B1G and Conference expansion?

Jaybird

Jaybird

New member
So it is the off season and we are all dying to get college football back. It seems to be coming to a time when Conference expansion gets fired back up, at least in the recent past. Do you think will the B1G be in the market to expand any more? If so who and if not why?

How about other conferences? I am hearing all kinds of rumors around from other boards about a bunch of teams joining the big 12 and ACC etc such as ND, Florida St, etc. There are some crazy rumors out there and apparently geography really doesn't matter anymore.

Does ND finally join a conference, what conferences survive, how is the national champion decided? I think all of these questions are kind of linked in many ways.

Basically what does college football look like in 5, 10, 20 years?

I find this to be a fascinating topic for whatever reason! What say you?

 
I am in no way saying I am in favor of this idea I just know that in the recent past the summer has been pretty hectic in terms of conference expansion rumors flying around.

Some guy on a different board said that the Big 12 had the rights to the Big 14 name and was going to add ND, Fla St, Clemson and another team. Talked like it was a done deal. I don't see that happening but there are some out there that think it will.

Others ideas out there will depend on how this BCS stuff works out and once it is settled how it seems to go over the next 10 years or so. Some have even put the idea out there that CFB should go to a English Premier League type set up where the top 60 ncaa FBS teams or so are in a top league with the rest in a lesser league and having a relegation process where the top teams in the lower league are given the opportunity to move up and play in the top league with bottom of the top level moving down.

There are a lot of interesting ideas out there.

 
Jaybird said:
Some guy on a different board said that the Big 12 had the rights to the Big 14 name and was going to add ND, Fla St, Clemson and another team. Talked like it was a done deal. I don't see that happening but there are some out there that think it will.

There are a lot of interesting ideas out there.
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Not trying to sound like a d!(k, but Fla. St. and Clemson leaving the ACC for the Big 12 sounds like an absolutely ludicrous idea and I don't think that will ever happen and whoever that source is is most likely full of pooh.

On a side note, ND is sitting pretty with being able to choose what to do. While the B1G makes the most sense, I could see them pulling the trigger on a different conference to keep national exposure (that is not stay in the midwest, not that the B1G doesn't get national exposure).

 
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BOJ said:
Jaybird said:
Some guy on a different board said that the Big 12 had the rights to the Big 14 name and was going to add ND, Fla St, Clemson and another team. Talked like it was a done deal. I don't see that happening but there are some out there that think it will.

There are a lot of interesting ideas out there.
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Not trying to sound like a d!(k, but Fla. St. and Clemson leaving the ACC for the Big 12 sounds like an absolutely ludicrous idea and I don't think that will ever happen and whoever that source is is most likely full of pooh.

On a side note, ND is sitting pretty with being able to choose what to do. While the B1G makes the most sense, I could see them pulling the trigger on a different conference to keep national exposure (that is not stay in the midwest, not that the B1G doesn't get national exposure).
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Oh I agree, Fla St and Clemson to the Big 12/14 does seem crazy, the same guy thinks that ND will go to the Big 12/14 because they could keep their tv deal like Texas. I was just using those as examples to get the discussion going because there are a lot of different ideas out there.

 
I still have a feeling once this is all said and done we will have 14 or 16 team conferences. We will see. I think the BCS stuff needs to be sorted out before there is a lot of movement but I am sure the conference realignment will get fired up gain soon.

 
Jaybird said:
I still have a feeling once this is all said and done we will have 14 or 16 team conferences. We will see. I think the BCS stuff needs to be sorted out before there is a lot of movement but I am sure the conference realignment will get fired up gain soon.
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Oh yea, its not over yet. SI just put this Realignment cheat sheet up on their front page for CFB.

I kind of stopped paying attention because of how many moves occurred and had no idea that the WAC now only has two teams..or that Idaho may be forced to move independent or drop to the FCS.

As far as Clemson and FSU bailing on the ACC for the Big XII there could be some truth to it. Tigernet (Clemson site) FSU and CU agree in principle to join Big XII in 2013.

Personally I think the Big Ten needs to move to 14. ND is logical for so many reasons, the fourteenth would be the difficult part. Mizzou would have made the next best fit but Delaney dropped the ball on that one. Kansas is the only halfway attractive candidate left in my mind.

 
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Another Clemson Blog (Cemetery Hill)

"On Thursday evening Cemetery Hill spoke with sources familiar with the discussion of Big 12 expansion and learned the following information:

Per these sources Clemson and Florida State will likely join the Big 12 in all sports effective in 2013.... The Big 12 is expected to contribute 10 million dollars per team to the ACC's buyout of 20 million."

 
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If these Clemson/FSU rumors come to fruition, I could see a bit of an exodus of ACC or Big East teams. I'd have to think teams like Virginia Tech or Miami would want to move for similar reasons. I could see the Big Ten going for Notre Dame and Syracuse when it's all said and done.

 
broganreynik said:
If these Clemson/FSU rumors come to fruition, I could see a bit of an exodus of ACC or Big East teams. I'd have to think teams like Virginia Tech or Miami would want to move for similar reasons. I could see the Big Ten going for Notre Dame and Syracuse when it's all said and done.
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Outside of the possibility of the Big 12 inviting Louisville, there is nobody left in the Big East that anybody wants.

I think the ACC is more stable than people give it credit for, the core (NC, Duke, NCSU, WF & Virginia) would be damn hard to break up and Virginia Tech is finally where they've wanted to be forever (in the ACC with the Cavaliers).

The Big Ten isn't taking anyone unless than can get their pick of the litter (NC, VA, Maryland & ?) and that isn't happening. The team the SEC desires the most (NC) isn't going anywhere. The team that would jump at an invite (Clemson), the SEC has no interest in. Finally FSU has publicly stated they are happy with the ACC (for the academic prestige mostly) and aren't interested in the SEC (who probably isn't that interested in them either), why would Texas & Co be more attractive in the 'Noles eyes?

 
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Where are you getting the idea that the SEC wants UNC?

Also, Clemson and FSU, along with GT have tried (or at least seriously floated the idea in private) to join the SEC. The SEC, outside of UGA, USC and UF seriously considered it as well which is why those schools have a pact to prevent further expansion today.

 
Bucky said:
Where are you getting the idea that the SEC wants UNC?
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North Carolina is the sole 'southern' flagship state university not in the conference. It also resides in a state with a greater population than any in SEC land outside of FL & GA (I'm not counting A&M as pulling all of TX).

The Tar Heels are THE home-run for the SEC. Marquee school, largest available new markets, regionally contiguous & culturally compatible.

Also, Clemson and FSU, along with GT have tried (or at least seriously floated the idea in private) to join the SEC.
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Georgia Tech left the SEC and has never expressed a serious interest in rejoining. The reasons behind the initial rift are the same that keep them from being interested now (focus on football over academics).

As I stated previously Clemson would give their left nut for an invite. The SEC isn't interested.

FSU turned down interest from the SEC 20 years ago not the other way around (they did try to get in back in the late 60's early 70's though). Right now all signs indicate they are not currently interested either and are very happy with the academic prestige of the ACC.

The SEC, outside of UGA, USC and UF seriously considered it as well which is why those schools have a pact to prevent further expansion today.
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From everything I've seen the 'gentleman's agreement' doesn't actually exist. UF is the one that lobbied FSU membership in the early 90's and hasn't expressed any issues with them joining the club now.

The primary reason schools like Clemson, FSU & GT will not be offered has nothing to do with secret double handshake pact, it's because they are in markets already dominated by the conference. Furthermore at least one (and possibly two) of the schools aren't interested in the first place.

 
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1. UNC would pull in perhaps a quarter of the North Carolina market at best during football season, hardly a home run. As far as "new" markets, the largest of those markets would perhaps be Charlotte where the league already has a substantial foothold thanks to it its proximity to Columbia, which happens to be substantially closer than Chapel Hill. The recruiting out of Mecklenburg county bears that out. After that you're down to Raleigh which won't be pulled by UNC either...also to say that North Carolina is "culturally compatible" with the rest of the SEC is a bit of a stretch. It would appear that way to many who reside above the Mason-Dixon line but to those who call the Deep South home North Carolina had might as well be New Jersey.

2. The Gentlemen's pact: I understand that there's no clear proof of its existence but I happen to believe that its real as do many other followers of the league. The reasons are simple, those schools, UGA, USC, UF and UK have all they can handle (ok UGA's fine but the other three) in their in-state rivals and fear what it would mean to recruiting. Florida State didn't turn down an SEC invite in the 90's...Ron Kramer's closed, emergency meeting of SEC presidents declined to invite them...what does that tell you? I'm not saying I have proof but when I heard Larry Munson speak of it it gained a bit of credibility.

The SEC only dominates one of the markets occupied by the ACC schools in question and that's Atlanta. Clemson splits SC pretty evenly with USC and you have a similar three-way divide down in Florida. Neither market is undisputed SEC land....which once again convinces me that certain schools in the SEC are blackballing certain ACC schools. I don't give a damn what tOBC and Harris Pastides say publicly to the media.

 
Football schools want out of this basketball conference. No surprise.

I imagine VaTech is regretting their decision. You have no power in the ACC if you are not with UVA,Carolina or Duke.

 
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