Big Ten Statement On Expansion
by Ted Glover on Aug 19, 2011 12:27 PM CDT
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PrintThe Big Delany Ten has issued a statement regarding the current expansion rumors that are once again sweeping college football, and how those changes may or may not affect the conference:
Park Ridge, Ill. – The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) met recently to discuss reform issues and expansion. The following statement is issued by the Big Ten office on behalf of the COP/C.
In response to a number of recent media inquiries received by several Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors regarding the likelihood of further expansion by the Big Ten, the COP/C would like to reiterate that it will not be actively engaged in conference expansion at this time, or at any time in the foreseeable future, barring a significant shift in the current intercollegiate athletic landscape.
The COP/C is aware that speculation about the possibility of expansion by the Big Ten Conference continues despite a statement from COP/C Chair and Indiana University President Michael McRobbie on December 5, 2010, indicating that the COP/C believed the expansion process had reached its natural conclusion, that it was pleased with the addition of Nebraska, and that it looked forward to working with its new colleagues in the years ahead.
The conference has spent the past 14 months actively engaged in incorporating Nebraska, academically and athletically, into the fabric of the conference. "We're about as comfortable as we can be with where we are," said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. "We've said that we will continue to monitor the landscape, but we have closed down active expansion and have no plans to seek new members."
Do with this information what you will.
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Dunno if the big ten can afford to wait too long
They should be the first guys making a move after the initial move is made
"Your spelling and grammar errors belie a seriously skilled thought process"- therealCatnuts
by justsomehawkeyefan on Aug 19, 2011 12:39 PM CDT reply actions
It appears that
the COP/C are fundamentally against super conferences and expanding further and will only do so if forced to by a “significant shift in the current intercollegiate athletic landscape.” …which is probably an overstatement of the obvious. But the traditionalist in me had a hard time accepting the addition of another team and then the split into divisions. So if it happens to go ANY further, let me get used to the current situation first. Baby steps…please. Too much radical change at once will give me an ulcer.
Is this why RichRod didn't work out?
Baby steps…please. Too much radical change at once will give me an ulcer.
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
by Spartan D on Aug 19, 2011 2:59 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Precisely!
Well that and…
- his total disregard for UM’s traditions (e.g. the #1 jersey)
- his total disregard for defensive coaching
- Josh Groban
- his insistance that O linemen be 280 pounds or lighter
- hiring GERG in the first place
- his temper
- his ability to say the right things in an interview, but fail on the field
- his record vs MSU, PSU and OSU
- Josh Groban
you raise me up
/groblue’d
HELP IS ON THE WAY
~Banned at ATO since June 3rd, 2011, 2ish PM PST
by SouthBayBuckeye on Aug 22, 2011 4:44 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Translation
“In response to a number of recent media inquiries received by several Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors regarding the likelihood of further expansion by the Big Ten, the COP/C would like to reiterate that it will not be actively engaged in conference expansion at this time, or at any time in the foreseeable future…”
Translation: The B1G is not going to do any more to destroy college football as we know it. (We’ll let the SEC and/or Pac 12 do that for us.)
“…barring a significant shift in the current intercollegiate athletic landscape.”
Translation: Listen up, Notre Dame: the moment the SEC and/or Pac 12 decide to finish off the Big 12, and possibly the ACC and/or Big East, the B1G is going to fourteen or sixteen teams.
Nothing to see in this press release we didn’t already know.
by Midnight Rambler on Aug 19, 2011 12:57 PM CDT reply actions
Nicely put
Translation: Listen up, Notre Dame: the moment the SEC and/or Pac 12 decide to finish off the Big 12, and possibly the ACC and/or Big East, the B1G is going to fourteen or sixteen teams.
So, ND…pick your poison. You’re ending up in a conf somewhere. Who’s bed would you rather be in? Ours? or the ACC or BE?
by GoWings2008 on Aug 19, 2011 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Erm... barring playoffs that require a conference membership...
… or the NCAA redoing divisions such that playing their other sports with the BE non-football members wouldn’t be practical, they’re going to be independent indefinitely.
We won't start the war.......
…… but we will certainly finish it.
by Fear the Corn on Aug 19, 2011 1:02 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
We didn't start the fire?
Off Tackle Empire
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.
by Graham Filler on Aug 19, 2011 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
It was always burnin since the world's been turnin
In the name of the Woody, the Bo, and the Mustache Ride. Amen.
by Pariahwulfen on Aug 19, 2011 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Billy Joel and Family Guy...
What are “Things That Pass for High Culture in Ohio,” Alex?
/trollface.jpg
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
by Spartan D on Aug 19, 2011 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Actually
I’m pretty sure we did start the fire. And now that it’s going quite nicely, we’re going to step back for a second. But anybody gets too close, and we’ll throw more gas on it
It never gets to be easy.
Why the fuck doesn't it ever get to be easy?
by chitownhawkeye on Aug 19, 2011 7:03 PM CDT up reply actions
So basically, what they're saying is...
…we’re not going to actively look or new members. But if you inquire, we’ll listen.
by SpartyFever on Aug 19, 2011 1:08 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Don't forget the far too obvious wink at ND.
In the name of the Woody, the Bo, and the Mustache Ride. Amen.
by Pariahwulfen on Aug 19, 2011 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
It's all meaningless
They’d like to stay at twelve (we all would), but they’re not going to sit on their hands when this all goes down.
There are a ton of rumors flying out of Chicago that we’ve been talking to Texas and Notre Dame, and I know there’s been a little talk to Oklahoma.
Re talking with Oklahoma
I read somewhere in the last week — might have been the OTE post from a couple days ago — that Oklahoma and OSU and two other Big XII schools approached someone from the B1G offices and were basically told that the presidents won’t consider any more candidates who aren’t members of the AAU. No links to back it up; just an “I heard from someone”-type rumor.
If true, I would be shocked that OK is finally ready to part with UT.
Why?
Texas would never, ever, EVER break up the Red River Shootout. They use that game to fill their coffers.
by metatron5369 on Aug 20, 2011 12:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Texas...
doesn’t need any game in particular to fill its coffers. They are loaded beyond compare.
That said, the Oklahoma game is without a doubt the premier annual matchup on their schedule. It would be shocking to see that game go away, but Texas has a long history of creating tectonic shifts in all directions around it, going back to the days of the SWC. Nothing would surprise me too much.
"The guts carry the feet, not the feet the guts."
- Cervantes
They're loaded
Because they have that game. Both sides gouge their boosters through required donations, but UT especially, IIRC, encourages their fans to donate freely for the best seats.
by metatron5369 on Aug 20, 2011 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions
I should point out
A lot of schools do this, UM/OSU for example. Also, Texas has their massive endowment.
by metatron5369 on Aug 20, 2011 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah, the SEC said as much (happy where they are)...
even-though it seems like all the steps are being taken to add A&M. I’m not sure what would trigger both the Big 10 and Pac 12 to become active (I would assume that the SEC would need to go to 16 which there are rumors for that scenario in the media also), but the Big 10 and Pac 12 will have a plan ready to be implemented when they respectively feel the need to put it into action—the will be ready to rock and roll. The ACC most likely, and the other conferences will come in vulture style to get what they can.
Reporter: What would you say a Greg Studrawa offense is like? Stud:
"Attack and be very physical…fly around…attacking, come after you and come after you and come after you…." Me: I love this answer.
GET TO THE RIM HEAT (and SKY)! ATTACK THE PAINT!
I'm not sure everyone is aware
But there are similar realignment shockwaves going on in college hockey right now.
It started with Penn State getting a large chunk of change to build an arena and form men & women’s D-I hockey teams. Which was followed by Delany announcing that the B1G would finally sponsor men’s hockey in 2013-14 (unfortunately there are not six women’s teams… blame UM & MSU). This lead to UND (the Sioux not the Irish), CC, DU, UNO, UMD, & Miami breaking away from the WCHA and CCHA and forming a new league, the NCHC.
Anyways, the reason I bring this up is that everyone is waiting for Notre Dame to make a decision so that this realignment process can come to an end. Prevailing thinking is that they won’t remain in the CCHA. The NCHC and Hockey East both want them because their membership will most assuredly lock up an NBC Sports Network broadcast contract (NBCSN used to be Versus). WMU has hitched their wagon to Notre Dame as a traveling partner saying that they’ll go wherever Notre Dame goes. And the CCHA is trying to figure out if should form a super league with the remaining WCHA schools or create a lesser version of the conference by taking Canisius, Mercyhurst, Niagara and Robert Morris from the Atlantic Hockey league.
Reports were that Notre Dame would announce their decision last Tuesday at the CCHA meeting. That has come and gone. And I have a sneaky suspicion that the reason Jack Swarbrick is delaying a decision is that he is waiting to see what happens with the Aggies. If they actually become members of the SEC, this might actually start the superconference movement. There is one scenario where realigning into superconferences would affect Notre Dame’s hockey affiliation. Signing a contract with NBCSN as a member of a hockey league might prevent them from getting into a certain conference, the B1G, should Superconference Armageddon occur. Swarbrick’s hesitation might be an indication of their plan in that scenario.
Just a wild bit of speculation on my part. But something to think about.
As seismic as the college hockey realignment is to us
college hockey fans, I can’t see that as a needle-mover from an entire conference realignment perspective. I get what you’re saying, and it makes sense, but if Notre Dame were to announce they were joining the NCHC, and then the school joined the Big Ten in a year, the exit fee is probably something we could pass a hat on to pay if it came to that.
Hockey just isn’t a revenue generator to the point that Notre Dame going from the CCHA to the NCHC to possibly the Big Ten in a year or two would be seen as a big deal.
And maybe the B1G is trying to get them to align with the hockey conference already, which could be a reason for the delay. Notre Dame is a good program, and would establish great rivalries with Minnesota and Wisconsin coming over from the WCHA.
The Big Ten is immediately a power hockey conference with Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and in many ways might seem more attractive to Notre Dame over the NCHC.
And it would provide unbelievably awesome conspiracy theory angles about it being the first step to Notre Dame to the B1G for football.
This is like O. Henry and Alanis Morrisette had a baby and named it "this exact situation"--Sterling Archer
Recent article on BC Interruption
http://www.bcinterruption.com/2011/8/14/2362580/eagles-should-contemplate-big-ten
Speculated that BC should pursue membership if the B1G focuses on bringing on an eastern school if the Superconference Armageddon happens. The writer offered that they should remain in Hockey East for hockey though.
Seth put that to rest in the comment section.
All teams within the Big Ten must be a member for all sports that they and the conference sponsors.
Imagine the reaction of the Sioux if the B1G had Mich, MSU, Minn, Wisc, Notre Dame, and BC as hockey members. A B1G member would probably win the next twenty Frozen Fours. Their heads would explode.
by NC_Buckeye on Aug 20, 2011 5:49 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rule #1 of negotiations...
Never give away your hand. If Slive is looking to expand, you know Delaney is already holding some pretty good cards. He also has the ultimate baragining chip: Big Ten Network. You see, the SEC’s contract was for a flat amount over the next several years with ESPN. They can only generate so much revenue for each school, and if they brought in another, they’d have to divide the ESPN revenue amongst another school (unless there is some clause in the contract that I’m unaware of, but judging by the way ESPN does business, I doubt they would give anyone – even the SEC – that sort of flexibility). On the contrary, the Big Ten Network would be rewarded with extra revenue from the addition of a school. If I were the SEC and I was looking to add two schools, I would look for good basketball schools to raise the league’s profile in that department so that they could form a network that is viable year-round once their contract with the SEC is up.
by TheHumbleBuckeye on Aug 19, 2011 1:50 PM CDT reply actions
"He also has the ultimate baragining chip: Big Ten Network."
It is, and it isn’t. The SEC allows its member schools to control their 3rd tier rights. And if the SEC did make a big splash, I assume its primary TV contracts could be renegotiated. So I dunno how much the BTN is a draw with the big splash schools. I would think the CIC membership is a much bigger incentative.
Considering that the Pac 12 is wholly owning their TV networks (no 51/49 split with a company), sometimes I wonder if there is a notion out there that Fox’s percentage of ownership is much too big relative to the success of the network. But how does one know at the time?
Google's homepage celebrates too much shit.
I agree with your statement that CIC membership is the Big Ten's greatest "weapon" during an upcoming round of expansion.
While BTN is a huge incentive to join for a Syracuse or a Maryland, if the B1G wants to make a splash (an Oklahoma, Texas, or Notre Dame-sized splash) the CIC becomes the B1G’s most desirable aspect.
My hatred for Purdue is so great that no mortal human can detect its existence.
Notre Dame/CIC
Notre Dame has no use for the CIC. The group doesn’t have the same academic goals as Notre Dame.
If I remember right
the Big Ten nearly had Notre Dame on board in the late 90s/early 2000s. The academic side of the university was in full support of the move, but the alumni voted it down.
My hatred for Purdue is so great that no mortal human can detect its existence.
by HawksNation on Aug 22, 2011 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions
That may be
However, the contention of your post was that the CIC was the attractive feature. Notre Dame is not a research heavy institution. Overall academics may be attractive to their leadership, but not necessarily the CIC.
My take is that they are trying very hard to make a statement that says nothing.
… the COP/C believed the expansion process had reached its natural conclusion
In a forthcoming radio interview last year the Illinois AD noted the Big Ten had about 17 inquiries, looked at 7 or 8 programs really hard. Unfortunately he didn’t list names. The search process has concluded.
(Unfortunately, it was all sound and has since been removed
James E. Delany. “We’ve said that we will continue to monitor the landscape, but we have closed down active expansion and have no plans to seek new members.”
The Big Ten has already researched and spoken with the short list of programs they have interest in. 1 said yes, the others said no, the work is done.
…barring a significant shift in the current intercollegiate athletic landscape.
A major event such as the dissolution of the Big 12 wouldn’t change the Big Ten financials. It could bring a team that turned down a previous invite back to the table.
It could spurn a major program to make a new inquiry worth investigating.
Otherwise the Big Ten is done for now… check back in a few years.
Hey OTE
Hey B1G Brothers! I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to be in your conference! The teams in your conference have such storied traditions that it is an honor to be counted among them. Thank you for accepting us into your conference and allowing us to be part of it. When you come to Lincoln we will respect each and every one of you. Your venues are exciting and it will be awesome to watch our Huskers adapt to the new venues. B1G Ten is crazy and we will rule all other conferences this year!!! Go B1G Ten teams!!! AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Dunno about you guys.
But if I am looking at an Ace and a King.I will double down.
Or, as big balls Delaney said,“Consider them rolled.”
by HuskerInLandOLakes on Aug 20, 2011 1:45 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd just for dropping the line "Consider them rolled."
…but unless someone comes back to the table, I think the Big Ten has already researched and contacted all of the programs they have interest in.
Who double downs on blackjack?
Just take the win and play the next hand.
by Not a Gunslinger on Aug 20, 2011 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions
You don't have to expand just because others are doing it.
You expand because it makes your conference better. I think the B1G holds out even if the SEC goes to 14. The B1G likes it’s big dogs and will wait for them.
In the deed, the glory.
Corn Nation!
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