If B1g XII eventually gets poached. ... a 20-school B1G?

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SelectionSunday

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Not a fan at all of what conference realignment has done to college sports, but it's a sad reality we've had to accept. ... and it's not over. I don't think the B1G is finished, and we all know the B1G (read: Jim Delany) and Notre Dame control the majority of the dominoes.

So since major realignment has already happened, and more is sure to follow, here's my suggestion for Mr. Delany (I'm sure he's listening) and the head priest at Notre Dame. I'm seeing a 20-school B1G in the not too distant future. 20 teams means (gulp) divisional play in both of the biggies, football and men's basketball.

Schedules are so imbalanced now anyways, what the heck, might as well go all out and play only schools in your division. The only way you play teams from the other B1G division is in the B1G Football Championship Game, in the B1G Basketball Tournament, or schedule a non-conference game vs. a fellow B1G school. 20 schools means we can stay at the same numbers, 9 conference games for football, 18 for basketball.

Here's who I'd go after, allowing the B1G East to be all ET schools and the B1G West all CT schools (except for Notre Dame). I understand most people don't want Maryland and Rutgers in the B1G, but let's accept that, they're here to stay. I've made an attempt to significantly strengthen the B1G's football (especially the West Division) and men's basketball (do I hear a "Rock Chalk?") brands.

And yes, I completely understand the B1G has always had certain academic parameters (research, etc.) for its member institutions. I suspect at least some of those will go by the wayside in the thirst for expanding the B1G brand.

B1G East
1 Boston College (fit nicely academically & athletically, Boston TV market, poor man's Notre Dame)
2 Georgia Tech (excellent school, Atlanta TV market)
3 Indiana
4 Maryland
5 Michigan
6 Michigan State
7 Ohio State
8 Penn State
9 Purdue
10 Rutgers

B1G West
1 Illinois
2 Iowa
3 Kansas (one of college basketball's top 5 bluebloods)
4 Minnesota
5 Nebraska
6 Northwestern
7 Notre Dame (love 'em or hate 'em, crown jewel of realignment; would guarantee ESPN not needed)
8 Oklahoma (historic football power, and usually pretty good in hoops, too)
9 Texas (yes, a headache to deal with, but this is a big boy bringing more Texas kids to B1G country)
10 Wisconsin

Others considered?

1 Iowa State (fit geographically, partner for Hawkeyes)
2 Kansas State (partner for Jayhawks)
3 & 4 Kentucky & Louisville (love to have both for hoops, but too tough to pull off)
5 Missouri (would fit nicely, already a rival of Kansas & Illinois)
6 Oklahoma State (partner for Sooners)
7 Syracuse (would bring NY market)
 

Been thinking the same thing..but it will be more like and umbrella of two conferences.

The East will keep Mich, OSU and Penn St.......the jewels. They will be combined with the 'TV schools' of the east coast. The west will be the afterthoughts.
 

I gotta say the growth to a 20-team conference depresses me, but I think you are probably right that in due time, we will be headed that way. It's hard to feel a conference connection to a team like BC/Georgia Tech, when we'll probably face them in football a couple of times a decade. Not to mention the lost matchups with long time conference foes.

I think you probably nailed the likely additions, with maybe Texas being one that I would disagree with. Assuming the Big 12 implodes (which will likely be the first major conference to implode IMO), I have to think the SEC will fight like crazy to bring them in. I think Syracuse is program the Big Ten would like to add, and Missouri seems to make the most sense of the "others considered" as far as cultural fit, though that kind of gets thrown out the window with a 20 team conference.

If this happens, a program like KU, Iowa State, etc. will fight like crazy to get included in the Big Ten, as if they aren't, they could find themselves on the outside looking in and could end up in a lower tier alignment.

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
I gotta say the growth to a 20-team conference depresses me, but I think you are probably right that in due time, we will be headed that way. It's hard to feel a conference connection to a team like BC/Georgia Tech, when we'll probably face them in football a couple of times a decade. Not to mention the lost matchups with long time conference foes.

I think you probably nailed the likely additions, with maybe Texas being one that I would disagree with. Assuming the Big 12 implodes (which will likely be the first major conference to implode IMO), I have to think the SEC will fight like crazy to bring them in. I think Syracuse is program the Big Ten would like to add, and Missouri seems to make the most sense of the "others considered" as far as cultural fit, though that kind of gets thrown out the window with a 20 team conference.

If this happens, a program like KU, Iowa State, etc. will fight like crazy to get included in the Big Ten, as if they aren't, they could find themselves on the outside looking in and could end up in a lower tier alignment.

Go Gophers!!
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Good read, Bleed. I agree that Texas is kind of the longshot. For some reason I think they'll end up in the Pac 12/16/20. I'd much rather have Texas in the Pac than the SEC, but you're right, it's likely they would be the SEC"s #1 target, while I think the B1G's is, and always has been, Notre Dame.
 



station19 said:
Been thinking the same thing..but it will be more like and umbrella of two conferences.

The East will keep Mich, OSU and Penn St.......the jewels. They will be combined with the 'TV schools' of the east coast. The west will be the afterthoughts.
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The west would never be an afterthought with Notre Dame, Texas & Oklahoma.
 

MadtownGopher said:
South Bend, Indiana is in the Eastern Time Zone.
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Isn't South Bend one of the goofy places where sometimes they don't change the clock? I thought that was the case? My bad.

I'll leave Notre Dame in the West (with edit above), as they've always been considered the #1 college sports team of Chicago (CT).
 

SelectionSunday said:
Isn't South Bend one of the goofy places where sometimes they don't change the clock? I thought that was the case? My bad.

I'll leave Notre Dame in the West (with edit above), as they've always been considered the #1 college sports team of Chicago (CT)!
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I don't know. I just know it was Eastern when I ran a marathon there. I would have over slept had I not realized it the night before! Haha
 




SelectionSunday said:
Isn't South Bend one of the goofy places where sometimes they don't change the clock?
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In South Bend time never changes nor (like Texas) does the arrogance. I think Its best the B1G just leaves the Irish and Longhorns to their own special Gold and Orange turf. The 'Horns made treated the PAC12 to a rodeo bronco ride before dumping them on the hard, dusty ground.

I don't actually see twenty teams; but 16 appears likely. If BC would be asked then perhaps adding their nemesis, UConn would spice things up. (And yes there's the hockey bonus).

Missouri was the only school I remember openly campaigning for B1G membership. And I assume Syracuse and Pitt would jump. However, your're probably right-the geography works-the TV markets not so much.

I'm trying to recall the list of schools to which the B1G sent financial info before the expansion.
 

Nd in the west is a kills hot to top many current non conference rivalries games to happen. Either they play mich msu annually on their conference schedule or they operate as an independent.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The west would never be an afterthought with Notre Dame, Texas & Oklahoma.
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MadtownGopher said:
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. And with secondary media darlings like Wisconsin and Nebraska.
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I didn't have all the schools selected in my scenario. I did have Notre Dame in the East and I wasn't really thinking about TX.

I was thinking the majority of the expansion would be east coast(tv) schools. West would be left with us, wisky, iowa, neb, purdue, ill, indy, northwestern and a couple more.
 

Isn't conference realignment mostly fueled by football? Because Kansas football is awful.

A 20 team conference seems pretty much the same as splitting up the Big Ten into two different conferences and then having an occasional cross-conference game, kind of like the Big Ten/ACC Challenge or something. A 16 team conference seems a little less ridiculous, hell the ACC is already at 15 if you count Notre Dame. I've seen predictions that the Big XII implodes, and the Pac 12, Big Ten, ACC, and SEC would go to 16 teams each, for a total of 64 power conference teams, with someone like Wake Forest or Iowa State getting demoted, since there are currently 65 power conference teams including Notre Dame, but not including UConn or Cincy.
 



I'd argue there is a reason the new Big Ten logo looks like a 10 and a 16. We're headed to 16 and I think we'll quickly get to the 4 leagues of 16. Pac 10, Big 10, ACC and SEC. Big 12 is all but dead after never agreeing to make a tv channel. We could probably get Oklahoma today if we wanted (but they add almost nothing to tv sets and money). Better to get Texas and BC, if you want a bunch more sets.
 

Winasota Gopher said:
Nd in the west is a kills hot to top many current non conference rivalries games to happen. Either they play mich msu annually on their conference schedule or they operate as an independent.
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Notre Dame is the one that called off talks with Michigan and Michigan State about their annual games. Both Michigan and Sparty want to continue playing annually, but Notre Dame went another direction. They must not want to play them that bad.
 

Cayman said:
Isn't conference realignment mostly fueled by football? Because Kansas football is awful.
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Yes, Kansas is brought aboard to greatly enhance the basketball brand, though in fairness the Jayhawks did appear in the Orange Bowl (2008) fairly recently.
 

Cayman said:
Isn't conference realignment mostly fueled by football? Because Kansas football is awful.

A 20 team conference seems pretty much the same as splitting up the Big Ten into two different conferences and then having an occasional cross-conference game, kind of like the Big Ten/ACC Challenge or something. A 16 team conference seems a little less ridiculous, hell the ACC is already at 15 if you count Notre Dame. I've seen predictions that the Big XII implodes, and the Pac 12, Big Ten, ACC, and SEC would go to 16 teams each, for a total of 64 power conference teams, with someone like Wake Forest or Iowa State getting demoted, since there are currently 65 power conference teams including Notre Dame, but not including UConn or Cincy.
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Yeah, that's basically what I was getting at.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Notre Dame is the one that called off talks with Michigan and Michigan State about their annual games. Both Michigan and Sparty want to continue playing annually, but Notre Dame went another direction. They must not want to play them that bad.
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Good point. I had forgotten they were done. But weren't their talks of them coming back or is that what you are referencing those talks breaking down?
 

Winasota Gopher said:
Good point. I had forgotten they were done. But weren't their talks of them coming back or is that what you are referencing those talks breaking down?
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MSU plays Notre Dame this season and next, then aren't scheduled to play again until 2026 & 2027. Michigan currently isn't scheduled to play Notre Dame through the year 2027.
 

Why stop at 20 teams? How about lumping all Power 5/6 teams into one conference? :rolleyes:
 

At what point is the sum less than the parts? In the scenario described I would think that Big West and the Big East should split, form their own conferences, and be worth more than when combined. At some point the TV deals won't be worth it to keep adding teams.
 

No offense to the OP - because I know it's not your idea, and you are merely being pragmatic - but this is an absolutely idiotic idea. It feels like exurb expansion by money grubbing sleazeballs who won't care what is left in their wake. If they are going this route, who cares about any history (they don't seem to)? Let's just use the list below to make up the new and "improved" Big Ten. Find a viable school in each of the markets listed below and call it a day. (We make the list.)



Maybe add a team from London and Tokyo too. And Beijing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_North_America_by_media_market
 

gall0249 said:
At what point is the sum less than the parts? In the scenario described I would think that Big West and the Big East should split, form their own conferences, and be worth more than when combined. At some point the TV deals won't be worth it to keep adding teams.
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This. At some point, ESPN will want to bid only on B1G 'East' and we'll be back where we started, only in a conference where Nebraska and Kansas replaced Michigan and Ohio State
 

Go for the big dogs in West, add UCLA, Oregon and Arizona instead then we're on our way to 26 team league with TX,, ND and OK.

I would miss the legacy Big10
 



Notre Dame is keeping football for themselves and have a very expensive contract with the ACC with a buyout that exceeds any conference payouts from revenue. Texas is holding football alone as the most valuable piece in college . They would likely go PAC 12. Syracuse has a agreement with the ACC that 50 million would not get them free. Kansas and Iowa St. would be a good fit although KU is not a research university. Missouri just signed a long term 25 year deal with the SEC.
 

Once you lose cross over games between divisions the appeal of the conference to the sports fan begins to diminish. It would be tragic to lose the history across certain sports, little brown jug, Bobby Knight calling a game ever again in the barn, Sid being able to reflect on his good friends from the east would lose all meaning. All humor aside, some leaders need to step forward and determine value lost vs created and set limits.
 

shaggith said:
Why stop at 20 teams? How about lumping all Power 5/6 teams into one conference? :rolleyes:
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If we do that, instead of calling the top the "conference champion" we can just call them the national champion!
 

builtbadgers said:
Notre Dame is keeping football for themselves and have a very expensive contract with the ACC with a buyout that exceeds any conference payouts from revenue. Texas is holding football alone as the most valuable piece in college . They would likely go PAC 12. Syracuse has a agreement with the ACC that 50 million would not get them free. Kansas and Iowa St. would be a good fit although KU is not a research university. Missouri just signed a long term 25 year deal with the SEC.
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Notre Dame will become an Associate Member of the BIG starting in 2017 when they join the BIG for hockey.
 

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