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
there is at least some possibility that i was with at least 6 of our children yesterday, swimming in a lake in that general vicinity.
My parents nominally live in Missaukee. Will be there in 3 weeks for a week's vacation.
Good deal. Missaukee is great. My parents too.
Happy 4th of July everyone 🎇🎆🇺🇸
Sipping on a ECBP Private Barrel pour 🥃.
Fireworks going off in the distance 😊
Safe travels for all my fellow Mgobloggers.
Who are the next 6?
Selfishly, take me back to 2003
i know, right? i don't dig this scenario but it's like pandora's black box. it's open, same as pay-to-play and transfer-at-will. the times, they are a changin'.
It is a buyers market now for sure. I just struggle seeing where a 48(?) team college football landscape with 2 conferences ends up best for everyone. It in a way becomes NFL-lite on Saturdays.
Will we see programs drop football or drop down and in turn reduce the scholarships they offer? Does that help young athletes in the long run?
20 years ago there was nothing I wanted more than a College Football Playoff. I just wish it didn’t go the way it has. If only we could have kept the old landscape, have an 8 team playoff and NIL, and everyone could have been satisfied
There has never been a period of college football when everyone has been satisfied and there never will be. Greed and power know no limit of satisfaction.
The B1G had to do it. We could not let the SEC gobble up the TV money. We will out do them unless the SEC capture OR and WA?
Why would any Michigan fan want to pick 2003 as the year to go back to???? Do you not remember how many dong punches the next 18 years have in store for you?
First it was USC/UCLA to secure the 2nd largest TV market in America....
Second is to secure the largest Independent (ND....BTW..... the hell with them) hence inviting Stanford to help entice ND....
Third is to invite Washington and Oregon.....
That would secure 10 of the top 21 (Portland, OR is #21) including the Top 3 and 4 of the top 6, plus the nationwide appeal of the fighting little green men.....
All right as the new TV contracts are up for bidding....20 team.....4 divisions....5 teams each....10 conference games (4 in your division, 2 from each of the other 3 division rotating every 2 year - Home and Home)
East
Rutgers
Maryland
PSU
Ohio State
Michigan
Midwest
Michigan State
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
ND
Central
NW
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Nebraska
West
USC
UCLA
Washington
Oregon
Stanford
Oh, I certainly hope that ND joins......Have fun with your 9-3 records now that you can not manipulate your schedule to your liking.....
Makes more sense to swap MSU and PSU
Your East too stacked and the Central is weak
Not his best work. Love Actually actually sucked. About a Boy was much better.
While I'd prefer ND and Carr keep staying in mediocrity, theyd be undeniably great additions. ND's two biggest rivals are now in the B1G so it makes sense. They might be scared of getting left out, or stuck in an FSU/Miami/Clemson-less ACC which would be on par with the mountain west frankly.
I hate ND but would love them to join the B10. Not a better fit to be found.
I'll be honest, I am not happy about ND joining. I can take solace in the fact that I visited an ND board this week and most were dead set against joining a conference and the few that want to join only half wanted the BigTen.
I say we require bigTen logos on jerseys just for fun.
I'd be surprised if ND joined a conference now - they don't need the money and they'd be a prize for every conference out there whenever they ultimately decided to join. If they come to the Big 10 now that'll look like they're following USC's lead, which I can't imagine plays well.
Stanford I buy wanting to leave and I'd expect Cal or UW/Oregon to be on the table before ND. But I guess we'll see.
would not surprise me in the least. If ND were to join, I am sure they would have insisted on bringing Stanford, a long time rival along with USC.
Stanford is struggling a bit on the grid iron (and basketball) of late, but they bring in the San Francisco market....Obviously, their academics are beyond reproach, and the UofM decision makers beyond the AD would be thrilled to have Stanford on board.... finally, Stanford's non revenue sports are tops in the Nation.
the final two, imo, would probably be Washington and Oregon.
I like Stanford as cultural addition (academics, etc.) to the Big Ten, but I think it's a reach to say that they'd bring the San Francisco market.
I mentioned this in another thread: It's like saying Northwestern would bring the Chicago market. True to only a small degree ...
Uh, yes they would bring the SF market and yes, NW brings the Chicago market. What market do you think SF would bring? Omaha?
well, you are right in that it doesn't mean actual 'eyeballs'. The idea is to have a media presence in SF/rorthern California.
If/when Stanford is good, I would expect a lot of people in that area to be watching Stanford playing like those years when Harbaugh was coaching them.
In terms of TV media negotiations, the B1G would make the argument of having that area.
Take Cal instead just to piss off Stanford.
Stanford doesn't need the money anyway. Let them wallow in the pit of mediocre conference sorrow.
The main driver is the additive value of a team to the TV contract — if its not $70-$100M, then adding that team will reduce the per-team share. So who gets added probably has little to do with football history or rivalries etc. The networks are calling the shots by whispering to the leagues which moves make what money.
But… I wonder if this is solely about football? Does basketball add any value?
But “money aside” (because I cant know what the networks are whispering) I would maximize opportunity with a 24 team league with four 6-team divisions for football.
East: Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland Add UVa, Duke, UNC
Great Lakes: UM, Staee, tOSU, IU, Purdue. Add Notre Dame
Midwest: Minn, Wiscy, Illinois, NW, Iowa, Nebraska
West: USC, UCLA. Add Stanford, Cal, Wash, Oregon.
Coast to coast. Best big public universities in the country—all of them. Great hoops too. Everyone’s rivalries maintained (Duke-UNC) or renewed (like Md-UVa). ND gets every rivalry in league other than the Swabbies. Winner plays SEC in the College Bowl.
Oregon and Washington
There's a reason both State's govts have introduced arguments that will try to force the 4 major state schools to stay in a conference with the other.
The Big10 doesn't really want Oregon State or Washington State.
I'd like Cal, maybe bring Colorado on board?
Honestly fuck ND, let go wither away in the ACC, bring Cal with Stanford.
The potential legislation could easily backfire. As you say, the B1G probably won't take WSU or OSU and by anchoring Washington and Oregon respectively to those schools it could mean none of them get into the B1G.
Suppose the B1G adds Utah, Colorado, Cal and Arizona. Washington and Oregon then have two choices, become mid-majors or join the SEC (seemingly not a good fit on several levels) with WSU and OSU.
Dude fuck norte dame. I'd rather they disband their football program.
To hell with ND. But I would like to fuck them over on the football field.
Stanford? That’s a community college, yeah?
Junior University
No turning back now. Add Oregon, Washington, maybe Cal, and some ACC teams to get to 24 teams and 4 6-team pods
I think 4 pods is right, but could easily see it going beyond 24 teams. Colorado, Arizona, Utah are all AAU schools, bring decent TV markets and help bridge the east-west gap. Kansas (for bball - give them a reduced payout rate). Several AAU schools in the ACC would bring interesting match-ups and/or TV markets. Pitt, UVa, Duke, UNC, GT. Maybe even pick off AAU Missouri from the SEC.
The State of Florida becomes interesting. Lots of relocated northerners there and it is a large and rapidly growing. Does the B1G need a team (or two) there for TV or is the number of potential viewers high enough without any "local" teams. Florida is an AAU school, so it fits better academically in the B1G v. SEC.
BTW, I don't think the pods all necessarily have to be exactly the same size.
I think they go to 24: 6 x 4 team divisions.
ND & Stanford can fall 1st or last, depending on ND and the ACC details.
Ore and Wash
UNC, Duke, UVa and maybe Cal or VT if UVa need VT to come with.
Atlantic: UVa, Duke, UNC, RU, Maryland, PSU
Great Lakes: UM, MSU, Wisc, Ind, Purdue, Ill
Plains: Neb, OSU, NW, Iowa, Minn, ND
Pacific: USC, UCLA, Stan, Cal, Wash, Ore
All of you drooling for more high caliber additions like ND must not really desire Michigan Big Ten championships much. Each such team is yet another viable roadblock to our conference success.
It's not a question of "want" or "don't want". The fact is, CFB is moving this direction, and the B1G wants to move in this direction as well, as evidenced by the unanimous vote to accept USC and UCLA by the B1G Presidents (note, not just ADs)
I'd personally love it if the B1G went back to the days before Rutgers and Maryland, and that ALL conferences froze their memberships there forever.
Unfortunately, that's not the case - the landscape is changing underneath CFBs feet - you either get better or you get worse.
This is the same for NIL
At what point does it get so big that it really doesn't matter who joins? We're not going to get to play every team, there aren't enough games. It just becomes its own TV network with a big enough slate of games that you don't need to watch another channel (conference) until it's tournament time.
Yea. I was thinking the same thing. While I understand that they are trying to chase the almighty dollar, I think we are getting to the law of diminishing returns for the fans. If we add up to 20-24 as people are suggesting, just how much are we really going to play USC? Once every 5-6 years? We already have big time non-conference games coming up, so what’s the point in all this?
It’s true. Once it gets so big, it essentially reverts back to original regional conferences — except now they’d have a playoff format. There was always some intersectionalism during the season.
At 24 teams you can do a 2-7-7-7 format: 2 permanent rivals per team, and play 7 other teams each year. Cycle through every team within 3 years.
Past 24 teams, I think it becomes necessary to play 10 conference games.
I'm okay with adding ND, Washington, Oregon, and Stanford. Any more beyond those four will water down the experience.
You could have 20 teams and it would still feel like a conference where you play every team at least every 5 years. Once you go to 24 teams and four divisions, it's just a replacement for the NCAA and you might as well go to 36 or 48. I think 20 teams in two divisions could be an improvement over what we have today, but not at all excited about 24 or more teams.
Agreed, 16 or 20 and you can do pods. 3-4-2 with 16 and 4-5 with 20. You would see everyone in football every 3 years max that way. Once you get above 20 some of these teams might as well not be in the conference given how often we may see them.
And more than those 4 (Wash, Stanford, Oregon, and ND) might also water down the payout for each conference team. Right now, I'm seeing anywhere between $100 and 120 million / per school in 2024 after USC and UCLA is in and adds the L.A. TV market. The B1G won't add teams just to get bigger if they don't add value and increased profits to each conference member
Yeah this is what I wonder too. I worry the conference fucks this up somehow just to get bigger matchups, but if you had a couple protected rivalry games and just went to 10 conference games and rotated through everyone every few years it might be better, but my concern is they just game it so PSU/OSU/us/USC/UCLA all play each other every year for the ratings.
I'll eat my hat if Notre Dame joins whatever the hell they call the B1G these days.
Note to self: find gluten free version of this.
I don’t think many folks were “out front” about USC/UCLA. That was a bombshell nobody saw coming and it went from rumor to happening in about 24 hours.
try not to read too much into my inarticulate phrasing - they were confirming it before anyone else was, but that was in terms of minutes/hours, nothing beyond that.
Sounds plausible. We know the B1G is waiting on a decision from ND. We also know ND plays Stanford on a regular basis. If Stanford comes along with ND then NAVY would be pretty much the only school ND schedules on a regular basis that isn't in the B1G.
How could these connections have been out front on ucla/usc when the whole story broke and closed within 12 hrs?