ESPN: "All eyes on 2023 for conference realignment"
"Why 2023? It starts with expiring TV contracts. The ACC and SEC both have long-term media grant-of-rights agreements, running through 2035-36 and 2033-34, respectively. But the other three Power 5 conferences have agreements ending roughly around the same time (the SEC's Tier 1 deal with CBS runs through 2023-24). The Big Ten last summer opted for a shorter agreement with Fox and ESPN, which runs through 2022-23. The Pac-12 deal expires after the 2023-24 sports year, and the Big 12's ends the following year."
Prime opportunity to kick Rutgers out, and invite Pitt.
How 'bout kick penn state out and add Pitt? Fuck penn state
How bout just kick Rutgers out
And add Pitt and ND
Amen to this. But I want to play ND most years anyway even if they're zombie bait. Love watching M v. ND games.
If ND joined the B1G, they'd have to go to the West if there's going to be competetive balance. So we'll see them as much as former rival Illinois.
There is a precedent for alternate arrangements (e.g. Indiana-Purdue).
STEP 1: kick out Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Nebraska
STEP 2: eliminate divisions
STEP 3: eliminate conference championship game
STEP 4: play nine conference games
STEP 5: profit
Kick out Rutgers and Maryland. Rename divisions Lakes and Plains (but essentially keep them east/west as is). Keep 9 game schedule. That's a conference with style.
yes please
Yep, should have never changed the big ten. Sorry but sometimes change and expansion is just not good. Like most things it just used to be better, including people and their values. Old school for sure.
As a Pitt grad, I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY approve this message. Having been around a lot other Big Ten schools including UM, I can tell you personally that Pitt is a better "fit" academically than many (definitely than PSU, Nebraska, etc.). It's also closer, has great recruiting territory, and would retroactively slightly enhance the value of my degree! :-D
Pitt's a good academic school. So is PSU.
Pitt/PSU grads who trash-talk the other school academically ---- all I do is roll my eyes. They're talking nonsense.
you guys are right there with MSU. Congrats.
http://colleges.startclass.com/compare/2088-3741-3768/Michigan-State-Un…
Both schools are a land-grant University in a top-10 population state, a school with a focus on research and providing a quality and affordable education to its state's citizens. (PSU does need to do some work on the "affordable" part, yes)
So the 2 schools are rated similarly academically? Yep. No surprise.
Neither PSU or MSU is Harvard or Stanford. So what? That's not the mission of either school. They're still solid enough academic schools, and fit the B1G academic model to a tee.
Oh, just busting chops a little. Pitt is a fine school, PSU is a fine school, MSU is a fine school, etc. All are a notch below UM, Wisky and NW. All are better than a vast majority of universities in the U.S. Etc...
And FYI, PENN STATE SUCKS!
A notch? I'm seein' at least 4 or 5 notches here.
You're right, MSU & PSU both suck. Mission accomplished.
Yes. Fuck rutgers.
is a nice, easy win game to break up the season - since the SEC schedules FCS teams in the middle of their seasons for a break and an easy win we should keep Rutgers and give the illusion of playing a Power 5 school
Every time I see the Rutgers Football Classic scheduled on the B1G network I wonder why someone didn't tell Hoke about the easy game part.
Uggggg, then and there (alright a little before, sitting in the stands) began my distaste for Rutger.
While I'd like to see Rutgers be as competitive as at least Vanderbilt, these midseason cupcakes are great to give guys a chance to rest and guys to play that normally don't.
Also, because it's a conference game, it'll look better than an FCS school.
BTW, take a look at when Alabama plays their FCS opponent. It's usually the week before the Iron Bowl. I think some of the other schools do the same thing.
If there is a God, may it hear your words and materialize this.
Here's an idea how about we stop realigning conferences and just play football or something.
Not that I don't relish the thought of a brand new Michigan-New Mexico State divisional rivalry... but I don't.
Stop living in the past, man. CONTEMPORIZE brother!
stephenrking: I agree. That was one of my first thoughts too.
Is a natural evolution of how these schools are growing/declining and how the market dictates.
Without alignment, a lot of these conferences would keep determining the champion by tie breakers instead of letting division champions square off on the field.
As much as I agree, this is all about money. Always has been, always will be. Otherwise a joke of a program like Rutgers would never have even sniffed an invite from the Big Ten.
And I am not pretending otherwise.
But the result from that greed is at least a worthy championship game. No matter how it came about, that is a massive improvement from the old system.
tick tock
Texas and Oklahoma into the B10.
Bounce Rutgers and Maryland.
The amount of revenue that those two could bring, especially Texas football into the market, would be staggering.
While good on paper, I think Texas would be a poor fit. My understanding is that Texas has been a pain as a conference mate. Its administrative and financial dominance of the Big 12 directly or indirectly drove Texas A&M and Nebraska to the SEC and Big Ten. I cannot imagine Texas joining the Big Ten and not trying to throw its weight around in a similar fashion.
Substantially better than the dregs pulled into the conference.
Rutgers is an absolute drain on the B10, and Maryland is very meh.
Texas would never give up the Longhorn Network. Forget it.
Everyone agrees (or should agree) that Texas would improve the Big Ten's athletics. The question is whether the athletic improvement is worth the baggage and arrogance (for lack of a better term) that comes with Texas.
I could see Texas and OU in the Big Ten, SEC, or Pac16. While I agree that Texas has shown no respect for their conference mates, if they are willing to drop their Long Horn Network and share profits like the rest of the Big Ten, they are a far better option than most of the other options for adding two teams to the Big Ten.
Obviously ND would come up. But they want to remain independent and if they have to join a conference, they look like they would be ACC bound. So other than Texas and OU, we are left with Iowa St, K-State, Kansas, Pitt, Syracuse, maybe Louisville, or pull from a group of 5 conference.
If those are our options, give me Texas all day.
But they wouldn't be the big fish in the small pond anymore.
Texas is the undeniably hot but insufferably self-absorbed and ridiculously high-maintenance hot chick (or guy) you meet at the bar. The sex is great for the first month or so, but pretty quickly you get sick and tired of listening to her (or him) prattle on about themselves, and soon after that you want to put a rusty spike into your temple rather than deal with the constant demands for more attention and praise, and their almost-sociopathic need for you to spend money on them.
This. This. And MORE This.
Us old folks remember that Texas already destroyed one conference (SWC) because of their oversized expectations for themself vs. their conference mates and they are about to do it again with the Big12.
...like NDp, but with a different god complex
Fuck adding schools for the sake of revenue.
If Texas and OU leave the Big12, the Big 12 would cease to be a power 5 conference. The other 4 power conference would all be heading towards 16 teams. Texas and OU would add some much needed credibility to the Big Ten West division. Plus I would much rather see Texas and OU on the schedule every couple of years rather than any other two teams for the remaining carcus of what was the Big12.
I could see the PAC 12 jumping at Kansas and the like for basketball. Slim pickins outside of TX and OU if you're hoping for football chops.
...we want things to stay as-is. This isn't EA Sports, where guys don't wear down during the season and you can play Top 25 teams each week because it's a CPU.
Now if they bump the CFP up to a 8-team or 16-team playoff, then I could see the fun in a super conference with Texas and OU. Nobody is going undefeated then.