I'm More Convinced Than Ever: UConn & UVA to the B1G

[NickyNewark]

Maryland was also the ACC member in the most dire financial situation, too. The lowest hanging fruit, as it were. That certainly played into the move.

None the less KylesLamb was on the money and a founder of the ACC....nice grab by the B1G sweeping the eastcoast top markets from DC to NYC/NJ/LI eyeball's. Grab UConn and the B1G will clean up NYC north clear to Maine for the upcoming TV rights negotiation's!! The largest richest market stretch in the country!

 

[Fishy]

Maryland was also the ACC member in the most dire financial situation, too. The lowest hanging fruit, as it were. That certainly played into the move.

Eh.

It was a real estate acquisition.

With two invites, the Big Ten took the entire Mid-Atlantic region from New York to Washington DC - if you want to know where the ACC Network started to flat-line, that's where you start.

 

[kyleslamb]

Maryland was also the ACC member in the most dire financial situation, too. The lowest hanging fruit, as it were. That certainly played into the move.

Perhaps, but I think what needs to be emphasized though is that as petty as it sounds, the Big Ten didn't want to be perceived as jumping into regions and stealing teams from different territories. They wanted to gradually expand outward, if possible. The Big Ten also really, really wanted those TV markets (that cannot be emphasized enough). And, to be frank, I also think the Big Ten knew that by adding Maryland, it would have a better shot at Virginia and UNC later on.

 

[NickyNewark]

Perhaps, but I think what needs to be emphasized though is that as petty as it sounds, the Big Ten didn't want to be perceived as jumping into regions and stealing teams from different territories. They wanted to gradually expand outward, if possible. The Big Ten also really, really wanted those TV markets (that cannot be emphasized enough). And, to be frank, I also think the Big Ten knew that by adding Maryland, it would have a better shot at Virginia and UNC later on.

I agree with every bit of that post! Even without proof...it just "rings" true! Too much sense to use the roots to expand. Like a snowball rolling down the side of a snow covered hill the B1G's growing!!

 

[TerryD]

Eh.

It was a real estate acquisition.

With two invites, the Big Ten took the entire Mid-Atlantic region from New York to Washington DC - if you want to know where the ACC Network started to flat-line, that's where you start.

I thought it was when John Swofford sold all those "Tier 3" TV rights to Raycom and ESPN?

 

[Seaa Blue]

Maryland was also the ACC member in the most dire financial situation, too. The lowest hanging fruit, as it were. That certainly played into the move.

At the time, the ACC as a conference was also the lowest hanging fruit. So, make what you will of Maryland's financial issues, if the conference had been stronger it might not have happened.

And when there was talk of Clemson, Florida State and possibly UNC looking around, if any any other ACC school not named Duke would have gotten the call, they would have listened.

 

[Fishy]

I thought it was when John Swofford sold all those "Tier 3" TV rights to Raycom and ESPN?

If you're asking ESPN to start a conference network for you, which you were, do you think losing every television set between Washington, DC and Manhattan might have been a bad thing?

 

[Seaa Blue]

If you're asking ESPN to start a conference network for you, which you were, do you think losing every television set between Washington, DC and Manhattan might have been a bad thing?

Clearly you didn't get the memo from the ACC Fishy.

“If an entrepreneur wanted to start a new conference as a business,” the introductory section says, “the ACC geographic footprint is the most viable market in the country.”

It later references the Big 12 and West Virginia, which it calls a geographic “outlier” because “WVU travel issues are requiring discussion after just one year,” and adds that the ACC has no such outlier.

The ACC claims the largest geographical footprint of any major conference “in terms of total population of persons,” including what it calls a “staggering” 70-million difference between it and the Big 12. The analysis also includes age demographic maps for 15-34, a key television grouping, to illustrate how “the ACC footprint had the most states with double-digit population growth.”

“Interestingly,” it adds, “the Big Ten footprint would not have had any states with double digit growth without Maryland and in fact, two states lost population in this key demo.”

 

[Plains&Lakes]

The Big Ten stood at 11 for years when the SEC went to 12. When the SEC went to 13 and then took a team-Missouri-who was a potential Big Ten Candidate, the then equaled the SEC and ACC's total of 14. The conference indirectly (and in some one, directly) compete with each other, but they also need each other. If the SEC and the ACC do not go to 16, the Big Ten might well stand pat. If one can make the case for the ACC schools being willing to settle for less money in order preserve tradition, who is to say that the Big Ten schools won't stay in their comfort zone with Rutgers and Maryland? I think that 2 things have to happen: 1) The school has to really want to be in the Big Ten. 2) That school, or schools has to be able to offer the Big Ten too many pluses to refuse. If you buy the story that we need 2 more at once, there has to be another school our their that not only changes its mind, but wants to fight a GOR. Of course, GOR-less Missouri and UConn are in a unique situation. To which we can tentatively add high academic Vanderbilt to these 2.

 

[whaler11]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/uconn-to-the-b10.60994/

Thread of the year right there.

From the timing of the 'discovery', to the lack of SNY understanding, to the premise that the AAC>B10 to Nicky being the WOAT.

 

[noeynox]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/uconn-to-the-b10.60994/

Thread of the year right there.

From the timing of the 'discovery', to the lack of SNY understanding, to the premise that the AAC>B10 to Nicky being the WOAT.

Funny, I read that the other day for sheets and giggles I read to the whole thing. Guess wen you look at it from a WBB perspective, it doesn't matter what conference your in. Few gems in there that is for sure.

 

[Ldandy]

Eh.

It was a real estate acquisition.

With two invites, the Big Ten took the entire Mid-Atlantic region from New York to Washington DC - if you want to know where the ACC Network started to flat-line, that's where you start.

Flat-line? LOL you're giving the ACC Network too much credit. You have to be born to actually die, and at this point The ACCN isn't even a twinkle in Big Daddy ESPN's Eye.

 

[CL82]

It's fairly clear to anyone paying attention that the Big Ten went after Maryland and Rutgers first, not North Carolina and Virginia.

I think so. I suspect that the possibility to pick up pieces out of a destabilized ACC may have been a part of their thought process as a potential phase II.

 

[dayooper]

From one of the insiders at The Scout Buckeye forum Hineygate:

--- Boilerbuilder wrote:


WinchesterBUCK wrote: UVA will be #15.

BUCK, is that your guess or do you have insider info?

---------------------------------------------

Been told this since Maryland and Rutgers were added. They want UNC as #16, but that will take some doing. Like a war of attrition. UConn has come into the picture, along with GT.

Take if for what it's worth.

 

[XOVERX]

Let's think about the B12 versus the ACC for a moment or two.

The B12 has lost Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri since 2010. The ACC has lost Maryland. Which league has endured more trauma?

The B12 lost schools for reasons ranging from everything from "we were afraid of being left behind" to "we hate Texas". The ACC lost a school that monumentally mismanaged its money and had to cut out many sports. Which league is less fundamentally stable?

The B12 GOR expires in June 2025. The ACC GOR expires sometime around 2027 or so. Which league's schools are going to be available first?

The B12 has a footprint consisting of Kansas City and the State of Texas. The ACC has a footprint containing 70M more people than the B12, and ranges from Florida to Boston. Which league has the most long-term TV potential?

The B12 has a TV ratings problem because people outside of the tiny B12 footprint are not tuning into B12 football games. If you were forced to watch one of the following two games, which game would you pick: Virginia Tech @ Syracuse or Texas Tech @ Kansas State? How about Texas & Oklahoma or Clemson @ Florida State?

Huge numbers of alums of the B12's major schools -- Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas -- talk constantly about not being happy in the B12 and wanting out (and why not? -- the heart of our league has been ripped out). For Texas, Scipio Tex over at Barking Carnival is the leader of a rather cacophonous group of Longhorns disaffected with the B12. Do you hear the same unhappiness from ACC fans and alums day-after-day? Do any ACC alums come on this board and talk about moving out of the ACC?

Just playing out the probabilities with what is known today, which is more probable: The B12 gets raided again or the ACC gets raided again?

WinchesterBUCK is a great tOSU poster. But I just don't see UVA leaving the ACC without UNC in tow. Does anyone really foresee UNC being among the first two out of the ACC? To break open the ACC, I'm thinking it would take the B1G and the SEC cooperating in tandem. I just have trouble intellectually getting to that kind of cooperation between the B1G and the SEC, if only for the potential legal issues that would arise. WinchestBUCK also has been saying, "wait 'till MY-ACC settles", so we'll see soon enough, since the ACC cannot withhold any more MY money after June, 2014. Well, June's here, MY-ACC ought to settle soon (if it's going to settle at all), so we'll see.

And from simply a strategic standpoint -- not that there's anything anybody can do about it -- but if the B12 crumbles, there's only Kansas -> Oklahoma -> Texas that are desirable for the B1G. If the ACC crumbles, most all of the ACC schools would be available to the B1G, but more specifically, Boston College and Syracuse would be available. From a strategic pov, is it really in UConn's best interest to for the ACC to be the conference that crumbles?

Let's talk about Texas, it's goals and aspirations .... Texas' ambition is to become a truly national brand, and, hopefully, an international brand. Texas covets the huge metropolitan cities of the northern tier, and, most importantly NYC. NYC is the face of America, its media center, its cultural center (sorry, California).

Texas is setting up a football game in Mexico City, and we open the basketball regular season this year in China. For these kinds of endeavors, would being a member of the B1G give Texas more exposure in the NE Corridor or less exposure?

The SEC cannot deliver culture, except for "good ole boy" culture out in places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Texas doesn't want SEC "good ole boy" -- we've already got plenty of "good ole boy" out in the East Texas hinterlands, I assure you. Texas @ Austin values cosmopolitan and academic culture -- witness the current titanic struggle between Texas Admins and Governor Perry, who wants to turn Texas @ Austin into a diploma mill, like he did Texas A&M @ College Station. Not happening. Texas would love the CIC and this developing B1G association with the Ivy League, via Cornell. As for "rust belt", "too cold", "bad football", "can't recruit to the B1G" -- all that stuff is just plain plain silly and, frankly, border-line ignorant.

The bottom line is that Kansas would almost certainly accept an offer to join the B1G. If Kansas were to leave the B12, here comes the trauma. Again. There's only so much trauma Oklahoma and Texas can endure. You folks at UConn know exactly what kind of trauma I'm talking about. It's draining. Not fun. Recurrences are to be avoided.

I think Oklahoma would leave OSU and embrace the athletic-academic advantages of the B1G, which also offers lasting rock-solid stability, significant revenue, and re-establishment of the OU-NU rivalry. I'm not even certain OSU would fight Oklahoma if KU left for the B1G. I think OSU would simply be resigned to their fate. Oklahoma politicians are not going to block Oklahoma from migrating to the B1G if Kansas is gone. The only question I have is whether the B1G would offer Oklahoma unconditionally. They might not without linkage to a Texas acceptance.

As for Texas, Texas would understand that without KU and OU, the B12 is untenable. Texas would move somewhere, period, in my view. Would it be to the PAC? Would it be to the SEC? Would it be to the ACC? Would it be to the B1G? There's your only 4 choices -- independence is not an option. This post is sufficiently long. For many reasons, some set forth hereinabove, I think Texas would choose the B1G.

And that means UConn, either at #16 or at #18, to the B1G. In the B12 scenario, there is no BC or Syracuse to have to deal with. Just Kansas alone moving to the B1G and UConn is golden.

 

[UConnDan97]

From one of the insiders at The Scout Buckeye forum Hineygate:



Take if for what it's worth.

A Michigan fan posting an Ohio State fan's statement as possibly being true? THIS is what it took for me to believe! We're going to the B1G, folks...

 

[Dooley]

Funny, I read that the other day for sheets and giggles I read to the whole thing. Guess wen you look at it from a WBB perspective, it doesn't matter what conference your in. Few gems in there that is for sure.

Agreed. The WBB team would finish 40-0 no matter what conference we are in. They could probably finish 40-0 in the WNBA.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Let's think about the B12 versus the ACC for a moment or two.

The B12 has lost Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri since 2010. The ACC has lost Maryland. Which league has endured more trauma?

The B12 lost schools for reasons ranging from everything from "we were afraid of being left behind" to "we hate Texas". The ACC lost a school that monumentally mismanaged its money and had to cut out many sports. Which league is less fundamentally stable?

The B12 GOR expires in June 2025. The ACC GOR expires sometime around 2027 or so. Which league's schools are going to be available first?

The B12 has a footprint consisting of Kansas City and the State of Texas. The ACC has a footprint containing 70M more people than the B12, and ranges from Florida to Boston. Which league has the most long-term TV potential?

The B12 has a TV ratings problem because people outside of the tiny B12 footprint are not tuning into B12 football games. If you were forced to watch one of the following two games, which game would you pick: Virginia Tech @ Syracuse or Texas Tech @ Kansas State? How about Texas & Oklahoma or Clemson @ Florida State?

Huge numbers of alums of the B12's major schools -- Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas -- talk constantly about not being happy in the B12 and wanting out (and why not? -- the heart of our league has been ripped out). For Texas, Scipio Tex over at Barking Carnival is the leader of a rather cacophonous group of Longhorns disaffected with the B12. Do you hear the same unhappiness from ACC fans and alums day-after-day? Do any ACC alums come on this board and talk about moving out of the ACC?

Just playing out the probabilities with what is known today, which is more probable: The B12 gets raided again or the ACC gets raided again?

WinchesterBUCK is a great tOSU poster. But I just don't see UVA leaving the ACC without UNC in tow. Does anyone really foresee UNC being among the first two out of the ACC? To break open the ACC, I'm thinking it would take the B1G and the SEC cooperating in tandem. I just have trouble intellectually getting to that kind of cooperation between the B1G and the SEC, if only for the potential legal issues that would arise. WinchestBUCK also has been saying, "wait 'till MY-ACC settles", so we'll see soon enough, since the ACC cannot withhold any more MY money after June, 2014. Well, June's here, MY-ACC ought to settle soon (if it's going to settle at all), so we'll see.

And from simply a strategic standpoint -- not that there's anything anybody can do about it -- but if the B12 crumbles, there's only Kansas -> Oklahoma -> Texas that are desirable for the B1G. If the ACC crumbles, most all of the ACC schools would be available to the B1G, but more specifically, Boston College and Syracuse would be available. From a strategic pov, is it really in UConn's best interest to for the ACC to be the conference that crumbles?

Let's talk about Texas, it's goals and aspirations .... Texas' ambition is to become a truly national brand, and, hopefully, an international brand. Texas covets the huge metropolitan cities of the northern tier, and, most importantly NYC. NYC is the face of America, its media center, its cultural center (sorry, California).

Texas is setting up a football game in Mexico City, and we open the basketball regular season this year in China. For these kinds of endeavors, would being a member of the B1G give Texas more exposure in the NE Corridor or less exposure?

The SEC cannot deliver culture, except for "good ole boy" culture out in places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Texas doesn't want SEC "good ole boy" -- we've already got plenty of "good ole boy" out in the East Texas hinterlands, I assure you. Texas @ Austin values cosmopolitan and academic culture -- witness the current titanic struggle between Texas Admins and Governor Perry, who wants to turn Texas @ Austin into a diploma mill, like he did Texas A&M @ College Station. Not happening. Texas would love the CIC and this developing B1G association with the Ivy League, via Cornell. As for "rust belt", "too cold", "bad football", "can't recruit to the B1G" -- all that stuff is just plain plain silly and, frankly, border-line ignorant.

The bottom line is that Kansas would almost certainly accept an offer to join the B1G. If Kansas were to leave the B12, here comes the trauma. Again. There's only so much trauma Oklahoma and Texas can endure. You folks at UConn know exactly what kind of trauma I'm talking about. It's draining. Not fun. Recurrences are to be avoided.

I think Oklahoma would leave OSU and embrace the athletic-academic advantages of the B1G, which also offers lasting rock-solid stability, significant revenue, and re-establishment of the OU-NU rivalry. I'm not even certain OSU would fight Oklahoma if KU left for the B1G. I think OSU would simply be resigned to their fate. Oklahoma politicians are not going to block Oklahoma from migrating to the B1G if Kansas is gone. The only question I have is whether the B1G would offer Oklahoma unconditionally. They might not without linkage to a Texas acceptance.

As for Texas, Texas would understand that without KU and OU, the B12 is untenable. Texas would move somewhere, period, in my view. Would it be to the PAC? Would it be to the SEC? Would it be to the ACC? Would it be to the B1G? There's your only 4 choices -- independence is not an option. This post is sufficiently long. For many reasons, some set forth hereinabove, I think Texas would choose the B1G.

And that means UConn, either at #16 or at #18, to the B1G. In the B12 scenario, there is no BC or Syracuse to have to deal with. Just Kansas alone moving to the B1G and UConn is golden.

Lots of good points and food for thought. To answer your most burning question first, I'd pick the Texas Tech/K State game and that has nothing to do with you choosing Benedict Syracuse as one of the ACC pair. I'd also watch Texas/Oklahoma over Fla State/Clemson, but I'm a Texan so it might not be a fair question.

While the ACC may exist in a 70MM footprint, I wouldn't say they are particularly relevant in most of it.

I don't see the B1G and the SEC working in tandem to wreck the ACC, more like each believing certain ACC members present the best options in any expansionist plans they have and acting accordingly. A Virginia and North Carolina school liking the opportunities is the SEC means any B1G interest would also garner interest, and vice versa. I see one of those scenarios quite likely.

Why would the B1G have any interest whatsoever in BC or Cuse?

Lastly, isn't X divided by X simply 1 (except where X=0)? Have you given any thought to tightening up your nom de guerre?

 

[clmssun]

Let's think about the B12 versus the ACC for a moment or two.

The B12 has lost Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri since 2010. The ACC has lost Maryland. Which league has endured more trauma?

a) The Big East. Oops, that wasn't one of the choices.
b) Which is more traumatic: Enduring West Virginia (and their fans) as a conference mate or enduring West Virginia as a school you rejected, unleashing unrelenting wrath (from their fans) filled with lies that consume the Twitterverse/Blogosphere?

The B12 lost schools for reasons ranging from everything from "we were afraid of being left behind" to "we hate Texas". The ACC lost a school that monumentally mismanaged its money and had to cut out many sports. Which league is less fundamentally stable?

The B12 GOR expires in June 2025. The ACC GOR expires sometime around 2027 or so. Which league's schools are going to be available first?

The B12 has a footprint consisting of Kansas City and the State of Texas. The ACC has a footprint containing 70M more people than the B12, and ranges from Florida to Boston. Which league has the most long-term TV potential?

The B12 has a TV ratings problem because people outside of the tiny B12 footprint are not tuning into B12 football games. If you were forced to watch one of the following two games, which game would you pick: Virginia Tech @ Syracuse or Texas Tech @ Kansas State? How about Texas & Oklahoma or Clemson @ Florida State?

But then there is the riddle that the Big 12 schools get more money from ESPN/Fox than ACC gets from ESPN. Sure, the ACC schools *should* get more money than Big 12 schools, but the reality is that they don't. Money talks, bovine excrement festers.

Huge numbers of alums of the B12's major schools -- Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas -- talk constantly about not being happy in the B12 and wanting out (and why not? -- the heart of our league has been ripped out). For Texas, Scipio Tex over at Barking Carnival is the leader of a rather cacophonous group of Longhorns disaffected with the B12. Do you hear the same unhappiness from ACC fans and alums day-after-day? Do any ACC alums come on this board and talk about moving out of the ACC?

a) There were certainly some Clemson fans -- not I -- and some Florida State fans -- enamored of their school going to the Big 12. (Some claimed "legitimate high-level talks", of which I am skeptical).
b) Clemson and Florida State would jump to the SEC as soon as they saw "Slive, Michael" on the caller ID.
c) The SEC will not happen for Clemson and Florida State. The B1G is highly unlikely for Florida State and out of the question for Clemson. Clemson and Florida State are much more comfortable in the ACC than pursuing the Big 12.

Just playing out the probabilities with what is known today, which is more probable: The B12 gets raided again or the ACC gets raided again?

WinchesterBUCK is a great tOSU poster. But I just don't see UVA leaving the ACC without UNC in tow. Does anyone really foresee UNC being among the first two out of the ACC? To break open the ACC, I'm thinking it would take the B1G and the SEC cooperating in tandem. I just have trouble intellectually getting to that kind of cooperation between the B1G and the SEC, if only for the potential legal issues that would arise. WinchestBUCK also has been saying, "wait 'till MY-ACC settles", so we'll see soon enough, since the ACC cannot withhold any more MY money after June, 2014. Well, June's here, MY-ACC ought to settle soon (if it's going to settle at all), so we'll see.

The figments of truth (buried beneath the lies, malice, and vitriol) that arise from West Virginia blogs originate from E Gordon Gee, who has presided over WVU and tOSU. In Ohio, there is tOSU above all universities, there is B1G above all conferences (actual athletic results not withstanding, of course; the perception of superiority reigns unchallenged. Effectively, if you're a resident of Ohio, you're a Buckeye, regardless of whether you've ever stepped into a classroom in Columbus... like a UNC athlete, I guess.). I'll wait for news that does not originate from Ohio or West Virginia.

And from simply a strategic standpoint -- not that there's anything anybody can do about it -- but if the B12 crumbles, there's only Kansas -> Oklahoma -> Texas that are desirable for the B1G. If the ACC crumbles, most all of the ACC schools would be available to the B1G, but more specifically, Boston College and Syracuse would be available. From a strategic pov, is it really in UConn's best interest to for the ACC to be the conference that crumbles?

Let's talk about Texas, it's goals and aspirations .... Texas' ambition is to become a truly national brand, and, hopefully, an international brand. Texas covets the huge metropolitan cities of the northern tier, and, most importantly NYC. NYC is the face of America, its media center, its cultural center (sorry, California).

Texas is setting up a football game in Mexico City, and we open the basketball regular season this year in China. For these kinds of endeavors, would being a member of the B1G give Texas more exposure in the NE Corridor or less exposure?

The SEC cannot deliver culture, except for "good ole boy" culture out in places like Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Texas doesn't want SEC "good ole boy" -- we've already got plenty of "good ole boy" out in the East Texas hinterlands, I assure you. Texas @ Austin values cosmopolitan and academic culture -- witness the current titanic struggle between Texas Admins and Governor Perry, who wants to turn Texas @ Austin into a diploma mill, like he did Texas A&M @ College Station. Not happening. Texas would love the CIC and this developing B1G association with the Ivy League, via Cornell. As for "rust belt", "too cold", "bad football", "can't recruit to the B1G" -- all that stuff is just plain plain silly and, frankly, border-line ignorant.

The bottom line is that Kansas would almost certainly accept an offer to join the B1G. If Kansas were to leave the B12, here comes the trauma. Again. There's only so much trauma Oklahoma and Texas can endure. You folks at UConn know exactly what kind of trauma I'm talking about. It's draining. Not fun. Recurrences are to be avoided.

I think Oklahoma would leave OSU and embrace the athletic-academic advantages of the B1G, which also offers lasting rock-solid stability, significant revenue, and re-establishment of the OU-NU rivalry. I'm not even certain OSU would fight Oklahoma if KU left for the B1G. I think OSU would simply be resigned to their fate. Oklahoma politicians are not going to block Oklahoma from migrating to the B1G if Kansas is gone. The only question I have is whether the B1G would offer Oklahoma unconditionally. They might not without linkage to a Texas acceptance.

As for Texas, Texas would understand that without KU and OU, the B12 is untenable. Texas would move somewhere, period, in my view. Would it be to the PAC? Would it be to the SEC? Would it be to the ACC? Would it be to the B1G? There's your only 4 choices -- independence is not an option. This post is sufficiently long. For many reasons, some set forth hereinabove, I think Texas would choose the B1G.

I know he can say a lot of "shocking" things, but what are your thoughts on Clay Travis' suggestion of Texas affiliating with ACC in a manner like Notre Dame has?

And that means UConn, either at #16 or at #18, to the B1G. In the B12 scenario, there is no BC or Syracuse to have to deal with. Just Kansas alone moving to the B1G and UConn is golden.

When I look at the Big 12, I am skeptical of its long-term survival, yet I don't think for a second that UTx, OU, and KU will ever be left out. While UTx and OU conceivably would have several options, the B1G is far-and-away the most reasonable destination for KU. As you say, if the ACC holds together, UConn should have a real shot at B1G; if the ACC gets raided by the B1G, UConn would surely go to a (diminished) ACC. A diminished ACC is not in UConn's best interests.

 

[pj]

From one of the insiders at The Scout Buckeye forum Hineygate:



Take if for what it's worth.

If this is the case, it's good news for UConn. UVa and UConn would be a great pairing if, as is likely, UNC is resistant; and then GTech, if the B1G likes them, would be available as a #18 to go with UNC.

The risk for UConn would be if UNC decided to go with UVa; then the B1G would be able to choose any two from UConn, Ga Tech, Duke, and Florida State to go to 18 (or 4 to go to 20); and might prefer a Ga Tech - FSU pairing to get football recruiting grounds and a huge state in Florida. If they were at 18 with Ga Tech and FSU, I'm not sure they'd think a Duke-UConn combo added enough value for 2 spots.

 

[CL82]

A Michigan fan posting an Ohio State fan's statement as possibly being true? THIS is what it took for me to believe! We're going to the B1G, folks...

Conspiracy Kitty says:
Dude, that's my schtick. Keep it up and I'll start predicting undefeated seasons!

 

[UConn Dan]

I'm guessing that Swofford's posturing over the ACC Network was just that - it sounds good and it helped keep the more fractious members from jumping. But it has to be a tough sell for ESPN. They would have to go through the expensive of setting up, staffing and running a new network for content they have already paid for. Perhaps worse, they would have to try to sell this network in markets that are or will already be dominated by ESPN's SEC Network and/or the Big Ten Network. They're bringing an expensive knife to a gun fight there. So if in ten years, the SEC and the Big Ten continue to zoom away from the other conferences and the ACC continues to lag the Pac 12 and Big 12, maybe you see the two markets that really have some value, NC and Va, start to look at a move south. In a few years, the ACC content will look like a bargain and backfilling some vacancies might not be that big of a deal compared to the cash generated by adding some big markets to their SEC network.

I agree the the ACC network is a tough sell and likely won't get off the ground anytime soon or even at all, but don't you think it would behoove ESPN to leverage the asserts of the SEC network and share the cost burden with an ACC network. I would think the Charlotte facility would be able to accommodate both networks while amortizing overhead. I have no clue about TV production but if I were ESPN it's probably the only way the ACC network happens.

 

[kyleslamb]

The figments of truth (buried beneath the lies, malice, and vitriol) that arise from West Virginia blogs originate from E Gordon Gee, who has presided over WVU and tOSU. In Ohio, there is tOSU above all universities, there is B1G above all conferences (actual athletic results not withstanding, of course; the perception of superiority reigns unchallenged. Effectively, if you're a resident of Ohio, you're a Buckeye, regardless of whether you've ever stepped into a classroom in Columbus... like a UNC athlete, I guess.). I'll wait for news that does not originate from Ohio or West Virginia.

First, whether you want to call it "superiority" or something else, most Big Ten fans don't claim to be vastly superior in athletics overall. While the olympic sports have been as good as or better than anyone other than the Pac-12, football has certainly been down the last 5-8 years and no Big Ten fan I've ever comes across suggests differently. That said, the academic and financial aspects of conference social standing sort of speak for themselves. One can't really, on good faith, argue otherwise.

The Big Ten has led the nation in basketball attendance for 30+ years, and has been in striking distance of the SEC year after year in football (averaging nearly 20,000 more a game last season than the ACC for the record). They haven't had a member leave the league since Chicago decided to de-emphasize athletics, and for several years have been the leader in revenue (and although was reportedly unseated this year, will be back on top as soon as next year and certainly will be when they renew their media deals -- the last major conference to do so in this cycle). Should Big Ten fans feel pretty good about the league? I'd say the evidence is pretty overwhelming that they should.

Now, as far as news originating from Ohio State... whether you like it or not, they are one of the top two most influential schools in college athletics (Texas being the other). Fact is, they have been very active in discussions with schools around the country on legislative policy and also has served the Big Ten as unofficial 'pulse checkers' in conference realignment. When all the backroom, "off the record" conversations happen in realignment, who do you think was initiating a lot of the calls on behalf of the Big Ten?

Remember the "Tech problem" email? Well that's just one of many schools that Ohio State had dialog with. A lot of information comes from Ohio State sources because, frankly, they have their finger on the pulse of a lot of schools. For instance, when the Big Ten first reached out to Maryland a few years ago, well before any NDAs were signed, it was a couple of OSU trustees that first facilitated conversations with Brit Kirwin, former OSU and Maryland president-turned-system chancellor.

When other schools have been mentioned as being interested in the Big Ten... well suffice to say, it's not coming out of thin air IMHO.

 

[Cleanface]

For instance, when the Big Ten first reached out to Maryland a few years ago, well before any NDAs were signed, it was a couple of OSU trustees that first facilitated conversations with Brit Kirwin, former OSU and Maryland president-turned-system chancellor.

Don't you mean, the B1G's (((((((inside man))))))))??

 

[chitown76]

I think the B1G adds UConn and Kansas as the 15th and 16th members. This allows the b1G to either go after Oklahoma and Texas or go after Virginia , Carolina for number 17 and 18. Bye doing this the B1G has two routes it can go 16 is not the magic number.

 

[NickyNewark]

I think the B1G adds UConn and Kansas as the 15th and 16th members. This allows the b1G to either go after Oklahoma and Texas or go after Virginia , Carolina for number 17 and 18. Bye doing this the B1G has two routes it can go 16 is not the magic number.

I love it when a 1st time mystery poster gets us some positive new's here!! Thanks chitown76!

 

[dayooper]

Don't you mean, the B1G's (((((((inside man))))))))??

Oh, that's right. They had 2 "inside" men: Kirwan and present president Loh.

 

[chitown76]

I love it when a 1st time mystery poster gets us some positive new's here!! Thanks chitown76!

We got the markets now lets get the bluebloods of basketball Kansas and UConn your up

 

[Cleanface]

Loh was an (((inside man))) too??

Hot damn, we had them coming out of the MD woodwork!


Since he was HC at MSU, I guess Nick Saban is our (((inside man))) at Bama, and Les Miles our (((Ex-Michigan man))) at LSU.
I think the B1G has inside men on every coaching staff, and every school administration in the country. We're kindof ubiquitous like that.

 

[XOVERX]

Lastly, isn't X divided by X simply 1 (except where X=0)? Have you given any thought to tightening up your nom de guerre?

Lol. It is indeed "1". Which is exactly what I mean for my nom de guerre to be. Hence, "tightening up" is unnecessary.