Big 10 Expansion Thread -Big Ten ready for a playoff .. finally?

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Even something as simple as name recognition is important. I've heard of maybe half those schools. If I'm a guy who doesn't live in your area, but would consider going to school there, I'd probably be more likely to dismiss the schools I haven't heard of. And the only reason I've heard of any of those schools in your 2nd paragraph is sports.

Well yeah - I don't think that many outside PA or the surrounding area are going to go to schools like Ursinus, or Widener, or Bloomsburg, or East Stroud (or Lock Haven, Kutztown...). But in the area I grew up in - at least at the time - I think you would see more kids looking at those schools than you would Texas, or Georgia, or LSU, or Wisconsin. They'll typically stay local, unless they are looking at the upper-echelon schools. I guess there will be some that escape the local orbit. But I don't know how many right now are thinking "wow - I never thought of Butler before!" for instance.


edit: I'll admit though that like with many things about college, my experience was probably far from the norm. When I looked for schools, I considered applying to Harvey Mudd. I had never heard of them before, and certainly didn't learn of them because of sports.

[finketr]

Originally Posted by cartman

I think the only non-BCS conference school I was accepted to that I even halfway considered attending was Pepperdine. That campus was amazing, right above the beaches of Malibu.

Being from wonderful Dayton, OH, and attending CJ for those from the area. For those not, it's a private Catholic high school.

We had one girl that went to Pepperdine and some that went the Ivy League. I, too, would like to see where all my classmates ended up. I know that in the program for graduation there was a list of schools that people were awarded scholarships or were attending directly from hs.

I got into a number of schools including Xavier and Marquette, Indiana and Purdue, and my now alma mater (with a 18 yr gap in schooling) ENMU.

[Buccaneer]

Why did they build the Melon Center when the academics were losing money due to funding cuts? Did the center help erase the deficits from the departments?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Why did they build the Melon Center when the academics were losing money due to funding cuts? Did the center help erase the deficits from the departments?

Probably one of those situations where whoever was donating, earmarked that money specifically for that purpose. So you either do what they want or don't and then you don't get that cash.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Why did they build the Melon Center when the academics were losing money due to funding cuts? Did the center help erase the deficits from the departments?

Melo Center? Because Carmelo is the gift that keeps on giving. He made a substantial donation.

[Buccaneer]

Gifting to the university or just athletic department or perhaps to the academic department he graduated from?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Gifting to the university or just athletic department or perhaps to the academic department he graduated from?

He gave to the athletic department. I remember it because it was at the time the largest gift of any athlete like ever. It was like $3m or something crazy.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Will be interesting to see if other conferences follow this method of moving away from network television and focusing on conference network/sports network partnerships.

How ESPN Sets The SEC Network Apart (Even From The Net’s Texas Project)

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Gifting to the university or just athletic department or perhaps to the academic department he graduated from?

He basically told the athletic director, here is $3M, build that practice facility for the basketball team. They said yes and put his name on it.

[Marmel]

On a related note, I don't know that any single person has brought so much to a school as Carmelo has. He comes in, wins a title, build a practice center, goes on to be one of the 5 most popular players in the NBA that recruits aspire to be. He wears Cuse gear in commercials instead of Knicks gear. Always talks up Cuse and Boeheim. Gets his jersey retired. Yes, I have a man crush on 'Melo.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Marmel

On a related note, I don't know that any single person has brought so much to a school as Carmelo has. He comes in, wins a title, build a practice center, goes on to be one of the 5 most popular players in the NBA that recruits aspire to be. He wears Cuse gear in commercials instead of Knicks gear. Always talks up Cuse and Boeheim. Gets his jersey retired. Yes, I have a man crush on 'Melo.

and let himself appear in a "stop snitching" video for drug dealers.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by muns

and let himself appear in a "stop snitching" video for drug dealers.

fair tradeoff.

[Kodos]

Big Ten Conference to realign teams, replace division names with East, West, sources say - ESPN

Looks like Big Ten will be going to East and West divisions. IU goes to the tougher East division, Purdue to the West.

[Logan]

And Rutgers is once again in the B1G East.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Logan

And Rutgers is once again in the B1G East.

SI

[RendeR]

Wow, they umm...just decided Wisconsin should win their division every season I guess? Nebraska might steal one ehre and there, but really? Mishitgan MSU, Ohio State and Penn State all in one side of the conference?

Horrible idea.

[MrBug708]

Richard Jefferson donated 3.5 million to Arizona for a practice facility

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Richard Jefferson donated 3.5 million to Arizona for a practice facility

At the time Melo donated, it was considered one of the largest.

Anthony’s gift represented one of the largest individual donations to Syracuse University Athletics and is also believed to be one of the largest by a current professional athlete to the school they attended.

Hyperbole obviously since Jefferson gave his two years before Melo gave to the Cuse, but the different is maybe that Melo only spent one year at Syracuse and didn't really owe them shit after winning them a title. So to leave, be that young and decide to give money away when a lot of these dudes are blowing it on boats for their dogs was pretty impressive. Not just the size of the gift, but being that young and making such a bold commitment to a school where he was a one-and-done.

[MrBug708]

Melo has way more money and gave less than Jefferson, but I understand your point. SU worded it to sound better than "Melo gave the second biggest award by an athlete"

[tarcone]

Iowas most hated rival stays with us. Thank goodness.

[RendeR]

Iowa has a rival?

[tarcone]

According the the B1G, its Purdue. Never mind that we have played Wiscky since 1894. We lost that rivalry in the Legends and Leaders stupidity.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by tarcone

According the the B1G, its Purdue. Never mind that we have played Wiscky since 1894. We lost that rivalry in the Legends and Leaders stupidity.

Wisconsin/Iowa is only a rivalry in Iowa's mind. It's Wisconsin/Minnesota that's the real rivalry.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Wisconsin/Iowa is only a rivalry in Iowa's mind. It's Wisconsin/Minnesota that's the real rivalry.

You may be right. But Im sure Wisky fans think of Iowa as a rival. 120 years of games. Lots of Iowa players and coaches running Wisky. Though not to the same level as Minny/Wisky, still a rivalry.
Iowa/Minny is also a rivalry. Again, not at the same level.

[yacovfb]

ACC signs Grant of Rights. Hopefully this will slow expansion talk for awhile (at least as it pertains to snatching up ACC schools).

ACC Announces Grant of Rights - The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference

[lungs]

Originally Posted by tarcone

You may be right. But Im sure Wisky fans think of Iowa as a rival. 120 years of games. Lots of Iowa players and coaches running Wisky. Though not to the same level as Minny/Wisky, still a rivalry.
Iowa/Minny is also a rivalry. Again, not at the same level.

I'd say this is accurate.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by tarcone

You may be right. But Im sure Wisky fans think of Iowa as a rival. 120 years of games. Lots of Iowa players and coaches running Wisky. Though not to the same level as Minny/Wisky, still a rivalry.
Iowa/Minny is also a rivalry. Again, not at the same level.

Iowa/Minnesota is considered a bigger rivalry by some Minnesota fans, but mainly those in the southern part of the state. Most fans would consider Wisconsin as the main rival, though they don't do a, "Who hates Wisconsin?" chant starting at the first game of the season.

Though there are also fans that would consider Iowa the third biggest rival behind North Dakota. Depends on if they're hockey fans.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by yacovfb

ACC signs Grant of Rights. Hopefully this will slow expansion talk for awhile (at least as it pertains to snatching up ACC schools).

ACC Announces Grant of Rights - The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Grant of Rights is such a backward way of handling the situation. Yes, it can maintain your status quo for the short term, but if you get enough teams to leave at once, you effectively dissolve the conference and void out any rights. In addition, the mid-major schools are the only ones that are going to join a conference with that arrangement. No high majors are going to jump into that kind of a conference.

There's little question this was done to attempt to slow NC State's exodus to the SEC. We'll have to see what the SEC's next move is because it's a given that they're going to 16 schools with the network now in place.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by yacovfb

ACC signs Grant of Rights. Hopefully this will slow expansion talk for awhile (at least as it pertains to snatching up ACC schools).

ACC Announces Grant of Rights - The Official Athletic Site of the Atlantic Coast Conference

This will be followed up by a bump in annual payouts per school to just over $20 mil starting 7/1 and an ACC network of sorts being announced in the next few months.

[sooner333]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's little question this was done to attempt to slow NC State's exodus to the SEC. We'll have to see what the SEC's next move is because it's a given that they're going to 16 schools with the network now in place.

Hard to say it's a "given" when any potential candidate is covered by a Grant of Rights.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Grant of Rights is such a backward way of handling the situation. Yes, it can maintain your status quo for the short term, but if you get enough teams to leave at once, you effectively dissolve the conference and void out any rights. In addition, the mid-major schools are the only ones that are going to join a conference with that arrangement. No high majors are going to jump into that kind of a conference.

There's little question this was done to attempt to slow NC State's exodus to the SEC. We'll have to see what the SEC's next move is because it's a given that they're going to 16 schools with the network now in place.

That's actually just about the first time I've heard the GOR was supposed to keep State in the league (FSU or Clemson, sure, but State?). While there is a sizable contingent of State fans who have deluded themselves into thinking they could (and should) have got an SEC invite, the administration was never close to going. There's too much political interference (State's not going anywhere without Carolina and, indirectly, Duke, getting landing spots if they need it), not to mention too much history and loyalty with the ACC for State to have ended up anywhere else short of a total collapse of the conference. State wasn't going to pull the pin, in other words. Now, had the B1G ended up taking Virginia and UNC, that would have been a different matter.

The fans most bitter about this are the FSU and Clemson fans who are all angry that their admins didn't try to get them out while the getting was good because all they see is football and don't care a dot about anything else. This has resulted in some interesting gloating coming from the new ACC member fanbases who are all pretty much saying "Nyah! You're stuck with us now!"

[Logan]

Yeah I thought this was aimed at FSU/Clemson re: the SEC and North Carolina/Virginia possibly with the B1G. I guess that would put NC State 5th on the list, but what do I know.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Logan

Yeah I thought this was aimed at FSU/Clemson re: the SEC and North Carolina/Virginia possibly with the B1G. I guess that would put NC State 5th on the list, but what do I know.

NC State was on the targeted list before FSU or Clemson. There's been clear discussion about that on multiple sites (Mr. SEC and Outkick the Coverage to name a couple). SEC Channel headquarters is going to be in North Carolina. They want to pull a school from that area so they have one in that state and also so they have yet another state where they can charge premium prices for the network.

If you want to see how many plans were changed by this move for the short-term.......

Buck Up, Expansion Fans, You Might Be Thankful For This Unanswered Prayer

[digamma]

Come on man, he's talking about what fans wanted to possibly see, not actual plans changing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by digamma

Come on man, he's talking about what fans wanted to possibly see, not actual plans changing.

Of course, of course. Nothing to see here.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Of course, of course. Nothing to see here.

I'm honestly confused about the point you are trying to make.

As I see it: Is the Grant of Rights a big deal? Yes, I think it is significant.

Is a web blogger's ode to fans who are disappointed there's not more expansion fever proof of that? No, I don't think so.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by digamma

I'm honestly confused about the point you are trying to make.

As I see it: Is the Grant of Rights a big deal? Yes, I think it is significant.

Is a web blogger's ode to fans who are disappointed there's not more expansion fever proof of that? No, I don't think so.

There were discussions between NC State and the SEC. Obviously, they decided to go in a different direction. Couple that with the fact that the ACC move was pushed by ESPN to limit their loss of market to FOX Sports, and you end up with the ACC remaining steady for the foreseeable future.

The ACC's good news is bad news for the Big 12. With only 10 members, they become the new feeding ground for expansion. The huge trigger waiting in the wings is obviously how much longer ESPN will wait to pull the rug out on the Longhorn Network. As soon as that happens, we'll likely see UT, TT, OU and OSU get together and shop themselves to the Pac 12. The Pac 12 will welcome those four teams with open arms as long as UT isn't tethered to its network. Big 12 will fall apart and the other schools will look for landing pads.

[britrock88]

To speculate further, the SEC could pick up WV and Baylor/TCU, and the B1G could grab Iowa State and Kansas if it wanted to. Then the leftovers would pluck the best members of the now quite large Mountain West and make a great basketball conference. Sounds okay to me.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by britrock88

To speculate further, the SEC could pick up WV and Baylor/TCU, and the B1G could grab Iowa State and Kansas if it wanted to. Then the leftovers would pluck the best members of the now quite large Mountain West and make a great basketball conference. Sounds okay to me.

The WV message boards are on fire this morning. They feel like they got sold a bill of goods and are now stuck on an island until UT decides to do something. They'll have options once something happens, but they're at UT's whim until then.

[Logan]

Pretty sure everything associated with WVU is always on fire.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by britrock88

To speculate further, the SEC could pick up WV and Baylor/TCU, and the B1G could grab Iowa State and Kansas if it wanted to. Then the leftovers would pluck the best members of the now quite large Mountain West and make a great basketball conference. Sounds okay to me.

I'd like it if the Big Ten added Kansas, but I don't see any chance Iowa State gets an invite.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I'd like it if the Big Ten added Kansas, but I don't see any chance Iowa State gets an invite.

Went with them by default because they're the closest geographically and they're an AAU member (like Kansas). But with Iowa already in the fold, you're right that ISU wouldn't add much.

[Logan]

The official name of the playoff system has been unveiled as "College Football Playoff".

Bruce Feldman got a comment from Jim Delaney:

"I'll be happy with whatever. Obviously I'm not great with names."

Fantastic.

[mckerney]

So that means Legends vs. Leaders Annual Pigskin Classic National Championship Showcase presented by Nissan, Drive Smart didn't make the cut?

Oh well, Delany still has the chance to come up with some obnoxious fucking acronym for the game.

[cartman]

I'm still waiting for the report to say that wasn't actually the name, they forgot to remove the placeholder of 'College Football Playoff'.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

T
The fans most bitter about this are the FSU and Clemson fans who are all angry that their admins didn't try to get them out while the getting was good because all they see is football and don't care a dot about anything else.

I this article from the Sports Business Daily was interesting.

In particular, there was this blurb:

The interesting thing to me is that a couple of the schools thought to be most likely to leave — Florida State and Georgia Tech — were the leaders in getting this approved and signed by their conference peers.

No doubt the FSU fan base may not share the opinion, but the administration has seemed to be pretty committed to the ACC.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by digamma

No doubt the FSU fan base may not share the opinion, but the administration has seemed to be pretty committed to the ACC.

Kinda likewise about GT, I never got any sense that they were particularly hot to leave at the administrative level. I think the fan base - whatever of it their is anyway - was somewhat lukewarm about it overall, some strongly against (like me) and a handful of others in favor.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Kinda likewise about GT, I never got any sense that they were particularly hot to leave at the administrative level. I think the fan base - whatever of it their is anyway - was somewhat lukewarm about it overall, some strongly against (like me) and a handful of others in favor.

Good point.

Maybe GT and FSU also see it as a chance, with expansion, to finally pull some of the power away from Tobacco Road (and more specifically Chapel Hill). On the one hand you have the push for the grant of rights, but on the other hand you have continued frustration with the favors UNC gets in various ACC matters (small one, but this will be the 4th of 6 years that UNC has a bye week before the GT football game).

[Young Drachma]

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_bask...ttend/2012.pdf

2012 College basketball attendance is an interesting look. It covers all 3 divisions too. I think it's for last year, but still interesting.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by digamma

Good point.

Maybe GT and FSU also see it as a chance, with expansion, to finally pull some of the power away from Tobacco Road (and more specifically Chapel Hill). On the one hand you have the push for the grant of rights, but on the other hand you have continued frustration with the favors UNC gets in various ACC matters (small one, but this will be the 4th of 6 years that UNC has a bye week before the GT football game).

Indeed a very good point. While there is always frustration with the conference being North Carolina-centric (state and sometimes the school), it's difficult for those who are in North Carolina to actually see that all the other schools see the North Carolina schools as a bloc that gets favorable treatment, no matter how many of us in-state try to protest that we hate the Duke-UNC axis as much if not moreso. At this point, with so many members brought in from expansion, I'm sure that FSU and Clemson and GT, as the senior conference members from outside the NC schools-UVa axis and with Maryland out, probably did some calculus and thought they had better power where they were rather than putting themselves at the mercy of Texas or (if they got lucky somehow) all the SEC schools. Instead of the old guard ACC members having five or six of eight or nine votes, it's now five votes out of fifteen. It's still a potent block and enough to derail anything that requires 75% voting such as expansion, but it can no longer win simple majority votes. FSU, Clemson, Miami, GT, and probably Louisville can form an effective counter-block. It may be less money for the athletics departments, but it's probably the best university-wide move they could make. Unfortunately, sports fans really don't care much about that.