(11-07-2015 02:50 AM)AllTideUp Wrote: Let's assume for a moment that none of the P5 break up or get raided.
I don't think it will really work out like that, but I suppose it is a possibility. Will the networks pay for additional expansion in order to increase potential content?
With that in mind, if the P5 had to take G5 schools in order to add markets then who gets a "golden ticket?"
Just me, but if the SEC had to expand with only G5 schools then here's my list of preferred options:
1. Cincinnati (taps a large OH market and adds new solid recruiting grounds)
2. SMU (wraps up the Dallas market and provides good academics)
3. East Carolina (taps a large NC market)
4. Old Dominion (taps a new market with a program with a lot of growth potential)
5. Tulsa (taps a new market and provides good academics)
I imagine the B1G would take UConn and Colorado State.
The PAC 12...some combo of Houston, New Mexico, UNLV, and I think they would be interested in SMU as well.
The Big 12...Memphis, Cincinnati, UCF
The ACC...I think they would also be interested in Cincy, UConn, Memphis, Tulane
Thoughts?
I think you're way off base.
i grew up in Cincinnati, and while I'd love to see it added to a P5 conference, Cincinnati is basically a commuter school with a fan base that is limited to the greater Cincinnati area. Even within Cincinnati, there is a strong Notre Dame base (Cincy is a very Catholic town) and UK base because Lexington is only an hour away. So the Bearcats don't even dominate the Cincinnati market.
SMU is a dumpster fire of a program that no one wants.
The B1G wants only large state schools that have top notch research programs (AAU preferred if not required), have large alumni bases and are the dominant 'flagship' schools located in new markets that expand its Big Ten Network revenues. The two schools you picked match NONE of those criteria.
The PAC is also an academically minded conference and wants members that will not drag down the PAC's top notch academic reputation - so scratch all 4 of the teams you listed.
The ACC already has a bunch of middle of the road crappy-some-years OK-other-years teams. They need to add bell cow programs like Notre Dame or Texas to stabilize their conference. Adding more flotsam and jetsom is not in their plans.
The Big 12, on the other hand, seems to perhaps want expansion and the three you mention have been rumored to candidates for some time now, along with Houston.
