CBS article on further expansion

[Fishy]

I think we're likely in for a couple of years of watching these big conferences stare at their bellybuttons waiting for someone else to move first.

 

[Rumrunner]

Schapiro admits he doesn't lead such Big Ten presidential discussions, but he believes the Association of American Universities -- an "association of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada" -- is a crucial criterion. Thirteen AAUs are in the Big Ten (Nebraska is the only non-AAU Big Ten team), while Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke, UNC and Pitt rep the ACC (Maryland excluded).

This gets Schapiro thinking: If the Big Ten added again, would he have a direct counterpart?

"Is there a private AAU we can add?" Schapiro asked. "I'd guess Vanderbilt is very happy in the SEC."

-------

Thankfully Northwestern's say in expansion ranks right above the men's restroom attendant at Big Ten Network headquarters.

Still, not much UConn could do there. The AAU invite is so far off, expansion will be over by then.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Basically, the Big Ten is wondering if the Big 12 will expand to 12, while the Big 12 thinks the Big Ten will be next to strike. It's this weird game of chicken that way.
Many in the industry believe Maryland's ongoing legal battle with the ACC over the league's $50 million exit fee plays a pivotal role in future realignment. If Maryland escapes for $30 million instead of $50 million, that could change the way schools look at leaving a conference – and into the arms of the Big Ten's $40-million-per-year television projections for each school by 2020.

Here is my guess. The B1G tried to pry UNC lose, and failed. Nothing else in the ACC is worth adding, unless UNC comes with it. UMD gets them the DC DMA, and UVA adds what...Richmond?

The Big 12 is screwed in the upcoming tournment without a championship game. They know it and have been waiting to pounce on the carrion of the ACC once the B1G stops feeding. As a straight move, Miami, FSU and Clemson all prefer the ACC to the Big 12.

The SEC eyes North Carolina and Virgina, but has no urgent need for those states. If they stay in ACC hands, that's a win for the SEC. If the B1G cracks the ACC armor, the SEC needs to act and either counter-offer UNC and UVA, or take NC St. and VT.

Present reality: The Big 12 doesn't want to act first, and doesn't have the pull to raid the ACC. The SEC and B1G know this and are content to force them to go to schools outside of the current five top conferences. The Big 12 hates this, UT in particular, and is waiting...still hoping they don't have to go first and take, say, Cinci.

 

[Rumrunner]

Two things that force the issue

- big ten's new media deal and carrier negotiations in nj and md.

-SEC's launch of its network.

The fla president's language is an open invitation to unc.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Cue upstater rant on AAU statuses...

 

[gioff23]

Here is my guess. The B1G tried to pry UNC lose, and failed. Nothing else in the ACC is worth adding, unless UNC comes with it. UMD gets them the DC DMA, and UVA adds what...Richmond?

The Big 12 is screwed in the upcoming tournment without a championship game. They know it and have been waiting to pounce on the carrion of the ACC once the B1G stops feeding. As a straight move, Miami, FSU and Clemson all prefer the ACC to the Big 12.

The SEC eyes North Carolina and Virgina, but has no urgent need for those states. If they stay in ACC hands, that's a win for the SEC. If the B1G cracks the ACC armor, the SEC needs to act and either counter-offer UNC and UVA, or take NC St. and VT.

Present reality: The Big 12 doesn't want to act first, and doesn't have the pull to raid the ACC. The SEC and B1G know this and are content to force them to go to schools outside of the current five top conferences. The Big 12 hates this, UT in particular, and is waiting...still hoping they don't have to go first and take, say, Cinci.

UVA is a complement to UMd, the same as we hope UConn is viewed to be a complement to RU - the 2d school to lock down a major metro area that has no major school of its own. It also helps them create true geographical regions that get them away from the worst named divisions ever.

And the B12 is not worried about a playoff, they are worried about the Pac12 - the latter has only one place to turn for expansion and it ain't the WAC. The B12 is trapped and they know it, which is why they are pleading for a pause in the arms race.

The SEC is eyeing NCState and VT, not the smaller schools. Although, they could look to the oil producing states if the PAC does not move sooner.

 

[Adios]

The SEC is eyeing NCState and VT, not the smaller schools. Although, they could look to the oil producing states if the PAC does not move sooner.

The SEC is eying UNC and Duke ahead of NC State and VT.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is good info. Thanks. Will monitor.

 

[UConn Dan]

This is good info. Thanks. Will monitor.

Zoo. Your real name Warde by chance?

 

[RS9999X]

I think we're likely in for a couple of years of watching these big conferences stare at their bellybuttons waiting for someone else to move first.

This is my take. The BiG needs to prove the Maryland and Rutgers move is accretive to doubtful members. They positioned themselves perfectly to add two ACC schools in the future . The Big-12 has an incentive to act.The Maryland suit may change things. Otherwise the SEC and BiG can wait 10 years before the next cycle and positioning starts. There's nothing out there that will get them rich next year.

Nothing more important than proving that Maryland and Rutgers were accretive and maximizing those two new assets. Maybe come 2016 the BiG starts kicking tires with some financial ammo in hand that UNC can not ignore.

 

[businesslawyer]

He actually wrote that conference realignment is in a hibernation of sorts."

Yes, dead on. It's been at least 48 hours since the last moves (Xavier, Butler and Creighton) were announced).

With the patience and intelligence of those who write sports stories on the internet, a hibernation means we may not hear anything more for -- God forbid -- a matter of days.

 

[businesslawyer]

This is my take. The BiG needs to prove the Maryland and Rutgers move is accretive to doubtful members. They positioned themselves perfectly to add two ACC schools in the future . The Big-12 has an incentive to act.The Maryland suit may change things. Otherwise the SEC and BiG can wait 10 years before the next cycle and positioning starts. There's nothing out there that will get them rich next year.

Nothing more important than proving that Maryland and Rutgers were accretive and maximizing those two new assets. Maybe come 2016 the BiG starts kicking tires with some financial ammo in hand that UNC can not ignore.

Possible. But it's just as possible that the additions of Maryland and Rutgers won't be accretive by themselves, because cable operators will not "first tier" the Big Ten Network at the rates being paid in the midwest, without more product that their customers care about. That it will take MD and UVA to get what the Ten needs in DC, and it will take UConn and Rutgers (and more importantly eastern hoops as well as eastern pigskin) to get the Big Ten network on the boxes it needs to be in NYC.

 

[Rumrunner]

Whether RU adds value will be known before 2016. The BTN will want NJ cable signed up by 2014. Also, the BTN will have an idea of how NYC cable reacts to Rutgers. I believe this more than anything determines UConn's fate. Does the BTN really make a play for NY? Will they get enough out of NY with RU, PSU and the cache of the other Big Ten members?

If the Big Ten does do nothing until 2016, that's 4 years of UConn having to compete with 10 times less media revenue, not to mention being part of a mid major conference.

One thing I am curious about is UConn's relationship with Rutgers. Does RU look at UConn as a competitor, like SU and BC do, and actively try to diminish uconn as an athletic brand, or does RU want a school like UConn, relatively equal institutionally, in which it continues to develop a rivalry?

For some reason uconn has accumulated a never-ending supply of enemies. What it really needs is a great friend.

 

[MattMang23]

Whether RU adds value will be known before 2016. The BTN will want NJ cable signed up by 2014. Also, the BTN will have an idea of how NYC cable reacts to Rutgers. I believe this more than anything determines UConn's fate. Does the BTN really make a play for NY? Will they get enough out of NY with RU, PSU and the cache of the other Big Ten members?

If the Big Ten does do nothing until 2016, that's 4 years of UConn having to compete with 10 times less media revenue, not to mention being part of a mid major conference.

One thing I am curious about is UConn's relationship with Rutgers. Does RU look at UConn as a competitor, like SU and BC do, and actively try to diminish uconn as an athletic brand, or does RU want a school like UConn, relatively equal institutionally, in which it continues to develop a rivalry?

For some reason uconn has accumulated a never-ending supply of enemies. What it really needs is a great friend.

Our culture, being a large public school, is more similar to RU than to either SU or BC. Hopefully being as similar as we are works in our favor and they don't shy from competition like our buddies in Nut Hill and the wasteland of Central NY.

 

[upstater]

Cue upstater rant on AAU statuses...

May I ask you, what crawled up your butt?

I don't rant about the AAU. There's nothing to rant about. There's nothing really to even care about.

 

[gars44]

Cue upstater rant on AAU statuses...

Oh, that was not nice . . .☺

 

[Jimdish255]

I just don't see "winning" as a major benefit in CR. In fact, it seems nobody really likes a winner, especially one that might compete with them for say, recruits. They like markets for sure. But when it comes to really being liked, we might be better off when we start losing, a lot.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I think we're likely in for a couple of years of watching these big conferences stare at their bellybuttons waiting for someone else to move first.

I would agree if the Maryland/ACC settlement had been public knowledge for 2 months, but everyone is waiting. What happens if Maryland skates for $18.5m and what happens if they skate for $40m?

The ACC is stronger then we hope, but as BizLaw has inferred CR is happening all the time and ACC CR is a time function of the settlemen announcement.

I feel like crap with UConn's current situation but maybe all UL, Pitt, and Cuse fans should feel the same way. Perhaps ignorance is bliss (cue WVU fans). We should all know in 18 months, and us UConn fans may be singing in the end, but unfortunately days are very long for us compared to the days the traitors (UL, Pitt, Cuse).

Having faith as a fan is just so hard these days.

 

[Adios]

We're going to be fine in the end. We have WAY too much to offer as a school and as a market. We'll be in either the B1G, the Big 12 or the ACC. I'd prefer the B1G or the Big 12. We ARE on the B1G's radar. The naysayers can keep saying it's delusional all they want. They have NO idea what's going on behind closed doors. Ironically, they are the ones who are disillusioned.

Let's join the C7!

 

[Whale22]

He actually wrote that conference realignment is in a hibernation of sorts."

Yes, dead on. It's been at least 48 hours since the last moves (Xavier, Butler and Creighton) were announced).

With the patience and intelligence of those who write sports stories on the internet, a hibernation means we may not hear anything more for -- God forbid -- a matter of days.

Think his narrow minded comment should have been "college football power conference realignment is in a hibernation of sorts."

 

[ConnHuskBask]

May I ask you, what crawled up your butt?

I don't rant about the AAU. There's nothing to rant about. There's nothing really to even care about.

We've all seen your post about how Michigan was behind Nebraska's "ousting" of the AAU and how it doesn't matter to the B1G every single time AAU is mentioned.

We get it. You work at a college.

 

[upstater]

We've all seen your post about how Michigan was behind Nebraska's "ousting" of the AAU and how it doesn't matter to the B1G every single time AAU is mentioned.

We get it. You work at a college.

It has nothing to do with working at a university. It has everything to do with reading a newspaper article. And that's not a rant. That's information. Do you even know what a rant is?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

It has nothing to do with working at a university. It has everything to do with reading a newspaper article. And that's not a rant. That's information. Do you even know what a rant is?

You've posted that blurb about Nebraska getting kicked out of the aau at least 10 times.

But in all seriousness I'm just busting balls here.

 

[Adios]

Nothing more important than proving that Maryland and Rutgers were accretive and maximizing those two new assets. Maybe come 2016 the BiG starts kicking tires with some financial ammo in hand that UNC can not ignore.

The SEC will always be in a better position to lure UNC in just about every way. UNC actually has a history with SEC schools. The only advantage the B1G has so far is academics.

Going by what UNC athletes have done in the classroom, academics don't seem to matter to the fans (and maybe alumni). SEC fans would consider that street cred. A VERY, VERY small minority of UNC fans would take the B1G over the SEC. For the time being, UNC fans are perfectly happy with the ACC.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I know most on here do not agree with this but I still believe that we will be netter served if the B1G waits a few years (giving us the opportunity to demonstrate what our value can be) than if they expand in the very near future.