OHbornUMfan

June 4th, 2010 at 7:34 AM ^

many will view it in this way:

Michigan upset the apple cart, and the Pac - 10 had to scramble to do something in order to survive.  It's not that they wanted to, they just had to in order to stave off obsolescence. 

It might be an interesting summer after all.

maizenbluenc

June 4th, 2010 at 8:36 AM ^

Supposedly we're the assholes because we're causing the other changes to be considered. That said Mizzou came out and pretty much said they're gone given the chance to join the Big Ten. Nebraska's statement are more neutral foot still in the B12.

I really think this four 16 team super conference thing is going to happen, and the underlying reason is the response to the pressure around national championships based on playoffs. There are going to be a lot of losers in that scenario (Utah, Boise, etc.). This is really a split off of the BCS from the rest of the 1A schools.

With the dissolution of the B12, and most likely the Big East, and the core of the B12 moving to Pac 10, it will be interesting to see how the ACC and the SEC get to 16. (They are kind of contained in the same territory.)

Don

June 4th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^

by other conferences who will not take such a lengthy and deliberate process as the B10 is. It would be ironic if by the time the B10 is done, none of the schools they want are available, having already committed themselves to moving to new conferences, or to remain in their existing but enlarged conferences.

superstringer

June 4th, 2010 at 9:36 AM ^

The expansion game that will be most fascinating will be the SEC.  They need 4 teams; the most obvious ones either won't like their academics, or have in-state rivals that will oppose the additions.

GOING WEST:  Add Texas and T A&M.  Texas might not like the SEC academics, nor the brutal schedule.  A&M apparently is salivating at the SEC.  But if UT is not part of that, does A&M get in by itself?

RAID THE ACC:  Florida St., Miami, Ga. Tech and Clemson (pronounced CLEMP-son) are pretty obvious headlners.  But Florida, Georgia and S. Car. will all scream bloody murder.  (Of course so did we when the BT swapped Sparty for UofC, and look how that went for us.)  Miami is not a big public school so maybe not a good fit.

WAY WAY WAY OUT THERE:  Duke & North Carolina.  Add nothing to football but imagine those two with Kentucky for hoops.  Maybe add Fla. State, Clemson, and Duke & UNC, and the SEC would be fraking loaded on both sports.  Doubt Dook and the Heels bolt their ancient southern bretheren at the ACC, however.  They are academically tied to the hip with NC State, too. And SEC academics suck so I'm not sure either would go for it.

Who else joins the SEC?  VaTech?

stonyc96

June 4th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^

Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to the PAC-10 is a non-starter, it's not happening.

Why?  Stanford and Cal, that's why.

The academic profile of the PAC-10 is very important to those two schools, and is also why Texas isn't part of the PAC-10 already (they tried before, remember?).  It's also why BYU and Utah will have difficulty joining the PAC-10.  The PAC-10 might not have a conference-driven academic mission like the Big 10 has with the CIC and AAU membership, but those two schools are Ivy-leage caliber (some might even argue that they suprass the Ivy's), and take their acadmics seriously.  Stanford and Cal are those kinds of schools that don't really place their football performance and money over their acadmics, like some schools do... they're simply not going to let Texas Tech or Oklahoma State (or for that matter Oklahoma) in the PAC-10.

This would be my ideal scenario:

To the B-10: Texas, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Missouri, Notre Dame (Big East implodes, leaving them nowhere else to join)

To the SEC: FSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (Texas Tech begs to be let in, fails)

To the ACC: UConn, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, WVU, Lousiville

To the PAC-10: Colorado, BYU (and they hold a championship game and wait for Stanford/Cal to allow other schools to join in the coming years)

This would be my realistic scenario:

To the B-10: Nebraska, Missouri, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse (Pitt or UConn are wildcards)

To the SEC: Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (Texas Tech is again left out in the cold... they're likely headed to the MWC or WAC)

To the ACC: Pitt, UConn, WVU, Lousville

To the PAC-10: Colorado, BYU (Stanford/Cal again vote conservatively)

Basically, because of Stanford/Cal, we are left just short of the 4 super, mega, uber-16 teams conferences.  In both cases, the remnants of the Big East are left to join the remaining mid-major conferences like CUSA or even the MAC... or they decide to let their football schools go and maintain a 12-team or so basketball conference.