Interesting Article On Fiscal Reasons To Join The Big10
Interesting Blog Post (found via EDSBS)
I strongly disagree with the author's views that Texas would consider jumping. They're the marquee program of the Big12, the most porfitable college football program out there currently and have no reason to drop out of the Big12 to move to the Big10.
However when you combine the ND basketball's coach's comments about almost joining the fact that ND would make more money with us than without us, perhaps ND isn't as closed off as some assume.
What got me thinking was that 10 million a year could be a huge shot in the arm to a program trying to rebuild. I instantly thought of Nebraska. They're clawing their way back up, a lot of their fans are not thrilled with the Big12 and they have some Big10 ties.
I will say I totally agree with his view on the Big East. None of those schools can individually get us the New York market, so pass. If going to raid in the East, raid the ACC for someone to get some southern recruiting ties for the conference.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
i think i've seen this before but can't remember where?
January 26th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
Dakota got me by 4 minutes. Or else we have an echo around here.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:08 AM ^
Meh, you wrote better commentary than I, anyway. And your link is neater.
It's a really good article.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:06 AM ^
...before you bitch about over-posting. With posts coming at 11:49 and 11:53, it seems very likely dakotapalm's version wasn't up yet when CRex started his thread.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
I definitely agree that Texas isn't coming, but I don't think Notre Dame is too interested either.
Personally, getting Pitt or Rutgers would help the Big 10 the most. The commonly cited Big 12 teams wouldn't really expand the Big 10's media footprint, and wouldn't really hurt the Big 12--which would presumably raid the Mountain West for TCU or Utah. Taking a Big East team however, may have much larger consequences. None of the Big East basketball members play high enough quality football to make up for the loss of Pitt or Rutgers, which may lead to the Big East eventually losing their auto-bid to the MWC. This should help the Big 10 by making it the only auto-bid conference in the Northeast.
Just a thought.
January 26th, 2010 at 11:39 AM ^
I like it.
January 26th, 2010 at 2:43 PM ^
The article/blog explains multiple times why Texas would jump to the Big Ten. There's precedence for it, they've approached the Big Ten before and even when you're amongst the top revenue generators in college sports, more money is always better. Miami was in basically the same spot Texas is in now when it jumped from the Big East to the ACC. And you're nuts if you don't think Texas wouldn't expand the BTN footprint. It would easily add several million Longhorn fans in Texas and across the country, and they'd all be banging on Comcast's door for the BTN to be added in their area.
So never say never.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:10 PM ^
This theory sounds so good, it just has to be true; I just don't know what to say about it.
The current move -- a serious one, by all accounts -- to expand the Big Ten occurred IMMEDIATELY after Comcast bought NBC. I am convinced the actions are connected; I just don't know how.
It just HAS to be connected to the Big Ten's (read: BTN's) concern about outflanking Comcast and NBC.
I think it is all about the tv. I'd bet my life that somewhere, in the Top-Secret vault of the Big Ten offices in Chicago, there is some tasty report analyzing what the Big Ten network has to do to leverage itself in the face of the NBC-Comcast consortium. And that the report has such a compelling analysis of future tv revenues and coverages and all that kind of stuff, that the Big Ten said, that's it; we have to respond to this, NOW!
January 26th, 2010 at 1:38 PM ^
Although maybe not so unlikely...
IMO, the best parts of the article are at the beginning and end. In the Big Ten's previous expansion, they brought in Penn State. That is the standard by which we have to predict this expansion go around. Who else, but Notre Dame, would make this kind of impact and be even slightly interested/eligible? Texas works, although it brings up the notion of desire, so I'll add this bit of meager research to the pot:
The Wikipedia entry for the Big Ten claims that Texas approached the Big Ten about joining the conference back in the 1990's, and that the Big Ten was intrigued by the idea. The idea was dismissed, however, because the Big Ten had just incorporated PSU, and had put a 4 year moratorium on expansion. Hmmm...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ten_Conference
Second, would the Big Ten bring in a slightly less than perfect university, with the prospect of Notre Dame ever changing it's mind? (I believe Frank the Tank uses the very apt term, "buyer's remorse" to describe this circumstance.) It is possible that this could happen with the financial reasons for ND joining already overwhelmingly in favor of the merger, and who else but a school like Texas could fulfill the role of "too bad Irish, you had your chance and we went elsewhere" type spoiler?
I'm not saying this will happen, or that it is even possible. But it was on this site that I first read Brian's thoughts on Texas joining. At the time I figured why not talk about a school like USC or Florida joining the conference instead, because it's about as likely. Now, after reading this guy, I'm slightly more optimistic.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:50 PM ^
I think we'd get the largest media footprint by comvincing Notre Dame to join. I still think we should try to get them. I imagine ABC or perhaps NBC would give the Big Ten a nice deal if we had Notre Dame. It's not like anyone watches NBC anyway.