Rosenberg (SI): Michigan regents discussed leaving Big Ten Conference

One of the few rational discussions of the situation I've seen in the national media.

I'm still stunned how obtuse and dimwitted Pettiti has shown himself to be. He could very well be dismantling one of the newly minted power conferences - jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars in the process - and not even realize he's doing it. Aside from the total lack of integrity it demonstrates to bypass due process.. he is going to alienate the most monetarily valuable athletic department not just in the conference, but in the entire country.

This is like watching a guy confidently and unknowingly shit his pants on stage during his TED talk about the importance of dust mite insurance. He and the league office fucked this up on a level that is almost incomprehensible. If Michigan leaves, the B1G falls apart. Full stop. He just made that a serious possibility by undermining the rulebook of his own conference. Utterly asinine.

lol go ahead and leave. The B1G will just replace UM with Notre Dame and life goes on. Ohio State is not scared of UM leaving the B1G.

Make it so. Fuck these assholes.

I haven't said so here on the boards, but I have been 100% not on the "leave the B1G" train. I value the conference's long, illustrious history and the central role Michigan has played in it. I think we lose something irreplaceable if we leave.

But it has become clear that the B1G can't be counted on to value that as much as I... we... do. I think they absolutely HAVE to kick the tires on joining the ACC, especially if by doing so they can entice Notre Dame to come with them. Perhaps even the four premier PAC schools and/or PSU. It may even be workable in the short term to go Independent if the money can be recouped somehow.

It saddens me deeply to say it, but I don't see staying in a hostile, lawless conference as feasible.

The thing about Mike Rosenberg is fuck mike rosenberg. That is all.

The BIG 12 is the most viable remaining league where you could go rule the roost and still have a respectable conference. You get the Texas footprint for recruiting, ratings, and teams like Okie St, Kansas teams, and whichever Texas team that's having a good year for the resume.

This BS goes back 75 years. When Chicago withdrew from the Big 10, Pitt was already an affiliate and the leading candidate to replace them. But OSU didn't want a recruiting rival in western PA and eastern Ohio, and desperately wanted MSU to cut into Michigan's recruiting. Who won that battle? Pitt, and us, got screwed. And then there was the infamous Rose Bowl vote after the 10-10 tie. I could go on ...

This will be Pettiti’s legacy. Within six months, taking the most money-heavy, profitable conference in America, and taking a flamethrower to it, because he caved to a mob full of bitter rivals and lesser programs who shouldn’t have a say in situations like this anyway. 

Honestly, I don’t think a situation like this would ever have happened in the SEC. They may all be a bunch of amoral cutthroats, but they know how to protect their money makers. 

If accusations like this were thrown at Georgia or Alabama, and Vanderbilt/South Carolina were the ones demanding that Saban or Smart were removed from their positions, Sankey would’ve kicked Vanderbilt and SC’s coaches out of his office and disciplined THEM instead. 

Welp!

Petitti could've unilaterally suspended Harbaugh for two games, leaving him available for Ohio State, without this committee. But he didn't do that. That's what tells me this is Ohio State throwing its weight around, trying to get us out of the picture. 

You'd wonder if the new schools would back out due to something like this. 

Tbh we should have done this after the tunnel incident. No team that crosses a line like that should be able to suspend a handful of players and get right back into competition.

I will not click a link with that shthead's name attached.