USC and UCLA to the BIG Ten

[Rufus]

Money quote: “I would love there to be harmony amongst everybody,'' said Rich Leib, chair of the UC Regents. "To be honest with you, I would love for Cal in the Big Ten. ... But that’s not where it is right now.’’

Leib said the regents explored the possibility of the Big Ten taking Cal and adding additional Pac-12 schools -- Stanford, Washington and Oregon.

"We certainly put some pressure on to see if we could,'' he said. "In the end, the expansion was not going to be on the table for us.’’

University of California Regents clears way for UCLA to join Big Ten

The University of California Regents on Wednesday cleared the way for UCLA to join the Big Ten – with conditions.

www.usatoday.com

I always thought the Board of Regents drama was never about stopping UCLA from joining the B1G, but about getting Cal into the B1G with them. Interesting that they wanted Stanford, Oregon and Washington too. To cut down on travel for all I’m sure.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Agreed. Stanford is more value than Cal. Cal is still a prestigious research institution. I think that is the only thing it has going for it in terms of having something the B1G might want.

I guess it depends on how big the B1G wants to become. The PAC has some low hanging fruit and it does seem unlikely that USC and UCLA will be the only schools out West by themselves. At the same time, the B1G and SEC surely are going to pounce all over the top ACC brands at some point in the future.

Which is more valuable for the B1G? Owning the Pacific Time Zone as a monopoly (Oregon/Washington/Stanford/Cal) or expanding into the southeast to encroach upon SEC territory (Miami/FSU/Clemson/UNC)? If they do both, we are looking at at least a 24 team conference. If they do one or the other, we are looking at an 18-20 team conference.

B1G's wish list from the ACC is Virginia, UNC, and Georgia Tech. Not sure how much interest they have in Florida, but those other three have come up several times over the years especially Virginia and UNC because the B1G likes, or used to, a contiguous footprint and adding Virginia and UNC with Maryland already on board would lock up the DMV. If they added UConn, Virginia, and UNC they'd own the east coast from New England through North Carolina, in addition to California, upper Midwest, and Great Lakes.

 

[Slasher]

B1G's wish list from the ACC is Virginia, UNC, and Georgia Tech. Not sure how much interest they have in Florida, but those other three have come up several times over the years especially Virginia and UNC because the B1G likes, or used to, a contiguous footprint and adding Virginia and UNC with Maryland already on board would lock up the DMV. If they added UConn, Virginia, and UNC they'd own the east coast from New England through North Carolina, in addition to California, upper Midwest, and Great Lakes.

Yep with Duke as a wildcard if it's required to bring in UNC. I don't see them ever having interest in Clemson or Miami.

 

[BigTenFan]

Seems like conference realignment has slowed down in the past months- Maybe it picks up again after the Spring semester

 

[Hoophound]

I don’t see how the B1G doesn’t want FSU. Not being in Florida and Texas is the one huge weakness of the conference.

 

[Rufus]

I don’t see how the B1G doesn’t want FSU. Not being in Florida and Texas is the one huge weakness of the conference.

Agreed. I think Florida State and Miami have a good chance to be B1G targets because of this.

If you look at Texas, TCU and Baylor would be the best options, but I do not see either school having a chance at a B1G invite.

 

[dayooper]

I don’t see how the B1G doesn’t want FSU. Not being in Florida and Texas is the one huge weakness of the conference.

Yeah, I’m in agreement with this one. I think University of Florida is the most desired Florida school but that ain’t happening. FSU is the next best thing.

Honestly, if we are looking at the next round I would put FSU in the top 4 for the Big10. Whether the feeling is mutual, I couldn’t tell you.

If I were the making the decisions and were to take any feasible 4 (not including Notre Dame), I would say UNC, FSU, Washington and Oregon (in that order) with Oregon being the least desirable. I could be talked into Utah or ASU as the other west coast team over OU.

 

[Rufus]

The irony! George Kliavkoff was holding out hope that the UC Board of Regents would stop UCLA from joining the B1G. Turns out, the Regents wanted the PAC 12 to blow up and get Cal, Stanford, Washington and Oregon into the B1G.

Interesting to see how the media rights negotiations will go when everyone is looking for greener pastures and won’t want tied down to a long term GOR.

Big Ten Was Pushed To Take More PAC-12 Teams - outkick

The UC Regents were ready to blow up the PAC-12. The regents pushed the Big Ten to take more teams, including Stanford and Oregon.

www.outkick.com

 

[BigTenFan]

Yeah, I’m in agreement with this one. I think University of Florida is the most desired Florida school but that ain’t happening. FSU is the next best thing.

Honestly, if we are looking at the next round I would put FSU in the top 4 for the Big10. Whether the feeling is mutual, I couldn’t tell you.

If I were the making the decisions and were to take any feasible 4 (not including Notre Dame), I would say UNC, FSU, Washington and Oregon (in that order) with Oregon being the least desirable. I could be talked into Utah or ASU as the other west coast team over OU.

I think Stanford would be a good fit
The Northwestern of the West

 

[Waquoit]

This article has some good info. At the end, it talks about how little the regents know about college sports.

They knew enough to get out of the way. College football has become bigger than college.

 

[Rufus]

This article gives good insight into the need for the B1G to recruit football players nationally, which fits the narrative of the B1G calling itself a national conference.

Where the players are state-by-state: Why the Big Ten must (continue to) recruit nationally

The Big Ten's most ambitious programs will have to beat the SEC on its home turf to reach the promised land.

saturdaytradition.com

For the current recruiting cycle, here are the states with the most 4 and 5 star talent:

Top 10 states for top-level talent (4-star or better): Florida (79), Texas (69), Georgia (40), California (30), Alabama (22), Louisiana (18), North Carolina (16), Ohio (11), Tennessee (10), Missouri (10).

Next 15: Michigan (9), Pennsylvania (8), Maryland (8), Virginia (8), Arizona (8), Illinois (6), New Jersey (6), Mississippi (6), Oklahoma (5), Indiana (5), South Carolina (5), Massachusetts (5), Kansas (5), Washington (4), Nevada (4).


Florida has nearly double the talent of third place Georgia. I think this is one reason Florida State and Miami would be B1G targets for expansion.

With Texas, Neither Texas or A&M would be available. Would the B1G go after a TCU or Baylor? To me, that’s a stretch. But you can’t overlook the importance of the state of Texas here.

In Georgia, Georgia Tech is AAU and for that reason, would have to be on the list of possible expansion teams for the B1G, just not at the top of the list.

California is fourth and the B1G now has that state covered.

 

[Kolumbo]

This article gives good insight into the need for the B1G to recruit football players nationally, which fits the narrative of the B1G calling itself a national conference.

Where the players are state-by-state: Why the Big Ten must (continue to) recruit nationally

The Big Ten's most ambitious programs will have to beat the SEC on its home turf to reach the promised land.

saturdaytradition.com

For the current recruiting cycle, here are the states with the most 4 and 5 star talent:

Top 10 states for top-level talent (4-star or better): Florida (79), Texas (69), Georgia (40), California (30), Alabama (22), Louisiana (18), North Carolina (16), Ohio (11), Tennessee (10), Missouri (10).

Next 15: Michigan (9), Pennsylvania (8), Maryland (8), Virginia (8), Arizona (8), Illinois (6), New Jersey (6), Mississippi (6), Oklahoma (5), Indiana (5), South Carolina (5), Massachusetts (5), Kansas (5), Washington (4), Nevada (4).


Florida has nearly double the talent of third place Georgia. I think this is one reason Florida State and Miami would be B1G targets for expansion.

With Texas, Neither Texas or A&M would be available. Would the B1G go after a TCU or Baylor? To me, that’s a stretch. But you can’t overlook the importance of the state of Texas here.

In Georgia, Georgia Tech is AAU and for that reason, would have to be on the list of possible expansion teams for the B1G, just not at the top of the list.

California is fourth and the B1G now has that state covered.

Was Texas to the B1G ever an option? That seems to have been the key play.

 

[Rufus]

Was Texas to the B1G ever an option? That seems to have been the key play.

I was too young to know at the time, but I have heard that Texas inquired about joining the B1G right after Penn State joined and before the SWC blew up. Not sure if it was before Arkansas left for the SEC or after. The B1G decided to not add any more teams at the time as a negotiating point to add Penn State in the first place. Apparently, Northwestern was apprehensive about adding Penn State for fear the B1G would want to remain at ten and Penn State in would mean someone would have to be out. The conference assured them this was not the case, but agreed to not add any more schools to get Northwestern to agree to adding Penn State. That one vote was crucial for having the votes to add Penn State in the first place. This is my understanding of how this all went down, but I was just a kid at the time.

 

[Rufus]

Letters to the Editor: The UCLA-Big Ten drama was really about hurting UC Berkeley's feelings

A reader says UCLA has outshined UC Berkeley for a while now, and being forced to pay a "Berkeley tax" for leaving the Pac-12 only reinforces that.

www.latimes.com

 

[Rufus]

Paul Finebaum Predicts 2 Schools Will Join The Big Ten Next | The Spun: What's Trending In The Sports World Today

 

[Rufus]

Swanson: USC, UCLA are destination football schools in modern era

A Big Ten schedule and new marketing opportunities enhance the Trojans’ and Bruins’ recent on-field success and help sell both programs; USC nets the 15th-ranked recruiting class, UCLA ranks No. 36…

www.ocregister.com

 

[freescooter]

I think Stanford would be a good fit
The Northwestern of the West

Same with Duke. The Harvard of the south

 

[buddy]

Same with Duke. The Harvard of the south

I thought Vanderbilt was theHarvard of the South. Duke would have to be Brown

 

[Hogoff]

I thought Vanderbilt was theHarvard of the South. Duke would have to be Brown

I thought it was Emory.

 

[dayooper]

Not a realignment rumor (at least new teams), but the word from the Car Wash is that the Big10 will be going with a 3-6 scheduling model (3 protected and 6 rotating) in 2024. I have only heard Michigan’s 3 rumored protected games and they are OSU, MSU and Minnesota. The 1st 2 are obvious and Minnesota plays Michigan for The Little Brown Jug.

Not that it means anything, but there is a certain group of hardcore Michigan fans that have noticed UConn’s athletic merit. It’s just fans talking, but they are noticing. You all are doing something right.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Not a realignment rumor (at least new teams), but the word from the Car Wash is that the Big10 will be going with a 3-6 scheduling model (3 protected and 6 rotating) in 2024. I have only heard Michigan’s 3 rumored protected games and they are OSU, MSU and Minnesota. The 1st 2 are obvious and Minnesota plays Michigan for The Little Brown Jug.

Not that it means anything, but there is a certain group of hardcore Michigan fans that have noticed UConn’s athletic merit. It’s just fans talking, but they are noticing. You all are doing something right.

I would have guessed the three games for Michigan every year would have been MSU, OSU, and PSU - basically have the three consistently best programs (Michigan, OSU, PSU) play each other every year if nothing else for TV. In this latest incarnation of B1G scheduling I think there are already trophy games that are no longer played every year so I didn't think that would be a consideration.

 

[SubbaBub]

If I had to guess, OSU's would be Mich, PSU and MD. PSU's would be OSU, MSU, and Rutgers.

 

[bobbyinaz]

 

[CL82]

Not a realignment rumor (at least new teams), but the word from the Car Wash is that the Big10 will be going with a 3-6 scheduling model (3 protected and 6 rotating) in 2024. I have only heard Michigan’s 3 rumored protected games and they are OSU, MSU and Minnesota. The 1st 2 are obvious and Minnesota plays Michigan for The Little Brown Jug.

Not that it means anything, but there is a certain group of hardcore Michigan fans that have noticed UConn’s athletic merit. It’s just fans talking, but they are noticing. You all are doing something right.

What do you think of the 3–6 scheduling model? Obviously, the big 10 is the gold standard of conference management and intelligent realignment, Rutgers notwithstanding, but I think the cost of mega-conferences inevitably means the loss of rivalries, and semi rivalries that you get with a smaller conference.

Thanks for the kind words, we’ve noticed that you all are doing something right as well.

 

[dayooper]

I would have guessed the three games for Michigan every year would have been MSU, OSU, and PSU - basically have the three consistently best programs (Michigan, OSU, PSU) play each other every year if nothing else for TV. In this latest incarnation of B1G scheduling I think there are already trophy games that are no longer played every year so I didn't think that would be a consideration.

Eh, the majority of the Big10 (not Michigan, OSU, PSU and now USC/UCLA) would not be for that. They need the big 3 to come to their stadiums and making all 3 protected with each other would lose the rest of the schools money. I’m more surprised that one of Cali schools isn’t protected with UM but The Little Brown Jug is important to both UM and Minnesota.

My guess at protected rivalries for a few of the schools.

OSU - Michigan, Illinois (The IlliniBuck rivalry is important to Illinois and on the radar for OSU) and maybe UCLA

PSU - Rutgers, Maryland (East Coast games) and USC

USC - UCLA, Nebraska and PSU

UCLA - USC, OSU and Iowa

Iowa and Nebraska are the closest schools to the West Coast teams).

In the 3-6 set up, you play the other 12 teams twice in a 4 year span so they still will see them often.