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haha, it would be funny for Bebee to stand up tomorrow and say this...
It’s almost assuredly too late for the Big 12 and the Big East to make the bold moves that could save them.
They could try though. If Beebe and current Big East commissioner John Marinatto want to display real leadership, they can tell their current members to sit tight and allow them to build a consensus for a real football postseason that will solve all their revenue problems. They need to stand up and declare Armageddon is here and it’s time to get serious. The other leagues and Notre Dame would be all for it. The SEC and ACC would be smart to approve simply as a defense against Big Ten and Pac-10 aggression. Or in the ACC’s case, the inevitable SEC pillaging of its teams.
Go ahead and dare the Big Ten and Pac-10 to not come along. See how long Gordon Gee lasts as Ohio State president when he tells Buckeye fans they will no longer be competing for the national title. In the meantime, send your recruiters to Cleveland and Detroit.
A 16-team playoff could be up and running by 2014 – which would immediately change all the revenue models.
Then Beebe could show that teams such as Nebraska and Texas could make more money while enjoying a clearer road to that thrilling postseason by staying home. He would be able to offer a future that’s brighter than the one offered by the Big Ten or Pac-10.
At the end of the day this has always been about the BCS and billions in revenue it has cost cash-starved college athletics.
Jim Delany just didn’t tell his peers.
And they weren’t smart enough to figure it out themselves.
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