B1G expansion

Hey guys... don't beat me up for bringing up this topic again, but I really need to escape from talk of player suspensions, fiscal cliff and the horrific murder of school children, so I find avoiding the newspaper, website headlines, and TV. Instead, I've been wasting time by Google searching Big 10 news articles. While doing so, I came across some talking about conference expansion and realignment... (yea... that again, but indulge me please).

So, with the Catholic 7 leaving the Big East, I suspect that there will be some conference realignment in the near future rather than waiting for things to settle down a little. When I look at the schools that are available, I don't see any with big TV markets that would appeal to the Big 10...err...14. Do you guys think that the conference waits it out and see if this eventually pushes ND to make a move or hopes that the Big 12 shows some crumbles and Texas makes a leap (pretty unlikely), or do you think instead that there might be additional interest in ACC teams. If you go with the continuous state idea, that gives you North Carolina or Virginia and ... yawn...well....there just isn't the wow factor of either market but both are AAU members. However, if you look past the continuous idea, then the potential TV markets of Florida (FSU) or Atlanta (GT) lie just a little further to the south, and would be huge. Also, the B1G getting a foothold into Florida recruiting would be unparalleled anywhere else (with the exception of Texas). I'm also intrigued by the idea of Clemson (land grant university). While their TV market isn't all that huge, it does give the conference another "name" school like Nebraska did, and recruiting opportunities in a largely SEC area are pretty appealing. Yea, I realize that neither Clemson of FSU are AAU members, but neither is Nebraska. GT is though and so is Duke (basketball appeal).

Sure the ACC is expanding, but when the Big 10 dangles the Big 10 Network $, I think that anyone in the ACC would be tempted. Oh...and for what it is worth, while searching, I also came across some articles that said FSU is interested in the Big 10 and eager to leave the ACC.

Again... sorry for another expansion talk, but I just need a little escape and found some of that ACC school talk intriguing.

If they go for the contiguous states, and go for Virginia and North Carolina, why not take a shot at Duke? Doesn't do much for football, but would be great for basketball, and Duke is a AAU member. But Duke is a private school. I think Northwestern is the only other private school in the B1G.

If they could get Duke and UNC, that would be interesting.

fishgoblue22 wrote:

If they go for the contiguous states, and go for Virginia and North Carolina, why not take a shot at Duke? Doesn't do much for football, but would be great for basketball, and Duke is a AAU member. But Duke is a private school. I think Northwestern is the only other private school in the B1G.

If they could get Duke and UNC, that would be interesting.

UNC and Duke would be coup in terms of the B1G basketball conference. It looks like B1G Ten dominance in basketball could be perennial the way the strength is now and the way the recruiting has gone lately.

That said, I feel like all realignment to date in the conference has been football based (in terms of sports). The only other realignment that I can think of is hockey and the B1G just went and started its own conference there.

Didn't ND just move to the ACC in basketball? I can't imagine any scenario that puts ND in the conference anytime soon even though they are clearly the biggest (and most logical) fish in the pond, and have been for years.

Th Hockey conferences just had a massive realignment with the announcement of the B1G Hockey Conference coming next year. As of next year, the CCHA is done. The WCHA of course loses Wisconsin and Minnesota to the B1G but gains all of the piddly schools remaining in the CCHA. The CCHA has Michigan, sparty, and ohio going to the B1G (of course). Western Michigan is going to the newly created National Hockey Conference which has the good non-B1G teams from the WCHA in it. Notre Dame is going to Hockey East (I think, at this point I don't care). And I justrealized that no none here really cares about Hockey on a large scale so why am I trying to explain it all? Basically Penn State created a D-1 Hocky team which created the B1G Hockey Conference and caused a massive re-alignment. If you want a further explanation go to uscho.com

I personally see the B10 making a push into the southern part of the country.

I don't see FSU or, say, Clemson, joining our conference (I think they'll eventually migrate to the SEC).

But I do see us making a move towards Dixie. How far south remains to be seen.

2ndComingOfBo wrote:

Th Hockey conferences just had a massive realignment with the announcement of the B1G Hockey Conference coming next year. As of next year, the CCHA is done. The WCHA of course loses Wisconsin and Minnesota to the B1G but gains all of the piddly schools remaining in the CCHA. The CCHA has Michigan, sparty, and ohio going to the B1G (of course). Western Michigan is going to the newly created National Hockey Conference which has the good non-B1G teams from the WCHA in it. Notre Dame is going to Hockey East (I think, at this point I don't care). And I justrealized that no none here really cares about Hockey on a large scale so why am I trying to explain it all? Basically Penn State created a D-1 Hocky team which created the B1G Hockey Conference and caused a massive re-alignment. If you want a further explanation go to uscho.com

As a Ferris grad, I can say I hate the new hockey alignments . That being said, I don't care for hockey much.

Would not be surprised to see conferences morph through super conferences and into consortiums for business purposes. If that happens, I'd expect a business partnership with the PAC.

That sounds reasonable hawk