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

[Reerun_KC]

I still like this and wouldnt cry if this happened... Football would be average to best, Nothing special. But the basketball would be insane, Just freaking off the charts! Hell take out Marshall and replace them with Kentucky. You would have the makings of hoops heaven all in one conference...


MEGA EAST
Western Division
Kansas
Kansas State
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Louisville
Memphis
Wake Forest
Virginia Tech
Marshall

Eastern Division
Connecticut
Syracuse
West Virginia
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
Duke
North Carolina
North Carolina State

[DaKCMan AP]

A Beautiful Move: Texas A&M to SEC?
Clay Travis
Senior NCAA Writer

In the conference expansion race, the University of Texas is the hot chick at the bar whose dad is a multimillionaire. Everyone wants her. Texas A&M is her less attractive younger sister who you would think was really hot if she wasn't the sister of the hot chick, a solid eight who is invisible standing next to a spectacular 10. Meanwhile, Baylor and Texas Tech are the ugly, cross-eyed step-sisters, they'd have no pull if it weren't for their proximity to the attractive sisters. Presently it appears that the Pac-10 is so in love with Texas that they're willing to take all four schools to get into the rich Texas television market. But let's not kid anyone: without Texas no one is coming after Baylor and Texas Tech and asking them to join a new conference.

At all.

So far, most speculation has focused on the four Texas schools as a package deal. And lost amid all the posturing associated with whether Baylor or Colorado will get the final offer to join the Big 12 has been this question: What if Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive pulled a fast one and managed to recruit away Texas A&M from the three other Texas schools leaving for the Pac-16 (or whatever name you like best)?

Think that's far-fetched?

I don't.
Here's why: Mike Slive is smart.

While he refused to address what schools, if any, he'd had expansion conversations with, it's no secret that the SEC has long sought to enter the lucrative Texas market in the past. But Slive would be aware that the last time the SEC tried to expand into Texas, the state legislature raised issues with the move. He would know that adding Texas and Texas A&M by themselves, as every conference would prefer, wasn't likely to happen due to political pressure. He'd know the price for those two schools would be much steeper.

When I asked Slive whether the Pac-10's move to woo the six Big 12 schools surprised him, he said it did not.

So you have to assume that's he's seen some version of this scenario playing out.

Now let's channel the Oscar winning film A Beautiful Mind and return to our analogy about the girls at the bar. In the movie, you'll recall that the the genius scientist, John Nash, uses game theory to create an optimal pick-up situation for he and his friends. Let's put Slive in the John Nash role now at the bar. If you know you can't get Texas, the perfect 10, alone, and you know you can't get Texas and her sister, Texas A&M, the solid 8, alone, those options are out the window. What's more, you definitely wouldn't want Texas Tech and Baylor, the cross-eyed step-sisters of Texas football, but because you know your offer to Texas will be rejected without those two schools, could you make a creative move and approach Texas A&M, the attractive younger sister of the knockout, and make her yours all by herself?

Maybe.

Let's examine why this could be the perfect game theory move in the event the SEC wants to expand into Texas.

1. Texas A&M might well benefit from joining the SEC over the Pac-16.

Why?

Because nothing really changes for A&M in the Pac-16. It is still lost in the penumbra of Texas' hotness, always playing second fiddle. A&M in the SEC would be able to market itself as the SEC team in Texas, the lone opportunity for hotshot Texas recruits to play football in the best football conference in America.

Right now, what distinguishes A&M from Texas?

Not much, right?

But could Texas A&M plus the conference cachet of the SEC challenge Texas for state superiority?

I think so.

Wouldn't entering a recruit's living room and selling him on an experience that no one else in Texas can have -- that is, stay in the state close to home but play in the most football mad schools in the country on a regular basis -- be incredibly beneficial to the school?

Plus, it would open up the fertile recruiting fields of the South to A&M.

I think entering the SEC offers A&M the only chance it may have for generations to truly challenge Texas for state superiority.

2. The Pac-16 would grit its teeth and proceed because it allows them to take Colorado and Baylor.

Politically, the new conference would be unlikely to fight the move of Texas A&M to the SEC.

Why?

Because it eliminates the need for the conference to make a tough choice between Colorado, the school it wants, and Baylor, the school it's being forced to take.

This way they'd get both schools.

Ultimately the Pac-16 wants A&M, but losing the school wouldn't end the deal.

3. Slive raises the price for the Pac-16's pursuit of Texas.

Instead of waltzing into the state and splitting away the state's two premier football programs, the Pac-16 gets one major addition and the two weaker programs.

Putting these schools into context, Texas is overall the No. 1 highest revenue athletic department in the country while Texas A&M is right around 20.

Both are incredibly strong additions to any conference in America.

Meanwhile, Baylor and Texas Tech are 56th and 58th in total athletic revenues meaning both schools fall beneath Vanderbilt in total athletic revenues.

So Slive could swoop into the lucrative Texas television market while upping the price for the addition of Texas.

It's brilliant.

4. The other three Texas schools would all be moving to better conference situations as well, so they wouldn't mind splitting up.

The idea that the Texas schools are sticking together out of loyalty is crap. The reason Baylor and Texas Tech want to be with Texas and Texas A&M is because the two premier programs in the state offer each the best route to a new destination.

If the SEC or the Big Ten offered Baylor tomorrow, do you think Baylor is staying in a tenuous Big 12 position uncertain of a Pac-16 offer or leaping?

It is leaping.

With this move, three schools to the Pac-16 and one to the SEC, everyone is in a more lucrative financial position than they were in before expansion.

If everybody is winning, all four schools don't have to go the same place.

The schools only have to go to the same place to keep a school from losing.

5. A&M could still play Texas on the Friday before Thanksgiving, only now it would be an out-of-conference game.

Stop with these rivalry ending e-mails before they even start.

The game at the end of the year would still happen, it would just be an out-of-conference tilt. Honestly, the brand new Pac-16 vs. the SEC would probably make it a bigger national game than it already is.

And the game would retain all of the regional hate that it already has. There's already a template for these out-of-conference rivalry games in the SEC since Florida plays Florida State and South Carolina plays Clemson on the same weekend.

What's more, since the yearly Texas A&M vs. Arkansas game would now become a conference event, there's an easy slot to allow the out-of-conference game to fit into.

The SEC would then have the option of adding one ACC team from Florida, likely Florida State, and sticking at 14 or raiding the southern ACC schools and ending the ACC as we know it.

Only one question remains: does the man who has kept more quiet than any conference commissioner throughout this entire process have a plan to squire away the state of Texas's solid eight?

I think Mike Slive just might.

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/201...-aandm-to-sec/

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/201...-aandm-to-sec/
[/color][/left]

A&M to SEC would be funny as shit. FU UT.

[DaKCMan AP]

The new conference would be split into divisions with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado forming an Eastern Division with Arizona and Arizona State opposite the former Pac-8 (USC, UCLA, Stanford, Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State) in the Western Division.

The coach said it's possible the Pac-16 would push for two automatic bids to the BCS, one for each division champion. That potential bonanza could open the possibility of the two division champs from one league playing for the national title, and it would eliminate the need for a conference championship game.

"The Pac-10 doesn't believe in a championship game," the coach said. "And coaches in the Big 12 don't like it anyway."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5270048

Translation: We want to get 2 teams from our conference in a Championship game so we don't have to play a team from the SEC and can, therefore, get a guaranteed NC.

Having a 16 team conference with 2 8-team divisions with an auto-bid from each division and NO conference championship game? BS. I don't see the other conferences ever agreeing to that garbage.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

I still like this and wouldnt cry if this happened... Football would be average to best, Nothing special. But the basketball would be insane, Just freaking off the charts! Hell take out Marshall and replace them with Kentucky. You would have the makings of hoops heaven all in one conference...


MEGA EAST
Western Division
Kansas
Kansas State
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Louisville
Memphis
Wake Forest
Virginia Tech
Marshall

Eastern Division
Connecticut
Syracuse
West Virginia
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
Duke
North Carolina
North Carolina State

Substitute Missouri for Marshall and that's a damn fine league. At this point, I personally think Mizzou will NOT have an invite to the B10.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by billay

We ask just one thing, Jim. Treat them right. Roll out the red carpet for the Big Red. They're special - as in reerunED.

FYA(rticle)

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Substitute Missouri for Marshall and that's a damn fine league. At this point, I personally think Mizzou will NOT have an invite to the B10.

That would be okay as well. I was figuring that MU would land else where, since they are a traditional national championship type power in football year in and out.

[healthpellets]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

That would be okay as well. I was figuring that MU would land else where, since they are a traditional national championship type power in football year in and out.

jfc.

[healthpellets]

oh, this is rich.

http://www.rockchalktalk.com/2010/6/...-join-sec-west

i didn't know the "SEC West" is a conference.

Kansas to Join SEC West
by The Dr. on Jun 9, 2010 7:40 PM CDT 55 comments

I am well connected in the KU athletic department. Ku is in negotiation to join the SEC West. This will be huge upgrade fro the doomed Big 12. KU will stack up well against Arkansas, Kentucky, Tenn, LSU, Alabama, Miss, and the rest. We will create a serious basketball conference and will immediately occupy the middle of the field in SEC football. It is a good regional fit and will be a good start i allowing the SEC to keep pace with the fat Pac 16. The big 10 wll get more average. It seem likely the ACC will be the next prey to the SEC East.

Editors Note: I'm noticing we've gotten a good bit of traffic on this and I just wanted to clarify to those from any outside sites that this is a post by an independent fan who registered for the site last night and this is and has been the only post. Take this with a HUGE grain of salt as I think most hopefully have.

That said, I'm leaving the post up because it does make for some interesting discussion, but by no means should this be considered some sort of factual or inside information at this point. If "The Dr." turns out to be right...well hell I guess we were all wrong, but until then...keep in perspective what this most likely is.

- Denver, Managing Editor

[58-4ever]

What I don't understand is why anyone would want Missouri. They haven't been to a major bowl game in forty years, never been to a final four, no real baseball success, their women's teams stink. I just don't see the appeal. No disrespect intended to you Tigers.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by healthpellets

oh, this is rich.

http://www.rockchalktalk.com/2010/6/...-join-sec-west

i didn't know the "SEC West" is a conference.

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by healthpellets

oh, this is rich.

http://www.rockchalktalk.com/2010/6/...-join-sec-west

i didn't know the "SEC West" is a conference.

Not yet it aint. LOL why are you posting wild speculation?

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

What I don't understand is why anyone would want Missouri. They haven't been to a major bowl game in forty years, never been to a final four, no real baseball success, their women's teams stink. I just don't see the appeal. No disrespect intended to you Tigers.

Come on now. Didn't I see their softball team in the CWS.

[healthpellets]

Originally Posted by 58-4ever

What I don't understand is why anyone would want Missouri. They haven't been to a major bowl game in forty years, never been to a final four, no real baseball success, their women's teams stink. I just don't see the appeal. No disrespect intended to you Tigers.

if you can't figure out the economics, then there's nothing i can help you with.

[-King-]

Kevin Kuglar(sp?) is on 810 now. He said the deal with Missouri to the Big10 is pretty much done also.
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