Yeah, I do my snooping through YOGWF. Great active forum, and yes, totally looks like this place. I thought I could have logged right in and joined their discussions!

Cowen's on that board with eleven other presidents who get to choose the fate of this playoff proposal. He's certainly in a room with all the right (and wrong) people.

Edit: Also adding Swarbick's B12 shootdown here (reposted in ND and ACC).

NBCSports article(previously posted in another thread)discussing LHN/Texas Tech flap at http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... rn-network

Also,repost of blog article out of Lawrence discussing Chip Brown,Jack Swarbrick and other topics at http://www2.ljworld.com/weblogs/tale-ta ... or-notre-d

Well, now...what's the truth? Neinas material about Big XII expansion. Value added regardless expansion candidate was Florida State or Appalachian State, or just Notre Dame?

...and ADs split on expansion (likely Louisville).

It says that "partial membership" for Notre Dame would be a good thing (meaning Notre Dame maintains football independence, I presume....)

Then the article goes on to say there would be support for Louisville as the 12th member....

This baffles me to some extent, since Louisville would only make 11 for FB, and the league would be short of 12 necessary for a CCG.
(maybe they are thinking 12 for Oly sports, and 11 for FB with 10-game round robin).

Article out of West Virginia with comments from WVU AD regarding possible future Big 12 expansion at http://www.wvmetronews.com/wvu.cfm?func ... ryid=53540

Gotta think that hands down, adding Notre Dame and Louisville would be best for the Big 12. Gives the big gun, ND, and builds a nice regional bridge from Iowa St. to ND to UL to WVU. ND with WVU really boosts the northeast presence.

But I just don't think the Big 12 has enough of what it takes to get ND to join. I'm still a believer that if ND ever does opt to join a conference, it will be the ACC, since they have a better chance to win (1 or 2 loss ND school in the ACC has a SHOT at an at-large bid...as an Indy, 2 losses is 100% out, most years 1 loss means they're out). Or course, the Big Ten makes the most sense, but it's too tough with no southern recruiting benefits like the ACC gives.

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

All sorts of stuff can be questioned in that release: Neinas goes out of his way to split the hairs of the GoR thing (they are signed, but not in conference attorney hands, thus, not fully official); some schools want to green-light expansion, others (including the networks) want to be selective or not at all...

If I'm Notre Dame, and I'm putting up this "we're a northeastern university with an Indiana address" image, and all of these networks are trying to navigate me to the dusty plains of the heartland, I'm BEGGING NBC to free me from this nightmare. ESPN is simply the worst...no regard whatsoever to the bigger picture of how doing bush-league business will force universities and conferences into the wide-open arms of other outlets. Comcast and CBS must be loving this.

Cutter, there was one tidbit per comments by outgoing-Commish Neimas I found, in a way, disturbing. This pertains to Skipper and Magnus (ESPN execs.) and Freer (Fox exec.) endorsing a model (10 team) for the B12. No criticism here toward their capabilities and sincerity.
It's the act of a Commish quoting TV executives about whether or not or how his conference should expand that is bothersome.
It would seem this is something (consult broadcast marketers per impact) though certainly done when contemplating expansion, it appears to cross the line of intrusiveness, and who are really the official spokesmen. Big 12 University Presidents should be offended at the "act" of making such a comment, by quoting TV executives on internal expansion.

Quinn, concur, your Notre Dame perspective is probably the huge part of what ND has contemplated. With the playoff model, though, ND came out as good or better than expected. Considering the top 4 for a playoff, and having the "being a conference champion" as a considered factor in the language, I doubt this hurts ND at all if they are in serious contention to being picked. It's more "not applicable" per ND. It's a potential to hurt a conference "runner up" in a near tie situation whereby the other is not classified as such. Selection is by committee, and can hear it now..."Notre Dame must not be penalized for being Independent"; and the real danger is over-compensation for this factor and others favoring ND if they are found to be viable to be picked.

ND keeps implying they want to be "national" and retain the firmness of their base in the "east". OK, the ACC would offer enough for this factor, but accepting ACC all-sports conditions ND would refuse. So, who is a real Notre Dame "eastern" fan? The stereotype would be a Brooklyn, Ralph Kranden (bus driver) and an Ed Norton (sewer worker), {The honeymooners, c.@ 1950s'}, that the snobs of the University of Michigan would disdain at the time and beforehand.

It's hard to vision ND making any kind of move unless the Big East falters so much that its basketball looks shameful. The BE still retains UCONN, Georgetown, Marquette, St. Johns, Louisville, etc. And who was ND behind with BE expansion? New venues include uptown Philadelphia, Orlando, Memphis, Houston and Dallas. Not a coincidence.

The playoff model didn't break ND's stance. The ACC and B12 stopped short in expansion to force a BE split. B1G, PAC12, ACC schools. etc. have continued to schedule ND even with expansion impacts; ND can renew with NBC or take other offers. Where's the incentive to join the B12 (partial member) or the ACC or the B1G?

I lost that sympathy when those member schools didn't say a word about the validity of the Florida State and Clemson issues. At least this news didn't single out particular institutions. We can likely draw our own conclusions on who we all think are likely for and against expansion and who wants whom invited, Neinas and these networks keep those internal dissensions out of the spotlight. In this way, Neinas and the network reps put themselves out on public display while the institutions do their own thing.

But as it creeps along, they are getting more sloppy and are running out of excuses as well as tricks. The more times the story changes as to the value of expansion, the less tolerance people have for the spin. The longer without an official announcement about securing GoR and formalizing the new extended TV deal, the more people are going to ask for it. Much like the Boise State withdrawal deadline, the Broncos and Big East could only release so many statements until they contradicted themselves (and thanks to the MWC for setting it straight), excluded key statements, and drove people to look at the calendar.

If I was the ACC I would invite ND for all but football. 14/15. It's not a real hybrid. For basketball you have 3 groups of 5 w/o having the league braking up into pods, you'd just use the groups for scheduling (ND would play Pitt, Cuse, BC, Maryland) (home/home) the rest of the ACC 1 game(18 total) (NCSU, UNC, Duke, UVa, VT) and (WF, GT, Clemson, FSU, Miami). This new deal has shown that ND will never have to play fb in a conf, so get what you can out of them for other sports and work in a deal to get 4 ACC fb games vs ND every year. Pitt, BC are already 2. rotate in 2 more every year.

B12 has been running their mouth and stealing the headlines and talking the most. ACC should do what they did last time, just sneak in and announce ND being added for all but fb.

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS

Is it a surprise that ESPN would tell the Big 12 that only Notre Dame brings value to thier conference and no others will. The last I looked, FSU and others are already under ESPN contracts. Why pay FSU and Clemson or any one else $20 million when you already have them under contract for $17 mill (back loaded).

Notre Dame may be the only school of value to ESPN but there are several schools that could add value to the Big 12 besides Notre Dame. If the Big 12 refused to sign an extension with ESPN and would let their contract expire in 2016, it's a safe bet to say that a Big 12 adding FSU, Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and another school like Notre Dame (even Louisville) would significantly increase the value of the Big 12 to other networks not names ESPN, specifically NBC and NBC Sports. My opinion is that by not letting their TV rights go to the open market, the Big 12 is selling themselves short. Considering the lack of major college football content available, NBC could significantly outbid ESPN in 2016 for the Big 12. Let's not forget, that if NBC can afford pay the NFL, then it's safe to assume that they can afford to pay a college conference that only has members in 5 states.

Yeah, it looks like a CYA statement as not to show collusion. And technically, the statement doesn't say in what way Notre Dame would would enhance the Big XII's name. Somehow, I don't think they mean Irish hoops and lacrosse.

As for ACC inviting ND as an associate member, it would be the death of the conference.

One of Notre Dame's "implied" arguments for not jumping on a B12 associate member offer is that Notre Dame sees playing sports significantly in the geographic "east" as essential to their standing. Given that the B12 does have room to expand, and already having WVU, could the B12 expand eastward for the sake of landing ND as an associate member? There are Rutgers, UCONN, Temple, and more westward, L'ville and Cincy. While the B12 would not want some, or perhaps most, of those, the B12 could develop an eastern flank from ISU to as far as New England. Seriously doubt it would be worth it to have ND just for non-fb membership. But, given the unrealistic nature of it; as an all-sports arrangement inclusive of ND for all, it could be appealing.

My perception is that ND, going to a new conference for non-fb sports, would not want to be the lone school in the associate member set-up. I expect they would insist on others joining in the mini-hybrid situation; a school, for example, such as Georgetown. That could be beyond what the B12 would accept. Their ultimate goal would be to have ND for all-sports, and bringing along baggage (not in terms of quality, but added issues & numbers), would make the objectives more difficult to reach.

As to the ACC taking ND for non-fb sports, agree Cutter; it could tear the conference apart. The ACC would not have the internal support for it in the first place.

ND jumps when the BE is further stripped. The B1G, B12, and the ACC are the conferences that could force the change with further expansion. And, they would have to cultivate the desire over slim pickins' which none of them are currently motivated to do. Further, the ACC may be very reluctant to try for 16 anytime soon, given the late-spring rumors and messages about some faltering, internal cohesion they are now focused on fixing.

GoR not secured. TV money first, then conference stability. This is a clarification from conference officials after this article appeared in Gazette-Mail, with this needing to be addressed:



Technically, when did they ever officially finalize the six-year one?

Also, with Boise now "secured," I wonder if we'll see more speech from Louisville officials restating their desire to leave. Notre Dame officials will probably be asked if the Boise thing helps their security in the Big East, too.

No time to celebrate new members in Big XII country! Sorry, 'Eers and Froggies!

No big 12 expansion for years:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=231&articleid=20120723_231_0_DALLAS114537