(11-03-2015 12:13 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Virginia, Virginia Tech, UNC, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Texax, and Georgia Tech already declined the B1G. At this point, the conference's best bet is to wait for UConn to get AAU and the Big XII to implode to get Kansas (an AAU school can be added). Yes, the football brand takes a small hit (especially Kansas), but UConn is actually about a 6-win program in its time in FBS, but Ohio St., Michigan St., Michigan, Penn St., etc. need a few cupcake wins now the conference slate will be going to 9 games (without FCS games). As much as I hate to say this as a UConn fan, but the B1G has no incentive to move quite yet. However, that may change in the next 2-3 years with scenarios above mentioned.

Only one I've heard outright decline is the one I didn't bold, nor do I believe there was any official invites to said schools. The last thing we need is another mid level or bottom feeder, what we need is Kansas for basketball and Oklahoma for Football.

(11-02-2015 12:47 PM)5thTiger Wrote:  

(10-31-2015 08:26 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I think the Big Ten needs to expand one of two ways (and extremely unlikely both): either with Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and some other friends or with North Carolina, Virginia, and some other friends (depending on size of the conference). I don't think you can get who you want and stop at 16 schools. I think it will take at least four to get the big fish. However, I wouldn't sign up UNC until I knew the final outcome of their academic scandal. And I also wouldn't let anyone not be an equal member (looking at you Texas).

In my almost* ideal world, I would expand down the east coast, grabbing Virginia and UNC and stopping at 16.

(*My ideal world consists of my alma mater Liberty University joining the Big Ten but that's as likely as the Kardashians erasing themselves from history and moving to a remote island and never being heard from again.)

I think a better ploy would be to add Texas and Oklahoma and stopping at 16. The conference would be much more competitively balanced and the Texas market would keep the Big Ten relevant nationally (not that they aren't already but with demographics shifting, the classic Big Ten Midwest is growing slower than the South, though anything can change). I'm just east-coast biased and I don't think Texas will play nice.

I am intrigued to see what would happen if NC State and Virginia Tech were invited rather than UNC and Virginia. They are bigger schools with arguably bigger fan bases (at least for football). They aren't academic powerhouses so they will likely never be invited but they have a lot of athletic potential if they could separate from the shadow of their big brother in state rival much like Texas A&M has once they left Texas in the dust.

The B1G has said they had a demographic problem prior to the Rutgers/Maryland additions. That is now solved.

The question is, who does Delany want next?

I think almost everyone could agree that Virginia would be choice #1 (of the schools with a realistic shot).

What I'm not sure of is whether the B1G wants to add more NE schools. My thoughts are "probably not". Aside from UCONN's qualification problems currently, the state simply doesn't move the needle much. Would only be a #16 add if they got a huge get for #15....which is both good and bad. Because with one big fish reeled in, it would be much more likely that another would come with them...similar to Rutgers and Maryland.

There also becomes the angst among some of the western schools that the conference is losing its "midwest" flavor. That is where a school like Kansas comes into play, if the West is the next expansion. Then how far West and south do they go?

I'm sorry to "secondary" schools...you aren't going to be invited to the B1G. Va Tech, NC State, etc.....sorry, but you are out. B1G wants top notch brands in each state, not a second tier.

Virginia is the key cog.

Virginia Tech is probably the bigger athletic brand of the two in reality. Virginia Tech seems to be awfully fond of playing Big Ten schools too, their OOC is loaded with them. I'd be fine with seeing Virginia Tech as a conference opponent again certainly.

I don't think UConn is on the Big Ten's wish list at all. If another conference grabbed UConn, it wouldn't threaten the Big Ten and UConn isn't close to an invite somewhere else so there isn't a rush to grab them.

NC State and Virginia Tech wouldn't be bad additions. Consider the fact that they both have larger enrollments than their sexier counterparts of UNC and UVA.
- NC State has an enrollment of 33,989 compared to 29,135 of UNC. VT has 31,224 compared to 21,800 at UVA. Of current Big Ten members, these four prospective members would rank as 11th (NC State), 13th (VT and UNC), and 14th (UVA).
- VT has a football stadium capacity of 65,632 compared to 61,500 of UVA. UNC has a stadium capacity of 63,000 compared to NC State's 57,583. They would be ranked the following in the Big Ten: VT, UNC, and UVA 7th, NC State 8th.

There is more that could be looked at such as academic rankings but all that needs to be said (and that could make a difference) is that UNC and UVA are AAU while NC State and VT are not. So it may not matter if the Big Ten doesn't want a non-AAU school (Nebraska! or Notre Dame) but if there are two schools that are in the shadow of the big brother school in the same state and would flourish by a change in conference, I think Virginia Tech (who is already quite respectable in football) and NC State (solid in football) could be a Texas A&M type and do well for themselves.

UConn has some things going for it:

- I hear they can play some hoops.
- They play hockey too.
- New York City. Close enough that it's a factor.

- Bridge to New England. In this case the "bridge" may be all the Big Ten would want. Right now the Boston schools are nowhere near looking like typical Big Ten schools, but there are a few people living in New England. If Big Ten is truly "looking East", New England has to enter the thought process.

- They're looking more like a Big Ten land-grant school every year.
- They own their state.
- Their State is way above the curve in support and Research is picking up.
- Nice size campus, not urban.

I just don't see anything magical about 16. For the right schools, maybe, but I get the sense they set-up the 14 team model with the intent of it lasting awhile. The scheduling format is an 18 year set-up. Granted that can be changed quickly if need be, but I don't think the conference is looking to expansion unless the right teams are there.

(11-02-2015 12:47 PM)5thTiger Wrote:  

(10-31-2015 08:26 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I think the Big Ten needs to expand one of two ways (and extremely unlikely both): either with Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and some other friends or with North Carolina, Virginia, and some other friends (depending on size of the conference). I don't think you can get who you want and stop at 16 schools. I think it will take at least four to get the big fish. However, I wouldn't sign up UNC until I knew the final outcome of their academic scandal. And I also wouldn't let anyone not be an equal member (looking at you Texas).

In my almost* ideal world, I would expand down the east coast, grabbing Virginia and UNC and stopping at 16.

(*My ideal world consists of my alma mater Liberty University joining the Big Ten but that's as likely as the Kardashians erasing themselves from history and moving to a remote island and never being heard from again.)

I think a better ploy would be to add Texas and Oklahoma and stopping at 16. The conference would be much more competitively balanced and the Texas market would keep the Big Ten relevant nationally (not that they aren't already but with demographics shifting, the classic Big Ten Midwest is growing slower than the South, though anything can change). I'm just east-coast biased and I don't think Texas will play nice.

I am intrigued to see what would happen if NC State and Virginia Tech were invited rather than UNC and Virginia. They are bigger schools with arguably bigger fan bases (at least for football). They aren't academic powerhouses so they will likely never be invited but they have a lot of athletic potential if they could separate from the shadow of their big brother in state rival much like Texas A&M has once they left Texas in the dust.

The B1G has said they had a demographic problem prior to the Rutgers/Maryland additions. That is now solved.

The question is, who does Delany want next?

I think almost everyone could agree that Virginia would be choice #1 (of the schools with a realistic shot).

What I'm not sure of is whether the B1G wants to add more NE schools. My thoughts are "probably not". Aside from UCONN's qualification problems currently, the state simply doesn't move the needle much. Would only be a #16 add if they got a huge get for #15....which is both good and bad. Because with one big fish reeled in, it would be much more likely that another would come with them...similar to Rutgers and Maryland.

There also becomes the angst among some of the western schools that the conference is losing its "midwest" flavor. That is where a school like Kansas comes into play, if the West is the next expansion. Then how far West and south do they go?

I'm sorry to "secondary" schools...you aren't going to be invited to the B1G. Va Tech, NC State, etc.....sorry, but you are out. B1G wants top notch brands in each state, not a second tier.

Virginia is the key cog.

With the sudden changes in the UM hierarchy might we see a new administration that is more friendly towards the Big 10, assuming that a #15 school is found?

(11-04-2015 06:58 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I don't think UConn is on the Big Ten's wish list at all. If another conference grabbed UConn, it wouldn't threaten the Big Ten and UConn isn't close to an invite somewhere else so there isn't a rush to grab them.

NC State and Virginia Tech wouldn't be bad additions. Consider the fact that they both have larger enrollments than their sexier counterparts of UNC and UVA.
- NC State has an enrollment of 33,989 compared to 29,135 of UNC. VT has 31,224 compared to 21,800 at UVA. Of current Big Ten members, these four prospective members would rank as 11th (NC State), 13th (VT and UNC), and 14th (UVA).
- VT has a football stadium capacity of 65,632 compared to 61,500 of UVA. UNC has a stadium capacity of 63,000 compared to NC State's 57,583. They would be ranked the following in the Big Ten: VT, UNC, and UVA 7th, NC State 8th.

There is more that could be looked at such as academic rankings but all that needs to be said (and that could make a difference) is that UNC and UVA are AAU while NC State and VT are not. So it may not matter if the Big Ten doesn't want a non-AAU school (Nebraska! or Notre Dame) but if there are two schools that are in the shadow of the big brother school in the same state and would flourish by a change in conference, I think Virginia Tech (who is already quite respectable in football) and NC State (solid in football) could be a Texas A&M type and do well for themselves.

Virginia Tech is an interesting possibility. I visited both UVA and VTech when my son was looking at colleges. UVA thinks of itself as a scholarly liberal arts university, and its campus feels like an Ivy League school. VTech is an engineering powerhouse and is ranked in the top 15 nationally, so it fits in well with B1G schools. It's campus reminds me of B1G campuses (visited 5 of those as well). Except for the AAU membership, which UVA has because of its medical programs, VTech has the right attributes to be a B1G school. If the B1G was convinced that UVA would never join, I think VTech would get an invitation.

(11-10-2015 12:59 AM)CintiFan Wrote:  

(11-04-2015 06:58 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I don't think UConn is on the Big Ten's wish list at all. If another conference grabbed UConn, it wouldn't threaten the Big Ten and UConn isn't close to an invite somewhere else so there isn't a rush to grab them.

NC State and Virginia Tech wouldn't be bad additions. Consider the fact that they both have larger enrollments than their sexier counterparts of UNC and UVA.
- NC State has an enrollment of 33,989 compared to 29,135 of UNC. VT has 31,224 compared to 21,800 at UVA. Of current Big Ten members, these four prospective members would rank as 11th (NC State), 13th (VT and UNC), and 14th (UVA).
- VT has a football stadium capacity of 65,632 compared to 61,500 of UVA. UNC has a stadium capacity of 63,000 compared to NC State's 57,583. They would be ranked the following in the Big Ten: VT, UNC, and UVA 7th, NC State 8th.

There is more that could be looked at such as academic rankings but all that needs to be said (and that could make a difference) is that UNC and UVA are AAU while NC State and VT are not. So it may not matter if the Big Ten doesn't want a non-AAU school (Nebraska! or Notre Dame) but if there are two schools that are in the shadow of the big brother school in the same state and would flourish by a change in conference, I think Virginia Tech (who is already quite respectable in football) and NC State (solid in football) could be a Texas A&M type and do well for themselves.

Virginia Tech is an interesting possibility. I visited both UVA and VTech when my son was looking at colleges. UVA thinks of itself as a scholarly liberal arts university, and its campus feels like an Ivy League school. VTech is an engineering powerhouse and is ranked in the top 15 nationally, so it fits in well with B1G schools. It's campus reminds me of B1G campuses (visited 5 of those as well). Except for the AAU membership, which UVA has because of its medical programs, VTech has the right attributes to be a B1G school. If the B1G was convinced that UVA would never join, I think VTech would get an invitation.

That's pretty much the dynamic with UNC& NCSU. UNC & UVA are preppy ivy league lite schools while Tech & State are their respective states primary STEM focused schools. The problem with luring UNC/UVA is the fact that they are joined at the hip. I doubt either would leave without the other & that doesn't even factor their relationship with Duke. Tech & State would have a hard time navigating a preemptive strike of their own. That's a major difference between say Texas & Texas A&M. They are both governed by separate boards on the state level while NCSU in particular is governed by the same board as UNC.

(11-09-2015 04:48 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  With the sudden changes in the UM hierarchy might we see a new administration that is more friendly towards the Big 10, assuming that a #15 school is found?

If UM is Missouri, I don't think there was any administration more friendly with the Big Ten than the last one (unless it was different than the administration that was present during their time in the Big 12 leading to their invite to the SEC).

They appeared to be the most vocal and supportive PUBLICLY in Big Ten membership and seemed to be counting on being #12. Then Nebraska got invited and the Big Ten stopped and Missouri was left holding the bag looking stupid.

With no inside knowledge or first hand account, I imagine that Missouri would have preferred a Big Ten invite but now that they are in the SEC, there is no point to moving. The SEC is a destination landing spot as is the Big Ten and once you are in either then there is no willful leaving (at least not in the last 50ish years). Of course I could be very wrong and they may be calling the Big Ten as we speak begging for an invite but anything is possible I suppose.

(11-11-2015 11:55 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(11-09-2015 04:48 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  With the sudden changes in the UM hierarchy might we see a new administration that is more friendly towards the Big 10, assuming that a #15 school is found?

If UM is Missouri, I don't think there was any administration more friendly with the Big Ten than the last one (unless it was different than the administration that was present during their time in the Big 12 leading to their invite to the SEC).

They appeared to be the most vocal and supportive PUBLICLY in Big Ten membership and seemed to be counting on being #12. Then Nebraska got invited and the Big Ten stopped and Missouri was left holding the bag looking stupid.

With no inside knowledge or first hand account, I imagine that Missouri would have preferred a Big Ten invite but now that they are in the SEC, there is no point to moving. The SEC is a destination landing spot as is the Big Ten and once you are in either then there is no willful leaving (at least not in the last 50ish years). Of course I could be very wrong and they may be calling the Big Ten as we speak begging for an invite but anything is possible I suppose.

2011 and prior was pretty B1G, but recent 2011-2015 has been pro-SEC.

No idea what is coming next...but a B1G (indiana) guy is now our athletic director (started in 2015), and the now acting president as of yesterday is a purdue and penn state guy. Governor is still a B1G guy too.

I know 2 of the 8 Curators personally...and they had this notion of worries about the SEC move. Attracting more southern students and seeing something like the recent events....although I don't think anyone would have predicted they go this far.

We are damaged goods right now. But I am hopeful we make the right hires to rid ourselves of this stupidity that has happened. And of course, be friendly with one Mr. Delany.

(11-11-2015 05:40 PM)5thTiger Wrote:  

(11-11-2015 11:55 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(11-09-2015 04:48 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  With the sudden changes in the UM hierarchy might we see a new administration that is more friendly towards the Big 10, assuming that a #15 school is found?

If UM is Missouri, I don't think there was any administration more friendly with the Big Ten than the last one (unless it was different than the administration that was present during their time in the Big 12 leading to their invite to the SEC).

They appeared to be the most vocal and supportive PUBLICLY in Big Ten membership and seemed to be counting on being #12. Then Nebraska got invited and the Big Ten stopped and Missouri was left holding the bag looking stupid.

With no inside knowledge or first hand account, I imagine that Missouri would have preferred a Big Ten invite but now that they are in the SEC, there is no point to moving. The SEC is a destination landing spot as is the Big Ten and once you are in either then there is no willful leaving (at least not in the last 50ish years). Of course I could be very wrong and they may be calling the Big Ten as we speak begging for an invite but anything is possible I suppose.

2011 and prior was pretty B1G, but recent 2011-2015 has been pro-SEC.

No idea what is coming next...but a B1G (indiana) guy is now our athletic director (started in 2015), and the now acting president as of yesterday is a purdue and penn state guy. Governor is still a B1G guy too.

I know 2 of the 8 Curators personally...and they had this notion of worries about the SEC move. Attracting more southern students and seeing something like the recent events....although I don't think anyone would have predicted they go this far.

We are damaged goods right now. But I am hopeful we make the right hires to rid ourselves of this stupidity that has happened. And of course, be friendly with one Mr. Delany.

This Sparty fan will accept Mizzou and its fans with open arms if it somehow happens, Mizzou and Kansas were the two teams I wanted to join after Nebraska.

I just think it can't be a coincidence that now the Mizzou and Virginia Tech coaching positions will soon become available.

(11-13-2015 05:50 PM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  I just think it can't be a coincidence that now the Mizzou and Virginia Tech coaching positions will soon become available.

What are you suggesting?

Beamer and Pinkel are old-ish. Pinkel has cancer. Just happens to be a year where quite a few P5 jobs opened up.

Missouri's last football conference championship was about ten years earlier than Maryland's last football national championship. Let that sink in for a little bit before someone tells you that Missouri was an awesome catch for the SEC and Maryland is crap.

Missouri is a jack of all trades, master of none which will keep them out of the bottom most years but away from the top as well. And that's true of their basketball as well. So while they won't embarrass the conference, I don't think of them as raising the profile either. From my point of view, they fit a similar niche as UConn of being safe with a low ceiling and high floor but not very sexy. And with them in the SEC, I'd be surprised if they want to move.

I think a bigger priority would be Texas (the state) and/or the down the east coast (the states of Virginia/North Carolina/Florida).

In Football, I don't reckon that the floor for UConn would be very high at all ... in BBall it is, of course, a different story.

New York / New England is not very rich recruiting on a per capita basis ... New Jersey is about as far north as the good FB recruiting grounds on the East Coast go ... its another story for BBall, of course, helping to explain UConn's much lower ceiling for FB vs BBall.