Comments on: Big Ten Hires Expansion Research Firm – Texas Not on the List

By: The 2010 Year in Conference Realignment | CollegeSportsInfo.com

The 2010 Year in Conference Realignment | CollegeSportsInfo.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:53:23 +0000

[...] the big news happened on 2/20/10 when the Big Ten announced they had hireed an expansion research firm. For the next few months, the Big Ten had clearly set itself as the conference power, as all other [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:26:06 +0000

Eh boy, here we go again with this expansion rumor stuff again, geeeeez.

By: Matt Peloquin

Matt Peloquin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:30:33 +0000

I don't see Iowa St. as any type of top candidate either, even with their AAU membership. Nebraska makes some sense because of the caliber of football they would bring...and also extend the footprint even further west, something that would be a positive in areas like the Dakotas (already strong with MN), west to Colorado and Wyoming and south into Kansas.

But I'd be foolish to not bring up the role of politics.

Remember the ACC expansion with Miami, Syracuse and Boston College? Well, that got shelved because Virginia would not vote (the deciding vote) on letting Miami and others in if Virgina Tech were not included.

If the Big 10 went to 12 without Iowa St., pressure would be minimal. But if the Big Ten went to 14 or 16, doing some serious damage to the B12 membership (might cause Texas and Texas A&M; to flee for the SEC or Pac-10), then all of a sudden Iowa St. is being left out of the Big Ten, and left with virtually no options. If you have 8 teams leave (a stretch) for other conferences with only Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas St and Iowa St left, Iowa St. would be crippled. So I could see the Iowa legislature pressuring Iowa to force the Big Ten to include Iowa St.

So a Big 10+6 could mean Iowa St, Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers and Syracuse.

But you're right...Iowa St. becomes another mouth to feed with no real benefit to the current 11 members...which is WHY expansion would happen to 12, 14 or 16 in the first place.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:30:12 +0000

The Big Ten's snobbish insistence that schools be in the AAU are causing it to overlook great candidates for the CIC, which is an elite consortium of researchers who come from only Big Ten schools, plus the U. of Chicago. That snobbery is also preventing the league from seeing the greater picture.

Now I understand that the Big Ten only wants schools who are already comparable, academically, to Big Ten schools. That rules out WVU, L'ville, & Cincy, as well as Notre Dame if BT presidents are serious about research.

But I do not understand how a school like Iowa State or Nebraska, which add next to zero new subscribers to the BT Network, could be granted BT membership simply because they're AAU members. Meanwhile, research-oriented schools who match or outrank ISU & Nebraska in US News' list, like Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, and Florida State, wouldn't even be considered because they aren't in the AAU. Those schools would add millions of new viewers, and would seem a much better bet for new viewers than Rutgers or Missouri.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:36:37 +0000

I do not see Iowa State being added. Sure, they fit geographically. Sure, they fit the mold of the Big Ten, academically. Sure, their stellar wrestling program would fit right into a sport dominated by the big Midwestern schools.

But the only thing Iowa State would do, money-wise, is add a twelfth team just for the sake of adding a twelfth team & getting a conference title game. The Big Ten wants more households to get the Big Ten Network on basic cable. Considering Iowa State's in the Big Ten already, where would the BTN be added if Iowa State joined?

By: Nathan Brice

Nathan Brice — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:48:27 +0000

Texas should never have even been mentioned. They are not going anywhere. The list should have Missouri, Pittsburgh, and possibly Iowa State since Iowa is already in there. There could be some dark horses, but it will probably either be Missouri or Pittsburgh, with Pittsburgh being the odds on favorite. We shall see what happens.