I think this is a cool historical topic. Here's what I have from the top of my head:

ACC
Virginia Tech and West Virginia (1950's)
Virginia Tech (1970's)

*South Carolina had the votes, but they didn't apply for re-admittance in the late 70's before GT.

I read Southern Miss applied in the 60's or something. Can't recall.

Big 8/12
I can't find anything about this conference as far as expansion. Well, besides the formation of the Big XII.

Big 10
Notre Dame, Marquette, and Iowa State were all considered around the time MSU was approved. Not sure if any actually applied.

Pac 8/10/12
I know names like Texas, Colorado, BYU, and San Diego State were thrown around, but I'm not sure it came to an actual vote.

SEC
Florida State (Florida was their sponsor multiple times from the 1960's to the 1970's)
Miami (Florida was their sponsor in the 1960's)
Houston (Ole Miss was their sponsor)
Southern Miss (1970's)
Memphis (Tennessee was their sponsor in the 1970's)

SWC
Houston (sometime before they were admitted in the 1970's)
Tulane (early 1990's)
Louisville and Memphis were proposed by the commissioner after the Tulane vote, Tulsa also wanted in at the time. They never came to votes.

Anybody else?

Nice, and yeah it is a cool topic. Makes me wanna start some Google research now lol.

Notre Dame wanted in the Big 10 during the early 1900's but rabid anti-Catholicism kept them out of the progressive Big 10.

I know Nebraska applied for Big 10 membership in the early 1900's.

Schools who were supposedly interested, not sure about formal applications me to the conferences:

Louisville B12
UCONN ACC
WV ACC
Missouri B10
ECU Big East (eventually admitted into BE/AAC)
Boise St MWC

Pitt was the leading challenger to Michigan State when the Western Conference/Big Ten went back to 10.

Most the formal applying isn't done anymore unless everything is already settled. Too much public attention and rejection looks too bad.

"Rumored" History says Miami (OH) was headed to the Big 10 in the 70s. Stadium expansion was oddly funded by stock value of a donor. When said stock failed, expansion stopped and the Big 10 invite quietly disappeared.

NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Big Sky
NDSU and SDSU were rejected at least twice after their Presidents made media appeals

Summit
UND took the Big Sky offer after the Summit didn't move on an offer because they didn't want the Sioux name.

Sun Belt
Liberty, Lamar, Sam Houston St, Jacksonville St (rejected by the Belt)
JMU, Missouri St (Belt rebuffed by them)

(11-05-2015 01:49 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

OK, I call BS on this one...

(11-05-2015 02:15 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-05-2015 01:49 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

OK, I call BS on this one...

I never said they went good for NIU or even went anywhere at all, but that was the intention NIU had when going independent back then. Joining the big 8 was the goal and it failed miserably

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

(11-05-2015 01:49 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Talks imply mutual interest.

(11-05-2015 02:17 PM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  

(11-05-2015 01:49 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Talks imply mutual interest.

See my previous statement

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Original Big East

Penn State 1983. Vote was 5 - 3 against inviting them.

Temple and Virginia Tech 1994. Both were denied full membership. VT subsequently became full member.

(11-05-2015 12:45 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Pitt was the leading challenger to Michigan State when the Western Conference/Big Ten went back to 10.

Yeah, it might be behind a paywall now, but there's an old article that talked about who was considered in that Chicago replacement. Pitt, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Marquette were the ones it listed beyond Michigan State. This is the first time I'm seeing Iowa State in that move.

Nebraska was also considered as a founding member of the Big West/Big Ten.

People want to paint the Notre Dame-Big Ten saga as something of a dance...Nebraska had them beat. Notre Dame's rejections are just uglier, although the Big Ten definitely had other "midwest" biases going for them other than the anti-Catholic thing. Schools like Nebraska and Missouri weren't well liked out of that whole "industrial vs. agriculture" thing.

Penn State's Big East rejection is well known. Penn State was supposedly shot down for the ACC, too.

Utah and BYU lost PAC spots to Arizona and Arizona State.

Two of the BYU, Utah, and New Mexico trio lost Big XII spots to Tech and Baylor.

Army and Navy were almost in the Ivy League. I wish this actually happened, as it would have made the Ivy a FBS conference.

Idaho and Montana were in the PCC. When the conference was dissolved, we were denied membership in the PAC.

(11-05-2015 02:17 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  

(11-05-2015 02:15 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(11-05-2015 01:49 PM)Stay Cool Wrote:  NIU and the Big 8 had some talks when they went independent

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

OK, I call BS on this one...

I never said they went good for NIU or even went anywhere at all, but that was the intention NIU had when going independent back then. Joining the big 8 was the goal and it failed miserably

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Not complete BS... but emphasis on failed attempt as the program hit rock bottom.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-...tom-line/2

I have it on good authority (David St) that Kennesaw State applied for membership in the SEC (football only) but fell one vote short.

(11-05-2015 03:09 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(11-05-2015 12:45 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Pitt was the leading challenger to Michigan State when the Western Conference/Big Ten went back to 10.

Yeah, it might be behind a paywall now, but there's an old article that talked about who was considered in that Chicago replacement. Pitt, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Marquette were the ones it listed beyond Michigan State. This is the first time I'm seeing Iowa State in that move.

Nebraska was also considered as a founding member of the Big West/Big Ten.

People want to paint the Notre Dame-Big Ten saga as something of a dance...Nebraska had them beat. Notre Dame's rejections are just uglier, although the Big Ten definitely had other "midwest" biases going for them other than the anti-Catholic thing. Schools like Nebraska and Missouri weren't well liked out of that whole "industrial vs. agriculture" thing.

Penn State's Big East rejection is well known. Penn State was supposedly shot down for the ACC, too.

Utah and BYU lost PAC spots to Arizona and Arizona State.

Two of the BYU, Utah, and New Mexico trio lost Big XII spots to Tech and Baylor.

Army and Navy were almost in the Ivy League. I wish this actually happened, as it would have made the Ivy a FBS conference.

Good call about Pitt and Nebraska, you guys. I do remember reading that. I think there was some negative sentiment by Big 10 coaches towards the way Notre Dame operated their football program as well.

I'll have to look into Penn State and the ACC. I don't remember hearing about that. I do know the ACC had designs of including Syracuse, Pitt, and BC, in some form or fashion, as far back as the early 90's though.

Big XII becoming the Big XIV with BYU and New Mexico was talked about in the 90's. Wasn't aware of Utah and BYU in the Pac though.

(11-05-2015 12:45 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Pitt was the leading challenger to Michigan State when the Western Conference/Big Ten went back to 10.

Most the formal applying isn't done anymore unless everything is already settled. Too much public attention and rejection looks too bad.

Did anyone tell the ACC that in 2003? Syracuse

(11-05-2015 01:51 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Big Sky
NDSU and SDSU were rejected at least twice after their Presidents made media appeals

Summit
UND took the Big Sky offer after the Summit didn't move on an offer because they didn't want the Sioux name.

Sun Belt
Liberty, Lamar, Sam Houston St, Jacksonville St (rejected by the Belt)
JMU, Missouri St (Belt rebuffed by them)

I would add Alabama State and North Alabama tried to get into the Sun Belt by calling them. SBC rebuked their calls.