TIME TO FREAK OUT AGAIN ABOUT CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT! THE BIG 12 IS DEAD! MAYBE!

[jdubwaldo]

My intial thought = Yikes.  Although I wouldn't mind having the big bully TX out of the Big 12. 

[dangerboy]

Maybe we could get the HQ back

I doubt it.  There would still be three Big 12 schools left in Texas, and the current management sounds very entrenched in Dallas.

[KCMax]

Pac-10 "very seriously" looking at expansion

The two obvious choices are Colorado and Utah. But back about the time Colorado hooked up with the Big 12 in the mid '90s, a dance between Colorado and the Pac-10 ended with a terse statement that the school was happy staying put.

That may have changed. But is it more profitable for Colorado to be in the Big 12 or the Pac-10, which hasn't put a second football team into a BCS bowl since 2002?

A well-placed source on the college landscape says that a bit before Scott came to the Pac-10, the league had an analysis done of expansion possibilities and concluded that a Colorado-Utah addition didn't really do all that much. And that realistically, nothing short of Texas would.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Given that the Big 10 and the PAC 10 may expand, and may take a few Big 12 teams, where will that leave the Big 12?  What about some of the other conferences and their expansion plans?

The Big 12 better get out in front of this or its future may be bleak.

[jdubwaldo]

Huskers perspective on this for anyone interested.  In any event...

http://huskerextra.com/articles/2010/02 ... 452790.txt

[Highlander]

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[skim82]

It's my understanding the UT would make a considerable amount more from just simply switching to the Big 10.  I believe all big 10 schools get around $22 million per school.  That amount could increase if UT came with the Texas television market.  Even if it's evenly split between all 12 big 10 schools.  The real question is whether or not UT would be willing to split anything evenly..considering they don't need to currently.

Also, UT could play A&M in the non-con.   

To be honest, if UT wanted to leave I wouldn't shed a tear.  They've always looked out for their own interest.

[LenexatoKCMO]

It's my understanding the UT would make a considerable amount more from just simply switching to the Big 10.  I believe all big 10 schools get around $22 million per school.  That amount could increase if UT came with the Texas television market.  Even if it's evenly split between all 12 big 10 schools.  The real question is whether or not UT would be willing to split anything evenly..considering they don't need to currently.

Also, UT could play A&M in the non-con.   

To be honest, if UT wanted to leave I wouldn't shed a tear.  They've always looked out for their own interest.

I am really skeptical that UT makes significantly more money in the B10.  They already make more $$ than any school in the country - how much of that is due to the unbalanced revenue sharing in the B12?  UT is in exactly the opposite position of MU - increased revenue sharing in a more profitable league could well be a net decrease in their individual haul. 

[AJoD]

Interesting take on the realignment talk:

http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/di ... 8bf9b8f36d

[KCMax]

Krieger: If the Pac-10 calls, Buffs must listen

[LenexatoKCMO]

Krieger: If the Pac-10 calls, Buffs must listen

If they go after CU, will they get Colorado State?  Seems like the P10 wouldn't be the same if they got rid of their tradition of regional rival pairs.  That's why I thought Utah/BYU made good sense. 

[KCMax]

If they go after CU, will they get Colorado State?  Seems like the P10 wouldn't be the same if they got rid of their tradition of regional rival pairs.  That's why I thought Utah/BYU made good sense. 

I think we are seeing that tradition really doesn't matter much in college athletics, or at least, takes a huge backseat to money.

[skim82]

If they go after CU, will they get Colorado State?  Seems like the P10 wouldn't be the same if they got rid of their tradition of regional rival pairs.  That's why I thought Utah/BYU made good sense. 

I also think that Utah/BYU would be a much better overall fit for the Pac10 in terms of expansion.  However, adding BYU does have a religious aspect that has to be taken into account.

As for CSU, let's face it, they have awhile to go.  Hughes is never full, and I don't even know about their basketball arena.  They are just now in the process of building respectable facilities for football. The advantages CSU brings is a growing area (front range) and a decent sized student population.

[skim82]

I am really skeptical that UT makes significantly more money in the B10.  They already make more $$ than any school in the country - how much of that is due to the unbalanced revenue sharing in the B12?  UT is in exactly the opposite position of MU - increased revenue sharing in a more profitable league could well be a net decrease in their individual haul. 

Lenexa, you're right.  I meant that UT would make more money in the Big 10 than the Big 12 if revenue was shared evenly amongst all schools in the Big10 vs. Big12.  Their media markets are much larger. 

This is all of course considering that UT wants to share ANYTHING.  That is the problem we keep running into with UT.  Texas is like being addicted to some horrible drug.  We know we need to quit, but we keep stabbing our veins with burnt orange venom. 

[KCMax]

I also think that Utah/BYU would be a much better overall fit for the Pac10 in terms of expansion.  However, adding BYU does have a religious aspect that has to be taken into account.

I don't understand what the religious aspect is everyone talks about. BYU can't play sports on Sunday. So what? Are sports required to be played on Sundays in other conferences? Can this not be accommodated? More importantly, is there any reason the Pac Ten cannot accommodate this while the Mountain West has apparently done so for years?

[skim82]

Well, since some championship games are played on Sundays, that could be an issue.  Also, I don't believe they even travel on Sundays if I'm not mistaken.

Also, many BYU student athletes (if not all) do some sort of missionary trip while enrolled at BYU.  That's why you get 24 or 25 year old juniors and sophomores at BYU.  

Other than that, not really too many other problems.  It's just the fact that you're blending state schools and two private (USC, Stanford) with BYU which is absolutely without a doubt a religious institution.  We may not care, but someone from Stanford could.  Just sayin.  

[phxcat]

I think we are seeing that tradition really doesn't matter much in college athletics, or at least, takes a huge backseat to money.

I couldn't see tradition making much of a difference at this point, but what could keep the local rivalry thing in place, in the case of Utah/BYU, may be state legislatures.  The legislature may not allow one to go without the other.  Now, in the case of Colorado, the legislature may see a move to the Pac 10 as a good move for both teams, as it may open the door to CSU to the Big XII.

[shinatoo]

I don't understand what the religious aspect is everyone talks about. BYU can't play sports on Sunday. So what? Are sports required to be played on Sundays in other conferences? Can this not be accommodated? More importantly, is there any reason the Pac Ten cannot accommodate this while the Mountain West has apparently done so for years?

Pac 10, because of the huge travel distance, tries to pair trips for basketball. So Arizona and Arazona St would travel to Washington and play  Washington and Wash St. on one weekend. Often times one of those games will be on a Sunday.

[KCMax]

I couldn't see tradition making much of a difference at this point, but what could keep the local rivalry thing in place, in the case of Utah/BYU, may be state legislatures.  The legislature may not allow one to go without the other.  Now, in the case of Colorado, the legislature may see a move to the Pac 10 as a good move for both teams, as it may open the door to CSU to the Big XII.

BYU is a private school though. I don't see how the legislature would have any control over it.

Pac 10, because of the huge travel distance, tries to pair trips for basketball. So Arizona and Arazona St would travel to Washington and play  Washington and Wash St. on one weekend. Often times one of those games will be on a Sunday.

So just make it a Saturday game instead? How hard is that? The Pac Ten championship is on a Saturday, so that is not an issue (Women's is on a Sunday...so just reschedule future tournaments so that it ends on a Saturday)

I don't really see BYU's religious angle being much of a hang-up if the Pac Ten really wants em.

[phxcat]

They wouldn't have direct control, but depending on the number of representatives from BYU in the legislature, I could see them blocking Utah's move.