[WinthropEagleFan]

I could be missing it in the linked articles, but when would a Nebraska-to-the-Big Ten move actually happen? Like would they be a Big Ten member starting in Summer 2011? 2012?

[Sly Fox]

2012-2013 season for moves going down right now.

[LUconn]

If there is a BE/ACC league that is formed from scratch, which is not very likely I guess, I really think Wake Forest is left out. They don't bring anything to the table other than academics which itself really is nothing brought to the table. However since this will probably be more of a merger and they made need every team they can get, they'll be the guy in the back of the room trying not to be noticed that will be in on it just because they happened to be there.

[PastorZack]

Sly, i'm hearing that A&M may be looking still at the SEC and t.u. to the big 11 or pac10 and leaving Tech and Baylor holding the bag. Byrne and the A&M president think that culturally, economically, and the time zone factor benefit them more in the SEC.

[SumItUp]

The feeling from a few connected Jayhawk alums is that they are heading to the MWC.

[JK37]

The feeling from a few connected Jayhawk alums is that they are heading to the MWC.

Mike & Mike this morning floated the idea of Kansas basketball remaining independent, while all other sports - including football - join the MWC. To me, it's too hard to float as an independent in basketball, and no one - especially not the MWC - is going to make the mistake the BE made with ND. If the MWC offers a spot to Kansas, they make it an all-or-nothing deal.

[blwall1416]

From the Oklahoma board:

Both still say the OU/A&M rumor is still picking up steam around the SEC office. And both also noted that those are the two choices on the west side that the SEC wants. On the east side they want Florida State, and in a bit of a surprise......North Carolina. I asked about North Carolina, and was told that the SEC had had a quote 'favorable feedback' from UNC. I then asked if the State legislature would become involved in North Carolina, and the word I got was 'No', that had already been cleared by the SEC. And Duke would not be a problem with them being a private school. The only request that UNC made was an assurance that the Duke/UNC basketball rivalry be kept alive. The RRS was also brought up by OU to the SEC, and the SEC assured them that the game would go on ( assuming Texas felt the same way).

[LUconn]

Seems a bit far fetched BUT, the BE/ACC league would be so much more awful without those 2.

[JK37]

I'm still not convinced that the SEC has to do anything, unless they can get a program already on-par with their supremacy. And Sly seems so sure that Texas to the SEC is impossible. Additionally, the SEC is sitting awfully pretty and "confortable" right now. Consider this:

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive said Tuesday he would discuss possible SEC expansion as “an item of national interest” at this week's league meetings, but added that the SEC is “very comfortable” in its current configuration.

But then again, there's also this:

People keep telling me that the SEC should do nothing. But if the Pac-10 and the Big Ten both go to 16 teams, can the SEC stay with a pat hand?

There is absolutely nothing coming out of the SEC on this. This is as locked down as I’ve ever seen them. That should make some people nervous because Slive is one of those “speak softly and carry a big stick” kind of guys.

http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-college-f ... expansion/

[Rooster Cogburn]

So, let me see if I can get this straight. The Pac 10 wants to be the Mega 16, so it offers 6 Big 12 teams from the South west a chance to move to the Mega 16. Those 6 teams look to be leaning towards moving. So Nebraska doesn’t want to be left out and they make the first move to move from the big 12 to the Big 10 which is really the Big 11 anyway now making it the new Big 12 and the current Big 12 is kind of dissolving. The remaining 5 teams from the original Big 12 are for now left without a home. Although, Missouri may leave too and go to the Big 10/11 which will them be the Bigger 13. So, will the 4 who are left behind keep the Big 12 alive as the Mini 4 or will they go somewhere else. Stay tuned.

[JK37]

Also, with regard to Notre Dame, I'll say it again: Delany is a cutthroat, and his conference has been denied by ND twice before (once very publicly; once very privately, but enough to embarass them to those in-the-know.) The ultimate coup is when Notre Dame is forced to choose a conference because men's basketball and every other sport loses it's conference affiliation if/when the Big East folds.

Big East fold + NBC TV football contract renegotiation + far greater revenue possibilities in the Big Ten after this initial expansion to enhance the Big Ten Network = Notre Dame asking to be invited.

After his revenge plot, Jim Delany is remembered as the greatest commissioner of all-time.

(Oh, and Don Beebe the worst ever! He could've saved all of this from happening years ago if he had joined up forces with the other commissioners who were quietly calling for a playoff, and asked him to join. He denied, and now he's lost his conference and job in a move that will further entrench the BCS and make a playoff even less of a possibility. Wow, some legacy, buddy!)


PS - I hate the Big Ten. But, wow, you have to respect and admire Delany's conniving in all of this!

[LUconn]

While that is a pretty sneaky plan, the Big East folding will definitely result in a new league made up of the former BE schools with no football programs. Many of which are catholic. Seems perfect for ND.

[JK37]

While that is a pretty sneaky plan, the Big East folding will definitely result in a new league made up of the former BE schools with no football programs. Many of which are catholic. Seems perfect for ND.

Except monetarily.

[Sly Fox]

Great news today for WVU as they just hired a masterful leader to become their new A.D. Oliver Luck is one of the most brilliant men I've ever been around in sports. He's the best man to help guide the Mountaineers through the haze surrounding the Big East situation. And no, I doubt his son transfers to play for his dad's school.

Texas under no circumstances would consider the SEC for a multitude of reasons that A&M would not care about in the slightest. I agree that culturally the Ags & Sooners are a better fit in the SEC than the Pac-10. What I don't see is the Texas legislature merrily rubber-stamping the separation of the state's two marquee schools. For those that aren't familiar, Texas & Oklahoma are the biggest rivalry in the region with UT-A&M as well as the Bedlam Series of OU-OSU a half step back but awesome rivalries in and of themselves.

Allegedly Dodds & Byrne are meeting up today to try and get a better feel for the situation from each other's perspective. I would hate to see any scenario where Texas became separated from OU or A&M ... much less both of them.

As for the SEC valuing the Sooners or Aggies above the Horns ....

[Sly Fox]

While the big boys have been generating most of the headlines, I think it is interesting to also keep an eye on the rest of the leagues. C-USA just tabbed a longtime college sports power-broker as a consultant ...

Click Here

[bigsmooth]

if FSU, Miami, GT and Clemson leave the ACC, the ACC should get WVU, Pitt, Syracuse, Uconn, Louisville and Rutgers/ECU. I would be ok with that.

[Bigsouthking]

If anybody leaves the ACC and goes to SEC it will be VT. Florida doesnt want the U or FSU in the SEC and GT and Clemson doesn't make sense (no TV market) SEC already has those markets. VT and Texas would make SEC sick!

Kansas should get Baylor, Tulsa, Memphis, UAB, SO Miss, K- State and some others and make a pretty good hoops league with some avg football teams.

Charlotte needs to hurry up with football, ECU, LIberty, ODU, and get in a league before there left behind.

[From the class of 09]

If anybody leaves the ACC and goes to SEC it will be VT. Florida doesnt want the U or FSU in the SEC and GT and Clemson doesn't make sense (no TV market) SEC already has those markets. VT and Texas would make SEC sick!

Kansas should get Baylor, Tulsa, Memphis, UAB, SO Miss, K- State and some others and make a pretty good hoops league with some avg football teams.

Charlotte needs to hurry up with football, ECU, LIberty, ODU, and get in a league before there left behind.

VT isn't going anywhere without UVA

And Texas as Sly has pointed out isn't going to the SEC period (even if this was an option they bring along A&M possibly TT & Baylor.

Nice idea but not reality.

[soccer7]

I am a big ACC fan of all sports and of course this has to do with my ties to UVA and my family ties to GT. That being said I can see the ACC being conteractive in offering Georgia and South Carolina spots into the league to combat the offers made to UNC and GT by the SEC. The USC rivalry with Clemson now would have implications attached to it like the UVA/VT rivalry. USC use to part of the league and has been asked to rejoing once before. I can also see a combination of Syracuse, UConn, WVU, Pitt, USF, Cincy and (me dreaming) Liberty being invited to join the league. It would be even better if thy invited Pitt to extend an offer to Penn St (even though we know this will never happen). Notre Dame after spurning the Big Ten and the ACC before will look at the best option for them. In my delusional eyes I see Notre Dame fitting in better with the ACC if Syracuse and UConn come in to the ACC fold. Just my two cents and hope I didnt offend anyone with my ramblings

PS...some of you have been hitting my points but this thing wont post!!

[4everfsu]

According to ESPN, don't look for FSU and UM to join the SEC

Will the ACC and SEC react to Big Ten and/or Pac-10 expansion?

Unless Texas is on the market, it seems unlikely the SEC will react. Adding the Longhorns and other Big 12 schools would expand the SEC's footprint west, but the Longhorns don't seem interested in joining the SEC at this point. It is believed that SEC commissioner Michael Slive's top targets for potential expansion would be Texas and possibly Virginia Tech. Adding schools such as Clemson, Florida State and Miami would improve the SEC's on-field product in football, but it would do little to strengthen its brand name in outside markets. One SEC official told ESPN.com this week that adding teams like the Seminoles and Hurricanes would only be adding schools "that would divide the pie even more." Also, Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley might be reluctant to add FSU and Miami because the Gators have tried to use their SEC membership as a recruiting advantage in their home state. Unless the Big East dissolves, it seems unlikely the ACC would do much in reaction, either.

[jcmanson]

If both the Pac10 and the Big10 become superconferences with 16 teams each, then the SEC/Big East/ACC trio would HAVE to make a move eventually.

[WinthropEagleFan]

If both the Pac10 and the Big10 become superconferences with 16 teams each, then the SEC/Big East/ACC trio would HAVE to make a move eventually.

That's the part I can't seem to grasp. Why does any league HAVE to get to 16 just because other conferences decide to do it? There's no precedent with a conference having this many football members, so who says it will even work long-term or be any more profitable per school than a 12-team league can be? I just don't quite understand expanding just because others are doing it.

[4everfsu]

Pac 10 want their cake and eat it too.


The new conference would be split into divisions with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado forming an Eastern Division with Arizona and Arizona State opposite the former Pac-8 (USC, UCLA, Stanford, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State) in the Western Division.

The coach said it's possible the Pac-16 would push for two automatic bids to the BCS, one for each division champion. That potential bonanza could open the possibility of the two division champs from one league playing for the national title, and it would eliminate the need for a conference championship game.

"The Pac-10 doesn't believe in a championship game," the coach said. "And coaches in the Big 12 don't like it anyway."

[TDDance234]

If both the Pac10 and the Big10 become superconferences with 16 teams each, then the SEC/Big East/ACC trio would HAVE to make a move eventually.

That's the part I can't seem to grasp. Why does any league HAVE to get to 16 just because other conferences decide to do it? There's no precedent with a conference having this many football members, so who says it will even work long-term or be any more profitable per school than a 12-team league can be? I just don't quite understand expanding just because others are doing it.

My guess is they would feel like they're being left behind. The thought is while the Pac-10 is becoming the Mega-16 and getting stronger, the ACC/SEC, etc..hasn't budged. I would think it has to be a perception thing.

[blwall1416]

One SEC official told ESPN.com this week that adding teams like the Seminoles and Hurricanes would only be adding schools "that would divide the pie even more." Also, Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley might be reluctant to add FSU and Miami because the Gators have tried to use their SEC membership as a recruiting advantage in their home state.

The SEC official doesn't say they are not going offer them. It could be he's saying "I don't like it/against it, but the others seem to be pushing that direction."

And, UF AD "might be reluctant"...the bold word just sounds like speculation from the writer.