PLaw
2/14/2010, 09:23 AM
Hmmm, you can bet the new conference's championship game will not be South of the Red. Detroit?? Chicago?? Indy?? Wonder if dumb-*** Deloss has thought through that one.
Long article and it will not all paste here, but if you want to the full story, here's the link: http://cfn.scout.com/2/945794.html
BOOMER
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CFN Analysis - Texas To The Big Ten?!
By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Feb 11, 2010
| More
Could the Big Ten really add Texas as a 12th team? Would it be worth if for UT to leave the Big 12? What would the newly formed league look like? According to reports, the Big Ten is trying to talk to Texas about coming aboard, and the CFN writers wonder what might happen if the two merge.
CFN Analysis - Texas To The Big Ten?
Could UT really leave the Big 12?
Pete Fiutak
It makes more sense than you might think.
It might seem like a reach for the Big Ten to just assume it can go out and pluck the golden goose that is the Texas athletic department (oh yeah, and a solid academic institution, too), but the dollars involved could be out of this world for all sides.
The issue for Texas isn’t whether or not to stay in the Big 12; the issue is why it needs the Big 12, or any conference, at all. It’s not like the Big 12 is a tradition-filled league that goes back 100 years, and it’s not like Texas has an automatic rivalry with most of the teams in the league. Remember, Texas merged in from the Southwest Conference and has more of a history with Arkansas, TCU, and SMU than it does with Nebraska, Missouri, and Colorado. The school and the athletic programs have gotten so big, so rich, and so powerful that the brand name in the state is like the New York Yankees. There could be a Texas Television Network (remember, UT is a monster in other sports, too), and there’s no reason financially to not go independent, keep Oklahoma and Texas A&M on the schedule, and become another Notre Dame.
But from an academic and research side, joining the Big Ten would be a major step up from the Big 12 while the revenue created by making the league even bigger would create a windfall that would benefit everyone. Of course the first thought would be the geography with Texas not being all that close to most of the Big Ten schools, at least compared to Missouri or Pitt, but the travel part of the equation isn’t all that bad.
Travel is travel, and while fans won’t be able to pack up in the car and drive to the game, it’s not like the flight is that big a deal for the teams. It’s roughly 3:20 non-stop from Detroit to Austin, or an hour longer than the flight from Columbus to Minneapolis. How long do you think it takes Texas A&M to fly to Omaha, or Missouri to fly to Lubbock?
It’s not like there would have to be a major change in scheduling since Texas is in the Central time zone, the TV people would be ecstatic, and the Big Ten would take a major step forward to challenging the SEC for the honor of being the nation’s top conference.
And then there’s the Big 12.
There’s no way to replace Texas. TCU just doesn’t cut it size-wise, raiding Utah for the Utes or BYU would be a step, but not a big enough one, and Colorado State only makes geographical sense. Basically, the Big 12 would be screwed.
Instead of addition, the Big 12 might be best served to contract if it loses Texas. Instead of adding some mid-range program, it might be better for the league to drop Baylor, a former SWC program, become the true Big 10 and play a round-robin schedule like the Pac 10, ramp up the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry again, and still be a factor by playing better non-conference matchups.
Texas to the Big Ten is a cool idea for all parties involved, but it’s too big and too wacky to happen. But if it did, the divisions would likely be …
East – Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
West – Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Texas, Wisconsin
Richard Cirminiello
They do everything big in Texas, but this would be b-i-g on so many different fronts.
Although it makes no geographic sense and probably won’t happen, gobs of money have a way of doing funny things to people. Already one of the wealthiest programs in college football, imagine what would happen to the bottom line if the ‘Horns could spread their brand to the Midwest. Sans the Big 12, of course, everyone, from the Big Ten to the Big Ten Network would see the size of the pie increase dramatically with the addition of one of the nation’s true powerhouses. Naturally, the ripple effect would create an aftershock that could potentially impact every other conference in the FBS.
If Texas relocates, the Big 12 would be forced to act swiftly, possibly luring TCU out of the Mountain West and maintaining some presence in the region. With a key brick removed from the foundation, the Mountain West would be more vulnerable than ever, making it susceptible to the Pac-10, which is also contemplating expansion. What happens if, say, Utah and BYU decide to jump ship and join a far more stable league? In the blink of an eye, commissioner Craig Thompson would go from lobbying for an automatic BCS bowl bid to trying to avoid extinction.
Again, it’s doubtful Texas will leave its base in the Big 12. However, considering what’s at stake for the entire landscape of college football, it’s worth monitoring the school’s behavior in the coming weeks and months. The Longhorns are in a clear position of power and leverage, and if they decide to throw their weight around, it could create a cataclysmic shift, like nothing the sport has ever witnessed.
Matt Zemek
1) This is something worth talking about just because we’re approaching a tipping point in the way big-ticket college sports are structured. It’s hard to think that Texas really will join the Big Ten, but let’s entertain the notion and play along for a bit.
If Bevo hoofed it to the Upper Midwest, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Big Ten aiming to become a 16-team superconference akin to what the Big East already is in basketball. The notion that Texas would travel to Ann Arbor and Columbus would be hard to stomach unless some geographical balance could be introduced to the Big Ten. This would bring Nebraska and Missouri and another current Big 12 school (maybe two others, or maybe another school currently residing in yet another league) into the mix.
Another consideration that immediately comes to mind is that in the short term, a 12-team Big Ten (with Texas) would have a big problem with annual scheduling. Teams that would draw the Longhorns on the eight-game Big Ten slate would receive the short end of the stick. Accordingly, the three teams not located on the Texas schedule would gain a huge leg up in the race for a Big Ten title and/or a bowl bid. The situation with Texas would be quite contentious, to say the least. A lot of other dominoes would fall in connection with a Longhorn migration to this particular power conference.
2) The other obvious consequence of a Texas move to the Big Ten is that the Big 12 would need to find a new team. Given that Colorado is on the Pac-10’s radar screen for possible expansion (perhaps not in the center of the radar screen, but definitely on it), it’s undeniable that a Texas travel plan would unleash a chain reaction in other power conferences, radically reshaping college athletics as we have come to know it. It seems as though King Football and Big Basketball
Long article and it will not all paste here, but if you want to the full story, here's the link: http://cfn.scout.com/2/945794.html
BOOMER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CFN Analysis - Texas To The Big Ten?!
By Staff
CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Feb 11, 2010
| More
Could the Big Ten really add Texas as a 12th team? Would it be worth if for UT to leave the Big 12? What would the newly formed league look like? According to reports, the Big Ten is trying to talk to Texas about coming aboard, and the CFN writers wonder what might happen if the two merge.
CFN Analysis - Texas To The Big Ten?
Could UT really leave the Big 12?
Pete Fiutak
It makes more sense than you might think.
It might seem like a reach for the Big Ten to just assume it can go out and pluck the golden goose that is the Texas athletic department (oh yeah, and a solid academic institution, too), but the dollars involved could be out of this world for all sides.
The issue for Texas isn’t whether or not to stay in the Big 12; the issue is why it needs the Big 12, or any conference, at all. It’s not like the Big 12 is a tradition-filled league that goes back 100 years, and it’s not like Texas has an automatic rivalry with most of the teams in the league. Remember, Texas merged in from the Southwest Conference and has more of a history with Arkansas, TCU, and SMU than it does with Nebraska, Missouri, and Colorado. The school and the athletic programs have gotten so big, so rich, and so powerful that the brand name in the state is like the New York Yankees. There could be a Texas Television Network (remember, UT is a monster in other sports, too), and there’s no reason financially to not go independent, keep Oklahoma and Texas A&M on the schedule, and become another Notre Dame.
But from an academic and research side, joining the Big Ten would be a major step up from the Big 12 while the revenue created by making the league even bigger would create a windfall that would benefit everyone. Of course the first thought would be the geography with Texas not being all that close to most of the Big Ten schools, at least compared to Missouri or Pitt, but the travel part of the equation isn’t all that bad.
Travel is travel, and while fans won’t be able to pack up in the car and drive to the game, it’s not like the flight is that big a deal for the teams. It’s roughly 3:20 non-stop from Detroit to Austin, or an hour longer than the flight from Columbus to Minneapolis. How long do you think it takes Texas A&M to fly to Omaha, or Missouri to fly to Lubbock?
It’s not like there would have to be a major change in scheduling since Texas is in the Central time zone, the TV people would be ecstatic, and the Big Ten would take a major step forward to challenging the SEC for the honor of being the nation’s top conference.
And then there’s the Big 12.
There’s no way to replace Texas. TCU just doesn’t cut it size-wise, raiding Utah for the Utes or BYU would be a step, but not a big enough one, and Colorado State only makes geographical sense. Basically, the Big 12 would be screwed.
Instead of addition, the Big 12 might be best served to contract if it loses Texas. Instead of adding some mid-range program, it might be better for the league to drop Baylor, a former SWC program, become the true Big 10 and play a round-robin schedule like the Pac 10, ramp up the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry again, and still be a factor by playing better non-conference matchups.
Texas to the Big Ten is a cool idea for all parties involved, but it’s too big and too wacky to happen. But if it did, the divisions would likely be …
East – Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
West – Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Texas, Wisconsin
Richard Cirminiello
They do everything big in Texas, but this would be b-i-g on so many different fronts.
Although it makes no geographic sense and probably won’t happen, gobs of money have a way of doing funny things to people. Already one of the wealthiest programs in college football, imagine what would happen to the bottom line if the ‘Horns could spread their brand to the Midwest. Sans the Big 12, of course, everyone, from the Big Ten to the Big Ten Network would see the size of the pie increase dramatically with the addition of one of the nation’s true powerhouses. Naturally, the ripple effect would create an aftershock that could potentially impact every other conference in the FBS.
If Texas relocates, the Big 12 would be forced to act swiftly, possibly luring TCU out of the Mountain West and maintaining some presence in the region. With a key brick removed from the foundation, the Mountain West would be more vulnerable than ever, making it susceptible to the Pac-10, which is also contemplating expansion. What happens if, say, Utah and BYU decide to jump ship and join a far more stable league? In the blink of an eye, commissioner Craig Thompson would go from lobbying for an automatic BCS bowl bid to trying to avoid extinction.
Again, it’s doubtful Texas will leave its base in the Big 12. However, considering what’s at stake for the entire landscape of college football, it’s worth monitoring the school’s behavior in the coming weeks and months. The Longhorns are in a clear position of power and leverage, and if they decide to throw their weight around, it could create a cataclysmic shift, like nothing the sport has ever witnessed.
Matt Zemek
1) This is something worth talking about just because we’re approaching a tipping point in the way big-ticket college sports are structured. It’s hard to think that Texas really will join the Big Ten, but let’s entertain the notion and play along for a bit.
If Bevo hoofed it to the Upper Midwest, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the Big Ten aiming to become a 16-team superconference akin to what the Big East already is in basketball. The notion that Texas would travel to Ann Arbor and Columbus would be hard to stomach unless some geographical balance could be introduced to the Big Ten. This would bring Nebraska and Missouri and another current Big 12 school (maybe two others, or maybe another school currently residing in yet another league) into the mix.
Another consideration that immediately comes to mind is that in the short term, a 12-team Big Ten (with Texas) would have a big problem with annual scheduling. Teams that would draw the Longhorns on the eight-game Big Ten slate would receive the short end of the stick. Accordingly, the three teams not located on the Texas schedule would gain a huge leg up in the race for a Big Ten title and/or a bowl bid. The situation with Texas would be quite contentious, to say the least. A lot of other dominoes would fall in connection with a Longhorn migration to this particular power conference.
2) The other obvious consequence of a Texas move to the Big Ten is that the Big 12 would need to find a new team. Given that Colorado is on the Pac-10’s radar screen for possible expansion (perhaps not in the center of the radar screen, but definitely on it), it’s undeniable that a Texas travel plan would unleash a chain reaction in other power conferences, radically reshaping college athletics as we have come to know it. It seems as though King Football and Big Basketball