Not with our administration.
USC, UCLA to join the Big Ten in 2024
- Status
illini80
- Forgottonia
I especially enjoy the “everyone is playing by the same rules and there’s no more under the table” takes.
illini80
- Forgottonia
TII - This is Illinois. Remember what state we live in.
No need for pods in basketball. Just play everyone once and rotate home and away each year.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I mean that's all pretty hand-to-mouth extrapolation of current trends.
The massive NCAA tournament TV contract presents a significant stumbling block there, I think. Regardless, the NCAA as an enforcement body vis a vis player compensation is already dead. Any attempt to rein in NIL from compensating players for their value to their programs is going to go down in court.
Am I predicting doomsday? If Temple or San Jose State shuttered their football program tomorrow, is that doomsday? Boston College will be Temple in 15 years. Where it ends it will end with a whimper, not a bang.
Big prizefights still happen and pull in many millions on PPV. The Kentucky Derby is still a huge nationally televised event. College football isn't gonna die, it's just going to be smaller and make college sports generally smaller as a result. I don't believe it had to be that way.
I guess that's ultimately where I most disagree here. Everyone's attitude is that the demands of the marketplace leave only one solution. At every step no one has any choice. Wherever things end up, those were the breaks, nothing anyone could have done. Nonsense.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Unlikely that there will be pods, according to The Athletic (too lazy to wade through a slew of articles, lol).
No chance.
sacraig
- The desert
I would be willing to go as far as to say that there is far less going on under the table if only because a lot of the previous under the table stuff is now perfectly allowed. But with as much money at stake, programs will always be finding ways to get a competitive advantage, so I am sure it's not zero under the table dealings.
illini80
- Forgottonia
I agree there less and it will be a different way of cheating, but cheating never the less. Under the table money is tax-free so there is that incentive, but maybe the donors will cover the taxes somehow. Kam Cox has mentioned some players are shocked that their checks have taxes withheld. There is also a requirement to do something to earn the money. That will be badly abused by some schools and athletes not willing to put in the efforts that Illinois and Kam Cox are doing. Of course using NIL for inducement to attend the school is illegal, but is already being flaunted by many. Maybe the rules will just conform to what’s being done. At this point I think that would be my preference since any enforcement is basically non-existent.
I think what most of us want is just a level playing field. I know I’m a pessimist when it comes to these things, but I think the cheaters have fallen behind for now. But these are people willing to do anything to win and if there is a shortcut they will find it.
Finally, I can’t say enough good things about Josh Whitman and Kam Cox for their vision and leadership on this whole thing. They are following the rules and leaving most of the B10 and the other power schools in the dust. It won’t last forever, but this is our moment in the sun and they are making the most of it.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Out of curiosity, let's say Indiana and Kentucky got on the phone and decided this wasn't for them. They've engaged with Duke, UNC, and Kansas and gotten Purdue on board as well to start an all-sports conference that still plays football, but is built around being the premier professional development environment for basketball talent, engagement with NBA scouting and the G League, a more professionalized NIL structure, etc. There are ambitions for similarly pro development focused investments in baseball and soccer as well. Amazon Prime is on board for the worldwide rights for the all-sports broadcast package, and Puma has signed on for a paradigm-shifting leaguewide apparel and sponsorship deal that dwarfs what we get from Nike now. All told the upfront money isn't what the B1G will get in the next media deal, but it's growth from the current deals and represents a different path forward for college athletics.
The lineup is Indiana, Purdue, Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, Duke, Louisville, Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia and Syracuse. It's happening, the deals are signed, the blue bloods are throwing in together to seize basketball from the two football factory superconferences. The next call is going to Cincinnati if Illinois says no.
Interested?
The lineup is Indiana, Purdue, Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, Duke, Louisville, Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia and Syracuse. It's happening, the deals are signed, the blue bloods are throwing in together to seize basketball from the two football factory superconferences. The next call is going to Cincinnati if Illinois says no.
Interested?
What are you hypothesizing? That the current realignment is the first step towards departmentalized sport-centric conferences?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I don't think what I'm describing is likely, I'm just spitballing.
Would a project like that interest you? I can see arguments both ways, but I'm curious what the fans here think.
I don't know how prevalent it is but some schools play in different conferences for different sports already.
For instance the Horizon League doesn't recognize Football but some of the teams that play basketball have football programs.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
And Notre Dame Hockey is in the BIG! Just sayin'.
No. Because in reality, the money difference will be substantially more than what you are suggesting.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Not particularly. I realize academics aren't driving this bus, but there's a reason why the B1G is so selective when it comes to academics. It's bringing in a ton of research dollars and the ability to collaborate with the best schools in the country. Why throw that away for a possible paradigm-shifting minor league that might grow into something down the road. The B1G is the best of both worlds with its athletics and academics. Its growth is a logical extension of years of extremely shrewd planning.
And I mean, yes, I realize that Cincy once was a basketball power, but there's a reason they only made it into the Big 12 after all the worthwhile teams left. If we're in a scenario where we need to hurry up and make a decision because Cincy might take our spot, we've made massive mistakes along the way.
IlliniSaluki
- IL metro east burbs of St. Louis
This.. I mean doesn't the money from research grants alone dwaf the money they get from sports media rights? Who would leave the B1G/BTAA because of.. football.
Outside of the $80 million per year, does not seem to be a very rosy move for these two schools. Travel seems to be the major issue.
An hour long podcast:
play.acast.com
An hour long podcast:
Rose Bowl Rumble: USC and UCLA leave Pac-12 for Big Ten
Two Pac-12 powers shocked the college football world on Thursday as the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are headed to the Big Ten. What does this move spell for the Pac-12? Will the SEC counter and add more teams as well? Come join us in an hour plus of group therapy as we get through another...
play.acast.com
sacraig
- The desert
If be willing to bet they suspect it won't be long before they're joined by several other West Coast teams.Outside of the $80 million per year, does not seem to be a very rosy move for these two schools. Travel seems to be the major issue.
An hour long podcast:
Rose Bowl Rumble: USC and UCLA leave Pac-12 for Big Ten
Two Pac-12 powers shocked the college football world on Thursday as the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans are headed to the Big Ten. What does this move spell for the Pac-12? Will the SEC counter and add more teams as well? Come join us in an hour plus of group therapy as we get through another...
illini80
- Forgottonia
I’d be willing to bet their and your suspicions are correct. Way too much smoke for this to over yet.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Really important to understand that athletic conference membership is absolutely, totally, 100% meaningless for any academic research purpose whatsoever.
The research funding that flows from being a member of the Big Ten Conference is zero dollars, period, end of story.
The easiest way to digest why is that research funding follows faculty, not schools. If Illinois has a massive National Science Foundation project and the lead investigator gets poached away by Arizona State, that's an Arizona State grant now. The market for researchers doesn't respect conference or border any more than the market for football players does and the competition is just as intense.
I worked in the research administration of a major University for many years. It's a strange world.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal
I agree with @The Galloping Ghost above - the University of Illinois gets a TON from the prevalence and financial success of the B1G. Starting from scratch would be institutional malpractice no matter how awesome the basketball would be, but I will shift into total meathead sports fan mode and play along...
I'm interested, in part because of my early comments about our football tradition (or lack thereof) and also because I am generally in agreement with you about the long-term trajectory of the sport of football (at all levels).
You've glossed over the elephant in the room, though - what relationship does this new league have with the NCAA Tournament? Is it just another league where there's one automatic bid and everyone else is battling for at-larges? Because then I probably pass on it and raise my expectations for Illinois basketball in an Indiana- and Purdue-less B1G.
One of the reasons the football-driven realignment has been able to happen in the way it has is because there was never a football analog to the NCAA Tournament (I know, I know, that's the point, the regular season IS the magic, etc., etc.). For all the romance about making it to the Rose Bowl, it's just a standalone game amongst many, and nearly every year was entirely meaningless in any sense beyond it being a more pleasant trip to Pasadena when you win than when you lose. The Tournament is an institution. The CFP, while popular, is new enough that there's no real agreement on what good looks like, so you can have these massive shifts and people ask "what does this mean for the national title?" and others can reasonably answer "I dunno man, but I'm old enough to remember when we handed out the natty based on sportswriter votes, so it's gotta be better than that."
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
One could imagine that league getting like 10 bids every year.
Having noshed on it a bit, another thing sprung to mind that actually seems more plausible, if less appealing from an Illini perspective.
What if instead of trying to pay Oregon's way into the Big Ten, Phil Knight turned the money spigot toward creating a "Jordan League" of the leftovers, strategically similar to what I laid out above. Small, exclusive, and national. Say, Oregon, Washington, Stanford, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Duke, UNC.
The new duopoly is so small it leaves a lot of potential money and power on the sidelines. For god's sake it's time for them to get creative. They have nothing to lose.
Thank goodness we have Whitman at the helm now... Imagine if we still had Thomas!!! We also have very competent coaches at the major 2 sports and hopefully we'll be able to take advantage in these 2 years before what will probably shake out as a major shift in what we know as the B1G. We need to be trending upwards by 2024 and I'm personally very excited to see what BU and BB can do to elevate our level before the next shift in conference realignment hits.
Well, we used to have 2 divisions, FBS and FCS and it looks to me like we're moving towards 3 divisions now, BIG TEN/SEC, FBS, and FCS. I'd think eventually the national championship game turns into the SEC champ vs. the BIG TEN champ. With so many teams in the conference, I can also envision that non-conference games are cut out or are maybe 1/year.
Last year, of the top 50 most watched games, like 80% involved BIG TEN or SEC teams, and once Texas, OU, USC, and UCLA join, this is pointing towards all of the most watched games being SEC or BIG TEN games.
The BIG TEN and SEC also have all the leverage to get all of their games on the best TV or streaming platforms. There are the standard 11:00, 2:30, and 7:00 start times and if FOX, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 do 3 games/week and Big Ten Network does 2 games/week, that is 14 of the 16 conference games the BIG TEN/SEC could have each week. A full slate including bye weeks. Where are the PAC/BIG XII/ACC going to show their games? On FS1 or ESPNU where no one will watch or on Thursday against the NFL? If another big player like CBS/NBC/Apple/Amazon want to get involved then by all means take the best of the rest and have each conference go to 18 or 20 to give them a game or two.
I also think this has a potential to be an improvement for IL recruiting and performance. The USC/OSU/BAMA type schools already and will still get the best players. But being in a higher division, there's every reason with the money and notoriety that we and the other low/mid tier BIG TEN schools should be able to out-recruit consistently the other mid-tier teams like K-State/Iowa State/Louisville/Pitt/WVU/etc. of the football landscape and have team's full of high 3 and low 4 star recruits which is a heck of a lot better than we've been recently and at least closes the gap as best it could.
Last year, of the top 50 most watched games, like 80% involved BIG TEN or SEC teams, and once Texas, OU, USC, and UCLA join, this is pointing towards all of the most watched games being SEC or BIG TEN games.
The BIG TEN and SEC also have all the leverage to get all of their games on the best TV or streaming platforms. There are the standard 11:00, 2:30, and 7:00 start times and if FOX, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 do 3 games/week and Big Ten Network does 2 games/week, that is 14 of the 16 conference games the BIG TEN/SEC could have each week. A full slate including bye weeks. Where are the PAC/BIG XII/ACC going to show their games? On FS1 or ESPNU where no one will watch or on Thursday against the NFL? If another big player like CBS/NBC/Apple/Amazon want to get involved then by all means take the best of the rest and have each conference go to 18 or 20 to give them a game or two.
I also think this has a potential to be an improvement for IL recruiting and performance. The USC/OSU/BAMA type schools already and will still get the best players. But being in a higher division, there's every reason with the money and notoriety that we and the other low/mid tier BIG TEN schools should be able to out-recruit consistently the other mid-tier teams like K-State/Iowa State/Louisville/Pitt/WVU/etc. of the football landscape and have team's full of high 3 and low 4 star recruits which is a heck of a lot better than we've been recently and at least closes the gap as best it could.
- Status