Big 10 Gearing for Further Expansion?

[biggie]

Well Syracuse recently walked away from the AAU, so there goes that.

 

It might contribute to the increased courting of Maryland. Georgia Tech is the AAU's newest member, joining last year. I wasn't aware of that. The news on Syracuse is the AAU was going to kick it out too. I wasn't aware of that either.

 

http://www.espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/12511/big-tens-aau-ties-should-factor-in-expansion

 

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany didn't discuss any specific expansion candidates Tuesday, but he stressed the importance of AAU membership for the conference.

 

"It's very important," Delany said. "AAU membership is an important part of who we are. It was an important part of who we are [when the Big Ten added] Penn State, and it's an important aspect of what makes an institution a research institution, an undergraduate school, a school that serves the public at a high level."

 

Asked if AAU membership was mandatory for expansion candidates, Delany said, "We're not there. I'm not going to qualify or disqualify, but it's a very important factor."

 

All 11 current Big Ten institutions are part of the AAU, a collection of 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The Big Ten's last known expansion target, Notre Dame, is not an AAU member but brings a very strong academic reputation to the table.

 

Most of the rumored Big Ten expansion candidates -- Rutgers, Nebraska, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Syracuse -- are part of the AAU, while Connecticut is not.

 

"It's very important," Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith said of AAU membership. "But at the same time, the academic reputation is more important.

 

"The academic piece of this, do not underestimate that."

[Apathy]

Do people in DC and Baltimore even watch Maryland football??? Do people in the state of Maryland even watch Maryland football???

 

I rest my case....

[Saunders]

I'm sorry, but how in the world does Notre Dame give the Big 10 the New York Market. NYC is a pro sports town by a longshot. Nobody cares about CFB in New england.

[biggie]

I'm sorry, but how in the world does Notre Dame give the Big 10 the New York Market. NYC is a pro sports town by a longshot. Nobody cares about CFB in New england.

 

Notre Dame has a big catholic base in NY and NE in general. They played Army last year at New Yankee Stadium, played Navy at the Giants stadium and many times over the years. Of course New York is a big pro sports town. So is Chicago. The money is based on total cable subscribers even if they hate all sports and never watch. You could argue nobody in Chicago really cares about college football either but even a small percent of Chicago viewers is big numbers. The number of alumni living in those cities is significantly more than you think.

[Fuzzy]

Notre Dame and Oklahoma joining the Big Ten would be great fits, but not realistic fits. Oklahoma would more likely accept an invite to the SEC before going to the Big Ten. Notre Dame enjoys too much of the independent life to join a conference and unless that changes (unlikely) Notre Dame will stay independent. Kansas and Missouri would be great fits as well, but only Missouri would be a realistic gain for the Big Ten, unless Turner Gil can really turn the Kansas football program, i only see the Big Ten grabbing KU for their basketball team. Maryland seems like a very good fit and i would think would make Penn State very happy to have another East Coast school added with them. Georgia Tech would be nice, but i see it as an unlikely addition. Once again it would be more realistic for G Tech to go SEC before going Big Ten.

[FDLink]

I don't buy the notion that the Big Ten is seriously looking to expand, at all. Does anyone remember the official statement they issued last December? It basically said, "we're done. Thanks for playing." Besides, if you look back to what happened at the 11th hour of the failed Pac-16 deal, it should tell you something.

 

Nobody (except Larry Scott) is terribly willing to test the waters of going beyond 12 teams. There were several, very concerned parties with a vested interest in the current status quo that stepped in at the last minute and saved the Big 12 by satiating Texas. The SEC could have stepped in at any time and re-ignited things by aggressively courting Oklahoma/aTm, but they seem content to stand pat at 12. Why would the Big Ten want to start Realignment Musical Chairs all over again with no juicy, reasonably-attainable targets available? If Notre Dame were to call the Big Ten up and say, "we want in," only then would they change their current stance, and possibly add a 14th team to keep things even. I'm not counting on it, though.

 

Besides, I don't necessarily want the B1G to expand, further. I like the idea of the Big Ten being a more exclusive club-- and don't underestimate how much other schools are green with envy over the position Nebraska has found themselves in. Also, I do not want to see the age of superconferences... at least not for several decades.

[Ringer02]

 

Nobody (except Larry Scott) is terribly willing to test the waters of going beyond 12 teams. There were several, very concerned parties with a vested interest in the current status quo that stepped in at the last minute and saved the Big 12 by satiating Texas. The SEC could have stepped in at any time and re-ignited things by aggressively courting Oklahoma/aTm, but they seem content to stand pat at 12. Why would the Big Ten want to start Realignment Musical Chairs all over again with no juicy, reasonably-attainable targets available? If Notre Dame were to call the Big Ten up and say, "we want in," only then would they change their current stance, and possibly add a 14th team to keep things even. I'm not counting on it, though.

 

Didn't aTm and Oklahoma receive invites from the SEC? I know they weren't pursued very hard, but the SEC was certainly willing to test the 14 team market.

[FDLink]

Didn't aTm and Oklahoma receive invites from the SEC? I know they weren't pursued very hard, but the SEC was certainly willing to test the 14 team market.

That is the perception, but I think the SEC was expecting the other shoe to drop on the Big 12 when they allowed that info to get out. However, you'll notice that once the Big 12 was saved, all that talk died pretty quick. There are many angry aTm fans who like to think the SEC invite still stands, but I sincerely believe the SEC is taking a more reactive stance to expansion.

[Notre Dame Joe]

 

Mizzou is now off the table for future expansion. Any future expansion will be to the east for those TV markets with the added benefit of breaking up the Big East might force Notre Dame's hand at some point. If the Big Ten ever moves to 14 expect Rutgers and Syracuse. If it moves to 16 expect a combination of Notre Dame, UConn, Pitt, Maryland or BC. It's way too early to predict how those might shake out. I throw Pitt in because it a rival for Notre Dame and Penn State, AAU member, and it's a good fit except for TV market, but if the Big Ten gets Notre Dame and the NY market, throwing in Pitt to make Notre Dame and Penn State happy won't matter so much.

 

The Big East don't even have that kind of muscle anymore. We cut a deal with the Texaglias where we can play non-football in their territory and still keep our independence.

[okaive]

 

Nobody (except Larry Scott) is terribly willing to test the waters of going beyond 12 teams. There were several, very concerned parties with a vested interest in the current status quo that stepped in at the last minute and saved the Big 12 by satiating Texas. The SEC could have stepped in at any time and re-ignited things by aggressively courting Oklahoma/aTm, but they seem content to stand pat at 12. Why would the Big Ten want to start Realignment Musical Chairs all over again with no juicy, reasonably-attainable targets available? If Notre Dame were to call the Big Ten up and say, "we want in," only then would they change their current stance, and possibly add a 14th team to keep things even. I'm not counting on it, though.

 

Didn't aTm and Oklahoma receive invites from the SEC? I know they weren't pursued very hard, but the SEC was certainly willing to test the 14 team market.

 

 

The SEC pursued very hard for these two teams and would have accepted them in if for the fact to get OU that they would have had to go to a 15 team conference. OU will not go anywhere unless that conference takes their little sister OU lite. OU gave them that ultimatum, but the SEC didn't want 15 teams and only wanted OU and aTm. If they would have taken OU lite, then SEC would have been a 14 team conference.

[BOJ]

No comment on Maryland, but I do remember Delaney talking about the population shift to the south and how the Big Ten was determined to stay on top of that. This is the only way I see a GT thing coming in, I truly believe this is all malarchy, but that would be the only reason to bring GT into the conversation.

[chamrocck]

GT and Maryland? Meh...I don't think so. Would be better to take some of the prized pieces of a crumbling Big 12 in a few years.

[BOJ]

GT and Maryland? Meh...I don't think so. Would be better to take some of the prized pieces of a crumbling Big 12 in a few years.

Only if that prized piece was Texas, but I don't see that sitting too well with Nebraska or the rest of the BiG that prefers conference sharing over if you have better t.v. audiences you get more money type of thing.

[VectorVictor]

Notre Dame and Oklahoma joining the Big Ten would be great fits, but not realistic fits. Oklahoma would more likely accept an invite to the SEC before going to the Big Ten. Notre Dame enjoys too much of the independent life to join a conference and unless that changes (unlikely) Notre Dame will stay independent.

 

The only thing that will push Notre Dame to join a conference now, IMO, is if they are in the mix, but are picked over for the Football NC game due to their schedule strength and voter apathy towards it. Not saying it *will* happen--just saying this is what it would take for the 'Domers to become a joiner.

 

Kansas and Missouri would be great fits as well, but only Missouri would be a realistic gain for the Big Ten, unless Turner Gil can really turn the Kansas football program, i only see the Big Ten grabbing KU for their basketball team. Maryland seems like a very good fit and i would think would make Penn State very happy to have another East Coast school added with them. Georgia Tech would be nice, but i see it as an unlikely addition. Once again it would be more realistic for G Tech to go SEC before going Big Ten.

 

This was discussed some time ago with one of our Mizzou posters. Three of the strikes against Mizzou are that part of its state (approx. 25-30%) are already in the B1G Footprint, that it shares a border and both its major metropolitan areas with neighboring states, and that Kansas Basketball is historically and significantly more of a successful national brand than Mizzou. And if you want to add a fourth item to just rub salt in the wound, Kansas actually has been to a BCS bowl, whereas Mizzou still has yet to taste such success.

 

Considering Delaney's statements about maintaining a contiguous footprint were not bunk, that would put Ga. Tech out, and make both Kansas and Mizzou possible targets. And if it comes down to a choice between Kansas and Mizzou to accompany a Maryland expansion, I fully expect Kansas to get the nod.

 

The B1G is nothing if consistent, and they've already tipped their hand that they value national brands (read: Nebraska) over a relatively safe bump in subscriber base (Mizzou). Kansas brings perhaps the biggest national brand to basketball this side of Duke (sucks) and it would be hard to pass up.

 

Plus, a nice bonus is that it would throw Nebraska and it's massive traveling horde of fans a bone in reestablishing the bi-annual Nebraska migration game in Lawrence.

[bleedNUred]

I'd rather see Notre Dame join instead of Maryland that way we could beat the piss out of them regularly.