Must Read On League Expansions

[gametime]

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe all but killed his own conference on April 30, 2008.

 

That’s when he decided to team up with the Big Ten and Pac-10 to reject a four-team playoff being pushed by the SEC and ACC. If the Big 12 (and/or the Big East) had supported it, the so-called “Plus One” model likely would’ve happened.

 

Even that modest playoff would have meant hundreds of millions of additional revenue for college athletics. It would have then allowed for easy expansion for an even more lucrative 16-team postseason. That would have solved all the monetary concerns that have left the Big 12 on the verge of collapse at the hands of its one-time allies, the Big Ten and Pac-10.

 

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany admitted to Congress a 16-team playoff could gross four times what the current Bowl Championship Series does – in other words about $900 million annually.

 

He opposed it anyway. Beebe and the others never seemed to ask why. They’re finding out now.

 

Conference expansion is about to forever alter college athletics: destroying traditions, hammering taxpayers and increasing competition. It will leave once-major programs out of the loop, consolidate power and extend the gap between haves and have nots – even within leagues such as the Big Ten.

 

No one is in a more desperate spot than the Big 12, which this week could see as many as eight league members receive invites to leave.

 

It’s all because of money. And when it comes to money in college athletics it all comes back to one thing – the leaking oil disaster that is the BCS.

 

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news;_ylt=AqYh9qGJELWlPOAnioUS25Y5nYcB?slug=dw-expansion060610

[CatsCatsCats]

The end of the Big 12 and Big East as we know them IMO. Say hello to 16 team conferences.

[gametime]

The end of the Big 12 and Big East as we know them IMO. Say hello to 16 team conferences.

 

There will be a power conference out of what's left of the three leagues with how things are looking right now. It will be very interesting to see which way that goes.

 

Did you read the entire article???

[NHS BIG DADDY]

He has apparently given Nebraska a week or two deadline to let them know whether or not they are going to move to the Big 10 or stay put. At this point I hope they decide to leave. If they do the Pac 10 is chomping at the bit to add basically the whole Big XII south plus Colorado.

[CatsCatsCats]

There will be a power conference out of what's left of the three leagues with how things are looking right now. It will be very interesting to see which way that goes.

 

Did you read the entire article???

 

Just skimmed through. Realistically, when the expansion starts I expect the Big 10, SEC and Pac-10 to have all the leverage and what ever is left over isn't going to get as fair of a shake either way.

[gametime]

Just skimmed through. Realistically, when the expansion starts I expect the Big 10, SEC and Pac-10 to have all the leverage and what ever is left over isn't going to get as fair of a shake either way.

 

Read it all closely. A lot of really profound stuff in there...

[gchs_uk9]

There will be a power conference out of what's left of the three leagues with how things are looking right now. It will be very interesting to see which way that goes.

 

Did you read the entire article???

 

You can imagine a somewhat Midwestern league with Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, etc. Assuming the Pac-10 takes on the six mentioned from the Big XII and Nebraska and Missouri go to the Big Ten (along with say, Syracuse, Rutgers and Pitt), the ACC and SEC would then be next in line to move. The question then becomes does the SEC raid the ACC? Does the ACC take on the rest of the Big East? Does the ACC do that anyway, even with the likes of Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Miami moving to the SEC?

 

It seems inevitable that the Pac-10 and Big Ten will become sixteen team superconferences. I can't see the SEC not making at least some type of move to match those two. And again, I would think the ACC (which will always exist for basketball reasons) would merge with the Big East (Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia) which would keep their football league viable and make basketball even better.

 

What seems very interesting to me is where does Kansas and Kansas State fit into all of this? Geographically they seem hamstrung, although geography isn't a huge deal anymore. They neither one offer much outside of basketball, which doesn't seem to matter much now either. What will happen to them? Do they move into Conference USA with Memphis, bolstering the basketball abilities of that league? Do they moving in the Mountain West, alongside BYU and New Mexico? Do their basketball programs suffer due to a lack of big-time BCS money coming in from football? Just a really fascinating situation facing college athletics right now.

[HT721]

The SEC needs to add basketball schools. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee can carry our conference in football. But Kentucky is really the only school consistently to carry the SEC in basketball. Adding a Louisville would be a smart move to me for the SEC.

[gametime]

The SEC needs to add basketball schools. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee can carry our conference in football. But Kentucky is really the only school consistently to carry the SEC in basketball. Adding a Louisville would be a smart move to me for the SEC.

 

Basketball means nothing in all of this chaos, and that's putting it lightly...

[Irish Cat]

Hopefully Notre Dame will not continue to be stupid and hold to their arrogant view that they can be relevant without conference affiliation. While the right coach could make them a factor with the status quo, I don't see them having any chance competing with 16 team conferences. IMO at that point the mega conferences should be powerful enough to shut the Irish out of any special agreements or guarantees that they currently enjoy with the BCS. If they are smart surely the administration will realize that they need to be a part of the new Big 10, if they are even really wanted at this point.

[Clyde]

The reported $$ are astounding.

 

I predict we'll see Louisville and WVU added to the SEC.

[bcd00]

The reported $$ are astounding.

 

I predict we'll see Louisville and WVU added to the SEC.

 

While they are good geographically, they are not good in terms of academics and money. Money is the deciding factor. The SEC is going to try and lock up a couple good fan bases for the money. I say they try to secure Florida by adding Miami, Florida St. and then a good city in Atlanta and try to bring in a Georgia Tech. That would be 15, then I'd like to see them add Louisville hoping they can bring themselves up again with Strong.

[Alabama Larry]

Louisville in the SEC, get me some payback.

[bugatti]

Basketball means nothing in all of this chaos, and that's putting it lightly...

:thumb: Football is where all the money is.

[gametime]

I predict we'll see Louisville and WVU added to the SEC.

 

Highlands and Cov Cath have about the same chance as UL and WVU getting an invite to the SEC...