Chicago Sun-Times: Big10 Will Add 15 & 16 | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Chicago Sun-Times: Big10 Will Add 15 & 16

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Remember this from last year:

July 31, 2013

Big Ten expansion: It isn't done. That's about all I can say. Hint: The conference will begin negotiating on a new TV deal next year. The current contract expires in 2016. Definitely stay tuned.

Dennis Dodd

CBSSports.com
 
I'm relatively new to the board, although I've been following conversations here related to conference realignment for a while. Is anyone concerned about Navy potentially sliding in ahead of UConn for a spot? I feel like the ACC may have an eye on them, but haven't heard anything recently or in conjunction with the B1G?
 
kyleslamb said:
Folks, Gould has been a beat writer and columnist for the Sun Times for over 35 years. He's got a ton of contacts and is a very well respected member of the USBWA.

If he's saying the Big Ten is going to 15 & 16 so matter-of-factly, I have a good hunch he's not opining it but rather echoing information gleaned from someone he trusts greatly. This isn't "The Dude of some uknown Twitter account" speaking. It's a guy who's made a living at this for nearly four decades.

I've heard a lot of chatter picking back up about this in Big Ten circles. If Gould is saying this, my hunch is it's for good reason.
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You would mind linking a bit of that chatter if you could? I'm curious to read the tea leaves myself.
 
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/p/49743645/Big-Ten-Expanding-Eastward.aspx

"The Big Ten just announced that they will be moving the B1G title game to Washington D.C. for Basketball. Commisioner Delaney made it clear the B1G has plans to move East. I thought this statement From Jim Delaney was striking when asked about the subject. "We're trying to live here. We're not visiting," Delany said of New York. "Our goal is to bind the two regions together. We want to be in the two regions and live in the two regions". Does this smell of further expansion? I think that UConn will be a member of the B1G sooner rather than later. It sounds to me like Delaney wants the New England market to be B1G country. "


Some debate on Tigerdroppings over UConn as a potential new B1G member.....
 
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Yeah, I'd think that it would open up
a spot somewhere unless they added 2 PAC schools or 2 G5 schools. I would officially give up on CR if the B1G added 2 G5 schools and we weren't one of them.
 
Waquoit said:
So even if we are not one of the two additions, you have to figure that opens up a spot for us somewhere, right? RIGHT?
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It would give us a better chance than if nothing happened . . .
 
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news by Delany said this just yesterday:

Q: What would it take for the Big Ten to expand again? What would you need to gain in order to be interested in expanding again?

A: If you're thinking of building a conference and keeping tradition alive, building fan bases and natural rivalries, movement beyond where we are probably needs to be looked at in a very suspicious kind of way. You dilute yourself the larger you get. … I don't know what would have to happen. … I think everybody is just trying to take what's occurred, live it, make it solid and it's very hard in the environment we're in over the next five-to-seven years, to see more change.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ioner-jim-delany-question-and-answer/8774193/
 
CTGoonie said:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news by Delany said this just yesterday:

Q: What would it take for the Big Ten to expand again? What would you need to gain in order to be interested in expanding again?

A: If you're thinking of building a conference and keeping tradition alive, building fan bases and natural rivalries, movement beyond where we are probably needs to be looked at in a very suspicious kind of way. You dilute yourself the larger you get. … I don't know what would have to happen. … I think everybody is just trying to take what's occurred, live it, make it solid and it's very hard in the environment we're in over the next five-to-seven years, to see more change.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ioner-jim-delany-question-and-answer/8774193/
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That sly son-o-a-bit@h.
 
CTGoonie said:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news by Delany said this just yesterday:

Q: What would it take for the Big Ten to expand again? What would you need to gain in order to be interested in expanding again?

A: If you're thinking of building a conference and keeping tradition alive, building fan bases and natural rivalries, movement beyond where we are probably needs to be looked at in a very suspicious kind of way. You dilute yourself the larger you get. … I don't know what would have to happen. … I think everybody is just trying to take what's occurred, live it, make it solid and it's very hard in the environment we're in over the next five-to-seven years, to see more change.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ioner-jim-delany-question-and-answer/8774193/
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He's obviously not going to even hint at anything he's doing behind the scenes in a public interview. It's obvious that there have been talks between him and UConn due to everything that UConn is doing to improve their BIG profile.
 
CTGoonie said:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news by Delany said this just yesterday:

Q: What would it take for the Big Ten to expand again? What would you need to gain in order to be interested in expanding again?

A: If you're thinking of building a conference and keeping tradition alive, building fan bases and natural rivalries, movement beyond where we are probably needs to be looked at in a very suspicious kind of way. You dilute yourself the larger you get. … I don't know what would have to happen. … I think everybody is just trying to take what's occurred, live it, make it solid and it's very hard in the environment we're in over the next five-to-seven years, to see more change.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ioner-jim-delany-question-and-answer/8774193/
Expand ...

This quote doesn't make sense. If you dilute yourself the larger you get, why have they expanded, twice recently? To dilute the product?

He sounds like a police officer standing outside a burning building telling on-lookers "Move along, nothing to see here."

He's not going to tip his hand. He's probably telling Swofford he's got 5-7 years to act, because in reality he has a move planned in the next 2-4 years.
 
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@HerbGould: Opinion. But UConn worth a look. RT @The_Sad_Gnome: .@HerbGould B1G to 16, opinion or insider info? UConn? http://post original url/0He9N43BPV
 
Yea it could be that he's working behind the scenes on something or maybe it might just be slightly more likely he actually doesn't want any more realignment and he's justifying it poorly given that the big ten had several limbs in the realignment cookie jar. You know like when you break up with someone cause you need time to be alone but somehow end up in a new relationship the next week, poor excuse to make yourself not look like a .
 
In regards to the link in the original post, it is just a writer's opinion, and I am pretty sure he isn't thinking about us as 15 or 16 if he is talking about 4 16-team conferences. This feels almost like a perfunctory expansion column because he feels like he has to write one.

As it relates to Delaney's comments yesterday, there were leaks coming up in the months leading up to the addition of Rutgers that the Big 10 had looked hard at Rutgers and determined that the school was not valuable enough. There were certainly no comments from Delaney indicating that expansion was imminent or even being considered. I am not an optimist about the Big 10 adding UConn, but if they do, we are not going to find out from an interview Delaney gives to the USA Today.

I remain convinced that either the Big 10 or ACC needs to emerge victorious in the Battle for New York for the loser to add UConn. The one thing that neither league can afford is to cede New York.
 
Well you're half-right. He says opinion but also mentioned in his tweet that UConn is worth a look at one of the two spots.
 
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If you take the last handful of months into consideration and look beyond the echo chamber of the Boneyard and the steady small stream of announcements by UConn that at the least look like they are intended to get us in the Big 10 conversation. We’ve now had articles and tweets out of Big 10 country starting to ask the question about UConn. We have 2 Big 10 schools adding us to their football schedule in the last month. There may be an invitation soon or in a year or 2 or never. But the one thing that seems more and more obvious is that the ground is being prepared to take UConn to the Big 10 not only in CT but in the Midwest. Now you can prepare the soil and never plant the seed, but Delany would never plant the seed without first preparing the garden.
 
I'm half-way done with the American Revolution series on the American History Channel.

The last hour long segment I watched showed the British repeatedly trying to come down from Canada by way of the Hudson in order to splinter off New England from NY and the rest of the colonies while attempting to deal a fatal blow to the rebellion. General Begoyne was rebuffed and ultimately had to surrender in embarassing fashion to General Gates.

If Begoyne's mission is any indication, than I suggest Delany learn from the mistakes of the British. Try to cut off New England and you ultimately lose.
 
Says he wants more sports featured, namely lacrosse.
Does so by adding partial Johns Hopkins and may be looking to grab more Ivies.
But doesn't want to "dilute" things.

Does not add up.
 
To me, UConn is in an awkward position right now. Both the Big 10 and the ACC both know that they can have us any time they want us, just by asking. So no need to rush. Except that both also know that they can't let the other take us. So its a bit of a game of chicken with UConn, and by extension the NY metro area, as the prize. Neither is really in a position to expand right now, however, as both are trying to digest recent mediocre (to be charitable) additions.
 
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Even if this new found attention from the Midwest is just flirting. It can only benefit us with regards to The ACC and ESPN. It was one thing for The ACC and ESPN to leave us on the sidelines 3 years ago because The ACC always felt we’d be there for the taking (that was even in some reports to that the day Lville was taken) and ESPN had us on the cheap. Now that we might look attractive to The BIG 10 we will look more attractive to the ACC.

Now here is where I speculate a bit. My guess is FOX goes in full force and takes the upcoming BIG rights all to themselves, spends a mint to establish FoxSports 1 and 2, just like they did when they started FOX and took The NFL package from CBS for a pretty penny. The result a fourth network that competes with the 3 untouchables. This would be the same strategy against the untouchable ESPN. Murdolch is on record, he’s going to be losing big on FOX Sports at first to compete. UConn and its NY and New England location is much more valuable to the BIG with FOX’s needs then it is to ESPN’s needs if The Big stayed with ESPN. Inversely though if ESPN loses the BIG contract, Uconn just became a lot more valuable to ESPN. Owning UConn for next to nothing is great for ESPN but not owning UCONN at all is a problem. A problem with the fight for NYC and for the consequences to their beloved ACC.

There would be some irony in an outcome where the school that is so critical in the birth of what is now ESPN, plays a role in the creation of a real competitor to its dominance.
 
CTGoonie said:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news by Delany said this just yesterday:

Q: What would it take for the Big Ten to expand again? What would you need to gain in order to be interested in expanding again?

A: If you're thinking of building a conference and keeping tradition alive, building fan bases and natural rivalries, movement beyond where we are probably needs to be looked at in a very suspicious kind of way. You dilute yourself the larger you get. … I don't know what would have to happen. … I think everybody is just trying to take what's occurred, live it, make it solid and it's very hard in the environment we're in over the next five-to-seven years, to see more change.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ioner-jim-delany-question-and-answer/8774193/
Expand ...

But, he was at the NCAA regional final at MSG and it was pretty clear that while UConn and Michigan St are not historical rivals, both sides showed-up in force with very large wallets and very large lungs.
 
HuskyJ said:
Even if this new found attention from the Midwest is just flirting. It can only benefit us with regards to The ACC and ESPN. It was one thing for The ACC and ESPN to leave us on the sidelines 3 years ago because The ACC always felt we’d be there for the taking (that was even in some reports to that the day Lville was taken) and ESPN had us on the cheap. Now that we might look attractive to The BIG 10 we will look more attractive to the ACC.

Now here is where I speculate a bit. My guess is FOX goes in full force and takes the upcoming BIG rights all to themselves, spends a mint to establish FoxSports 1 and 2, just like they did when they started FOX and took The NFL package from CBS for a pretty penny. The result a fourth network that competes with the 3 untouchables. This would be the same strategy against the untouchable ESPN. Murdolch is on record, he’s going to be losing big on FOX Sports at first to compete. UConn and its NY and New England location is much more valuable to the BIG with FOX’s needs then it is to ESPN’s needs if The Big stayed with ESPN. Inversely though if ESPN loses the BIG contract, Uconn just became a lot more valuable to ESPN. Owning UConn for next to nothing is great for ESPN but not owning UCONN at all is a problem. A problem with the fight for NYC and for the consequences to their beloved ACC.

There would be some irony in an outcome where the school that is so critical in the birth of what is now ESPN, plays a role in the creation of a real competitor to its dominance.
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...and how awesome would it be to have UConn in CT being part of a Fox Brand while ESPN sits in Bristol CT!!!
 
The Viking said:
I'm half-way done with the American Revolution series on the American History Channel.

The last hour long segment I watched showed the British repeatedly trying to come down from Canada by way of the Hudson in order to splinter off New England from NY and the rest of the colonies while attempting to deal a fatal blow to the rebellion. General Begoyne was rebuffed and ultimately had to surrender in embarassing fashion to General Gates.

If Begoyne's mission is any indication, than I suggest Delany learn from the mistakes of the British. Try to cut off New England and you ultimately lose.
Expand ...
Shouldn't you be watching "The Vikings"?
 
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Mr. Conehead said:
But, he was at the NCAA regional final at MSG and it was pretty clear that while UConn and Michigan St are not historical rivals, both sides showed-up in force with very large wallets and very large lungs.
Expand ...

I'll put it more bluntly than that: He saw Michigan State, one of the best teams in his conference, with one of its strongest and largest fan bases, come to NYC, the city they so desperately want to plant their flag in. He saw Michigan State and Spartan green get swallowed in a cascade of blue. He saw UConn play a home game in "B1G country." He saw first hand that NYC turns blue at the snap of a finger, and just how forceful our presence there actually is.
 
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