Different perspective on the new B1G teams

May as well strike Texas off that list -- can you honestly fathom them giving up their fiefdom and joining a conference where schools share the revenue?

I don't see any SEC teams leaving their conference, which doesn't leave many choices remaining. Maybe Kansas, GTech.

 
matthew_m_g said:
AAU membership isn't a requirement for a B1G invite--otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten a sniff, as the B1G was well aware the AAU was moving towards making an example of us before we started discussions. It also disqualifies Notre Dame, as stated above, that are viable B1G candidates for expansion.

Don't put too much stock into the AAU thing.
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The rule of absolutes isn't a given. Compromise is the name of the game. Duly noted. But if you look close enough at the names currently being floated for #15 & 16, they're all AAU members. Whether that's by default or not, it's quite telling in itself how much stock B1G presidents put into AAU membership.

ND was always going to be the exception to the AAU rule. They're a Top 15 university, academically speaking, year in, year out. On the athletic side of the coin, HUGE alumni base with fat pockets from coast-to-coast. It's a no-brainer for a conference commissioner, AAU membership be damned.

Barfknecht's new article mentions Kansas and North Carolina as potential 15 & 16. Elsewhere on the web, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Vanderbilt have been thrown around as possibilities. What do they all have in common? AAU membership. I'd love to see B1G presidents strike a compromise for schools like Oklahoma or Virginia Tech, but I just don't ever see it happening until they've secured AAU membership. They put more stock into it than you're willing to acknowledge.

Here's the Tribune article with Perlman's quote:

LINCOLN, Neb. — The passionate fan base, storied football program and geographic proximity to the rest of the conference — all these factors helped make Nebraska an attractive candidate for the Big Ten's expansion plans.

But Nebraska had one other criterion vital to Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and the conference's presidents and chancellors: membership in the AAU.

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No, not the Amateur Athletic Union, which is commonly associated with youth basketball, but rather the Association of American Universities.

"All the Big Ten schools are AAU members," Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman said. "I doubt that our application would've been accepted had we not been a member of the organization."

Continue Reading
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Another consideration that isn't getting enough time in media and opinions:

Maryland and Rutgers, in themselves, might not appear to be a great prize at first glance. The media markets look great, IF they deliver their respective audiences, which most believe is not completely possible.

The real value, I think is in the attraction of the OTHER alumni who live in those areas. There are tons of OSU, PSU, NU, NW, and other Big Ten alumni living in those areas. I saw something on Huskerboard a few weeks ago, I think, that suggested Washington D.C. has one of the largest collections of Husker alumni and fans in the nation.

Rutgers and MD are not the whole play. Them, in combination with B1G alumni in their respective markets creates a compelling setup. I would be certain that NU fans, at least, will buy some season tickets to MD games to see NU play. I imagine alumni and fans of other schools will do the same. And if not season tickets, at least single game tickets when Nebraska, or their favorite team, is in town.

As Husker fans and alum, we know we move the needle nationally, and have for years. The university made big dollars on all those PPV games that I simultaneously hated (the cost) and loved (to see the game).

All this adds up to even more dollars, and I think the view, currently, is the floor of this move. There is only upside from here forward, as long as the marketing is done, and I am certain it will be. Delany, as far as I know, has never made a foolish move. Certainly not one of this magnitude.

Aside from TV and BTN money, these are respectable schools in their own right, and bring a lot to the table for CiC purposes. I am glad they are in, further cementing the stability of the most solid conference in the country.

 
WoodyHayes1951 said:
Personally I would take Rice and Texas for 15 and 16.
Pipe dream but it could happen.

Get Austin and Houston, Two AAU schools, Both top -60 schools and Texas recruits. Where's the problem?
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Rice? Really?

 
Flood said:
Another consideration that isn't getting enough time in media and opinions:

Maryland and Rutgers, in themselves, might not appear to be a great prize at first glance. The media markets look great, IF they deliver their respective audiences, which most believe is not completely possible.

The real value, I think is in the attraction of the OTHER alumni who live in those areas. There are tons of OSU, PSU, NU, NW, and other Big Ten alumni living in those areas. I saw something on Huskerboard a few weeks ago, I think, that suggested Washington D.C. has one of the largest collections of Husker alumni and fans in the nation.

Rutgers and MD are not the whole play. Them, in combination with B1G alumni in their respective markets creates a compelling setup. I would be certain that NU fans, at least, will buy some season tickets to MD games to see NU play. I imagine alumni and fans of other schools will do the same. And if not season tickets, at least single game tickets when Nebraska, or their favorite team, is in town.

As Husker fans and alum, we know we move the needle nationally, and have for years. The university made big dollars on all those PPV games that I simultaneously hated (the cost) and loved (to see the game).

All this adds up to even more dollars, and I think the view, currently, is the floor of this move. There is only upside from here forward, as long as the marketing is done, and I am certain it will be. Delany, as far as I know, has never made a foolish move. Certainly not one of this magnitude.

Aside from TV and BTN money, these are respectable schools in their own right, and bring a lot to the table for CiC purposes. I am glad they are in, further cementing the stability of the most solid conference in the country.
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Seeing Nebraska move the needle national is one reason I take the 'fan counts' with a grain of salt. Nebraska has fans all over the country, not just because of alumni it's mostly because the whole state identifies to their roots and part of that is Nebraska football. And when they raise their kids, their kids are often influenced by their parents passion even though they are in a different state. It's hard to measure that. I also think Rutgers and Maryland fans would jump out of the woodwork if they had some success and with them bundling the BTN(YES!), they will tune in. It's all about exposure.

 
Woody Tressel said:
WoodyHayes1951 said:
Personally I would take Rice and Texas for 15 and 16.
Pipe dream but it could happen.

Get Austin and Houston, Two AAU schools, Both top -60 schools and Texas recruits. Where's the problem?
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Rice? Really?
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OSU really doesn't recruit Texas a lot but a nice easy path to Houston would slide.

If Texas even thinks about coming to the Big Ten they would never do it alone. They have to bring a friend.

 
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