Super-Conferences?!

[Greg Pappas]

If the ACC were to expand' date=' its most likely target would be Big East schools. After the ACC's raid on them earlier in the decade, the remaining schools agreed to a "loyalty clause" that requires a 2-year waiting period (e.g. lame duck status) and more importantly a $5 million fee to leave the conference. Given that, I don't think the ACC could make a good enough offer money-wise for any BE school to consider it. But the Big -10, with its network and bigger deals with ESPN/ABC, can. But if the Big-10 does lure enough BE schools away, I could envision them having little choice but to disband as a football conference, and then the ACC could almost have their choice of what remains. The BE would then go back to its roots as a basketball-only conference. You'd have Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Providence, Marquette, DePaul....and I forget who else. And they would probably try to add several other prominent schools that don't play 1-A football.[/quote']

Interesting thoughts... and thanks for the info as well.

As a Maryland/ACC fan, I am not at all comfortable with feeling like the future of the league could be determined by what another conference does. Not comfortable at all.

What are your views on the current ACC TV deal, and how do you believe it could be improved upon?

[BaltimoreTerp]

Just to turn this around...

Any chance a conference like the Big East could strike first and make a play for ACC schools (Maryland and BC probably being most likely, with the Virginia schools perhaps)?

Is the Big East just in that poor condition that they are dead conference walking?

[Birds of B'more]

Interesting thoughts... and thanks for the info as well.

As a Maryland/ACC fan, I am not at all comfortable with feeling like the future of the league could be determined by what another conference does. Not comfortable at all.

What are your views on the current ACC TV deal, and how do you believe it could be improved upon?

I'll have to do some research on exactly what the ACC's TV deal is, but I do recall reading among all the expansion talk that they are in preliminary negotiations for a new one. And as I read it, it did not seem like the ACC will get the kind of deal it's hoping for. The basic issue being that the expanded conference has not worked out for the ACC as far as raising its football profile. Since the steady demise of Florida St after 2000, they haven't had a team remotely in the hunt for a National Championship, have won only 1 BCS bowl game, and ratings for the ACC Championship Game have been dismal. When expansion happened, everyone was envisioning the epic Miami-FSU battles that the two teams had throughout the 80s and 90s. Not only has that not happened, but no other ACC team has ascended to that level. VA Tech has been the top team in the conference since expansion, but any discussions of them competing for a National Championship quickly disappear, usually after an early season non-conference defeat.

As for how they can improve their TV deal, I guess it would simply come down to playing better football (that's why the Terps always end up on ESPN360. com instead of on TV ). Unfortunately, I'm not sure a turnaround will come soon enough for the TV negotiations. Miami would seem to be on the cusp, but I'm not sure 2010 will be their year. Florida St would appear to be headed in the right direction too....Jimbo Fisher had a great recruiting class. But they are probably farther away than Miami. As long as Beamer is there, VA Tech will always be VA Tech....always a top team, but never quite good enough to do better than the 5-15 range. UNC and GA Tech seem to be on the rise, but I think their ceiling is no higher than VT's. So, it all comes down to the Florida schools. Maybe the ACC can negotiate shorter contracts this time around and bank on a better Miami and FSU to get them a better deal more quickly.

[Birds of B'more]

Just to turn this around...

Any chance a conference like the Big East could strike first and make a play for ACC schools (Maryland and BC probably being most likely, with the Virginia schools perhaps)?

Is the Big East just in that poor condition that they are dead conference walking?

Their TV deals are no better than the ACC's. Probably worse. That's why Miami, VT and BC were all too happy to accept the ACC's invite. As far as what they can do to fend off a potential death blow from the Big 10, this was my theory that I posted earlier.

As for the Big East, I think they could actually be proactive here and keep the Big 10 from ransacking the conference. What they need to do is go to Notre Dame and say "You're either in as a full member, football included, or you're out completely." (Honestly, I never really saw what good the BE got out of that relationship anyway) ND will of course say goodbye. Now with no home for their non-football sports, all of a sudden a Big 10 invite looks pretty appealing, even though it means sacrificing their precious football independence (these myopic people really need to let go of the past). And if the Big 10 can finally get ND, I think it's entirely possible they might just stop there and call it a day, now that they finally have their white whale AND a 12th team that allows them to hold the coveted and lucrative conference championship game.. Then the Big East just needs to go out and find 1 new member, be it Central Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, or whomever....and then it's business as usual for them.

[BaltimoreTerp]

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

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.

[Greg Pappas]

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

Prefacing my comments with a huge IF. So, IF it's going to happen as it is suggested, look out for the next big shake-up... Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ok. State: Hold firm in the Big 12, bolt for the new SEC, or another alternative? So many possibilities.

[Birds of B'more]

Prefacing my comments with a huge IF. So, IF it's going to happen as it is suggested, look out for the next big shake-up... Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ok. State: Hold firm in the Big 12, bolt for the new SEC, or another alternative? So many possibilities.

IF the report is true, then I guess Notre Dame turned down the Big Ten once and for all. I'm both surprised and not surprised by that. But I think ultimately ND will come to regret it. With Pitt to the Big 10, that alters what I thought the ACC might do. IF this does become official, I expect the SEC to make a play for the two Texas and Oklahoma schools. And with Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado (to the Pac-10) bolting out of the Big 12, they'd be foolish to say no to the SEC. That would be one amazing football conference.

SEC East

Florida

Georgia

Alabama

Auburn

S Carolina

Tennessee

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

SEC West

Texas

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

Oklahoma St

Arkansas

LSU

Mississippi

Miss State

As for where the ACC might go, I think UConn and WVU would still have the same appeal to them. South Florida is certainly still on the table. As for a fourth team, how about a little outside the box thinking? Villanova anyone? Along with the addition of UConn and WV, they would pretty much ensure the ACC remains the premier basketball conference in the country for a long time. The stipulation would be that their football team would need to move to 1-A status within 5 years. But it shouldn't as big of a jump for them as one might think...they are the defending 1-AA champ right now, and both S Florida and UConn managed to get their 1-A programs up and running quickly. Villanova would also expand the ACC's broadcast footprint into the Philadelphia market, the 4th largest in the country. The one drawback is their stadium....it's too small for 1-A football. They would have to find a way to play at Lincoln Financial Field, which might be tough since Temple plays there on many Saturdays too. Any thoughts?

[square634]

IF the report is true' date=' then I guess Notre Dame turned down the Big Ten once and for all. I'm both surprised and not surprised by that. But I think ultimately ND will come to regret it. With Pitt to the Big 10, that alters what I thought the ACC might do. IF this does become official, I expect the SEC to make a play for the two Texas and Oklahoma schools. And with Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado (to the Pac-10) bolting out of the Big 12, they'd be foolish to say no to the SEC. That would be one amazing football conference.

[u']SEC East[/u]

Florida

Georgia

Alabama

Auburn

S Carolina

Tennessee

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

SEC West

Texas

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

Oklahoma St

Arkansas

LSU

Mississippi

Miss State

As for where the ACC might go, I think UConn and WVU would still have the same appeal to them. South Florida is certainly still on the table. As for a fourth team, how about a little outside the box thinking? Villanova anyone? Along with the addition of UConn and WV, they would pretty much ensure the ACC remains the premier basketball conference in the country for a long time. The stipulation would be that their football team would need to move to 1-A status within 5 years. But it shouldn't as big of a jump for them as one might think...they are the defending 1-AA champ right now, and both S Florida and UConn managed to get their 1-A programs up and running quickly. Villanova would also expand the ACC's broadcast footprint into the Philadelphia market, the 4th largest in the country. The one drawback is their stadium....it's too small for 1-A football. They would have to find a way to play at Lincoln Financial Field, which might be tough since Temple plays there on many Saturdays too. Any thoughts?

Maybe Villanova could play at Franklin Field. That would at least help us Quakers to fill our stadium outside of Penn Relays.

[mweb]

What about adding a 4th team that plays football and then doing what the Big East does and add Villanova and GTown just for basketball. Possibly St Johns and Seton Hall as well to get into that market.

Just a question of who would be the 4th football/baskebtall school to add. Louisville? ECU? Maybe even Temple.

Don't want to go over 16 teams for basketball though.

How about just adding UConn and WVU for both sports and adding NOVA and GTown just for basketball. So 14 football teams and 16 basketball.

[PrivateO]

Let's say Pitt, UConn, WVU, and 1-2 other teams leave the Big East and go to the ACC and Big Ten.

This would probably mean that the Big East goes to being a basketball-only conference. Would they try and snag some mid-major teams from other conferences or continue on as a 10-12 team group?

[Birds of B'more]

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

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.

I did a little looking, and this unnamed "source" in St Louis actually cites another source at ESPN. And yet there is nothing to be found on ESPN.com about this. Sounds like this is still very much in the speculation stage.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I did a little looking' date=' and this unnamed "source" in St Louis actually cites another source at ESPN. And yet there is nothing to be found on ESPN.com about this. Sounds like this is still very much in the speculation stage.[/quote']

Peter King and some other national guys were tweeting the link last night. Oh well.

[Birds of B'more]

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/05/report-nebraska-mizzou-invited-to-big-te.html

Kansas City all-sports station 810 AM has just send shudders through the world of college football.

Citing multiple sources, the station is reporting that the Big Ten has "extended initial offers" to four four schools. Among them: Missouri and Nebraska, along with Rutgers and Notre Dame. Depending on whether Notre Dame accepts, the Big Ten could go to 14 or 16 teams.

If true, this represents a significant blow to the Big 12, and opens up the possibility of new membership, including TCU, Houston, SMU or even BYU. So far, no confirmation from the Big 12, the Big Ten, the schools or other media outlets.

If this is true, it sounds like good news for the Big East, and bad news for the Big 12. I guess the Big 10's plan would be one of these options:

- If ND says no, add Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska and stop at 14

- If ND says yes, then invite one more school to go up to 16, most likely Syracuse

If Rutgers is the only full member bolting the Big East, the the conference should easily survive. And as long as the Big East is around for ND to play basketball and other non-revenue sports in, then they will not go to the Big 10. So I think the first option is what would happen. The Big East then would only need to find one team to replace Rutgers and they can keep their BCS automatic-qualifier status. I doubt a 14-team Big 10 would result in the ACC looking to expand, either.

The Big 12 might be in bigger trouble. They'll lose 2 schools to the Big 10 (one of them a traditional football power that draws a lot of national interest) and I still think they will lose Colorado to the Pac 10. Also, the SEC may still be interested in responding to the Big 10's move and could start talking to the Texas and Oklahoma schools about leaving for greener (green being $$$) pastures.

[Greg Pappas]

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/05/report-nebraska-mizzou-invited-to-big-te.html

If this is true' date=' it sounds like good news for the Big East, and bad news for the Big 12. I guess the Big 10's plan would be one of these options:

- If ND says no, add Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska and stop at 14

- If ND says yes, then invite one more school to go up to 16, most likely Syracuse

If Rutgers is the only full member bolting the Big East, the the conference should easily survive. And as long as the Big East is around for ND to play basketball and other non-revenue sports in, then they will not go to the Big 10. So I think the first option is what would happen. The Big East then would only need to find one team to replace Rutgers and they can keep their BCS automatic-qualifier status. I doubt a 14-team Big 10 would result in the ACC looking to expand, either.

The Big 12 might be in bigger trouble. They'll lose 2 schools to the Big 10 (one of them a traditional football power that draws a lot of national interest) and I still think they will lose Colorado to the Pac 10. Also, the SEC may still be interested in responding to the Big 10's move and could start talking to the Texas and Oklahoma schools about leaving for greener (green being $$$) pastures.[/quote']

Very interesting... thanks for the link and info.

I believe that IF this actually happens, meaning the Big Ten adds 3-5 teams, it will absolutely cause a reaction throughout college football. The Big East, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC and even the ACC could be impacted.

Here is the station's link.

http://www.810whb.com/article/3531

[Birds of B'more]

Very interesting... thanks for the link and info.

I believe that IF this actually happens, meaning the Big Ten adds 3-5 teams, it will absolutely cause a reaction throughout college football. The Big East, Big 12, Pac 10, SEC and even the ACC could be impacted.

Here is the station's link.

http://www.810whb.com/article/3531

I think if Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska are the only teams to go, then it will alter the structure of college football, but not as drastically as many of us have discussed, IMO. I think the Big East will be OK losing just Rutgers, while Notre Dame will remain independent in football as long as it has the Big East for other sports. The Big 12 will obviously have to change. They would have to replace at least 2 teams. Adding TCU would seem to be an obvious choice. I'm betting another Texas school would be added too...Houston seems a likely candidate. Of course that would make the Big 12 even more Texas-centric (which is a big reason why schools like Missouri and Nebraska won't shed any tears about leaving), but it is the second-most populous state in the country, has two Top 10 TV markets, and annually ranks among the Top 3 states as far as producing Division 1 football players. So as much presence as the Big 12 can have there, the better.

Here's an interesting tidbit I read among all of the rumors today. There allegedly have been some discussions between the Big 12 and Pac 10 about forming an alliance of sorts. Basically, rather each of them going to a bloated 16-team conference just to expand their television footprint, the two would exist as 12-team conferences and market themselves jointly as far as landing a new TV contract (each conference's contract expires soon). And there is even talk of them going together to form their own network. Of course, that would debunk my theory about Colorado going to the Pac-10....poaching a member of your partner conference wouldn't exactly be a good way to start an alliance. I suppose the Pac-10 would simply relent by agreeing to schedule around BYU's refusal to play sports on Sundays and invite them to join along with Utah.