Big 10 Report: Conference Realignment

[Mr. Laz]

A source in St. Louis familiar with the situation told NewsCenter 16 Thursday afternoon that Missouri will leave the Big XII and soon join the Big 10. Other schools expected to follow the Tigers are Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers and Nebraska.

Many have speculated that such an expansion would include Notre Dame but ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick told me today that the Irish prefer to stay independent in football and in the Big East for other sports. Swarbrick said maintaining football Independence is such a part of what Notre Dame is.

He went on to say the Big East is a great partner for the University in other sports.

"We do have to monitor what is going on," Swarbrick said. "There will be significant shifts. "Hopefully we can navigate them by keeping our football independent and keeping our Big East affiliation because that is what we care about."

The move of Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers to the Big Ten from the Big East could categorically change the landscape of the Big East itself. Thus, what Swarbrick is referring to when stating the University must continue to monitor what is going on.

The interview with Swarbrick was done before the late afternoon announcement.

http://www.wndu.com/sports/headlines/92447574.html

[kepp]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Potential sleeper conference for Mizzou.........................SEC. Heard it from an Arkansas booster today, so who knows.

I've heard that mentioned as an alternative if we get shafted by the Big10 and the Big12 folds. I wouldn't mind it, though we'd get slaughtered in football for a while.

[sedated]

Honestly, I don't see why there isn't an option to keep a central conference in the place of the Big 12. There will be 5 schools left (KU, KSU, ISU, MU, Baylor/Colorado).

There are a bunch of mid-major footbal programs that, combined, scream for BCS designation:
Boise State
Utah
BYU
TCU
Houston
Lousiville
Cincinatti
Navy
(...and...Notre Dame)

Plus a couple of strong basketball programs:
New Mexico
UNLV

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by kepp

I've heard that mentioned as an alternative if we get shafted by the Big10 and the Big12 folds. I wouldn't mind it, though we'd get slaughtered in football for a while.

Yeah, I live in SEC country. Guess I could drive to Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, Oxford and Auburn and watch us get pounded.

[luv]

I can't wait until Friday gets here.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Potential sleeper conference for Mizzou.........................SEC. Heard it from an Arkansas booster today, so who knows.

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Yeah, I live in SEC country. Guess I could drive to Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, Oxford and Auburn and watch us get pounded.

One one hand, I'd love to be able to catch an MU game while I'm living in Tuscaloosa. On the other hand, Mizzou football will get crushed (though basketball could do quite well).

[KChiefs1]

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com...n-big-ten.html

The Big Red will be joining the Big Ten.

A source with knowledge of the expansion talks has confirmed to the Tribune that Nebraska will be invited to apply for Big Ten membership, a mere formality in the process. An announcement is expected Friday.

The league has not determined, the source said, whether it will remain at 12 schools or expand to 14.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Sunday that the league "could act and act again" -- meaning that expansion could occur in phases..

Clearly, Delany knew that Nebraska, facing a loyalty ultimatum from the Big 12, would need resolution this week.

The Big Ten remains interested in both Notre Dame and Rutgers, and Delany appears willing to wait for a final response from the Irish.

A source at Notre Dame, though, indicated that the school likely has "moved on," with another saying that a top Notre Dame official assured the Big East that it intends to keep teams such as men's and women's basketball in the league.

If that's the case, the Big Ten appears likely to cap at 12 teams.

Part of the Big Ten's motivation to add only one school is its desire to avoid being viewed as responsible for causing college football Armageddon.

Texas officials have indicated that if Nebraska leaves, the Big 12 would dissolve, with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado poised to join the Pac-10.

The New York Times reported that top officials at Texas and Texas A&M will meet Thursday in a final effort to keep the league intact. Adding a school such as TCU would do just that.

Those Big 12 talks -- and the potential breakup of the league -- could affect Nebraska's financial penalty and whether the Cornhuskers can join the Big Ten by 2011.

Nebraska had been hell-bent on joining the Big Ten, a source said, and the interest was mutual. The Big Ten gets a huge name to boost its brand and it gives the league three of the five winningest Division I programs in history (along with Michigan and Ohio State; the other two are Notre Dame and Texas).

It allows the conference to form two divisions and create a conference title game, addressing Penn State coach Joe Paterno's criticism that the league now takes a siesta in December.

One logical projection would have Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota in the West and Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana in the East.

While it creates marquee, TV-friendly games such as Nebraska-Iowa and Nebraska-Wisconsin, expanding to 12 won't do much to stretch the reach of the Big Ten Network, which became profitable in its second year by attracting 45 million TV households.

Nebraska is a state of 1.8 million people and its largest TV market, Omaha, ranks 76th nationally with around 410,000 TV homes. That's smaller than Toledo.

Tom Osborne, the Nebraska athletic director who coached the Cornhuskers to national titles in 1994, '95 and '97 (shared with Michigan), said during a recent radio appearance that the school was not motivated by a publicly perceived beef with Big 12 rival Texas.

"This decision is not going to be based on animosity or petty jealousy," Osborne said. "You're talking about something that could maintain for the next 75-100 years

[kepp]

Originally Posted by sedated

Honestly, I don't see why there isn't an option to keep a central conference in the place of the Big 12. There will be 5 schools left (KU, KSU, ISU, MU, Baylor/Colorado).

There are a bunch of mid-major footbal programs that, combined, scream for BCS designation:
Boise State
Utah
BYU
TCU
Houston
Lousiville
Cincinatti
Navy
(...and...Notre Dame)

Plus a couple of strong basketball programs:
New Mexico
UNLV

Navy? NOOOOOOOOO!!

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Potential sleeper conference for Mizzou.........................SEC. Heard it from an Arkansas booster today, so who knows.

Insiders have been telling us this for awhile but I'm not sure I would like it.
KU would have a much easier road to hoe in the MWC vs MU in the SEC.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

PeteThamelNYT: I talked to Bill Self today. He wasn't a happy guy. Looks bad for KU.

Probably because 3 of KU's top 4 forwards next year were injured in a scrimmage today. I doubt he's scouring the message boards like us losers.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by sedated

Probably because 3 of KU's top 4 forwards next year were injured in a scrimmage today. I doubt he's scouring the message boards like us losers.

Yes.

I am sure the Big 12 breaking up is of no concern to him.

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Yes.

I am sure the Big 12 breaking up is of no concern to him.

Well he did an interview today if you really care what he thinks.

http://theshiver.com/2010/06/kansas-...ts-with-media/

a couple of things

On if he pays attention to conference realignment talk: “It’s all that I think about at this point…”

“If this thing falls apart,” we won’t be able to go after the same kind of recruits.

Nebraska/Ohio State isn’t going to be a great rivalry. It’s still going to be Ohio State and Michigan. Ohio State/Nebraska will be a nice “other game.”

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

Well he did an interview today if you really care what he thinks.

http://theshiver.com/2010/06/kansas-...ts-with-media/

a couple of things

Yea Nebraska/Ohio State won't be a good rivarly game

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by billay

Yea Nebraska/Ohio State won't be a good rivarly game

Nebraska/Ohio State will be a good game he's just saying it won't be a rivalry. For example OU/UT is a rivalry UT/NU is a good game.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by ArrowheadHawk

Nebraska/Ohio State will be a good game he's just saying it won't be a rivalry. For example OU/UT is a rivalry UT/NU is a good game.

UT/Nebraska would be a rivalry game if they played every year and it's the game Nebraska fans look forward to the most this year. If Nebraska/OSU play every year they will be rivals. Just Like Iowa/Nebraska will no doubt be a rivalry game. It makes perfect sense for Nebraska to go to the Big Ten.

[alanm]

Originally Posted by billay

Who just Iowa? I could see Ohio State and Michigan too.

Don't forget Penn St.