ACC goes to 14 (16?); Pac-12 Adds Oklahoma, Okie State ... and Texas??? Will Notre Dame go B1G?

by Husker Mike on Sep 18, 2011 3:13 PM CDT in Conference Realignment

Seismic change seems imminent in college football. With the Big East disintegrating (like the Big XII), will Notre Dame finally see the handwriting on the wall and join the Big Ten? (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The next 24 to 48 hours could be the most volatile period in the history of college football off the field. Yesterday, reports emerged that Pitt and Syracuse were ready to join the ACC. At first, it sounded like the ACC was ready to invite Texas and Notre Dame to join as non-football members. The rumors were that the Longhorns would go independent in football, and like Notre Dame, play baseball, basketball, and other sports in the ACC. That was yesterday.

Now, all that seems to be changing once again. UConn and Rutgers seem now likely to be the 15th and 16th members of the engorged 16-team ACC.

Let's not forget that tomorrow, the Oklahoma Regents are meeting to discuss realignment, almost assuredly to the Pac-12 along with Oklahoma State. Now comes word that Texas is now headed to the Pac-12 as well, as a compromise that retains their beloved Longhorn Network within the Pac-12's media structure. The 16th team? Texas Tech.

If your eyes aren't swimming already at all this, Matt Hayes now reports the inevitable, now that there are 16 team ACC and Pac-16 conferences. The Big Ten and SEC will make the next moves. The SEC already is uneven with 13 teams, and probably are looking to add Maryland and Virginia Tech.

And with the Big East dissolving like the Big XII, Jim Delany will finally claim the big prize. Notre Dame will finally accept an invitation to the Big Ten. That creates an imbalance, and likely brings three more teams to the Big Ten. Rutgers? UConn? Personally, if the B1G goes to 16, I'd love to see Kansas and Missouri come along for the ride.

And from the forgotten leftovers, the remnants of the dissolved Bigs (East and XII) will coddle together a new conference with Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor, Cincinnati, and whatever else is leftover.

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I like reading his stuff

but Matt Hayes is about as connect to this conference expansion game as I am. That’s not saying much.

I still believe big Jim when he says that the Big Ten isn’t expanding right now. The B1G has a lot of leverage and they don’t need to be pressured into making quick moves like the PAC, ACC or Big East.

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by Aaron Musfeldt on Sep 18, 2011 3:27 PM CDT reply actions

If the Big East does collapse (which I’m not convinced it will), and the Irish need a place to land their non-football sports, I think it’s time the B1G offered them a spot at the table for their olympic sports.

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by Aaron Musfeldt on Sep 18, 2011 3:30 PM CDT up reply actions

If Notre Dame ever says they are interested...

…the Big Ten and Jim Delaney become interested again.

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by Husker Mike on Sep 18, 2011 4:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Who would've thought the ACC would destroy college football?

If SEC poaches Maryland (I kind of doubt that, given Maryland’s academic pedigree) or Virginia Tech (more believable though the politics may scare off the SEC), does the ACC scavenge more Big East teams?

Big Ten will expand right now only if Notre Dame waves the white flag. Texas to the Big Ten will not happen.

And the SEC said they didn’t want to go to 16.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 18, 2011 3:30 PM CDT reply actions

West Virginia could very well be the next move (SEC). If they think the Big East is domed, they will try to find a landing spot quickly.

Here’s one for ya. If WV ended up in the ACC, and an offer came to Penn State to join the ACC, would the Lions consider it? There’s a lot of perks with B1G membership, but a lot of Penn State backers would still like to see the school as more of an East Coast institution instead of a Midwestern one.

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by Aaron Musfeldt on Sep 18, 2011 3:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Maybe the B1G drops penn state for notre dame and we still end up with 12 teams?

by Fake Pelini on Sep 18, 2011 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Doubt it

If you are Penn State, do you give up regional rivalries with Ohio State and Michigan you have been cultivating for the past two decades for a conference which is sitting on less money, less prestige, and is very focused on a sport you suck at (Basketball)?

Penn State leaving isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but it isn’t exactly hanging out anywhere close to the likely side of things at this point.

http://victorypolka.blogspot.com/

by KC_HAWKEYE on Sep 18, 2011 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions

ACC won't take WVU (academics).

And ACC is weighing basketball as much as football.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 18, 2011 8:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Personally

I hope the part about Texas and a concession for the Longhorn Network are wrong. I want to see the LHN be the albatross that Texas has to carry around for a while rather than folks trying to be accommodating. There’s no reason others should have to bend to the greed of TeSPNxas.

What I find ironic in all of this is that the Big XII schools that were so upset at being blindsided by the departure of Nebraska and Colorado when the league almost broke last year are here and, once again, apparently caught flat-footed as their names are nowhere among the active parties in the discussions. Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri…if you’re left in the cold, there should be some very specific, pointed demands toward your administration to show they were doing something behind the scenes rather than just telling the band to play on while the ship sank beneath the surface.

by ManAgainstWorld on Sep 18, 2011 4:06 PM CDT reply actions

+1000000

…longhorn fans who still wouldn’t be able to watch their own games

by davereid on Sep 18, 2011 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm afraid the superconference era is going to suck

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 18, 2011 4:09 PM CDT reply actions

I'll go one further

I’m afraid it’s going to kill the sport as we know it. What do the non-superconference teams do? You know the money and media contracts are going to cluster even tighter to the supers than they do now with the BCS leagues. If a Boise State or TCU thinks its hard to get in now, I guarantee they ain’t seen nothing yet.

So if they’re locked out, what then? Do we see a “new” division of ball develop between the elite FBS teams and what is currently FCS for those wanting to continue playing a game similar to what is now with regard to scholarship numbers and such, maybe with some top-end FCS teams coming up to join it? Do we see schools like Wyoming or the Sun Belts falling back to the FCS because it’s more cost-effective and with the big money out of reach, local geographic rivalries are the way to go? Do programs like San Jose State that have flirted with the idea of terminating football over the past decade or two revisit that decision? Does football at a non-Super conference fall victim to Title IX the way several men’s wrestling programs vanished in the 80s and 90s?

This thing is moving so fast and all the focus is on the dollar signs. I don’t think the NCAA has given a moment’s thought to the longterm viability of major college football in a Superconference era. This is a rather significant change for the powers-that-be to be in reactionary mode over…

by ManAgainstWorld on Sep 18, 2011 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't know if the NCAA has much say in this

But I’m right there with you especially when it comes to traditions and everything. I mean, look at the Big 12. When this is all said and done, former Big 12 teams will likely be in the Big Ten, SEC, Big East, PAC 12, and if things really go bad, Mountain West or MAC. I’m a capitalist and everything, but big business is ruining college football.

Nebraska-Oklahoma died because of expansion and we needed balanced divisions. What about Kansas-Missouri if they get split up? Texas-Texas A&M? And now Oklahoma is going to be out west battling Oregon, Arizona, and Cal every year? It might look good on those tv revenue projections, but this isn’t right. I may hate both Boise State and Notre Dame but the Irish’s independence and Boise’s cinderella runs (even as I rooted for the clock to strike 12 and Kellen Moore’s head to turn into a pumpkin) were good for college football. Now we’re going to be stuck with a 64 team junior league of the NFL.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 18, 2011 8:09 PM CDT up reply actions

4 super conferences would suck for all

What would happen when the second team from one is ranked higher than the winner of another conference? For the BCS that would be only 3 bowls when they are talking adding the cotton bowl as a BCS bowl.

by fracas on Sep 18, 2011 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions

This would ultimately end up requiring a system with playoffs

Which is a cause I can get 110% behind.

by Fake Pelini on Sep 18, 2011 9:04 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

BCS = money
Until playoff = money it won’t happen

More likely there would be 4-5 BCS bowls, thus still room for a 5th or 6th super conference

A PAC 16 would completely dominate west of the Mississippi and this would be bad for college football

by fracas on Sep 18, 2011 9:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Most Projections

Show playoffs being more money overall by a fair margin than the current bowl system.

by Fanfman on Sep 19, 2011 11:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, the ACC is being proactive...

but its not like the ’Cuse and Pitt are really landscape changers. When the Big Ten was looking at this last year, their fb tv draws were the same as CU, drawing around a 1 share. I see this as more like that the ACC feels that soon its power will wilt and to undermine the Big East to stabilize its own conference. Pitt and Syr were 2 schools the Big Ten had little, if any, interest in.

UT joins OU to the Pac 10, that is a semisic shift. Since it appears that the Pac 12 is willing to allow UT to basically have everything it wants, seems to me that the Pac 16 it will be.

Google's homepage celebrates too much shit.

by meatybob on Sep 18, 2011 8:50 PM CDT reply actions

Pitt and Cuse

Are excellent basketball schools. Pitt has been in contention recently for a BCS Bowl bid and a top Ten ranking, and Syracuse is bowl-caliber now. Not great football additions, but they aren’t Toledo and the Ohio Bobcats. Solid additions, not gamechangers. If they get Connecticut, then the ACC is dominant in Basketball and solid in football.

by Fanfman on Sep 19, 2011 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions

If the B1G expands

It will be with ND and just maybe Mizzery(shudder) and do not forget Army/Navy. Two schools with ties to ND and impeccable academic cred.
my 2 cents

by HuskerInLandOLakes on Sep 18, 2011 9:18 PM CDT reply actions

I'm not sure Army or Navy would really fit in the Big Ten.

Their independence works well for them. Unlike ND, most schools are willing to schedule the academies.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 18, 2011 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Army and Navy bring tradition

Blue and white collar workk ethic. Do NOT count them out (or the nationwide TV screens) if ND is in the conversation. In my opinion, it would be a coup. The service academy’s are on the rise. Politically and on the field. And do not discount Lacrosse.

by HuskerInLandOLakes on Sep 18, 2011 11:17 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm well aware of the traditions and national fanbase for the academies. (Navy born and raised.)

I would be more than happy for the Big Ten to collect both of them. If they’re on Delany’s radar, I’ll be amazed.

But why not save Air Force and pick up the Colorado market?

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 8:19 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

The dominos are falling!

And everyone is trying to get a seat in one of the 4 superconferences. To me this is a great thing for once all of the power is in hands of 4 commissioners, all they have to do is get together and agree upon a post-season 4 team tourney (4 best teams from each conference) and there will be nothing the BCS backers can do about it. Not to mention they will make a ton of money on tv contracts implementing a tournament. As for the teams on the outside, I’m sure a wild card could be added to the tourney and the #1 ranked team could sit out the first game or something like that.

I know losing traditions and rivalries sucks but if they have to go to get to a tourney then so be it. Our current system of crowning a champion is a joke.

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 2:24 AM CDT reply actions

I have a feeling

that once we get there we’ll discover this is not what we wanted in the first place.

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by Jon Johnston on Sep 19, 2011 8:09 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Truer Words Were Never Spoken (or, er, Written)

"Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?"

by UltimaRatioRegum on Sep 19, 2011 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

How does one do a four team tourney with a #1 seed bye week, exactly?

Even the conference champ will have played at most 10 teams out of 16 conference members (assuming nine game schedule and a novel opponent for championship game).

And what you’re basically drawing up is an East West (Big Ten champ vs ACC, SEC vs PAC16) playoff for a championship…what other league does that? Oh right, the NFL.

Might as well move the National Championship to the Jerry Dome.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 8:28 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

This exactly

The NFL was built as a money making machine, and its done well in that regard….but the football is stale. They recycle coaches, strategies, and players. There aren’t vast cultural differences, there really isn’t much of anything special about the NFL.

99% of the time I’m a laissez faire guy, but I’d have absolutely no problem if Congress or the DOJ got involved and shut this down before it gets going. Not realistic, I know, but college football (all of it, not just Nebraska) is one of my favorite things in the world and I don’t want to see all the good things about it die.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 19, 2011 7:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Damage already done

So many rivalries have already been lost. What is left to die? The BCS that is what.

The 20th century was great and there was a lot of tradition that carried through the entire century. But this is a new century and new traditions will be formed with these new alliances. To me the current system is not legit and the vast majority of its fans do not like it. FBS has become the sports world equivalent of boxing and a laughing stock for how we crown our champion. This needs to end, and if we have to reorder the football landscape to do this then so be it.

If we were to preserve our NU vs OU rivalry, we would have to be in the same conference as Texas. NO thank you.

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 9:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Does TCU still join the Big East

If I am them, all of a suddenthe MWC dont look so bad.

So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!

by Amonra on Sep 19, 2011 10:27 AM CDT reply actions

I would go running back

To the MWC. Same for BYU- with superconferences, BCS teams will schedule even more cupcakes to get wins before they enter the buzzsaw. BYU won’t have anyone to really play, don’t have the national fanbase of the other great independents. A stronger MWC would allow it to at least remain a topic in college football, and with continued success from the middle teams, a chance in the future for upward movement.

by Fanfman on Sep 19, 2011 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions

If you change to a playoff format, non-conference games become irrelevant.

Conference championships will be determined on the field.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions

TCU will still join

Big East is going to merge with the remnants of the Big XII and will create the Frankenstein Conference.

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 10:32 PM CDT up reply actions

If that happens

That is a majorly f’d up conference. Teams in Kansas playing teams from New York and Florida….are you kidding me? They better at least fire Beebe, of course the man would probably resign anyway to be DeLoss Dodds’ secretary.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 19, 2011 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

big 10

I personally would have added to the big 10

Notre Dame- sounds like a big 10 team, and plays all the schools anyways
Iowa State- local school, regional rival with Iowa, has all the major sports
Pittsburgh- before they left, great football and b-ball tradition, closer to the center of the conference than Penn State is
Missouri- dont have to worry about KU vs KSU issues… KU is a b-ball school anyways

to PAC 16-
texas, ok, ok st and boise? texas tech

SEC
A&M, South Florida?, West Virginia? Baylor? Boise? Texas Tech?

ACC-

West Virginia? Rutgers? Uconn? (need 2 out of 3 i guess)

by mask5 on Sep 19, 2011 10:45 AM CDT reply actions

No way Iowa State gets anywhere near the B1G

It wont happen, Iowa wouldnt let it happen, plus they dont bring anything new.
Also, Boise isnt going to the PAC

My projections:
PAC 16 will get OK, OK ST, Texas and Texas Tech.
SEC will get Texas A&M, W. Virginia, Louisville & either Maryland/ South Florida/ Rutgers
MWC getting Kansas, Kansas ST, Iowa ST, Houston/ Baylor and Possibly getting BYU and TCU back.
B1G gets Notre Dame and Mizzou
ACC gets Connicut and Cincinatti

I also think that the MWC could take the Bi2 12 name and AQ status.

So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!

by Amonra on Sep 19, 2011 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Why does B1G stop at 14?

If they’re going to expand to keep up with the Joneses, they have to finish the job.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions

There is no one that the B1G wants after 14

if they cant get ND, they wont go to 14

So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!

by Amonra on Sep 19, 2011 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Hm, good point.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep

I still say the Big Ten is making a massive mistake by not making an exception for OU’s academics.

Had I been Delany:

1. Notre Dame
2. Oklahoma (the legislature would let them split with OSU once the Pokes got their Pac invite).
3. Texas (provided they drop the LHN and all other special privileges)
4. Missouri
5. (If Texas won’t budge on their special privileges): Maryland, Syracuse, Pitt, or Rutgers

That would be one juggernaut of a conference, and I think that it would be eminently doable.

But since we’re dealing with as things are, take Mizzou, ND and call it a day. ND is a huge addition and Missouri could at least hit the current average in terms of generating revenue for the conference.

In any case, this still sucks. The Big Ten and the SEC are going to be the only conferences that make any geographic and cultural sense after all this is done.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 19, 2011 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions

OK St is not getting an invite to the PAC with out OK

So I tried the Barbasol and Rotel dip and I was very dissapointed!

by Amonra on Sep 19, 2011 9:17 PM CDT up reply actions

This.

Texas was never dropping LNH either.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Yep PAC is positioning its self to be a power house

It will be the PAC & SEC and everybody else. Too bad the B1G could of grabbed the lions share of money and power with Texas, ND, and OU. But to be honest I would very much rather be as far away from UT as possible. I predict them to cause the PAC problems (surprise surprise) and eventually declare themselves independent….it is their destiny.

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions

I get the feeling the B1G is going to be the pokey puppy

I see PAC, ACC, and SEC going to 16 teams in a heart beat given how the dominos are set to fall. But who will the B1G pick up rather than Dame and MU (If Dame comes at all)? Will we be the last to 16 if not be stuck at 14 due to the rigorous expectations of Delaney and co.? Which could hurt our vitality if other superconferences form…

The Big XII and Big East are not just going to disappear when all is said and done. They are talking about merging the two conferences to form yet another superconference (would need 4 more teams but I’m sure there would be takers). The other overlooked conferences could do the same. What happens when we get 5 or 6 superconferences? And what happens to us if our conference refused to go past 14 if not expand at all?

by BledRed on Sep 19, 2011 10:21 PM CDT reply actions

Big Ten won't be caught flat-footed. They've had a plan since last season.

"I did dumb things." - Tim Beck, Nebraska's new OC

by Salt Creek and Stadium on Sep 19, 2011 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions

True enough

If they wanted Syracuse or Pittsburgh, they could still get them. $25 million a year vs $8 million? Even before you add in perks like the BTN, that academic association thing, and the Big Ten’s historical prestige advantage over the ACC it’s no contest. The SEC and the Pac 12 are the only two conferences the Big Ten wouldn’t be able to poach from.

"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne

by jdhusker on Sep 20, 2011 1:14 AM CDT up reply actions

The B1G doesn't want to be the Biggest

They want to be the best. So unless (a) Notre Dame wants in, (b) Texas doesn’t want LHN anymore, © the SEC expands beyond 14, or (d) the NCAA or BCS make 14 or 16 team conferences more desirable than a 12 team conference, the Big Ten stays as is.

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by Husker Mike on Sep 20, 2011 12:29 PM CDT up reply actions