Georgia Tech, B1G approved?
Clemson 247 twittering that Georgia Tech has been approved into the B1G.
Sources are indicating that the #B1G has approved #GT as its 15th member. Stay tuned... @CFravel247 @Clemson247
November 30th, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^
They are getting to the number most people thought they would when they adopted the "B1G" logo. I wonder who the last team is going to be? I vote for one more JTTS with great educational qualifications.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:15 AM ^
At first I was like, Maryland/Rutgers?
And then I was like, Georgia Tech?
Now I'm like, total ACC domination?
November 30th, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^
that one made me giggle at my desk.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:15 AM ^
No other reputable reporter is corroborating this report
Will hold off until they do so...seems kind of ridiculous.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:16 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^
^Conspiracy theory, this guy haz it.
Though I would have to say they rebranded to the "B1G" logo what 3 years ago when they added Nebraska and added the championship came, since then you've never seen the ol' "Big Ten" logo of our childhood.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^
We have Michigan State and Purdue already. Maybe we could come up with a second fiddle division.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
Which would you say is second fiddle in IL? In hoops I'd say NW easy, but in football, NW has been way superior to IL in the recent years.
November 30th, 2012 at 5:58 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^
This may not be true right now, but with this many rumors about GT there is a good chance it will eventually happen. Would be hilarious if they upset FSU tomorrow and announced they were leaving for the Big10. A W.Virginia blog reported something similar last night and also stated that the Big12 had offers out to FSU, Clemson, Miami and GT. It also mentioned the fact that the actual terms of the ACC's tv contract may not be what everyone thinks they are and that if they take Maryland to court over the exit fee it will come out.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:26 AM ^
Willis Ward & Gerald Ford say bring it on.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:42 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:28 AM ^
Would they split Duke/UNC?
The basketball rivalry alone might be enough to preserve them in the same conference.
And about Mizzou, the SEC is the only conference competing with the Big Ten in terms of money, so you've got to wonder if they woud leave, of if they are complacent where they are at.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^
The inevitable 16th school, the logo wouldn't need to be changed.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:53 AM ^
BEEEEE ONEEE GEEEE! BEEEEE ONEEE GEEEE!
November 30th, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 5:56 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^
Well if the B1G must go to 16 teams, then I like the addition of Georgia Tech.
I would still rather be at 12 teams though...
November 30th, 2012 at 11:54 AM ^
Great, an option team in the B1G. I hope they're not in our divison.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:56 AM ^
But if GT did join the conference, it will be a ugly for them football attendance-wise. Their stadium seats 55K, but this year they had only 44K for Virginia and 42K for Duke. If GT's fanbase can't fill the stadium for longtime rivals aside from Clemson or Georgia, then good luck with Minnesota or Indiana or Wisconsin. It's bad enough when the TV cameras show 6,000 no-shows in the upper reaches of one section of Michigan Stadium, but 10,000+ empty seats in that little bandbox will look sorry as hell.
November 30th, 2012 at 5:55 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 11:59 AM ^
I'll predict we round out the conference with Hawaii because we have to get as close as possible to that massive Chinese market.
November 30th, 2012 at 4:23 PM ^
Nah, just invite the University of Beijing... Just think of that untapped recruiting ground! Instead of Slot Ninjas, we'd have Slot Samurai's.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^
This is all about media markets. They should just sell out and get Texas so the BIG conference (yes, BIG should be its new name) can have access to 8 of the 11 top media markets in the country.
1. New York (Rutgers)
3. Chicago (BTN HQ, NU, UIUC, alums from everywhere)
4. Philly (PSU)
5. Dallas (UT-Austin)
8. DC (Maryland)
9. Atlanta (GaTech)
10. Houston (UT-Austin)
11. Detroit (UM/MSU)
www.nielsen.com/.../tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf
November 30th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^
Why stop with Texas then? Why not USC or UCLA too?
November 30th, 2012 at 12:13 PM ^
and I hate it. No one's even giving lip service to anything other than money and TV markets now. The B1G is using the athletic conference as a way to just make money off TV sets. No concern for athletics or tradition or anything but money. Moneymoneymoney
I wonder if when Jim Delaney has the B1G headquarters built out of gold in 10 years and we have nothing else to spend money on if he'll still think it was all worth it
Goodbye BigTen(11), hello The B1G Coporation
November 30th, 2012 at 12:18 PM ^
Personally, I think its a great addition. GT is a great school and the campus is in a great location. That said, I do NOT look forward to playing them and their crazy offense. No thanks.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
Funny, no one would have ever said that they were in a "great location" before the 1996 Olympics. That used to be a really bad part of town.
I live just south of Atlanta, so for completely selfish reasons, I would love adding them to the Big 10. And there are a ton of transplants down here - my neighbor to one side is an Illinois graduate, neighbor to the other went to Iowa, and the guy across the street went to OSU. A few doors down is a guy who went to Wisconsin.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:37 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 12:38 PM ^
so unless the Big Ten pushes aside one of the most basic and important criteria for membership in the conference (ND is a special case), schools that are not members of the AAU are not going to be invited into the conference.
Having said that, it's all about the money, so who the fuck knows what Delaney can persuade the conference presidents to do.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:59 PM ^
Nebraska?
November 30th, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
I see this counterpoint raised in every one of these threads, and I'll be the guy to respond:
Nebraska was an AAU member when they accepted the Big Ten's offer to join, and AAU membership was stricken a year later.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:45 PM ^
I know they are playing for a conference championship(but only by default)..how much longer do you think they keep him around? 9-4, 11-3, 6-7, 8-5, 6-6 and no bowl victories while at Ga Tech.
November 30th, 2012 at 5:52 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
GT would be the first time that the Big Ten has expanded and not given a damn about contiguity. There's no way to even get to Georgia via a 15th team. The shortest route has them three states away (via Indiana or Ohio->Kentucky->Tennesse->Georgia)!
I don't like it. Georgia, to me, is southern. I'm okay with being Midwest+Northeast, but this is a bit too much.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:19 PM ^
Let's add Virginia, UNC, Clemson, and GT, and go with 18 teams! The alternative is taking Louisville and Memphis/MTSU since Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vandy aren't leaving the SEC. That leaves room to pick up ND and Texas to get to a nice, round 20 - the B1G will basically have half the TVs in the US carrying BTN, and Delany can swim in his Scrooge McDuck pool of money.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:06 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
"GT is a fine academic institution, which I think should be the main focus of expansion."
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh no. The moment the B1G starts looking at Ivy League schools, I'm out.
December 3rd, 2012 at 5:40 PM ^
Secondly, what should be the main focus? The strenth of their football program? 99.9% of students go to college for the degree not the football tickets.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:16 PM ^
In all seriousness, this move is obviously about getting into the Atlanta market and more importantly establishing a presence in the South. I knew this would be coming, but I never would've thought it would be this quick. I expected a few years at 14 before we super expanded to 16.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:51 PM ^
Rumor out there that it's Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
I caveat that I have heard nothing one way or another from the SU side.
November 30th, 2012 at 1:58 PM ^
November 30th, 2012 at 2:00 PM ^
is coming to Atlanta. Would be a great side-trip for people when Michigan plays their every 15 year "conference matchup" versus GT in Atlanta.
November 30th, 2012 at 2:08 PM ^