Damn.  I wanted both schools to remain a possibility for the B1G.  Pittsburgh so as to renew a rivalry with Penn State (and they're an AAU member, and they're 58th overall to USNews), and Syracuse for their basketball tradition (and #62 USNews ranking).

Joined: 02/02/2011

MGoPoints: -998591