(06-09-2023 10:26 AM)micahandme Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 08:34 AM)domer1978 Wrote:  The Big 16 IMO needs more teams as a bridge to USC and UCLA. I believe they will be fine, but it will be really tough on the non-revenue sports.

Football is fine. You're right.

Getting on a plane to Seattle or to Chicago (assuming direct flights...) is no different.

Football only has to do it 5 times each fall (plus CCG and playoffs, if you're lucky).

The Olympic sports will do it more frequently. I don't know which sport plays the most games...but I'd love to see their schedule. I'd imagine it'll include weeklong road trips with 2-3 stops. Rough stretches...but better than making 2 or 3 individual trips.

(Basketball...I'm thinking fly to Rutgers Thursday morning and play that night...then fly to Chicago for Illinois on a Saturday afternoon...then home Saturday night. Two road games, two nights away from home, one trip...)

Think about the itinerary
5:00AM (PT) - Wake up
5:30AM - Team bus to LAX
8:00AM - Flight to Newark departure
5:00PM (ET) - (after 3 hour time change) Arrive at Newark
5:30PM - Bus to New Brunswick
6:00PM - Locker room
6:30PM - Pregame warm up
7:00PM - Tip-off

There is little slack for an unforeseen delay. Worse yet, players have spent from 5AM to 6PM traveling rather prepping for a game.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see Mick Cronin be named the Kentucky, Kansas or Texas basketball coach in a few years. That travel schedule will be absolutely brutal for hoops

Keep in mind Forde is a huge Colorado fan. His office at the Courier-Journal was a shrine to the Buffaloes. His daughter, Brooke, attended Stanford and may still be connected to their swimming program.

I wouldn’t expect Pat to be a cheerleader for The Big Ten to continue inviting PAC schools.

(06-09-2023 10:51 AM)goofus Wrote:  Forde mentioned that PSU us not anybody #1 rival after 30 years in the conference. I think if MD would have been brought in alone or maybe with Mizzou, MD and PSU would have been linked together as rivals the same way Nebraska was forced on Iowa.

Ironically if Mizzou would have been brought in with MD instead of Rutgers, then probably Neb and Mizzou probably would have got linked together as rivals. Then Iowa-Minn-Wisc could continue their own triangle affair.

The PSU-OSU-Mich-MSU link reminds of 2 couples that get together where the wives are best friends but the husbands hang out together for convenience.

The only way PSU is going to have a #1 rival in the league is if Pitt is added, and that really isn't thinkable for the B1G as a whole unless the league goes at least to 24.

Who was supposed to become Penn State's NEW rival ? I dont get it. Everyone else in the conference already had a rival. Nebraska and Iowa became rivals because the states border each other and because Iowa didnt have distinct conference rival. Ohio borders PA but Ohio State already had a rival in Michigan so they werent going to become Penn State's rivals. Rutgers and Maryland, who cares, they should have never been added.

(06-09-2023 11:48 AM)World Wide Swag Wrote:  Wouldn’t surprise me to see Mick Cronin be named the Kentucky, Kansas or Texas basketball coach in a few years. That travel schedule will be absolutely brutal for hoops

Meh- Mick had always loved LA. When he coached at Cincinnati he would frequently mention all his friends out there and how great he thought it was. He flirted with UNLV before he took the UCLA job because it got him close. There was an article written in The Athletic where he said at the time UC went out to Westwood and beat UCLA that he would rather be the coach there.

Nobody was surprised he took that job except for the blind.

(06-09-2023 08:12 AM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  The release of the upcoming football schedules shed light on just how geographically difficult life will be for USC and UCLA.

A column by Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.

https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/08/us...irrational

(06-09-2023 08:31 AM)Glenn360 Wrote:  A Texas 247 writer says coaches are already negative recruiting against USC/UCLA saying you don't want to go there with all that travel.

In football its 4-5 trips a year near the end of the week and back, I think Basketball & Olympic Sports will be more telling on whether or not it has a negative effect on the athletes.

Well waddayaknow. Turns out that travel is indeed a thing. Even in a world of airplanes...

(06-09-2023 08:34 AM)domer1978 Wrote:  The Big 16 IMO needs more teams as a bridge to USC and UCLA. I believe they will be fine, but it will be really tough on the non-revenue sports.

Colorado and (newly AAU) Arizona State, say hi : )

USC and UCLA baseball is dead. Granted they weren't great in the Pac 12 las of late but the weakness of the Big Ten will drag them down. They wont dominate. Remember, Nebraska fans thought they would dominate the Big Ten in baseball when they joined and that didnt happen.

(06-09-2023 10:51 AM)goofus Wrote:  Forde mentioned that PSU us not anybody #1 rival after 30 years in the conference. I think if MD would have been brought in alone or maybe with Mizzou, MD and PSU would have been linked together as rivals the same way Nebraska was forced on Iowa.

Ironically if Mizzou would have been brought in with MD instead of Rutgers, then probably Neb and Mizzou probably would have got linked together as rivals. Then Iowa-Minn-Wisc could continue their own triangle affair.

The PSU-OSU-Mich-MSU link reminds of 2 couples that get together where the wives are best friends but the husbands hang out together for convenience.

Umm...no. Missouri would not have become our "rival" under any circumstances.

If the Big Ten wanted to, they could've made Nebraska a rival...but PSU and Nebraska have had enough bumps in the road individually the past decade that it wouldn't have meant as much anyway.

And the Maryland series is just too stinking lopsided to be a rivalry.

I think it just is what it is. PSU has marked itself as "unrivaled" and that's technically true. We left Pitt in the dust from the mid-80s to today...(and are in different conferences too)...and that was our only real historic rival.

I do hope the conference gives us UCLA as our next "two-play" in 2026/2027. I'd love to play the LA schools more regularly than any of the midwest schools.

(06-09-2023 10:26 AM)micahandme Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 08:34 AM)domer1978 Wrote:  The Big 16 IMO needs more teams as a bridge to USC and UCLA. I believe they will be fine, but it will be really tough on the non-revenue sports.

Football is fine. You're right.

Getting on a plane to Seattle or to Chicago (assuming direct flights...) is no different.

Football only has to do it 5 times each fall (plus CCG and playoffs, if you're lucky).

The Olympic sports will do it more frequently. I don't know which sport plays the most games...but I'd love to see their schedule. I'd imagine it'll include weeklong road trips with 2-3 stops. Rough stretches...but better than making 2 or 3 individual trips.

(Basketball...I'm thinking fly to Rutgers Thursday morning and play that night...then fly to Chicago for Illinois on a Saturday afternoon...then home Saturday night. Two road games, two nights away from home, one trip...)

Yeah, it will cost more, and it will be a bit more of a hassle, but if kids in WV can figure it out then I'm pretty sure that kids in LA can figure it out.

(06-09-2023 11:52 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  Keep in mind Forde is a huge Colorado fan. His office at the Courier-Journal was a shrine to the Buffaloes. His daughter, Brooke, attended Stanford and may still be connected to their swimming program.

I wouldn’t expect Pat to be a cheerleader for The Big Ten to continue inviting PAC schools.

I wonder if his tune would change if CU ended up in the B1G or SEC.

(06-09-2023 08:34 AM)domer1978 Wrote:  The Big 16 IMO needs more teams as a bridge to USC and UCLA. I believe they will be fine, but it will be really tough on the non-revenue sports.

It will be tough for football. The 2023 road schedule includes three road games in California, one in Arizona, one in Utah, and one in Oregon. The 2024 road schedule includes a road game at Hawaii, two central time zone games (LSU, Iowa) and three eastern time zone games (Indiana, Michigan, and Rutgers). They go from six road games in the pacific and mountain time zone in 2023 to none in 2024.

2023
at San Diego State
at Utah
at Oregon State
at Stanford
at Arizona
at USC

2024
at Hawaii
at LSU
at Indiana
at Iowa
at Michigan
at Rutgers

Another junk article bashing the BIG for expanding, but brushing aside the issues the B12 is creating in adding island schools to the East and West. The anti BIG bias is just amazing.
D1 athletics at this level is a year round full time job. Does Forde really think many of these athletes are still in regular classes with regular students? With the proliferation of on-line courses and academic advisors attached to teams, how many of these kids even leave the training faculty to go to class?
USCLA can alleviate travel through better scheduling of OCC games for all their sports. They can play WAC and WCC schools as all home games. These two schools volunteered to switch conferences and they had two years to plan and adjust. Again, so much concern about the health and well-being of the athletes at two top level schools, but no concern for the low level D1 kids schlepped all over the country to provide payday bodybag games for these top level schools.

Pffft. For all the hand-wringing, the travel challenge for USC and UCLA is less daunting than what Hawaii has been successfully managing for over three decades on a shoestring budget. With tens of millions of dollars in increased revenue to pay for charter flights and personalized attention to every student-athlete’s physical and academic well-being, I’m sure USC and UCLA will figure it out.

(06-09-2023 01:13 PM)micahandme Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 10:51 AM)goofus Wrote:  Forde mentioned that PSU us not anybody #1 rival after 30 years in the conference. I think if MD would have been brought in alone or maybe with Mizzou, MD and PSU would have been linked together as rivals the same way Nebraska was forced on Iowa.

Ironically if Mizzou would have been brought in with MD instead of Rutgers, then probably Neb and Mizzou probably would have got linked together as rivals. Then Iowa-Minn-Wisc could continue their own triangle affair.

The PSU-OSU-Mich-MSU link reminds of 2 couples that get together where the wives are best friends but the husbands hang out together for convenience.

Umm...no. Missouri would not have become our "rival" under any circumstances.

If the Big Ten wanted to, they could've made Nebraska a rival...but PSU and Nebraska have had enough bumps in the road individually the past decade that it wouldn't have meant as much anyway.

And the Maryland series is just too stinking lopsided to be a rivalry.

I think it just is what it is. PSU has marked itself as "unrivaled" and that's technically true. We left Pitt in the dust from the mid-80s to today...(and are in different conferences too)...and that was our only real historic rival.

I do hope the conference gives us UCLA as our next "two-play" in 2026/2027. I'd love to play the LA schools more regularly than any of the midwest schools.

I have first hand knowledge that in their heart of hearts, all Penn St fans believe that they have no rivals. Now we have proof.

(06-09-2023 01:48 PM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  Another junk article bashing the BIG for expanding, but brushing aside the issues the B12 is creating in adding island schools to the East and West. The anti BIG bias is just amazing.
D1 athletics at this level is a year round full time job. Does Forde really think many of these athletes are still in regular classes with regular students? With the proliferation of on-line courses and academic advisors attached to teams, how many of these kids even leave the training faculty to go to class?
USCLA can alleviate travel through better scheduling of OCC games for all their sports. They can play WAC and WCC schools as all home games. These two schools volunteered to switch conferences and they had two years to plan and adjust. Again, so much concern about the health and well-being of the athletes at two top level schools, but no concern for the low level D1 kids schlepped all over the country to provide payday bodybag games for these top level schools.

Forde is a CU homer, he's worried about them if the Pac further splinters. If they join the B1G then he'll magically be totally fine with any and all travel.

(06-09-2023 12:52 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  Who was supposed to become Penn State's NEW rival ? I dont get it. Everyone else in the conference already had a rival. Nebraska and Iowa became rivals because the states border each other and because Iowa didnt have distinct conference rival. Ohio borders PA but Ohio State already had a rival in Michigan so they werent going to become Penn State's rivals. Rutgers and Maryland, who cares, they should have never been added.

That poses an interesting thought: if the future is 24, does Penn St successfully lobby in order to have a true rival, albeit a baby brother rival?

(06-09-2023 11:39 AM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 10:26 AM)micahandme Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 08:34 AM)domer1978 Wrote:  The Big 16 IMO needs more teams as a bridge to USC and UCLA. I believe they will be fine, but it will be really tough on the non-revenue sports.

Football is fine. You're right.

Getting on a plane to Seattle or to Chicago (assuming direct flights...) is no different.

Football only has to do it 5 times each fall (plus CCG and playoffs, if you're lucky).

The Olympic sports will do it more frequently. I don't know which sport plays the most games...but I'd love to see their schedule. I'd imagine it'll include weeklong road trips with 2-3 stops. Rough stretches...but better than making 2 or 3 individual trips.

(Basketball...I'm thinking fly to Rutgers Thursday morning and play that night...then fly to Chicago for Illinois on a Saturday afternoon...then home Saturday night. Two road games, two nights away from home, one trip...)

Think about the itinerary
5:00AM (PT) - Wake up
5:30AM - Team bus to LAX
8:00AM - Flight to Newark departure
5:00PM (ET) - (after 3 hour time change) Arrive at Newark
5:30PM - Bus to New Brunswick
6:00PM - Locker room
6:30PM - Pregame warm up
7:00PM - Tip-off

There is little slack for an unforeseen delay. Worse yet, players have spent from 5AM to 6PM traveling rather prepping for a game.

You’re leaving out the part that for those USC/UCLA athletes, that 7 pm Eastern tip off feels like 4 pm to them.

(06-09-2023 02:08 PM)mikeinsec127 Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 01:13 PM)micahandme Wrote:  

(06-09-2023 10:51 AM)goofus Wrote:  Forde mentioned that PSU us not anybody #1 rival after 30 years in the conference. I think if MD would have been brought in alone or maybe with Mizzou, MD and PSU would have been linked together as rivals the same way Nebraska was forced on Iowa.

Ironically if Mizzou would have been brought in with MD instead of Rutgers, then probably Neb and Mizzou probably would have got linked together as rivals. Then Iowa-Minn-Wisc could continue their own triangle affair.

The PSU-OSU-Mich-MSU link reminds of 2 couples that get together where the wives are best friends but the husbands hang out together for convenience.

Umm...no. Missouri would not have become our "rival" under any circumstances.

If the Big Ten wanted to, they could've made Nebraska a rival...but PSU and Nebraska have had enough bumps in the road individually the past decade that it wouldn't have meant as much anyway.

And the Maryland series is just too stinking lopsided to be a rivalry.

I think it just is what it is. PSU has marked itself as "unrivaled" and that's technically true. We left Pitt in the dust from the mid-80s to today...(and are in different conferences too)...and that was our only real historic rival.

I do hope the conference gives us UCLA as our next "two-play" in 2026/2027. I'd love to play the LA schools more regularly than any of the midwest schools.

I have first hand knowledge that in their heart of hearts, all Penn St fans believe that they have no rivals. Now we have proof.

I am trying to decide if this attitude makes PSU fans sound like arrogant D-bags who think they are better than everybody else or the exact opposite, fans who don't want to treat anybody like they are 2nd class. I am.going to think about that but either way they don't sound very fun at parties.