[jbock13]

I heard one of the reasons why WVU was denied is because of academics.

All Marshall fans would agree with that.

I just hope when Marshall applies for the Big East, lack of athletic accomplishment doesn't fact in nothing like a good old rivalry

[jbock13]

So if Alabama fans can go around poisoning trees, I can't burn my couch?

[jbock13]

So if Alabama fans can go around poisoning trees, I can't burn my couch?

One lunatic old man did that. Pretty sure the couch fire thing might be a little more widespread than one incident.

Additionally, Alabama fans, students, and alumni set up a foundation, Tide For Toomer's, to raise money to help restore Toomer's Corner trees.

Yeah, the couch burning is slightly more widespread I mean WV is wild and wonderful. Some of us were just raied with those traditions. Trust me it doesn't get more redneck than moving a couch to the prch and lighting up the night!

[jbock13]

Don't have netflix but yes its just a bunch of boring old white people lol. Other than the fact my entire family is from there I just love a peaceful step back into time there. Life is just a ton slower.

Anyways, back to talking about the soon to be PAC 52 conference...

We like to have fun with it. Every Mountaineer knows the parody songs "Burning down the Couch", "our couch in the middle of the street", and "take this couch, and burn it"

[SumItUp]

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-12, I'm hearing, is now all but done. Also, Texas to the Pac-12 may happen, but its going to take weeks to iron everything out, if it does indeed happen at all.

Not so fast, my friend. The Pac-12 is sticking with 12 schools.

http://newsok.com/article/3606182

[TH Spangler]

Syracuse and Pittsburgh make 12 in the ACC ... right?

Swofford said he hasn't settled on alignments for the ACC's two divisions, as Syracuse and Pittsburgh's arrival dates in the ACC aren't determined. Swofford also said he is "not philosophically opposed" to having a 16-team league.

That leaves room for 4 more? UConn, Rutgers, Notre Dame and

[ALUmnus]

What's wrong with 14? And what's with including Notre Dame? Sure, the ACC is expanding beyond reason, but look at the schools they're getting....not quite to the level of Texas and Notre Dame. Let's not crown them king of the conferences.

[jcmanson]

Big East is reportedly going after Army, Navy and Air Force. Hmm, I wonder why...

[jbock13]

Well I am glad you are not leading the way for LU athletics. At least I hope that they are not as closed minded as you and lay our future on ONE game and not the potential we have as a program going forward.

You should be!

But you've taken whats been said about our immediate "competitiveness" with a BCS conference right now and applied it to much more. In fact, nothing has been said about the program's potential....only the current standing in comparison to the Big East. We would get smoked right now in most sports, as would be the expectation. Apparently you cant make the distinction between current ability and potential.

So you are saying that we would not be competitive with a few other FCS schools moving up and a few lower tier FBS teams moving into the BIG EAST? If that is what you are saying then yes you are close minded. If the Big East were to stay in tact the way it is right now, which we all know it will not, I agree that we would have a hard time being competitive. However, we know that it is going to change and with that change in mind I do see us being competitive in the new look Big East!

I love conditional arguments. If I could make the sky turn green, would you then believe its really green?

[TH Spangler]

That's right, what was I thinking. Tech, Boston College and Miami took it from 9 to 12. My guess for 15 &16, UConn & Notre Dame. I think UConn and ND would be great additions for Basketball!

[Purple Haize]

Big East is reportedly going after Army, Navy and Air Force. Hmm, I wonder why...

What about the Marines lol

[jbock13]

Yeah, cause Notre Dame has expressed interest in joining a conference right? I feel like speculating that maybe Liberty will join Mountain West just to see how far you guys are willing to take this.

[JK37]

Conference affiliation would have to grow much more powerful (a la, four superconferences) in order to make ND finally join a league. As it stands now, they have everything they need: their own multimillion dollar TV deal, a direct line into the BCS, and a strong conference for all of their other sports.

What every other program must derive from its conference affiliation, Notre Dame can have on its own. I don't blame them for not belonging to a league right now.

(But of course, when it does come time to join one, I'd like to see them join the one in which they're already a member in every other sport )

[ALUmnus]

I know the ACC is trying to be pre-emptive in all this, but are they shooting themselves in the foot if the other conferences decide to stay put? They still only get one BCS bowl bid. They already have their TV money from espn, but now they have to share it with more teams. I'll admit I'm ignorant about how the TV revenue works, so I may be wrong, but it seems like they just weakened all the other teams they currently have.

[JK37]

I could be wrong, but I believe the admission of new teams to a league renders the prior contract moot, and a new one is negotiated with the existent TV Network. It's as if the original terms of the contract were changed, so the contract is re-done, usually with the Network retaining right to make a new deal.

Vice versa, if a team or two leaves a league, the TV Network gets to reassess what they're willing to pay for said conference's TV rights.

Someone correct me, because I'm a little fuzzy on all this.

[Sly Fox]

It depends on the terms of the contract. The only contracts I could see potentially being ripped up are the Big XII & Big East football contracts. And those wouldn't be shredded anytime soon.

[WinthropEagleFan]

From a TV revenue perspective, I don't see where the current ACC teams get an advantage with adding more teams. Even if they are able to get a new price for their current deal, I can't imagine it would still be as much per team as it is now (from the tv perspective, the addition of these teams doesn't add that much more value to the current package).

Now the added revenue stream that comes from this move is in NCAA basketball tourney win share money. The NCAA distributes money to each league based on the number of bids and number of wins a conference gets in the men's basketball tourney. Now I don't know how the ACC shares that money, but given that the league has been struggling in the # of bids department lately, adding a Pittsburgh and Syracuse helps them in that department. Does it help them enough to make this addition worth it? I honestly don't know.

[Sly Fox]

The ACC moves were about self-preservation and not revenue expansion. I agree on each of your points, WEF.

[TH Spangler]

The ACC doesn't have a network. Notre Dame likes its current TV deal with NBC and will do nothing to change that. While a merger with the Big Ten would be tricky, considering the media behemoth that is the Big Ten network, the ACC offers a now smaller media deal that is almost certainly in line to be renegotiated soon. The Irish are a big enough catch for the ACC—and nationally televised Notre Dame home games are a big enough gain for the conference—that the two sides could work out an agreement to keep Notre Dame home games under the watchful eye of NBC.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/8576 ... tens-heart

[4everfsu]

Big 12 commissioner is out the door.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... eport-says

[PAmedic]

SLY what do you think of the Sooners threatening your beloved Longhorn Network?

[TDDance234]

SLY what do you think of the Sooners threatening your beloved Longhorn Network?

He wouldn't know, he can't get the channel down there.

[Sly Fox]

The Sooners essentially are in the driver's seat to determine whether the Big XII lives or dies. OU isn't asking that the Longhorn Network die, just that it follow certain guidelines. It should be noted that it is ESPN that keeps trying to push the envelope in regard to content. It is also ESPN that is keeping the channel from being shown much of anywhere.

Frankly I could see something arising where ESPN recognizes they overpaid for 3rd tier rights and agrees to let UT keep the upfront money and the network cases to exist within the next 9 months. ESPN has botched every step of the Longhorn Network existence since they took control from UT.

It should be noted that if the Big XII does in fact stay together, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that A&M changes its mind and sticks around based on concessions made by UT. Getting the commish booted is a big step toward that happening as he was generally perceived as being a burnt orange puppet.

And if the ACC were willing to give an exemption to Notre Dame for their TV contract, they could do the same for Texas. Apparently the B1G balked at those terms when ND & UT bounced the idea of the Rust Belt league.

[Sly Fox]

It's official ...

Texas A&M To Join Southeastern Conference
Updated 9/25/2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 25, 2011) – The Southeastern Conference Presidents and Chancellors, acting unanimously, announced today that Texas A&M University will join the Southeastern Conference effective July 1, 2012, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2012-13 academic year.

Click Here for Full Story

Obviously this is not a surprise, but does it indicate a deal has been struck to keep the Big XII alive by Baylor dropping their lawsuit?

[JK37]

It also engenders more solid speculation on the SEC's #14.