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

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

MU would be smart to say in the Big 12 if it holds together...

JMO...

Perhaps.

But MU isn't OU or TX - the money makes a very very real difference for this program.

If MU wants a new weight room, they can't currently just call up T Boone Pickens and make it happen. They can't just call up a few TX oil millionaires and get it done. They need to work for that money.

For the sake of their record, they'd be better served to stay in the XII. But if they truly want to take a step forward in raw quality (though their record may not reflect it), the SEC would be a great move. They'll get serious conference revenue and they'd get more booster money involved as well w/ the new energy and what would likely be a very ambitious 'mission statement'.

I certainly see both sides. This isn't as easy as the B1G conversation was (if the invite comes, you leave); there are legitimate reasons to stay or go.

And again, it's all presuming that A) The Tweet isn't BS (it could be) and B) MU gets an SEC bid (it likely won't).

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by KcMizzou

@robcassidy22 Rob Cassidy
It should be pointed out that this Twitter account reporting BYU will accept a Big 12 invite is a fan account.

320 followers

Like that makes any difference at this point.

If true, I'm fine with it.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by frazod

Like that makes any difference at this point.

If true, I'm fine with it.

Rumors are going batshit crazy...

[Reerun_KC]

BTW happy B-day Frazod

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

BTW happy B-day Frazod

nlm

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by blaise

"Hello, you have reached Big 10 offices. No one is available to take your call. Please leave a message."

Beep.

Hey, this is Missouri. I think maybe your phone is broken. I've left like 8 messages. Anyway, I can't stand these guys over here. Don't tell them I said anything, but could we maybe hang out and go to a movie or something? I'll be here. If I don't answer...hello?...hello?.....Oh, I though you picked up. Anyway, if I don't answer leave a message so I at least know your phone is working. Bye.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Perhaps.

But MU isn't OU or TX - the money makes a very very real difference for this program.

If MU wants a new weight room, they can't currently just call up T Boone Pickens and make it happen. They can't just call up a few TX oil millionaires and get it done. They need to work for that money.

For the sake of their record, they'd be better served to stay in the XII. But if they truly want to take a step forward in raw quality (though their record may not reflect it), the SEC would be a great move. They'll get serious conference revenue and they'd get more booster money involved as well w/ the new energy and what would likely be a very ambitious 'mission statement'.

I certainly see both sides. This isn't as easy as the B1G conversation was (if the invite comes, you leave); there are legitimate reasons to stay or go.

And again, it's all presuming that A) The Tweet isn't BS (it could be) and B) MU gets an SEC bid (it likely won't).

I'm pretty sure all schools are going to have to give some sort of guarantees for BYU to commit to the Big 12.

[eazyb81]

Can't get much lower than getting trolled by Mormons.

[Lzen]

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/college...ahoma-schools/Pac-12 expansion: The case for the Oklahoma schools

Posted by Jon Wilner on September 7th, 2011 at 6:19 pm | Categorized as BCS football, Larry Scott, Oklahoma football, Pac-12 Conference, Pac-12 football, realignment, Texas football
8:45 p.m. update: If this espn.com report is accurate, Big 12 politics may bottle things up for a period of time (days? weeks?). And if Texas is, in fact, one of the teams trying to force Oklahoma into staying put, it would seem to support the notion that UT desperately wants to keep the Big 12 viable. That conference is a 24/7 circus.
Barring breaking news, this will probably be my final realignment-related post of the week because, well, I’ve got a top-10 team to cover (Stanford) and a cross-country trip to make (Durham).
But I wanted to flush out a few items than have been addressed on the Hotline this week — to explain, best I can, the Pac-12′s approach to the Oklahoma situation.
Before we get deep into Bedlam matters, however, let me say, for the record, that I have no idea what’s going to happen – and I don’t think anybody does, including Pac-12 commish Larry Scott and Texas AD DeLoss Dodds.
I think there’s a decent chance the Big 12 could stay together in some fashion and I think there’s a decent chance Texas could be in the Pac-16 by the end of next week …
Or the Big 12 could shatter in days with the Longhorns declaring football independence.

I don’t how it will end, but of this I am as close to certain as you can be (at least on matters with so many potential pitfalls):
If the Oklahoma schools officially apply for membership to the Pac-12 … and there are many steps between here and there, let’s not forget … then they’ll be admitted into the conference regardless of what Texas does.
In other words: The Pac-12 is willing to become the Pac-14 without knowing when it would become the Pac-16 — or knowing the ID of the 15th and 16th teams.
And here’s why:
*** Yes, the dynamics at the presidential level have changed.
In the spring of 2010, the Pac-10 CEOs were hungry for growth — they wanted to get bigger, they wanted to get richer, they wanted to catch up, and overtake, their BCS peers.
In the fall of 2011, that mission has been accomplished and the Pac-12 CEOs have very little appetite for growth. They are fat with the richest TV contract in college sports history and have their own national and regional network, which will eventually a cash cows.
However, the CEOs will eat if they must.
*** Scott’s view, best I can tell from talking to sources, is that the moment one of the 12-team leagues goes to 13, the era of the super-conference is upon us because there’s no way that league is stopping at 13 — it will expand to 14 and likely 16.
The Pac-12 won’t be the first to 13. No chance of that.
But if the SEC goes to 13 — and it will if/when the legal issues are resolved — then the Pac-12 will take the approach that the SEC is headed to 16 and the Big Ten will expand to at least 14 (and possibly 16) when its current TV deal is up in a few years.
And looking at that landscape … with the SEC headed to 16 and the Big Ten to 14 or more … the Pac-12 CEOs would be willing to expand again.
*** They don’t want to be the Pac-14 right now, but they’d accept the Oklahoma schools and become the Pac-14 in order to protect the conference down the road — to give it the size and power to compete with the expanded SEC and Big Ten.
If the CEOs were to pass on OU and OSU now — especially if they were to pass on a football brand as powerful and lucrative as Oklahoma’s — there’s no guarantee they could get them later.
At least, that’s my sense of how the Pac-12′s power brokers are approaching the current situation.
*** And if Oklahoma and OSU were to climb aboard in the next few days or weeks, then Scott would take the time to make sure Texas is off the table … and then he’d move on.
How long he’d wait for Texas to decide its future, I have no idea. But eventually the Pac-14 would examine other options for its 15th and 16th teams. (The league has probably done some of that legwork already.)
Without question, Kansas and Kansas State would be given serious consideration — and those schools would know they were receiving serious consideration, thus delaying a possible move to the Big East.
Guessing along with Scott is a risky, risky venture, but I think he thinks the Kansas basketball brand is strong enough to offset the weak football brand … and strong enough to haul KSU along with it.
Then again, it’s possible the conference would stop at 14.
*** How long will it take?
If and when A&M officially joins the SEC, the power brokers at Texas and Oklahoma (and the Big 12 and ESPN) would have to do some serious thinking/negotiating … and then the Oklahoma schools would have to apply for Pac-12 membership … and Scott would have to get his CEOs on board … and then Texas would have to make a decision on its future … and then maybe some more negotiating …
How does Monday sound?
(Just kidding. I think.)


* Follow me @WilnerHotline on Twitter.
* Download the Bay Area News Group’s new iPad app for more college sports and other news, or check out college sports coverage on MercuryNews.com.

[Lzen]

Baylor’s Plan B? The Big East

By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports 3 hours, 23 minutes ago








Baylor administrators have had discussions with the Big East and are confident the league would extend an invitation to the Bears if the Big 12 implodes, a source with knowledge of the conversations told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday night.
“There haven’t been any guarantees,” the source said. “But [Baylor] feels strongly that that’s what would happen.”
Big East officials declined to comment, but it’s certainly not difficult to see why the conference would value Baylor. The Bears are surging in football and men’s basketball and are a perennial contender for the NCAA title in women’s basketball.

[Jason King: Kansas fits Pac-12 hoops]
If 20th-ranked Baylor maintains its spot in the Associated Press football poll, it will likely be one of only two schools in the country (Texas A&M the other) ranked in all three sports when the basketball season opens in November. Also, with TCU set to join the league in 2012, the Big East sees the importance of adding another Texas school.
With the Big 12 losing Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-12 this season, the potential makeup of the conference seems to change by the minute.
The SEC agreed earlier this week to extend an invitation to Texas A&M – but only if the other nine Big 12 schools waived their rights to pursue litigation against the SEC. On Wednesday it was reported that Baylor had refused to agree to those terms. By the end of the day, seven other schools – Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State – had joined the Bears in their stand.
Why did the Bears hunker down?
“Why wouldn’t we?” a school official said.
Indeed, Baylor’s refusal to waive its legal rights had nothing to do with trying to get back at Texas A&M or animosity toward the SEC. It was about common sense. The Bears and other schools are simply trying to protect themselves.
Baylor hasn’t threatened to sue Texas A&M. School officials said Wednesday they have no plans to pursue litigation against the Aggies.
At least not yet.
But what if Texas A&M leaves, the Big 12 implodes and Baylor ends up in the Big East, where the TV package is worth, say, $5 million less than the contract the Bears had in the Big 12? That’s a pretty big financial loss brought on all because the Aggies decided to jump to the SEC. Would Baylor pursue legal action then?
“I’m sure we’d consider it,” the university source said. “But I’m sure everyone would. Why wouldn’t you?”
A move to the Big East would significantly increase travel budgets for schools such as Baylor, Kansas State and Kansas. Flying from Waco to Philadelphia to play Villanova, for example, would be much more costly than a 60-minute trip to Stillwater. And we aren’t just talking about travel for football and men’s basketball. Other men’s and women’s sports’ itineraries would be massively impacted.
Baylor certainly doesn’t have any reason to do any favors for Texas A&M. Still, the Bears aren’t the ones stopping the Aggies from joining the SEC. The SEC – not Baylor or the Big 12 – is the party that imposed the stipulation regarding litigation rights. The SEC is free to lift it anytime, which would pave the way for the Aggies to change conferences.
Looking out for its financial interests wasn’t Baylor’s only motivation Wednesday. Even though the likelihood of a Big East invite exists, the truth is Baylor covets its spot in the Big 12. It doesn’t want to end up in the Big East or another conference. The Bears can see the absurdity the situation would create. By delaying the process for another week or two, they hope other schools, including the linchpin, Oklahoma, will come to that realization, too.
Baylor and its allies hope Oklahoma thinks of the traditions and rivalries lost and the economic impact for fans the end of the Big 12 would bring. If the Sooners head to the Pac-12, then the Big 12 is likely dead. On the flip side, Oklahoma could save the league by reaffirming its allegiance.
The coming days and weeks will redefine the landscape of a league and of college sports.

[Lzen]

Pac-ing a greater punch

By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports Sep 6, 12:10 am EDT









For the past two seasons the Pac-12 has been considered the weakest major college basketball conference in the nation.
By far.
That won’t change if the league adds Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as has been widely speculated. Throwing the Longhorns into the mix would provide a marginal boost, but the other three teams won’t significantly improve the league. At least not in the immediate future.




Bill Self's Kansas program would be a big boost to Pac-12 hoops.
(Howard Smith/US Presswire)

That’s why the Pac-12 needs to re-think its options and examine the situation more carefully. If it does it will realize the smartest move would be to ditch Texas Tech in favor of Kansas. Here’s why the decision would make sense:
The Pac-12 doesn’t need Texas Tech. As long as the Longhorns are there, the league will be relevant in Texas and have a huge television presence throughout the state. Having Kansas in the conference, though, would give the Pac-12 a whole new media market in the Midwest. So there’s one thing Kansas offers that Texas Tech can’t.
Pac-12 rules prohibit single-school networks, but along with its league-wide network, the Pac-12 does have six regional networks, each featuring two schools. That means Texas could likely keep its Longhorn Network if it adapted to the Pac-12 model and partnered with another school. The assumption is that Texas would partner with Texas Tech. That scenario begs one question: Why? What’s the attraction? Texas should set the bar higher. You want a mega-network that’s viewed by millions? How about partnering Texas with Oklahoma?
Texas Tech football is obviously on a higher level than Kansas football, but it’s not as if the Red Raiders are surging right now. The program has been on a decline since the Mike Leach mess two years ago. Considering the momentum behind in-state programs such as Texas A&M, Baylor and TCU, it may be awhile before Texas Tech becomes a perennial Top 25 team again. Still, Kansas doesn’t compare to the Red Raiders in terms of fan interest, the ability to lure top recruits and overall potential. But should that really matter? The new Pac-12 would be stocked with Top 25-caliber programs such as Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Cal, Oklahoma State, Stanford and others. Plus, the Jayhawks – who won the Orange Bowl in 2008 – aren’t always terrible. They just have been lately. Adding a struggling Kansas program to that mix certainly wouldn’t damage the prestige of the league, especially when the move would help in so many other areas.
In Kansas basketball, the Pac-12 would be getting a national program, a national brand. Texas Tech can’t offer that in any sport. As the signature team, the Jayhawks would bring instant credibility to a league whose other big draw (UCLA) continues to underachieve. The coast-to-coast exposure the Jayhawks would command would benefit the entire conference. Which game would have a better chance of appearing on national television: Cal vs. Texas Tech, or Cal vs. Kansas?
It’s not as if Texas Tech’s athletic program is terrible. Across the board, it appears in much better shape than the one at Kansas. The lure of Kansas basketball, though, should be enough to convince the Pac-12 to take the Jayhawks over the Red Raiders. It’d be unfortunate for Texas Tech, which would clearly be the most expendable option in this scenario. Texas and Oklahoma are obviously shoo-ins, and Oklahoma State provides a national-caliber football team – and Boone Pickens’ millions.
Developments in the coming days should be interesting. While it seems more likely that Kansas will end up in the Big East, the Pac-12 seems like a better fit.

[sedated]

nice for King to throw us a bone, but that is a homer article all the way.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by sedated

nice for King to throw us a bone, but that is a homer article all the way.

LOL yeah.

The funny thing is that he's a Baylor grad.

[Saul Good]

The Big East just called me and offered to let me join their conference. It seems that they are planning on adding several thousand new members.

[Saulbadguy]

http://goemaw.com/forum/index.php?topic=14505.0

We at goEMAW would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new conference brothers, the BYU Cougars. Some of you may be curious about their beliefs. Well, you will be happy to know that we share many similarities and only a few differences. For one, they love America, a very patriotic group. Also, they love family and friends. You will never meet a more devoted group of people. Honesty is another one of their traits. A BYU grad will not steer you wrong when it comes to business or personal interactions. Finally, they hate black people.

So, please join me in welcoming our new conference brethren the BYU Cougars!