College Football 2013 Season

[Guynemer]

If Iowa State ends up in the Big Ten, I will eat the article of clothing of your choice, Snoop.

[Boris Godunov]

As if he'd pick anything besides underwear.

[Tupac Shakur]

I'd prefer to make Guy eat my codpiece.

[H Tower]

ISU won't join the BIG because they bring no new regional markets to the BIG. Thus, the payout to the existing BIG schools from the Big10 Network will go down. What BIG school is going to vote in ISU when it means less money for them? I am starting to wonder if the BTN will hinder conference expansion. The SEC model of letting each school sign contracts with regional networks in addition to the conference wide deals with ESPN/CBS might not reduce payouts to each school like the BTN has an issue with.

Maybe I am off in this thinking as I haven't heard it reported anywhere yet.

[snoopy369]

Well, once the B12 collapses, where is ISU going to go? They're probably a big enough school to justify being in a conference somewhere... so it's either B1G or it's a Big Sky type conference. If the Big Ten ens up with Mizzou, Kansas, and K State, they'll have 15, and need a sixteenth... which is either ND (if they give up their NBC TV deal, which is rather unlikely unless they just lose it outright) or... who?

A Big Sixteen of:


East:
Penn State
Purdue
Indiana
OSU

North:
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota

West:
Iowa
Iowa State
Nebraska
Northwestern

South:
Illinois
Kansas
Mizzou
K State

Each team plays its own division, on a rotating basis one division plus a rivalry game. The two top division champs play each other for the B1G championship, or perhaps a two level playoff including the eleventh game if that's possible. Fifteen wouldn't work as well as you'd have 3 5 team divisions, or two 8/7 divisions, which is unfair for the 8 team division.

[Tupac Shakur]

Well, once the B12 collapses, where is ISU going to go?

The Big East, along with Kansas, Kansas State and possibly Missouri.

If the Big Ten ens up with Mizzou, Kansas, and K State, they'll have 15, and need a sixteenth.

The Big Ten will never take Kansas State, almost certainly won't take Kansas, and probably won't take Missouri.

[snoopy369]

Why would any of those teams go to the Big East? They're way too far away from the east coast. I don't see why the Big Ten wouldn't happily take Kansas and Missouri (both good teams in at least one of the major sports, both in new markets, and Missouri has a traditional rivalry with Illinois, and would require Kansas to come with it [traditional rivarly]). K State just makes sense along with those two.

[Tupac Shakur]

Why would any of those teams go to the Big East?

Because the Big East wants them and they don't have any other AQ conference to go to.

They're way too far away from the east coast.

Like soon to be Big East member TCU?

I don't see why the Big Ten wouldn't happily take Kansas and Missouri

Despite KU's basketball brand and Missouri's state population, neither is a big enough football brand to add value to the Big Ten; they're singles, while the Big Ten is looking for home runs. Kansas State and Iowa State are even worse values.

[snoopy369]

And who exactly is the Big Ten going to get as a home run? San Diego State?

Maybe I'm just being naive, but I think that geographical logic should count for something. Flying thousands of miles for four or five games is expensive for a football team, and even more so for a basketball team... and frankly the games are more interesting if you are playing nearby schools. Who in Connecticut is going to pay to watch a Kansas football game? Nobody...

[H Tower]

Let Iowa State and Kansas State play in the Mountain West conference.

If Oklahoma and Texas Tech can go to the Pac12, why can't Kansas as well? The BIG doesn't have to expand. Remember what happened to the 16 team WAC? They folded after 3 years. Maybe I'm guilty of wishful thinking but I remain hopeful that the super conferences won't happen

[Guynemer]

Maybe I'm just being naive,

You could've stopped there.

If the Big Ten expands at all any more, which is a big "if", it is looking only for schools that offer significantly increased revenues for the current members. Other than Texas and Oklahoma, no other Big 12 school fits the bill. As secondary concerns, they also want geographic sense and good-to-great academics (which would make Oklahoma significantly less attractive).

Notre Dame is an obvious pick. Other teams close to the current Big Ten footprint that would merit consideration are Pitt, maybe Syracuse, and a smattering of ACC teams (North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech).

Iowa State can GTFO.

[Boris Godunov]

I'm torn. I want Arizona to win because they're Pac-12, but I think Mike Stoops might be the biggest ******* of all coaches and enjoy seeing him lose.

[Tupac Shakur]

Other teams close to the current Big Ten footprint that would merit consideration are Pitt, maybe Syracuse, and a smattering of ACC teams (North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech).

I don't get the Pitt love from Big Ten fans; they add less to the Big Ten than Missouri or Kansas would.

Notre Dame is an obvious pick.

I do wonder if Notre Dame is really the no-brainer pick that most Big Ten fans assume they are. The program hasn't been relevant in decades, there's no reason to think it will turn around in the future, its identity as the Catholic university in the country is increasingly pointless as our society secularizes, and it's a small private school that doesn't fit with the rest of the Big Ten academically or culturally. Oklahoma seems to quite clearly offer more value and a better fit for the Big Ten, yet Big Ten fans are all too willing to look down their noses at football power and Carnegie Tier 1 research university (but non-AAU) OU while remaining forever enamored with football has-been and research lightweight ND.

[Guynemer]

Not a new market, but they do have a big fanbase, great academics, makes geographic sense, and would have an instant 5-star rivalry that would generate a lot of interest.

They are, by no means, the #1 candidate, but they're on the list.

[Tupac Shakur]

Not a new market

The key point, and the reason why Missouri and Kansas are better choices.

an instant 5-star rivalry that would generate a lot of interest.

Really? Most of the country doesn't care about Pitt or consider them a legit program.* Dan Marino was a long time ago, ie. back when Notre Dame also mattered.

Spoiler:

* Pitt is only a knight.