Big 10 Expansion Plans

[BigdaddyQH]

Yesterday, the Big 10 announced that 15 schools were being considered as expansion candidates. The iunteresting thing about this list is that no specific school was mentioned as a candidate, but two schools were specifically pointed out as non-candidates. Both Notre Dame and Texas are not on the list, and are not candidates, according to Barry Alvarez, Wisconsins A.D.

Now 15 teams is a lot. I have no information as to which teams are on that list, but if there are 15, and Notre Dame and Texas are NOT two of them, one has to guess that the entire Big East is on the list, plus several teams from the Big 12 North, plus a team or two from the CUSA, and maybe a MAC team or two.

Missouri, often mentioned as a prime candidate, has a stadium that seats over 68,000. Pitt has a stadium that seats around 65,000. Unless one believes that Nebraska is a legitimate candidate, those are the two biggest stadiums for teams that may be under consideration. Another team who'se name is often mentioned, Rutgers, recently expanded their stadium to hold 55,000, which is small by Big 10 standards, but still larger than 3 Big 10 Stadiums including the new stadium on the campus of Minnesota.

A decision on expansion could come as early as this summer. Teams that change conferences must give one years notice, so for these changes to take effect for the 2011 season, they must decide and agree on a team before September 2010.

[scarp]

hmmm interesting

[scarp]

As long as none of the "better" teams leave the big12 im fine with it.

[BigdaddyQH]

Since it is just about impossible to consider a Big 12 "South" team as a candidate, I guess the question becomes whether or not MIssouri is considered ont of the "better" tems in the Big 12. They certainly do not rank with Texas or OU, and probably not with Nebraska, but overall, what about the rest of the Big 12?

[daneblazer]

I wouldn't be surprised if Boston College is one of those 15. They seem to be a little out of place in the ACC even though they've been doing well there.

Nebraska to the Big 10 would just be bizarre.

There's probably schools in the 15 like Northern Illinois and the directional Michigan schools who are considered candidates but have no real chance at making the conference.

So my guesses are Boston College, Rutgers, Pitt, Louisville, WV (though they really wouldn't fit in), Syracuse, Cincinnati, UConn, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Temple (who has a real desire to join a bigger conference), Ohio, Bowling Green, and despite what Alvarez says, Notre Dame because I don't believe the Big 10 wouldn't consider them if they showed he slightest bit of interest.

[whatsgood5]

Wow, very interesting

[spartangreen]

They are going after Pitt

[suckerforparlays]

they were talking of Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and somehow TCU was offered lol.

The Pac 10 is also expanding to 12 teams they are looking at adding UTAH as the front runner and BYU was passed up because they are a mormon school and do not play games on Sundays unlike the Pac 10 who has games every sunday

[Cookie Monster]

Where would you put a line for the next team to join Big 10? Just a blind guess:
Pitt +200
Missouri +250
Rutgers +500
Field +500

[suckerforparlays]

i would cross missouri off pitt and rutgers have a better chance if you take missouri out of the big 12 that screws up a lot of Rivalry games

[Z_Wipf]

There is no chance that Nebraska would but I could see Missouri leaving

[BigdaddyQH]

The reason for Missouri leaving is money. They stand to make a lot more T.V. revinue in the Big 10. They also have a natural rival in Illinois. They can still schedule Kansas as a non-con game. From strictly an athletic point of view, Missouri and Pitt make a lot of sense. Pitt also makes a lot of sense from a scheduling point of view, renewing their rivalry with Penn State. Again, they can keep their rivalry with West Virginia as a non-con game.

Rutgers seems to be tailing off in the race now because the Big 10 does not believe that Rutgers would generate as much T.V. interest in the New York City area as originally thought. That was the only real reason why the Big 10 would pursue Rutgers to begin with, as the school has no athletic history at all.