Big Ten reportedly makes official offer to 4 schools

[Da Coach]

The Big Ten has reportedly made official offers to Notre Dame, Rutgers, Missouri, and Nebraska-
http://www.freep.com/article/2010051...-four-colleges

It was initially reported by a sports radio station in Kansas City-

http://www.810whb.com/article/3527

The Big Ten is denying the report-
http://www.freep.com/article/2010051...ska-Notre-Dame

[Bravesfan]

I don't believe the Big Ten's denial of those offers one bit. I'm sure they talked to most of these teams and probably did make offers.

Should be an interesting dynamic once the Big Ten expands. The new rivalries will be interesting, and the dominoes will have begun to fall as far as other moves across college basketball go.

At least Illinois already has an ongoing yearly rivalry going against Missouri.

[Braves4Life]

This move would clearly establish the Big 10 as the #2 football conference behind the SEC (the NFL JV league). And the potential revenue generated would be crazy ridiculous.

[amckillip]

This move would clearly establish the Big 10 as the #2 football conference behind the SEC (the NFL JV league). And the potential revenue generated would be crazy ridiculous.

IMO adding Notre Dame and Nebraska could easily push it to #1 in the very near future. ND, Michigan, OSU are arguably the three most storied schools in college football, add in PSU and Joe PA, the legacy in Nebraska, the up and comer Mizzou, teams like Iowa, Purdue, U of I (?), thats the making up one heck of a conference, covering all of the Midwest and it's major markets, kind of NY (if you buy that argument, I don't personally). The SEC sure loves it's football, but I think if the Big Ten gets these teams it will lead to them getting a Texas, Oklahoma, or Syracuse type team too, maybe even Kansas. I'm not a huge fan of the Big 10 expanding, despite being a fan of it and wanting it to be a top conference, but I think the Big Ten is set up pretty nicely.

[houstontxbrave]

16 teams wow.

Right now they really only need one team for a 12th and a conference championship in football.

16 give them 2 divisions and a lot of rivalries will be bye bye.

I guess it would break down

Penn state
Rutgers
Pitt
MSU
Michigan
OSU
Indiana
Purdue

then
Illinois
Northwestern
Iowa
UW
Nebraska
Missouri
Notre Dame
Minnesota

If this happens look out the whole landscape will change and probably will produce 4 power conferences and someone is going to be left out in the cold.

This is nothing but pure money greed and will ruin college sports.

[KillerB]

Detroit News write up on proposed expansion-good read

Big Ten seeks 16-team super conference

LYNN HENNING

The Big Ten is likely to expand to 16 teams and four divisions, with details to be finalized by 2011, two sources close to the process told The Detroit News.

The sources, who asked not to be identified because plans aren't official, acknowledge Missouri and Nebraska are among the prime targets to join the Big Ten, although no formal invitations have been extended.

Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut -- all currently in the Big East -- and even an Atlantic Coast Conference member such as Maryland, are considered possibilities to shift to the Big Ten.

There were reports Monday that formal invitations had been made to four schools: Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Rutgers. But that report was quashed Tuesday in an e-mail to conference officials by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith confirmed that Delany had dismissed Monday's report from a Kansas City radio station as baseless.

"There's no truth to it whatsoever," Smith told the Associated Press. "Actually, Jim sent us all an e-mail telling us there's no truth to that which we knew. There's no extensions of offers that have been made, so that's not true."

It does, however, remain a period of heavy consideration and courtship for Delany, his representatives, and university presidents who must sign off on any new conference members.

Notre Dame, the sources affirmed Tuesday, would be the plum recruit because of its storied football program and location (South Bend, Ind.), its impeccable academics, and its nationwide fan base that would be a gold mine for the booming Big Ten Network.

If Notre Dame agreed to join the Big Ten, it's all but certain the Irish would be looking at a payday far in excess of what they know in 2010, based upon the Big Ten's current business model of sharing TV revenues evenly. Notre Dame receives about $15 million a year in TV revenue compared with $22 million per school in the Big Ten.

As has been acknowledged by pundits and publications nationally, expansion is all but inevitable in the Big Ten and other major conferences such as the Southeastern Conference and the Pac 10 as a likely realignment of conferences nationwide evolves. It is anticipated four, 16-team super conferences will emerge.

Missouri and Nebraska joining the Big Ten likely would happen in concert with a break-up of the Big 12. The remaining eight members of the Big 12 could break away to join other conferences in the aftermath under one scenario, with two, or even three, possibly joining the Big Ten.

Nebraska's possible annexation by the Big Ten could be a plus for the conference, for one reason -- the football program is gold. Cornhuskers red is the color not only of the state, but a territory, while Nebraska alumni abound.

Missouri, meanwhile, would be the Big Ten's expressway into the St. Louis and Kansas City television markets. Again, alumni numbers make those cities more attractive to an expanding Big Ten that has seen its revenues explode in step with the BTN's instant success.

A school such as Rutgers, which is not on the same plane as some of the other candidates in terms of athletics, is valued by the Big Ten because of its New York proximity and sheer volume of television sets it would bring to the booming BTN.

Rutgers, though, might not have the economic clout of some of the heavyweights being considered. It's conceivable, the sources say, Rutgers, at least initially, would not share in a Big Ten paycheck as fat as would be enjoyed by, say, Notre Dame or Nebraska.

The belief is Rutgers, even if it stood to make a reduced share at the outset, would be interested in such an arrangement for the same reason the Big Ten wants Rutgers: In the long term, it would be deemed as good business for both parties.

[tornado]

Cincinnati thinks they are being unfairly kept from consideration of getting a Big Ten invitation!

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/05/23/osu-keeping-cincinnati-out-of-big-ten-talks-ex-bearcat-says.html?sid=101

[amckillip]

Cincinnati thinks they are being unfairly kept from consideration of getting a Big Ten invitation!
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...s.html?sid=101

They really don't add tons. They are a football also-ran (this year not-withstanding, and even then, lost their coach) are new to BCS athletics and have a history of being a particularly slimey school in terms of recruiting.

Given that last part maybe they'd fit into the SEC with Caliapari and gang... Then again they have they're old buddy Thuggins already.

[tornado]

The Big East is fighting back....and "not waiting for anybody," a reference to the deliberations by the Big Ten to expand."
They do NOT want to lose members to the Big Ten...so they hired ex-NFL Commish Paul Tagliabue to find a way to make their conference better..
consider that the Big East has seven of its members located in the top 12 media markets in the country and that 12 members are located in the top 34......so they should be able to do the same kind of network deal to generate revenue that the Big Ten Network does...

Watch for them to do the same as the Big Ten did with an exclusive network once their current deals with ESPN run out, and they have imposed a "$5 million penalty for any school leaving the conference"..

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/94940339.html

http://www.kivitv.com/global/story.asp?s=12549421