Rumor Mill: ND and Stanford to the B10 (B18?)
Mates,
Two-off rumor. From a reliable buddy who has Pac10 connections, and those Pac 10 connections are saying that is the latest. These connections were correct and out front of the USC/UCLA to the B10, too. I am hoping someone can contact the Counter-Strike guy and get the real 'down low' on who is next to join our fine league.
What do you think? And if not these suggested two, then who?
I hope you are all having a dynamite holiday weekend. I did hear from one mgoblogger who is going cross-country and is having a pretty epic trip with his family. What do you have going on?
Happy Independence day, a few hours early.
XM
It's the same way everyone gets out of everything......MONEY!!!
Would be another dynamo couplet addition for the B1G academically and athletically. The B1G 18 and counting??
Having extended family over tomorrow for a pool party - still so grateful to live in this country! Thanks service men and women for fighting to achieve and protect our freedom.
It would be the perfect pair, and the best outcome other than standing pat.
Big XX
Add 10 more after that and we're porno! XXX
😂 the B1G XXX!
It works nicely with the College Football Playoff logo.
OMG, just spit my beer on this one. Well done.
The beaver cup
If this is the direction we're headed we NEED a a team in Dallas
I watched that movie with about 12 other teenage guys after a 1/2 day of school circa 1982. We watched at a particular friend's house because he had one of the only VCR's in town....and his parents weren't home. It was a classic.
I saw it at the 6 Mile Theatre on Woodward in Highland Park. Who else remembers that fine establishment?
I live a half mile from it today. Quite a history:
https://www.hourdetroit.com/art-and-entertainment/rko-uptown-highland-p…;
In the fall of 1981, my freshman year at Michigan, they showed DDD in one of the campus classroom auditoriums (MLB?). It was packed and crowd was quite, ummm shall we say 'animated.'
The Curly Curtains Cup
Rutger just texted: “we’re out, too much ass whoppin’ for us”
Just add an “s” to the conference name. The Big Tens. We will have tens of teams in our conference.
I bet eventually Oregon and WA will get invited if they want to join.
Hearing they both applied and were told to wait. I have to imagine ND/Stanford would be the preferred schools.
Aren't they going for 20-24 teams?
I think its more like 42 - 27 teams.
My guess is the big ten is going to 20 but preferred 16 to 18. So Washington and Oregon get the invite if nd and Stanford are coming. At which point sec and big ten take a pause until the acc grant of rights ends and both go to 24
Thanks for posting, XM. The B1G is in the catbird’s seat here, as it has better National appeal than the SEC and can take their time. Suitors will not be in short supply whenever they decide to expand. I believe the timing will be driven by negotiations for the next TV contract.
Those are the four I want. ND, Stanford, Oregon, UW
Then if they want to keep going, Kansas and Va Tech.
All kinds of media markets, academic cred, rivalries, great basketball school
Me too. 4 five team divisions. Division winners play in semifinal, winners in championship.
PAC - USC, UCLA, Stanford, Washington, Oregon
West - Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern
Midwest - Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State
East - Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers.
Schedule:
1 Non conference
2 Non conference
3 Non conference
4 B1G non division
5 B1G non division
6 B1G non division
7 Bye
8 B1G division
9 B1G division
10 B1G division
11 B1G division
12 B1G non division rivalry week
13 B1G crossover/semifinals
14 B1G championship
I like the teams, but I would leave it with two divisions. I like this split:
Big Ten, the Big Ten division: Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State.
Big Ten, the Not Big Ten division: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers
love this
You would play one team from the other division per season? But Rutgers and Maryland every year. I don't like that at all. I think we might play those PAC-12 teams more often if they didn't join the Big Ten.
Something like four nine-team divisions is what I am hoping the goal is. Additional schools for consideration, from the top 100 US universities in the US News and World Report rankings, somewhat in order of (my) preference: ND, Texas, Miami, Georgia, Stanford, Washington, North Carolina, Duke, Auburn, Florida State, Oregon, Virginia, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Clemson, Pittsburg, Boston College, Baylor, BYU, Colorado, Utah.
I believe that would make 38 schools. Either add two more for 4 10-team divisions or subtract 2 for 9-team divisions. Cal, Wake Forest, Tulane, Connecticut, SMU, UMass, NC State, Gonzaga are within the top 100. Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St, Arizona, Kansas, Kansas St, Kentucky and Nebraska, among others, are not in the top 100...several are close.
Make four cross-geographical divisions. In football you may play one OOC game and you play all the schools in your division-the rest of the games are intra-conference. Play an NFL-like Championship post-season playoff. The division winners receive a bye, the runners-up are in and four at-large are chosen.
Play a complete home and away intra-division basketball schedule. The Conference/National Championship Tournament includes all teams.
Not bad. One minor change: I'd flip Ill/NW. NW is closer to the Indiana schools.
Me too. 4 five team divisions. Division winners play in semifinal, winners in championship.
PAC - USC, UCLA, Stanford, Washington, Oregon
West - Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois
Midwest - Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State
East - Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers.
Had to add "great basketball school" at the end there because what other category did Kansas fit into? lol
With all respect to the good citizens of the state, Kansas would be way down my list. VaTech, too.
Way, way down the list. Kansas is a good - but super cheatin' - basketball school, and a comically inept football school.
Kansas is a small state, and while Lawrence is a pretty cool college town Kansas City is not a major TV market.
Doesn't help recruiting, doesn't help academically (ranked well below Sparty).
Va Tech is in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful campus and pretty good school, decent athletics. IMO UVa is a more attractive target - more traditional rival with Maryland, better academics, closer to DC.
Had to add "great basketball school" at the end there because what other category did Kansas fit into? lol
LOL
Media market. Academics.
I would add UA (Arizona, not Alabama) before Kansas. Both schools cheat their butts off in hoops but UA is in the PAC footprint plus the fact my son (UM grad) lives there. That would make for a great travel game for me provided it was later in the year to avoid the heat.
Why in the heck would we want Kansas? Very small market and absolutely horrible at all but one sport.
Because they cover the Kansas City and St. Louis markets. Plus, they have a basketball pedigree that's second to none.
https://www.johncanzano.com/p/canzano-pac-12-gut-punch-comes-with?sd=pf
This is a good article that outlines the money decision in adding USC and UCLA and the issues with adding Oregon and Washington.
Thank you for that link. I enjoyed this comment thereupon (at least the tail end):
"It’s very sad times for the Pac 12 & collegiate sports as a whole. Both are much less interesting! Super conferences are like what Lebron did to start the trend of super teams in the NBA, blah. Unless you’re a fan of the Lakers or another one of the super teams.
I get how money is the driver for the defections. But it doesn’t make it right. To me, it’s one step closer to the end of collegiate sports as we’ve known it. The “haves” get bigger, stronger & richer. And the “have nots” (i.e. Oregon State, Washington State, Etal) get smaller, weaker & poorer. I’m laughing out loud (sarcastically) at the fact that we’re now relying on a rich guy to save the Pac 12. Is this really happening?
The divide happening in our country coincides with the divide in college sports. Not a good thing for the long term, for balance & sustainability. Not a good thing for the integrity & purity of college sports. Unless you’re Ohio State, Michigan.."
Nice view of our position from a frustrated outsider. And nice that on the street the Big Ten is still considered to be Ohio State, Michigan (wrong order, but I'll take that for now).
There were always haves and have nots in college football. Washtenaw County provides a stark example of that.
The US and every civilization has divisions as humans are a naturally divided species. People really need to bone on the history of the species.
Interesting link. Thanks.
There was a comment about this article that claimed part of the reason for USC bolting was that they were mad at the PAC12 because of something related to Reggie Bush. Anyone know what they were talking about?
According to the article, adding Oregon and Washington, with their smaller media markets, would likely reduce the average television payment per conference member by about $6 million. The author stated:
"It doesn’t kill the possibility of Oregon and Washington following USC and UCLA into the conference. It just means that the Big Ten members have two options if they’re going to do it: A) Be OK with about $6 million less annually to have UO and UW in the house; or B) Welcome Oregon and Washington, but inform the newcomers that they won’t get full distributions for a while."
That article, while interesting and accurate in terms of local TV markets, does not take into consideration the increased national viewership/profile that Oregon and Washington would bring.
Oregon has one of the largest fanbases in CFB, and Washington is a known entity with strong football tradition as well.
More people would watch B1G games if those schools were in the conference - and TV execs know that.
For example, Oregon vs Wisconsin would bring a good TV rating, as would Washington vs PSU.
Those schools have strong brands and fan bases in addition to Portland and Seattle being relatively large markets on their own.
Why not increase the pie and ask for more money. Who could turn you down if you offer the best pizza in town.
Stanford wins the Director cup very often. Oregon brings more to the table than ND. I would rather have this 2 than ND. They have been so pompous for so long, let them enjoy their independence
Sorry I don't know how credible this is unless it's been BKFinest'd.
RDT/Wolverine in a bag says it’s a sure thing.
I have no credible info here, but I've heard some talking heads throw around the idea of The B16 using Stanford as natural rivalry bait to further entice Notre Dame to join. I have not heard any credible source to even make a rumor.