Big 10 Commissioner on Expansion

H

HuskerNMO

All-Conference
Big 10 saying fall IF they expand, also interesting that they mentioned the "Sun Belt"

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/05/big-ten-commission-jim-delany-says-it-is-possible-league-will-not-expand/1

"In the last 20-30 years there has been a clear shift into the Sun Belt, and that has demographic meaning long term, with the economy, jobs, the recruitment of students, the recruitment of athletes. So I think what you want to do is look forward to 2020, 2030 and see what that impact would be on our schools."

It would be interesting to see his definition of the Sun Belt, in general that means South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and the southern part of Nevada and California.

Imagine a REALLY nuclear situation if the little 10 goes after USC, UCLA, Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame?

Or even if they went insane and tried to form a Big 10 East and West?

Imagine a 20 team conference

Far East

Penn St

Pitt

Michigan

Michigan St

Ohio St

Mid East

Illinois

Northwestern

Purdue

Indiana

Notre Dame

Mid West

Wisconsin

Minnesota

Iowa

Nebraska

Missouri

Southwest

Texas

Texas A&M

(Oklahoma Big 12 schools or Pac 10 Schools? (USC, Stanford, Cal, Arizona, ASU)

Then you'd play 4 games in division and 5 out, rotating another division every other year.

Yes, I know it's insane, but is the Big 10 arrogant enough to try to pull it off? Certainly!

That would end the Big 12, leaving Baylor, Tech, OU and OSU and Iowa St (assuming KU and CU would go to the PAC 10)

The next few months will be really interesting to say the least.

 
Delany also made it clear that they're still months away from a decision. Even when the Presidents and Chancellors meet in two weeks, they still won't make a decision then. Therefore, when Nebraska goes to their Big 12 meeting next month, T.O. will be telling Beebe we're still committed to the Big 12 (until further notice).

CHICAGO -- The Big Ten continues to study expansion, but has not extended any invitations to potential new members and will not vote when the league's presidents and chancellors meet next month, commissioner Jim Delany said Tuesday.
Delany, speaking at the conference's spring meetings, provided few specifics about the league's expansion study, but reiterated that it's nowhere near a conclusion.

The league's presidents and chancellors meet June 6 at Big Ten headquarters in Park Ridge, Ill., and while expansion will be discussed, no decisions are expected from the league's university officials, who ultimately have the final say.

"There will be no vote," Delany said. "That's not in our time frame. ... We're months away."The Big Ten laid out a 12- to 18-month timetable for the expansion study, which it announced Dec. 15. Despite media reports and speculation that the process is accelerating, Delany said he and the league remain in the information-gathering stage.

They're looking not only at candidates but at previous expansions in other conferences, many of which have been "improperly studied," Delany said.

"[The timeline] continues to be roughly 12-18 months," said Delany, who added that the league might choose not to expand. "Could it be 19 [months]? I hope not. Could it be 11? It may. But 12-18 months makes sense."

Delany pointed to two factors fueling the expansion study: The formation and success of the Big Ten Network, and the national population shift to the south in the last 20 years. Although a lucrative football championship game would likely arrive with expansion, Delany reiterated that it's not a driving force behind the study.

The league could look to increase subscriptions for the network in new or existing markets, and it wants to maintain a presence and a brand in major media markets, he said.

"As far as the shifting population, that is reason, by itself, enough, to look at the concept of expansion," Delany said. "In the last 20, 30 years, there's been a clear shift in movement into the Sun Belt. The rates of growth in the Sun Belt are four times the rates they are in the East or the Midwest.

"You do want to look forward to 2020 and 2030 and see what that impact would be on our schools."

Delany declined to discuss specific schools considered for expansion, but said membership in the Association of American Universities remains an important part of the Big Ten's fabric. All 11 current Big Ten schools are AAU members, as are potential expansion candidates including Missouri, Nebraska, Rutgers and Pittsburgh.

"AAU membership is an important part of who we are," Delany said.

The Big Ten isn't completely tied to the AAU, however; Notre Dame, which the Big Ten has pursued in the past, is not an AAU member.

The Big Ten will explore fiscal, operational and academic factors in its study and said "a significant number of institutions" are included in the analysis. Delany reiterated that he will notify the commissioners of any affected conferences before beginning formal discussions with any institutions.

"Prior to the time membership is offered or applied for, I'll give someone a heads-up," Delany said. "They will know it. Schools would have to apply, and then they would have to receive eight votes [for admission]. But I would presume that nobody would apply without knowing they were welcome to apply. We're not interested in embarrassing ourselves, embarrassing anyone else. So the process of due diligence is a long one, but the process of formal conversations about it is a shorter one.

"The heads-up anyone would get would be before a public announcement, but probably not months before a public announcement."
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kansas husker said:
Is it bad that I am dissapointed that they seemingly really are waiting untill the fall.
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...if ND is still the feather in the cap that they're truly after, it will take time. They have a good idea of who they want and more importantly who would accept and apparently ND still isn't willing. They will bide their time and see if the Big East makes any moves that will change ND's mind while knowing they can more than likely have any of the schools mentioned in the various "leaks".

That is probably part of the reason Beebe is cranky, too. He might have thought he'd get a little more notice or an inkling of that the thoughts were due to the fact that Beebe "implicitly" trusts Delany. He probably found out that friendship is just that and business is business.

The Big East as a football conference is pretty much dead anyway. From the articles I've read anyway. This is just the beginning of the pressure ratcheting up...

 
colosilverado said:
kansas husker said:
Is it bad that I am dissapointed that they seemingly really are waiting untill the fall.
Click to expand...
...if ND is still the feather in the cap that they're truly after, it will take time. They have a good idea of who they want and more importantly who would accept and apparently ND still isn't willing. They will bide their time and see if the Big East makes any moves that will change ND's mind while knowing they can more than likely have any of the schools mentioned in the various "leaks".

That is probably part of the reason Beebe is cranky, too. He might have thought he'd get a little more notice or an inkling of that the thoughts were due to the fact that Beebe "implicitly" trusts Delany. He probably found out that friendship is just that and business is business.

The Big East as a football conference is pretty much dead anyway. From the articles I've read anyway. This is just the beginning of the pressure ratcheting up...
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Good points, although if I were running the big 10 I would lure pitt and uconn weakening the big east basketball and making it more appealing to the golden domers. Then through in mizzou and nebraska to get to 16.

 
The Sunbelt region? Does Delaney really think teams in CA and FL and TX are really going to want to travel thousands of miles for regular conference games? And I highly, highly doubt teams from the SEC or Pac-10 are going anywhere, which means the only feasible targets IMO are Big 12 South schools or maybe Sunbelt CONFERENCE teams, and smaller southern conference teams like that, and I don't see that happening.

I think Delaney is either smoke-screening the real expansion plans, or they're really going to go to great lengths, and great time-lengths, to get schools like Texas and Notre Dame. Or maybe not expand at all.

Regardless, if someone said there was a 90% chance of NU going to the Big 10 yesterday, I'd say it's down to 75% today. :dunno

 
It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out in the end. I'm still sticking to my original 70/30 of NU going to the Big Ten though. However I've been known to be wrong too, so it'll be fun to watch this whole thing develop over the next 7-8 months.

 
I don't buy it. I still think that decisions will be made at the presidents meeting next month.

 
If they pull that one off, it would be a stunner. I think even the SEC would have a hard time expanding and coming up with something that would compete with that kind of a power conference. I like the divisional layout, too. Totally awesome. I am betting that Missouri would not be all that thrilled with still being in the same division as us and not having Illinois in their division to boot. I like the idea of having Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in our division, think it would be fun to play them every year. And there is a lot of television money possible with that kind of a conference.

 
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These latest statements are kinda worrisome. I think the Big10 is legitimately talking about trying to bring in Texas after hearing these latest statements. I could see them adding Rutgers, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M, and one other school like Maryland/Vanderbilt/Georgia Tech.

 
I call bull. You guys should hear our 610 radio station here in kc (810 was the one that reported the other stuff) go off on how they could look at schools like florida international....makes no sense in the long term to target tv audience while weakening your conference. The reason the big 10 network is a success is not from location as much as it is from prestige. How much could the sunbelt network make since their demographics are so good? ....and take this at face value but....of course the south has the most population growth (shatel's report on this)...it is right by our loosely guarded border. And if Beebe really is buds with Delany then this might be a great opportunity to make up for any mistrust from that other report.

Jielirh why would KU go to the pac 10? If the big 10 does go nuts would we get on board? You know news would leak out and maybe other confernces might try to entice other members into their conference....

The whole thing just looks like he wanted to cloud everything. A lot of us have seen Beebe enough to understand a lot of his character...we should get a better idea of what kind of guy Delany is after all of this is over.

 
irafreak said:
I call bull. You guys should hear our 610 radio station here in kc (810 was the one that reported the other stuff) go off on how they could look at schools like florida international....makes no sense in the long term to target tv audience while weakening your conference. The reason the big 10 network is a success is not from location as much as it is from prestige. How much could the sunbelt network make since their demographics are so good? ....and take this at face value but....of course the south has the most population growth (shatel's report on this)...it is right by our loosely guarded border. And if Beebe really is buds with Delany then this might be a great opportunity to make up for any mistrust from that other report.

Jielirh why would KU go to the pac 10? If the big 10 does go nuts would we get on board? You know news would leak out and maybe other confernces might try to entice other members into their conference....

The whole thing just looks like he wanted to cloud everything. A lot of us have seen Beebe enough to understand a lot of his character...we should get a better idea of what kind of guy Delany is after all of this is over.
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:laughpound

Someone is on crack if they think Florida International would even be considered. I think there is a lot of speculation, but when it comes right down to it, I really believe that it will be Nebraska, Missouri, Notre Dame, and one other team. I don't see Texas going, because they are too full of themselves and would not go for sharing what they think they can make on Television with their own deal. Notre Dame is a big if, for the same reason, and the only way I see either of them going to the Big Ten is if they can keep the money, or a big percentage of it, or their outside deals fall through, which in the case of Texas is not going to happen.

 
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