With all the threads and talk on conference realignment will it even happen?

[UNIGuy4Cy]

I am still not sold on anything even happening and I am sooooo tired of hearing about it. If anything happens the Big 10 hopes with all this talk they scare ND and they join the conference and the Big 10 gets their 12th team and is done. I believe they will take into account what has happened to the Big East in basketball and realize a "super conference" is not the model of the Big 10. IMO the Big 10 MAYBE wants 1 team. And if they cant pull ND, I dont see a thing happening unless ND says no and they add Rutgers and the Big East fills their spot. But I doubt anything major happens and the Big 10 is just showing their power again and thats it. Big 10 does this every 3 years or so.

[chuckd4735]

Welcome to May. Slowest month as far as sports talk in Iowa. It wont get much better from here until August.

[cyclonedave25]

I'm not sold on anything happening either. If anything, the Big 10 will add 1 team, but will have no effect on the Big 12. As for the rest, I think its just columinsts shooting off their mouths to try and stir things up. I think all of the panic with the Big 12 splitting up and ISU being left in the dust is comical, I laugh at the people freaking out about it.

[Clark]

There is a 95.345% chance that the Big 10 will expand. Unless they land ND or Texas they're going to bring in more than one. I think they'll stop at 14 for two reasons: 1) they don't want to completely destroy their tradition and 2) they want to leave open the possibility of adding a ND or Texas should the other conferences go to 16. The only reason I can think of to go to 16 is so the remaining "super-conferences" can say screw you to the NCAA.

I do agree that people saying that ISU will be left with no other choice than joining a mid-major conference are going overboard.

[hawkeyescott]

I am still not sold on anything even happening and I am sooooo tired of hearing about it. If anything happens the Big 10 hopes with all this talk they scare ND and they join the conference and the Big 10 gets their 12th team and is done. I believe they will take into account what has happened to the Big East in basketball and realize a "super conference" is not the model of the Big 10. IMO the Big 10 MAYBE wants 1 team. And if they cant pull ND, I dont see a thing happening unless ND says no and they add Rutgers and the Big East fills their spot. But I doubt anything major happens and the Big 10 is just showing their power again and thats it. Big 10 does this every 3 years or so.

Um, the last time the Big Ten thought about expansion was the late 90's early 00's when they tried getting ND and before that it was 1994 when Penn St joined so I wouldn't say they do this every 3 years or so as this is the first time they have talked about expanding in about 10 years.

The Big Ten probably won't go to 16 teams but I would be willing to bet if ND does say no then they will take 3 and go to 14 teams. Now the question is will 2 of those 3 teams be from the Big 12 (Missouri & Nebraska) or will they bring in 3 from the east (Syracuse, Pitt & Rutgers).

[Clark]

Um, the last time the Big Ten thought about expansion was the late 90's early 00's when they tried getting ND and before that it was 1994 when Penn St joined so I wouldn't say they do this every 3 years or so as this is the first time they have talked about expanding in about 10 years.

The Big Ten probably won't go to 16 teams but I would be willing to bet if ND does say no then they will take 3 and go to 14 teams. Now the question is will 2 of those 3 teams be from the Big 12 (Missouri & Nebraska) or will they bring in 3 from the east (Syracuse, Pitt & Rutgers).

I think (if they don't get ND) it will be 3 of these 4: Pitt, Rutgers, Mizzou, Nebraska.

Academics are important, but it's a heck of a lot easier to raise your academic standards than it is to increase the number of tv sets in your area.