Conference Realignment Thread (Maryland & Rutgers join the Big Ten conference)

[kgwasmyfavorite]

Originally Posted by WingDinger

If this has any legs, I won't be surprised if Virginia pops up as another school.

Supposedly, GA Tech was a very close call when we added Neb. I think RU is taking their place in this scenario. Probably a matter of NYC over ATL.

[ct3illini]

Originally Posted by huskie44

For the 1st question, its not about geography anymore its about money and making your conference as strong as it can be academically/athletically/financially.. FB for majority of its schools makes more $ than all other sports combined and that is the sole thing driving conference realignment.

Yes, it is a new day and age. A lot of us will miss the true Big Ten, but it is exciting to have a big chunk of the east coast join the league, especially the mid-atlantic area. Having lived in both NJ and MD, I think the cultural fit is actually very good. A lot of this is about academics as well, I bet the president at UMD wants this at least in part because the faculty will be happy about this, even if the fans !!!!!. Rutgers is a bit desperate, so both fans and faculty will be happy.

[cmore]

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

Haha, you act as if I can't make sense of a list; we're clearly used different rankings. I chose US News & World.

Cue the us news and world report bashing in no more than 4 posts.

[RenoGray80]

I do not support further expansion.

[-josh-]

The "Awesome Super Big Conference" sounds like a good name to me.

[Groce SPOT]

Originally Posted by jackman404

I guess this is the Big Ten finally giving up on ever getting Notre Dame. Personally I'm surprised that the Big Ten values Maryland over Missouri (if this is true).

In addition to not increasing the market much, I don't think they pass academically. I'm pretty sure they aren't AAU members.

[riffraff]

OK, so eventually, BIG TEN becomes BIG TENt where the old Big Ten is the Midwest Division, and we keep our traditional rivalries and play the other teams in the East Divison, West Division, or South Division about as much as the Al plays the NL in baseball. Could be worse.

[gibb52]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

I can certainly see this as a viable addition. Perhaps the only reason we didn't do it earlier was that everyone was waiting for ND to make a move. The potential addition of the NY/NJ and NOVA TV markets could make this fly. These are also two more land-grant schools that fit the B1G culturally and academically.

It was inevitable that ND would cast their lot with someone. They chose the ACC. This move by the B1G is the next domino to fall. The Big East is in it's death throes. Someday soon, TX and OK will go to the PAC, and all hell will break loose until, as some have said before, there will be just 4 16 team conferences. Those with no TV sets to offer, the Iowa States of the world, will be left for the A-10, CUSA, and MVC to fight over.

[jackman404]

Originally Posted by Groce SPOT

In addition to not increasing the market much, I don't think they pass academically. I'm pretty sure they aren't AAU members.

Read this wrong sorry.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

Haha, you act as if I can't make sense of a list; we're clearly used different rankings. I chose US News & World.

Ha! Ha! The US News & World report rankings are completely meaningless in this context. The B1G is conference of RESEARCH universities. RESEARCH rankings are what matter.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by Groce SPOT

In addition to not increasing the market much, I don't think they pass academically. I'm pretty sure they aren't AAU members.

And I'm pretty sure you are dead wrong.

http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476

[IlliniKat91]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

And I'm pretty sure you are dead wrong.

http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476

I believe he was referring to Mizzou, not Maryland. Either way, moot point as both are AAU members.

[ct3illini]

Since we are hacking away at the ACC, how about UVA and UNC? Those are the last remaining natural targets. B1G can go east and west:

EAST: UNC, UVA, RU, UMD, PSU and then OSU, UM and MSU
WEST: UI, NW, IU, PU, WI, MN, IA, NE

UI would lose contact with some rivalries, but keep most. OSU and UM, and UM and MSU rivalries would be preserved. One problem is those schools would actually benefit the most recruiting wise...

[IlliniSF]

From a competitive rivalry standpoint, others like myself don't like the expansion. But college athletics have become such a cash cow that it can't be ignored. Colleges need the money to invest in their program to become competitive. Mega conference is also the future so I think the big ten is doing what it needs to to remain the premier conference. This is the inevitability of college sports whether we like it or not but it's better to be one in the forefront of change than playing catch-up when other conferences make their moves.

[U of I 89-05-10]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Ha! Ha! The US News & World report rankings are completely meaningless in this context. The B1G is conference of RESEARCH universities. RESEARCH rankings are what matter.

Oh, Lord, how dare I? Haha. I still think they're a pretty good measure ... I think a lot on here naturally prefer other rankings that put Illinois a little higher.

[TheFightingestIllini]

Originally Posted by Indicchief

I thing in addition to these two they should consider both Duke and UNC too.

Nothing would bring Jim Delany greater pleasure than bringing his alma mater, UNC into the conference. I believe that's his endgame.

Personally, I hate having 12 members and would prefer contraction back to 10, but scheduling with 16 schools is much easier than 14. The 4-team pod is the key. With the potential addition of Maryland, down the line we could be looking at a mini-ACC pod of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and gasp . . . Duke.

[ct3illini]

Originally Posted by TheFightingestIllini

Nothing would bring Jim Delany greater pleasure than bringing his alma mater, UNC into the conference. I believe that's his endgame.

Personally, I hate having 12 members and would prefer contraction back to 10, but scheduling with 16 schools is much easier than 14. The 4-team pod is the key. With the potential addition of Maryland, down the line we could be looking at a mini-ACC pod of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and gasp . . . Duke.

If B1G is taking Rutgers, then I doubt Duke is coming in (thank goodness). UNC and UVA would get to come in first.

[PeoriaChief]

What I hate about this most is IMO we look extremely desperate by doing this. Maryland I am fine with, but they are not a headliner and in this deal they are. We moved too late or lost out on Syracuse so now we get Rutgers for TV sets in NYC? SMH. If we wanted NYC sets we needed Syracuse. Syracuse and Maryland IMO would have been a big deal. Rutgers, while better currently than Syracuse in football, does nothing for me.

[illinicb]

Originally Posted by aberger

You are correct. The tv money is about to explode. The Big 10 would add a lot of people in very populous areas. ND's football tv deal will be completely dwarfed by the revenue sharing deal in 2017. It will be a billion dollar year plus deal. Mark my words.

First of all, most times "mark my words" means you are wrong. That aside, adding Rutgers might add the NY market, but that market has no interest in Rutgers. Maybe the BTN could add more subscribers and make it worthwhile, but can the pie get big enough to cover two more slices?

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

Oh, Lord, how dare I? Haha. I still think they're a pretty good measure ... I think a lot on here naturally prefer other rankings that put Illinois a little higher.

We have discussed this issue at GREAT length. You can think the US News and World report rankings are a good measure if you are looking at the prestige of an undergraduate institution (though many would disagree on that point.) But these rankings are NOT based upon research capabilities. Therefore they are NOT relevant to the B1G. Your preferences don't matter. And if all you care about is getting rankings that have Illinois highest, then create your own webpage and put us at No. 1 with a ranking based upon the minimal average topographic gradient of campuses.

Originally Posted by illinicb

First of all, most times "mark my words" means you are wrong. That aside, adding Rutgers might add the NY market, but that market has no interest in Rutgers. Maybe the BTN could add more subscribers and make it worthwhile, but can the pie get big enough to cover two more slices?

I think the idea is that NY fans would start to care more about Rutgers if Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan were regularly playing games in New Jersey.

[brapp33]

Crap additions period.

[illynifan34]

TV revenues, that's what matter here and this gets the Big Ten more of those.

In regards to those wondering why the Midwest's conferences is looking to expand to the east coast, we live in a global society, distance means nothing, you have to expand to where the people are.

[illinicb]

Originally Posted by Dan

Men's basketball = nothing.

I agree with most if not all of your post. Some of your/my objection just doesn't recognize the realities of today. You're right in that 14 teams is no longer a "conference" in the traditional sense, but like 1:00PM football kickoffs, that no longer matters.

As for basketball, I think Maryland brings something to the table. Like UIUC, they have a (fairly) new coach and appear to be on the upswing. In terms of athletics, they are probably comparable to UIUC in the revenue sports. In the REAL revenue sport, they struggle just like the Illini in that they dabble in being good, but rarely sustain it.

[Ander1345]

Maybe in the minority but I'm actually kind of excited about this.

I don't know why exactly, but to me it just sounds fun. Some new markets(though it's debatable how big/impactful they are). Would be interesting to see a Huskers Terrapins showdown every year to bring two markets together that don't really get a lot of exposure to each other.

It really doesn't seem likely to happen though, as Maryland is having financial trouble. Honestly UConn or Louisville would be a bigger catch.

[Ander1345]

Originally Posted by illinicb

I agree with most if not all of your post. Some of your/my objection just doesn't recognize the realities of today. You're right in that 14 teams is no longer a "conference" in the traditional sense, but like 1:00PM football kickoffs, that no longer matters.

As for basketball, I think Maryland brings something to the table. Like UIUC, they have a (fairly) new coach and appear to be on the upswing. In terms of athletics, they are probably comparable to UIUC in the revenue sports. In the REAL revenue sport, they struggle just like the Illini in that they dabble in being good, but rarely sustain it.

In their defense they lost like 5 QB's. Hard to do much of anything with that. I think their back up TE is playing QB now.