Here comes Kansas. Kansas in talks with BIG?
^^^^^ 3-dimensional chess ^^^^^
Look at you over here playing 5D chess
Did anyone else immediately start thinking about how this would affect the B1G/ACC challenge if it were to happen?
I definitely did.
I have a feeling the Big 12 will endure even if both Texas and OU exit. Houston and SMU would love to take their place.
Sorta hard to consider them a power conference if Texas and OU are replaced with Houston and SMU though...wouldn't it?
It can endure, but more as a G5 conference than a P5 conference. This move makes more sense before playoff expansion. Form 4 super conferences and let the champions of each compete in the playoffs. Add in divisional championship games and you are up to 8 teams. The G5 (now G6) get their own playoff.
The discussion about adding UNC or UVA or someone from an existing P4 conference needs to address the question, why would they leave a good thing? OTOH, why would the B10 add team(s) from the remnants of the B12? UNC can ask for a full share right away. Iowa State is more like an expansion team in pro sports. You want to join our conference? OK, how much are you going to give us for the privilege?
The question I have to ask is, after the Maryland and Rutgers additions, do any of you have confidence in the B10 leadership not to royally fuck this up? I know I don’t.
Go get Texas A&M, they cannot be all to happy about being left out of the conversation for the past 6-months that this has all been in negotiation.
Vandy would be a good fit for the B1G.
Go truly big. B1G 20.
IMO there's only one potential move that isn't a disaster for the B1G based on UT/OK joining the SEC - make a truly super conference by combining with the Pac12 - at least the premier pieces.
- USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Washington. Done.
- If you really want to play hardball, dump Rutgers and add Colorado.
- 20 school conference, 2 divisions west and east.
- West: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota.
- East: Michigan, OSU, MSU, Wisconsin, PSU, NW, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Maryland
Advantages: Longstanding relationships. Similar mindsets. Academic excellence, giant markets.
More Advantages: Makes for great 9 game round-robin division schedule, with 3 non-conference/cross-conference games. Makes conference championship game a titanic matchup.
Still More Advantages: Top tier of Michigan, OSU, PSU, Wisonsin, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington stands up against 'bama, Florida, GA, TX,, LSU, A&M, OK, Auburn
Disadvantages: Iowa/Minnesota have lots of long travel, and are separated from traditional B1G rivals. That said, Michigan could schedule MN every other year for LBJ, Iowa could schedule Wisky every other year.
I'd MUCH rather see the B1G combine with great Pac schools with great tradition and similar mindset than more mediocre additions like KS or ISU or MO or Pitt - meh.
Look, I think the whole concept of college football is in crisis. The only way I see the B1G surviving is to go big. This would be big, and it makes sense.
Kansas has a PREMIUM basketball program. What other available schools have a premium program in a revenue sport? I can't think of any.
Adding Kansas to the already tough Big Ten in basketball would mean the league would be #1 or #2 in the country almost every year.
Football is the primary revenue driver of these conferences. Basketball doesn't do that.
You're right...Basketball doesn't do that, except at Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, and UNC.
WTF are we still doing talking cable boxes? That's not material at all to the discussion. Future of sports broadcasting is going to be selling bundled packages to the Amazons, Parmaounts, Hulus of the world. How many people living in Kansas City, MO or Oklahoma is about as relevant as the amount of wipes you have with your morning dump.
I dunno, my morning dump is pretty relevant to me just not to you.
What in thee hell, is going on with college football lately?? I swear they going to destroy CFB all by themselves. Smh.
Except for Northwestern, Kansas would be the smallest Big Ten school by enrollment. Fewer students = fewer alumni = fewer people watching on TV. And it's not looking any better in the future, Kansas as a state isn't growing all that much.
Also, they have a tiny athletic department. They sponsor 6 men's and 10 women's sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 sports total (14 men/14 women) and some schools participate in even more outside the conference. It's just not a fit with the huge ADs of the Big Ten.
Kansas basketball picks up all of the slack. You’re right in that KU doesn’t add much else otherwise, but the basketball team raises the conference’s profile in so many ways, commands a ton of eyeballs, and brings another big time national title contender into an already great basketball conference. I imagine the TV revenue coming in from multiple MSU-KU matchups per year, multiple UM-KU matchups, IU-KU, it’s all about money.
Kansas would’ve never gotten a call if it wasn’t financially beneficial for them to join. I definitely see what you’re saying, but I can’t imagine Kansas even being invited to a phone call if the big wigs in Indianapolis didn’t do their due diligence on this first.
Well, is it about the short-term money (yes obviously), or should there be a leadership change that can focus on long-term values?
If they do add KU and ISU, may be we can realign the division from E-W to N-S. Keep Michigan in the north and OSU in the south. We would have a better chance of winning the north division and that could look good once the playoffs are expanded to 12 or 16 teams, we may get in the playoffs with 2 losses if we are north division champions.