(06-02-2016 02:13 PM)Strut Wrote:  I like the logic and agree that OTA should be an integral part going forward.

I don't think the issue is money in regards to expansion. Yes, there would be considerable more money for certain schools if they joined the B1G but I don't believe that's a reason without substantial other motivation. It seems most of the schools that moved had money PLUS something else, and if you go down the list you about guess the area of the something else.

If it were purely money and academic prestige why not start scoping out Ivy League schools. I think Harvard, Princeton and Yale might look interesting if positioned right LOL.

It's so recent that expansion has happened, I think after the can is kicked down the block a few years the schools you listed might be a match. Right now from top to bottom for B1G or schools listed I don't see obvious PLUS something else that overcomes distance, culture, like mindedness, or big/small fish in big/small pond issues.

One thing I like about the B1G is the calculated moves we have made with regard to membership. One of the thngs I remember Delany discussing since the Nebraska addition is that we are expanding with a 90-100 year horizon. I like expansion as a general topic as much as the next guy but some of the ideas are pie in the sky and not necessarily sustainable over the long haul.
Texas comes to mind for me as a real stretch primarily because of geography. If we can't build a bridge to Texas to keep them happy... who is to say they won't leave umpteen years down the road for another conference more geographically suitable.
We have to be able to reach a critical mass of interest in a region to make it work for the members long term. If not for the money I think Nebraska might have visions of an old Big 8. If an expansion to the southeast is to work, I honestly think you have to take Duke even if they are not as profitable as you want and maybe Clemson even though they are not AAU.
The dearth of population in the plains makes expansion to the west harder so the focus IMO should be getting into a place that makes the B1G South feel like a more academically elite ACC (they are pretty elite anyway, but you get the point).

Ideally, Texas, UVA, UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, & Florida State would be perfect to get the conference to 20. However, Texas may go independent or do some other Texas-like move that makes them a non-option. The wingman IMO should be Clemson as their location & presence between Atlanta and Charlotte along with history with UVA, DUKE, & UNC would help keep things familiar.

We know Delany wants the growing South. The ACC old guard comes as a package deal IMO. Georgia Tech sits in the heart of the South, Texas and Florida State sit in the second and third most populous states in the union. I don't think you can add just UVA & UNC, they would feel out of place unless you brought more schools. And maybe just maybe Texas, even though on an island, would like a cultural and academic B1G South enough to join up.