Big 12 realignment is back...looks like real changes coming soon.

[weR138]

Every Iowa State fan should be a fan of adding teams to the Big 12. It helps stabilize the conference and keeps OU and Texas from jumpiong. If the Big 12 falls apart Iowa State could easily be the odd man out. This would be disaster. So bring on UConn and Cincy. Plus Cincy puts us on televisions in the Ohio market that CMC loves to recruit out of.

Are you sure this is true? Couldn't OU and UT bounce at the end of the GOR regardless?

 

[CTTB78]

Addition of Cinci and UConn makes so much more sense than adding BYU. I am not a fan of adding BYU with all the things they would want and demand.

Agree. Very happy to see that BYU does not appear to be in the mix.

 

[Judoka]

UCONN and Cinci both coming to Hilton.... yes please.

"Man, I can't wait to have Michigan, Penn State, and Ohio State in Memorial Stadium every other year!"
-Nebraska fans five years ago

 

[CYCLNST8]

Addition of Cinci and UConn makes so much more sense than adding BYU. I am not a fan of adding BYU with all the things they would want and demand.

Agree. Very happy to see that BYU does not appear to be in the mix.

Yeah; because who wants to add a prestigious football program to their conference? Stupid, huh?

 

[NorthCyd]

Is the Dude and that West Virginia message board guy the source for this?

 

[Stormin]

We can play a conf championship game with 10 members now. No need for more.

So all conference members play each other once and then the top 2 teams in the single division play each other again?

That is one of the stupidest proposals ever. You have 2 divisions. And on occasion you can have 2 undefeated division winners play in the CCG. SEC has proven the best way of doing things is only having 8 games and 4 OOC games to beef up everyone's record. Although our Network contracts probably demand 9 Conference Games. And it sounds like the money increases per team if we add teams to the Conference.

We expand our geographic footprint. We expand our revenue. We are expanding in the right direction. Going out to the middle of Utah does not do a whole lot for our league. There is a reason why the Pac 12 did not take BYU. They are a PIA. Plus I can't imagine going to a football game there in that dry tailgating area.

 

[jbhtexas]

According to this article, UCONN (the university) is facing a $41 million budget deficit next year, while subsidising the AD with $17 million.

Sounds like a real sound, strong candidate to bring on board...

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2015...-71-million-to-athletics-amid-budget-troubles

Also, an article from last year regarding Connecticut's population growth (or lack thereof).
http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-rodriguez-ct-population-dropping-0104-20150102-story.html

Yeah, a real winner here...

 

[Triggermv]

Lots of sources, none of them individually reliable but there does seem to be a lot of smoke building in a cumulative sense. The consensus is that big moves are coming at the June Big 12 meetings, and it is a true that a number of viability studies are to be completed for that meeting for the President's to review...pertaining to which teams bring value, how much value a CCG brings, and how the LHN can be converted to a conference network.

Here's the high points:
1) Texas has agreed to roll the Long Horn Network into a Big 12 network with ESPN's consent. Texas annual payment from the LHN will be guaranteed by the league and by ESPN, so payouts will likely be unequal across the league...but still a nice increase for all teams.
2) Uconn and Cincinnati will be added to the conference to add content and return the league to 12 teams. Very unclear how divisions will be set up. Also, both UCONN and Cinci will have a very extended period in which their payouts are lower than the rest of the league.
3) A CCG game will be added.
4) The GOR will be extended to at least 2030, possibly 2035 to match the current Longhorn Network contract.
5) Taken together, per school payouts will increase fairly dramatically under this plan...all Tier 3 and most Tier 2 content will go to the league network. Setting up the network over the LHN framework will make the process easier, less costly and much quicker than otherwise.
6) After setting up the network and going to 12 teams, there are at least 2 and perhaps 4 ACC teams that are VERY interested in joining a league with its own network.

Honestly, though he's been a bit of a pain, you thank Boren for getting things moving. Texas very much wants to keep the Big 12 alive with themselves as its epicenter, and they need OU to keep things viable...so OU's complaining has lead to action. All in all, this is nothing but good news for schools like ISU and KSU in particular.


I also posted this on ISU confidential, FYI.

Lots of information listed here that you say is from lots of different sources. I'm not saying you are wrong, but you still haven't listed out any of these sources. Could you please do that, because until you do, its hard to take this too seriously at all.

 

[Wesley]

Extending the GOR would get my vote to add two pansy teams. My god, we have enough great football programs already. We have a hard time competing with the ones we have.

 

[NorthCyd]

Lots of information listed here that you say is from lots of different sources. I'm not saying you are wrong, but you still haven't listed out any of these sources. Could you please do that, because until you do, its hard to take this too seriously at all.

Definitely should be skeptical when someone is being coy about the sources. This smells of the same crap the Dude and MHVer use to come up with. I still don't know why anyone takes them seriously.

 

[Stormin]

According to this article, UCONN (the university) is facing a $41 million budget deficit next year, while subsidising the AD with $17 million.

Sounds like a real sound, strong candidate to bring on board...

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2015...-71-million-to-athletics-amid-budget-troubles

Also, an article from last year regarding Connecticut's population growth (or lack thereof).
http://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-rodriguez-ct-population-dropping-0104-20150102-story.html

Yeah, a real winner here...

They would leap at the opportunity to go to the Big 12. This is all about geographic footprint and TV sets. Look at Rutgers.

 

[MilehighClone]

All of this is opinion. Nothing about expansion is inevitable. And UCONN is only remotely a "good" candidate if the conference ties itself to a dieing business model.

Yes, it is my opinion. I don't think we are going back to 8-10 team conferences any time soon. However, I could see a scenario where we go to only 4 power conferences instead of the 5 today. Makes it much easier to pick the 4 teams for the CFB playoff. Not sure where we end up in that situation.

 

[brett108]

Other than BYU, UConn has the biggest fanbase of any option we could get. It has lots of basketball success. It is in a new market region. It will likely increase the Big 12's exposure on ESPN just by virtue of its proximity to their HQ. All UConn needs is a little bit of football success and they are solidly at a Power 5 level. So I think they would be a good addition.

If we are going 12, UConn makes a lot of sense given what the other options are

While UConn has not had consistent football success they have been to a BCS bowl. Something we cant say....

 

[kentkel]

If this were to happen, I'm not entirely sure what to think. I don't mind adding Cinci, but am less than enthusiasitc about UCONN. That said, I'd take UCONN over Houston (or any other Texas school) any day of the week. That is my one desire if we add more teams - NO MORE TEXAS SCHOOLS!!!

 

[CYCLNST8]

They would leap at the opportunity to go to the Big 12. This is all about geographic footprint and TV sets. Look at Rutgers.

I have. They suck.

 

[247cy]

Anybody else think the "Longhorn Network" is the albatross of Texas? Does it make sense to create a Big 12 Network and fold the LHN into it when cable and satellite providers are losing out to cord cutters and streaming services? If ESPN is going to offer subscription streaming how do they make people pay for the Big 12 network?

Certainly feels like there is a bubble in this TV contract $, hope the conference and more importantly ISU has a contingency plan if the bubble should burst.

 

[jbhtexas]

They would leap at the opportunity to go to the Big 12.

Ya think so?????

This is all about geographic footprint and TV sets. Look at Rutgers.

New York (state) population...about 20 million

Connecticut population...about 3.6 million

 

[Stormin]

I have. They suck.

From an Iowa State perspective, that is great. A football team that is likely in our division that sucks.

Division alignment would likely be the 4 Texas schools and OU and OSU which would leave the 2 Kansas schools, Iowa State, WVU, Cinci and UConn. Talk about a dream.

 

[ISU42]

Yeah; because who wants to add a prestigious football program to their conference? Stupid, huh?

Sweet, who is the prestigious football program?

 

[CYCLNST8]

Anybody else think the "Longhorn Network" is the albatross of Texas? Does it make sense to create a Big 12 Network and fold the LHN into it when cable and satellite providers are losing out to cord cutters and streaming services? If ESPN is going to offer subscription streaming how do they make people pay for the Big 12 network?

Certainly feels like there is a bubble in this TV contract $, hope the conference and more importantly ISU has a contingency plan if the bubble should burst.

This should be the biggest concern when considering expansion. What is the future of viewership? If a Big 12 network is to be created, it needs to be at the forefront of technological advancement.