(10-06-2018 02:03 AM)DawgNBama Wrote:  

(10-03-2018 08:50 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Since I recently learned that Missouri is bound to the SEC -- or ESPN, I guess -- by a grant of media rights until 2033-34, my optimism for a 4x16 power conference alignment within the next several years has waned significantly. (I was already rather pessimistic.) As I see it, the main problem is the Big Ten finding #16, assuming Kansas is #15. The conference's high academic standards severely limit their options. All ACC schools, including ND, are out due to their grant of media rights (which expires 2035-36), so no Virginia, UNC, Duke, or GT even if there were a mutual interest. Pitt is out due to the ACC GoR and market redundancy. Iowa State is out due to market redundancy. The big prizes would be Oklahoma and Texas, but the Big Ten landing even one of them would cut off the most likely expansion route for either the Pac (UT and friends) or the SEC (OU/OSU).

So here's a "Hail Mary" -- Colorado to the Big Ten. Seems implausible, especially given CU's attraction to California and that they only just recently received access to it by joining the Pac. However, despite being a geographic outlier for the Big Ten, CU does meet the academic criteria and would add a new market. There's also the resumption of the Colorado-Nebraska annual series, if that has any merit at all.

Running with this admittedly unlikely scenario, if the Pac were to lose Colorado, they would presumably want a replacement. Would Colorado State suffice? They're a clear second banana in the state, but their academics are good (though not CU good), they've got a brand new stadium, and the Pac would at least retain some presence in the Denver market.

Any thoughts?

Like your Hail Mary idea, but, let's tweak it a tad. The Big Ten goes for USC. Yep, don't adjust your computer monitor, you read right, USC to the Big Ten. USC to the Big Ten accomplishes a lot of the same things that Texas to the Big Ten would, and I don't see the SEC opposing that move. USC has been on record that it has not been happy with the performance of the Pac 12 Network, and has hinted at possibly leaving the Pac12 over this. This would also be the catalyst to the Pac 12 Network shopping itself to ESPN or Fox, though I have a feeling that ESPN might be preferred. Now this puts the SEC in a somewhat of a bind, and now they realize why they should have blocked the USC to the Big Ten move, because now ESPN can direct Texas & friends to the now Pac 11.

USC would not give up games with Stanford, Cal, and UCLA (which they care immensly about) to go to a conference where the closest member is in Lincoln, Nebraska.

USC has been with the PAC-12 for basically 100 years (originally joined the PCC in 1922, and was one of the members of the reformed AAWU (which eventually became the PAC-12). I seriously doubt that USC is going to leave the PAC-12.