Interesting thread on WVU board about Big East 6 to B12

[HartbeatHusky]

Precisely. The Big 12 could force the ACC's hand. The question is, which conference do we pick? The Big 12 has more money, but the ACC has more like-minded institutions...

We go with the one that didn't kill the Big East and jeopordize our future not once but twice IMO. Plus the football would be much better and more valuable.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I hope so. Playing Texas and Oklahoma every year would be fun.

 

[4UConn]

This would certainly be a "win-win" for all the universities mentioned. Longshot that it is, it's probably more realistic than an offer from the ACC or B1G in the near future.

 

[metsfan2323]

Precisely. The Big 12 could force the ACC's hand. The question is, which conference do we pick? The Big 12 has more money, but the ACC has more like-minded institutions...

If we had a choice I would pick the ACC. I understand the desire to stick it to them and turn them down, but the basketball in the ACC is better, they make more geographic sense, and it presents a more winnable football league.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Bear in mind that the West Virginia board is home to more false rumors than anywhere else on the Internet combined. Don't get your hopes up.

 

[uconnbaseball]

If we had a choice I would pick the ACC. I understand the desire to stick it to them and turn them down, but the basketball in the ACC is better, they make more geographic sense, and it presents a more winnable football league.

From a baseball, WBB, and soccer aspect, the ACC would come out in top as well. I just hope we have those options on the table.

 

[Hoophound]

Bear in mind that the West Virginia board is home to more false rumors than anywhere else on the Internet combined. Don't get your hopes up.

It actually comes from a Rutgers guy and is now being talked about on various boards. Either way, it does make a lot of sense and it would require absolute secrecy which would explain a Presidents only meeting.

 

[noeynox]

It actually comes from a Rutgers guy and is now being talked about on various boards. Either way, it does make a lot of sense and it would require absolute secrecy which would explain a Presidents only meeting.

But if its already out as a rumor, there isn't much secrecy to it is there? Probably just a pipe dream, but it is nice to dream.

 

[Rumrunner]

Can we get greedy and replace cincy with penn state?

 

[Excalibur]

And we can turn it down. For our football program this would clearly be a better move.

Again making no guesses as to the likelihood of either one of these events, if we have a choice between accompanying the Big East football schools to the B12 and moving to the ACC, the administration will choose the ACC 10 times out of 10, and if they don't they should all lose their jobs immediately.

 

[upstater]

I'm literally laughing at what's being written in that post!

All sorts of analogies spring to mind but the farflung fantasy in the post itself is hard to beat.

 

[Rumrunner]

This probably started with

https://mobile.twitter.com/blauds

The boston globe writer

 

[alexrgct]

Seems unlikely to me, but I'd prefer this over Big East leftovers + whatever add-ons we can find. If it were to happen, it would probably mean uneven revenue splits and becoming subservient to the interests of Texahoma. It would retain the only real football rivalry we have left (RU), and there would be some great basketball series there.

I'd be shocked if this happened, but a lot of the crap spewed about Texas and OU is just PR. Revenue in the Big XII is split 100% equally in Tier 2 rights, and is already 80% equal for Tier 1 rights (with the other 20% depending on number of Tier 1 appearences). Where it's uneven is Tier 3 rights (where, until the LHN, Kansas was the #1 Tier 3 earner by an order of magnitude in that conference) and other school-by-school branding/brand extensions/athletic foundation donations/etc.

Texas as a market and a recruiting base (for football and basketball- and it's only going to get better for basketball) would be great for the Big East schools. But I'd be shocked if it happens. First order of business is adding BYU and retaining Mizzou. We'll see what the conference decides to do after that. The Big XII won't want to add six schools unless ESPN and Fox will increase the Tier 1 and 2 contracts for the conference. Otherwise, you'e just sharing the same amount of money across more teams. However, that could well happen if the Big XII brings significant new markets to the table.

 

[Hoophound]

I'd be shocked if this happened, but a lot of the crap spewed about Texas and OU is just PR. Revenue in the Big XII is split 100% equally in Tier 2 rights, and is already 80% equal for Tier 1 rights (with the other 20% depending on number of Tier 1 appearences). Where it's uneven is Tier 3 rights (where, until the LHN, Kansas was the #1 Tier 3 earner by an order of magnitude in that conference) and other school-by-school branding/brand extensions/athletic foundation donations/etc.

Texas as a market and a recruiting base (for football and basketball- and it's only going to get better for basketball) would be great for the Big East schools. But I'd be shocked if it happens. First order of business is adding BYU and retaining Mizzou. We'll see what the conference decides to do after that. The Big XII won't want to add six schools unless ESPN and Fox will increase the Tier 1 and 2 contracts for the conference. Otherwise, you'e just sharing the same amount of money across more teams. However, that could well happen if the Big XII brings significant new markets to the table.

I don't think it is realistic to assume that ESPN and Fox wouldn't pay up for this deal. Save WVU, you are bringing 5 good/great markets and multiple time zones of programming. In WVU, what they lack in market size, they make up for in athletic strength and they are a good national tv draw for whatever reason.

 

[uc1974]

We have a good relationship with B12 schools. There is a small possibility this would come to pass.

 

[epark88]

I wonder if a ND-sans-football deal would sweeten the pot for this to happen, especially with Mizzou looking for all the world like they're leaving for the SEC?

TCU stays with the MWC, 14 teams + ND. TV deals re-open, and the league signs a break-the-bank deal with NBC/Comcast. At this point, I'm delirious enough to sign off on this...

 

[4UConn]

Not likely to happen Wishlist expanded: The new B16 Basketball Tournament could be held at the new arena in Brooklyn, if not MSG, after the Big East contract with MSG expires.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

A lot would depend on revenue sharing. I would not want to be a part of a league that is controlled and run by Texas, where they're getting all of the money and everyone else is their biitch. I do agree that this could be a nice leverage play against ND and the ACC. Culturally, it would be a bad move. Stability-wise, it would be good. I'd definitely be concerned if it was predicated on us playing Texas and/or OU at the Meadowlands. This would be like our old ND deal that never happened, play the games at home. The basketball league would be good, but not great. If it was coupled with some form of basketball scheduling agreement with the more powerful BE basketball onlies, I'd be happy in that department.

 

[Stinger92860]

A lot would depend on revenue sharing. I would not want to be a part of a league that is controlled and run by Texas, where they're getting all of the money and everyone else is their biitch. I do agree that this could be a nice leverage play against ND and the ACC. Culturally, it would be a bad move. Stability-wise, it would be good. I'd definitely be concerned if it was predicated on us playing Texas and/or OU at the Meadowlands. This would be like our old ND deal that never happened, play the games at home. The basketball league would be good, but not great. If it was coupled with some form of basketball scheduling agreement with the more powerful BE basketball onlies, I'd be happy in that department.

Based on our current set of options I would vote to play in the Meadowlands or Foxboro if it means we land in a BCS conference. If the games sell out it would be worth the gate too, provided the extra costs are covered by the extra gate. Are we really in a position of any power right now?

 

[HartbeatHusky]

I'm not crazy about playing home games in another state. I guess I could be OK with it for a year or 2 max. We would need to expand the Rent quickly if this came to pass in my opinion. Out of state conference home games are certainly not viable long term.

 

[geordi]

One of the disadvantages brought up is the travel and distance. But the distance from Miami to Boston is 1499 miles. The distance from Hartford to Austin is 1864. Not an appreciable difference, especially on an airplane.

 

[Dann]

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=159&f=4582&t=8012171

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

My concern is more that I'm still not 100% positive that the Big 12 is a stable league. Texas and OU have flirted far too many times with other options, that unless there is some rock hard stone cold deal in place with some entirely prohibitive exit fee approaching $100 million, I don't believe that one of the two goons won't be looking elsewhere some time in the next few years, and the league wouldn't blow up again. Don't forget the SEC is sitting there at 13, which they won't do permanently, and if the BE merges to the B12, ND has to put their sports somewhere, which may be the B1G or ACC, leaving both with an odd number and looking elsewhere. I still believe if the invite to the ACC came, especially if it's coupled with ND as the other team, that is an opportunity that cannot be turned down. If ND moves to the ACC, none of the ACC football schools are going anywhere. This Big 12 scenario would be a good option, and certainly far, far better than the C-USA 2.0 + military academies idea Marinade has right now.

 

[upstater]

Of course it's not stable, but even if Texas and a few others leave, it's still a league with leftovers who were part of the BCS for a long time.
UConn, as well, may leave it if it ever joins.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

This could be the best solution coming out of the current mess. Of course, this is assuming B12 schools go for it. With OU and TX flirting with every conference, I am guessing rest of the B12 schools don't feel too secure either. If BE and B12 merge, at least all the schools will have a conference even if TX and OU are not part of it. They can grow from there if either or both leave the conference at some point.