College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

[The Sicatoka]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

This all makes me wonder if this wasn't an elaborate ruse.

- Missouri courts Big Ten.
- Texas makes noise about "Pac-10".
- Nebraska jumps into the Big Ten frey.
- Colorado smells break-up coming and has always wanted to hang with the Berkeley and Palo Alto crowd (over Lubbock and Waco).

Nebraska bolts. So does Colorado.

Now Texas, Missouri, and the rest might stay together?

Could Texas and Missouri have set this up to get UN and CU to leave? If so, that's an epic bluff (or game of chicken).

[unofan]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

This all makes me wonder if this wasn't an elaborate ruse.

- Missouri courts Big Ten.
- Texas makes noise about "Pac-10".
- Nebraska jumps into the Big Ten frey.
- Colorado smells break-up coming and has always wanted to hang with the Berkeley and Palo Alto crowd (over Lubbock and Waco).

Nebraska bolts. So does Colorado.

Now Texas, Missouri, and the rest might stay together?

Could Texas and Missouri have set this up to get UN and CU to leave? If so, that's an epic bluff (or game of chicken).

Missouri would still join the Big Ten in a heartbeat if they were assured a spot. That's as much a no-brainer as Nebraska leaving once it was assured a spot in the Big Televen (Twelen?).

I still think the Big Ten is hoping to add a couple more teams (Notre Dame & then its +1 or +3). But I'm not sure if or when it'll happen.

[blockski]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

This all makes me wonder if this wasn't an elaborate ruse.

- Missouri courts Big Ten.
- Texas makes noise about "Pac-10".
- Nebraska jumps into the Big Ten frey.
- Colorado smells break-up coming and has always wanted to hang with the Berkeley and Palo Alto crowd (over Lubbock and Waco).

Nebraska bolts. So does Colorado.

Now Texas, Missouri, and the rest might stay together?

Could Texas and Missouri have set this up to get UN and CU to leave? If so, that's an epic bluff (or game of chicken).

How does that help Texas? It certainly doesn't hurt Nebraska, nor would I argue it hurts CU.

I mean, Texas may get what they want - a conference they can control and that will give them their own network and the dominance that comes with it - but that doesn't really solve the fundamental and structural problems of the Big XII (and the SWC before it).

I still personally think that the best option for Texas is the Big Ten, but that would require Texas to play nice with others, be only one school of many, share tv rights and bowl revenue equally, etc.

[blockski]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

Missouri would still join the Big Ten in a heartbeat if they were assured a spot. That's as much a no-brainer as Nebraska leaving once it was assured a spot in the Big Televen (Twelen?).

I still think the Big Ten is hoping to add a couple more teams (Notre Dame & then its +1 or +3). But I'm not sure if or when it'll happen.

The word is that Mizzou can join the Big Ten if and only if they can convince someone more wealthy to make the jump with them (i.e. Notre Dame).

I think the Big Ten is done taking the lead for now. If the Big XII stays intact with 10 teams, then I think things will stabilize for now. If not, then the SEC will also be looking to even things out if they were to add A&M, and that would mean poaching someone from either the ACC or the Big East - which would set off a whole 'nother round of dominoes falling.

[Bob Gray]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

A&M's situation is pretty interesting. In some ways the SEC is a better fit, and could give them more money and help with recruiting. A&M had some good years under But, A&M hasn't been that great at football in the Big 12 recently, and it's not hard to see the Aggies going 3-9 or 4-8 for awhile in the SEC.

[Terrierbyassociation]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

A+M is going to be even more pathetic in the SEC.

[Bob Gray]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

Somehow it's just hard to believe that Beebe is going to pull out a good television contract for the new, diminished Big 12 at the last moment to hold things together.

That said, as an ASU fan, anything that would keep ASU from basically joining the Big 12 (via being in a division with six former Big 12 teams), would be positive in my book. And there's a part of me that just thinks you shouldn't have a conference that has such little geographic sense as having a Pac-16 with all those central time zone schools.

[The Sicatoka]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

How does that help Texas?

I mean, Texas may get what they want - a conference they can control and that will give them their own network and the dominance ...

Isn't that what Texas always wants?

It really has to bother UT that aTm now has the power to make or break this arrangement.

[blockski]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

Isn't that what Texas always wants?

It really has to bother UT that aTm now has the power to make or break this arrangement.

Well yes, they get the control, but they lose the Denver TV market, they lose the Nebraska fan base, etc.

Notre Dame has been able to go it alone thanks to their TV deal, but I think the writing is on the wall with the Big Ten Network - that the sum can be greater than the total of the individual parts.

I'm with bob Gray - I'll believe that Don Beebe can pull off a TV deal on the same scale as the Big Ten and SEC when I see it - and given that they've just lost one of their largest markets and largest fan bases, I'm not sure how that will happen.

Point being, their desire for control will put them in an inferior position in the long run - which is a similar position that Notre Dame now faces.

[Priceless]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

One GUY, this Chip Brown guy from orangebloods.net or something like that, has said that Texas is staying. One source. A source that's been wrong quite frequently before.

He's been right about Colorado and Nebraska though. And saying Texas is committed to the Big 12 is a pretty big statement to make. Joe Schaad still has 4 sources that say Texas et al to the Pac-10 is imminent. More than likely Texas wants the lions' share of any agreement to stay together. If the other schools accept it, then Texas stays. If not, Texas leads an exodus to the Pac-10. But without A&M, the Pac only has 15 so they would need one more. The SEC would also have an odd number and need another team.

[blockski]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

He's been right about Colorado and Nebraska though. And saying Texas is committed to the Big 12 is a pretty big statement to make. Joe Schaad still has 4 sources that say Texas et al to the Pac-10 is imminent. More than likely Texas wants the lions' share of any agreement to stay together. If the other schools accept it, then Texas stays. If not, Texas leads an exodus to the Pac-10. But without A&M, the Pac only has 15 so they would need one more. The SEC would also have an odd number and need another team.

I think the assertion wasn't that he was ever all that wrong, but it's quite obvious that his sources have some axes to grind and only represent one side of the situation.

[Priceless]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

I think the assertion wasn't that he was ever all that wrong, but it's quite obvious that his sources have some axes to grind and only represent one side of the situation.

I think most of the people involved have axes to grind

[The Sicatoka]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

But without A&M, the Pac only has 15 so they would need one more. The SEC would also have an odd number and need another team.

In your scenario:
CO, TX, TT, OU, OSU, Utah + Pac-10 = 16.
TA&M, Baylor to SEC (and then SEC goes after VTech and Miami for 16).
ACC and Big East go into scramble mode.

Big Ten?
Notre Dame, Rutgers (NYC TV). If they go for 16 maybe Syracuse and Missouri.

[NMU8405]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

He's been right about Colorado and Nebraska though. And saying Texas is committed to the Big 12 is a pretty big statement to make. Joe Schaad still has 4 sources that say Texas et al to the Pac-10 is imminent. More than likely Texas wants the lions' share of any agreement to stay together. If the other schools accept it, then Texas stays. If not, Texas leads an exodus to the Pac-10. But without A&M, the Pac only has 15 so they would need one more. The SEC would also have an odd number and need another team.

Pac 10 is looking at Utah or Kansas should Texas/A&M stay or go to the SEC.

[bigmrg74]

Re: College Football 2010: Dude, Where's my Conference?

A&M's situation is pretty interesting. In some ways the SEC is a better fit, and could give them more money and help with recruiting. A&M had some good years under But, A&M hasn't been that great at football in the Big 12 recently, and it's not hard to see the Aggies going 3-9 or 4-8 for awhile in the SEC.

I still think Texas A&M would be better off in talking Baylor into jumping ship with them to the SEC. That would give the SEC two Texas teams to tap into the Texas Market, and well, hell, as competive as the SEC is, do they really need a juggernaught like the Longhorns in the conference? It might be nice for them to have a Texan alsoran in there to keep their teams from getting too beat up all of the time.