Big 12 Conference Reopens Expansion Talk

[CTMike]

http://chronicle.com/blogs/players/big-12-conference-reopens-expansion-talk/29477

Louisville still mentioned as most likely candidate.

 

[CTGoonie]

CBS with an article on this too

 

[epark88]

More sabre-rattling by the Big IIX - one decent move by the Big East and suddenly they're exploring 'further expansion'? they're full of it over there.

Pardon my French, but Neinas (or should I say Dodds/Castiglione?) needs to either pull the damn trigger or shut the hell up....

 

[CTGoonie]

Just perusing some other boards and found some interesting rumors.
Big 12 was approached by FSU, Clemson and Miami.
Part of agreement to let WVU out of BE contract is that the B12 won’t take any other BE teams.

There is probably zero truth to these but just thought I'd pass it along.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The problem for the Big East is the exclusive negotiating period. If the Big East could just lock in a new deal, or at least start negotiations, it would prevent this Chinese water torture. I still do not get why Boise hasn't just formed a new league and opened talks with NBC to sign a deal in the next few months. What could ESPN do?

The unfortunate reality is it will also be cheaper for ESPN to poach one more team than it would be to sign a market deal with the Big East. For whatever reason, ESPN has a bug in its butt about UConn so we will never be added to another league. It would seem like the NNBE's best interests are to get a new contract with NBC ASAP, but everyone is just sitting on their hands.

 

[huskypantz]

Just perusing some other boards and found some interesting rumors.
Big 12 was approached by FSU, Clemson and Miami.
Part of agreement to let WVU out of BE contract is that the B12 won’t take any other BE teams.

There is probably zero truth to these but just thought I'd pass it along.

I think the FSU/Clemson/UM rumor was smoke blown by WVU fans and/or media. They'd drool over the SEC, but Big12 not so much.

 

[Hoophound]

The problem for the Big East is the exclusive negotiating period. If the Big East could just lock in a new deal, or at least start negotiations, it would prevent this Chinese water torture. I still do not get why Boise hasn't just formed a new league and opened talks with NBC to sign a deal in the next few months. What could ESPN do?

The unfortunate reality is it will also be cheaper for ESPN to poach one more team than it would be to sign a market deal with the Big East. For whatever reason, ESPN has a bug in its butt about UConn so we will never be added to another league. It would seem like the NNBE's best interests are to get a new contract with NBC ASAP, but everyone is just sitting on their hands.

I don't understand why ND doesn't do this and build the conference of their dreams while giving themselves the opportunity to be the leading force in the deal. ND could withdraw from the Big East, approach BC, Maryland, Rutgers, UConn, Pitt, Cuse, GTech, FSU, etc. and build a megaconference from the ground up that covers the whole east coast and has both academic and athletic clout and both major sports.

 

[zls44]

ESPN has a bug in it's butt about UConn? I thought they were secretly conspring to get them in the ACC? The least you can do is keep your stupid conspiracy theories straight.

UConn is a top ten cbb team, and far & away the top wbb team in terms of who draws tv ratings. No network would ever try to not have then on air as often as possible.

Look at how many times UConn was on the national tv schedule at the start of last year, coming off a bad NIT team. Theres a reason. It's because UConn BB drives god ratings.

 

[06029]

I don't understand why ND doesn't do this and build the conference of their dreams while giving themselves the opportunity to be the leading force in the deal. ND could withdraw from the Big East, approach BC, Maryland, Rutgers, UConn, Pitt, Cuse, GTech, FSU, etc. and build a megaconference from the ground up that covers the whole east coast and has both academic and athletic clout and both major sports.

Because ND has the single most lucrative TV deal of any D1 BCS team. They have their own national contract and end up on ESPN/ABC with some good coin paid to them on the off weeks. They have at least 7 home games and at least 1 neutral site game that is like a home game every year where they control 100% of the gate. Why give that up? Any conference affiliation would require them to give up the exclusivity they now enjoy, cost them 1 to 2 gates per year and probably cost them revenue unless their new conference members give them a sweetheart deal. None of the schools you listed would be willing to give ND that deal because when you do, they get a built in, across the board edge.

The ONLY thing that will force ND to a conference (and it will the B1G if it ever happens) is if the BCS rules change in such away that independents would virtually need a perfect season to be included in any championship game.

 

[Dann]

rumor is lville/byu soon

 

[nelsonmuntz]

ESPN has a bug in it's butt about UConn? I thought they were secretly conspring to get them in the ACC? The least you can do is keep your stupid conspiracy theories straight.

UConn is a top ten cbb team, and far & away the top wbb team in terms of who draws tv ratings. No network would ever try to not have then on air as often as possible.

Look at how many times UConn was on the national tv schedule at the start of last year, coming off a bad NIT team. Theres a reason. It's because UConn BB drives god ratings.

I never said ESPN was conspiring to get UConn into the ACC. If ESPN wanted UConn in the ACC, it would have told the ACC to add UConn instead of two worthless programs like Pitt and Syracuse.

It would have been cheaper for ESPN to buy the Big East than it will be for them to piecemeal separate the conference the way they are, but the reality is the reality. ESPN called the shots, and at the end of the day, UConn will be in a league with Houston and UCF.

 

[Hoophound]

Because ND has the single most lucrative TV deal of any D1 BCS team. They have their own national contract and end up on ESPN/ABC with some good coin paid to them on the off weeks. They have at least 7 home games and at least 1 neutral site game that is like a home game every year where they control 100% of the gate. Why give that up? Any conference affiliation would require them to give up the exclusivity they now enjoy, cost them 1 to 2 gates per year and probably cost them revenue unless their new conference members give them a sweetheart deal. None of the schools you listed would be willing to give ND that deal because when you do, they get a built in, across the board edge.

The ONLY thing that will force ND to a conference (and it will the B1G if it ever happens) is if the BCS rules change in such away that independents would virtually need a perfect season to be included in any championship game.

For the simple reason that they will have to give up indy status at some point, especially if more leagues pair up like the Pac 12 and B10. Now is a great time to pick apart the BE, ACC and B12.

 

[06029]

For the simple reason that they will have to give up indy status at some point, especially if more leagues pair up like the Pac 12 and B10. Now is a great time to pick apart the BE, ACC and B12.

Then ND should jump to an existing conference but of course that means not being top dog, losing the sweetheart revenue deal ND now enjoys and sharing the wealth equally. So if you are ND you need to find schools that are desperate enough to be associated with you in a new conference and give you more than an equal split of revenue other wise, why do it? What teams are willing to bend over for ND in a new conference? BC, FSU, MD and GT are all in a conference that shares revenue equally and that pick up all bowl costs. Pitt and Cuse are joining that. The BE has a history of unequal revenue sharing and that did not work out very well. None of the schools you listed, except maybe Rutgers, would be willing to do an unequal arrangement.

The only thing that will move ND is a major change in the BCS rules and the subsequent impact to their prestige (highly over rated over the past 10 years) and ability to continue to command a premium for their football product. If the rules change enough, ND will be forced into a conference. If the rules change to bowls picking who they want, record and conference be damned, ND will be independent and still receive an unjustified premium for their product.

Of course the easiest way to force ND to join or form a conference is to kick them out of the BE unless they join for FB. And we all know how that fantasy turns out.

 

[Fishy]

They are not reopening expansion consideration because it never closed.

Louisville is gone.

Who goes with 'em, I have no idea, but the Big 12 would be crazy to leave Rutgers on the table in favor of BYU.

 

[TRest]

They are not reopening expansion consideration because it never closed.

Louisville is gone.

Who goes with 'em, I have no idea, but the Big 12 would be crazy to leave Rutgers on the table in favor of BYU.

Thank Pitino for trying to saddle us with Temple and Memphis on the way out the door.

 

[Jericho]

They are not reopening expansion consideration because it never closed.

Louisville is gone.

Who goes with 'em, I have no idea, but the Big 12 would be crazy to leave Rutgers on the table in favor of BYU.

BYU can bring a lot. Just not sure BYU will operate logically. When the Big 12 was adding West Virginia and TCU, it appeared BYU was difficult to deal with and the Big East didn't fare much better. BYU would make the most sense (/ Louisville) if they're not too much a PITA

 

[uconNYC]

The BCS conferences would be smart to just kill the BE. One less conference to share the spoils with.

B12 - UL, UC
ACC - UConn, RU
B1G - ND
CUSA/MWC - USF

 

[businesslawyer]

BYU can bring a lot. Just not sure BYU will operate logically. When the Big 12 was adding West Virginia and TCU, it appeared BYU was difficult to deal with and the Big East didn't fare much better. BYU would make the most sense (/ Louisville) if they're not too much a PITA

BYU will not throw their secondary media rights into a pool. They need to manage it themselves for purposes of their mission more than money. If I'm the Big East, that's not a dealbreaker. Let them do it themsleves and not participate in the division of everyone else's secondary media rights.

 

[coachcap]

BYU will not throw their secondary media rights into a pool. They need to manage it themselves for purposes of their mission more than money. If I'm the Big East, that's not a dealbreaker. Let them do it themsleves and not participate in the division of everyone else's secondary media rights.

As always, counselor, you're a voice of reason in the wilderness. This makes so much logical sense that it won't happen in our lifetime.