Big East News

[East Coast Mustang]

Which is why maybe the ACC doesnt add UConn because it wasnt to maintain its stability. Losing maryland they might try to ask louisville to go so they can get a decent football school and a good basketball program and thus destroying the BE and maintaining the 5 conferences.

L'Ville not a good academic fit. UConn will get the ACC nod

If Clemson and Florida State do not immediately leave the ACC for the Big 12, the ACC should count itself lucky.

Adding a basketball-first program such as UConn would upset football schools like Florida State and Clemson, giving them further reason to join the Big 12.

It's not like they lost a football powerhouse in Maryland

[SMU_Alumni11]

Exactly, im not really understanding the play by taking maryland other than the tv market argument... maybe even then, im still not sure. Another possibility (someone else mention) is that they are trying to destroy the ACC as well by trying to start a chain reaction.

[Samurai Stang]

Exactly, im not really understanding the play by taking maryland other than the tv market argument... maybe even then, im still not sure. Another possibility (someone else mention) is that they are trying to destroy the ACC as well by trying to start a chain reaction.

The answer is television.

[East Coast Mustang]

TV market, and it might be one last ploy for ND in a 16 team league. Giving the Big Ten an East Coast identity will be appealing to ND

[SMU_Alumni11]

Ahh very possible. I thought ND has already signed and all that fun stuff. Have they not? Is ND that big of a deal to start all this?

[East Coast Mustang]

Ahh very possible. I thought ND has already signed and all that fun stuff. Have they not? Is ND that big of a deal to start all this?

Yes.

[Samurai Stang]

TV market, and it might be one last ploy for ND in a 16 team league. Giving the Big Ten an East Coast identity will be appealing to ND

If it means more money, the Big 10 could easily go as far as 18.

[East Coast Mustang]

TV market, and it might be one last ploy for ND in a 16 team league. Giving the Big Ten an East Coast identity will be appealing to ND

If it means more money, the Big 10 could easily go as far as 18.

You might be diluting the pot too far at that point. Plus how would the league be structured? 10 conference games? I think 16-team conferences with four 4-team divisions, an 11 game regular season schedule, and a 2 round conf championship is the future.

Can you imagine the SEC if they added VT and NCSU and did that this year?

East- Florida, NC St, VT, S Carolina
North- Georgia, Tennessee, Vandy, Kentucky
South- Bama, Auburn, Miss St, Ole Miss
West- LSU, Arkansas, A&M, Mizzou

11 game schedule, on Thanksgiving weekend you have a CBS doubleheader with:

#2 Alabama vs. #7 LSU in Dallas, and #3 Georgia v. #4 Florida in Atlanta. Winner of each game plays the following Saturday in the Superdome for the SEC title and a berth in the national championship. Holy [deleted]. TV ratings and hype would be through the roof.

[SMU_Alumni11]

Im with ECM on that last post. It makes perfect business sense. Lets not kid ourselves, college football is big nasty business.

[JasonB]

ACC has always wanted UCONN, that has been reported previously. That is the school the ACC would be after.

Conferences absolutely could go to 18 teams. Nothing stopping that. 9 teams in each division. 8 conference games against teams in your own division. Winners of each division play each other in the conference championship. Four conference winners get to the playoffs. It essentially makes everything an 8 team playoff. And the non-conference games are meaningless, like pre-season, so you could use those to either set up practice games against lower tier schools or keep rivalries alive.

18*4 teams would essentially take all of the major programs into conferences, and would relegate the other conferences to an official second tier. The question becomes, of course, would we be one of the 72? I think so.

[SMU_Alumni11]

If they went to 18 that would be no doubt all whole new division, heck even 16 teams should suffice that. I almost feel SMU should go to the Big 12, PAC, whoever and say, we will sign a contract where we will agree to (can be whatever) 6 million and renegotiate later. That way we dont cut into the pie and we secure stability and still get money. I feel thats the only way. There is no way to get into these big conferences and be an equal member.

[alyssa]

I was sent this one too about BSU.

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/1 ... rylink=cpy

[East Coast Mustang]

I just think 18 would dilute too much. 16 is as big as they''ll get for awhile. Think about the B10: if they take UMD and Rutgers, and then, say, ND and Mizzou to get to 16, where else do they expand? Kansas doesnt do much for them; ditto for Syracuse, Pitt, and UConn. Probably not enough to justify splitting the pie again. It's all about bringing new TV markets into the fold and maximizing revenue per school.

[Samurai Stang]

I just think 18 would dilute too much. 16 is as big as they''ll get for awhile. Think about the B10: if they take UMD and Rutgers, and then, say, ND and Mizzou to get to 16, where else do they expand? Kansas doesnt do much for them; ditto for Syracuse, Pitt, and UConn. Probably not enough to justify splitting the pie again. It's all about bringing new TV markets into the fold and maximizing revenue per school.

Who else?
Kansas - a national basketball power
North Carolina - strong academics, flagship school
Duke - rivalry with North Carolina makes them a must, strong academics
Boston College - market, strong academics
Georgia Tech - academics, market
Virginia - market, strong academics
Syracuse - academics, basketball. Syracuse is worth more to the Big 10 than you realize. The Big 10 Network is set up to make more money per cable subscriber in states where they have a school. Rutgers might want to claim the same market as Syracuse, but they are in different states.

[lwjr]

Forgive me if this has already been posted but it is official, Maryland is moving to the Big 10 beginning the 2014-2015 school year, per an article in the Washington Times. They still have to deal with ACC exit fee. USA Today is reporting Rutgers could announce their move as early as Tuesday.