CSNbbs

Quote:That is why the Big Ten is toying with the idea of a 16-team league that could include colleges like Missouri, Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. If that happens, Crouthamel predicted other conferences would catch up by adding teams.

Interesting stuff. The next 5 years could be a little crazy for NIU athletics. Anyone think a new conference could be established with teams like NIU, SIU, UNI, UWW, ISU, Ball St., maybe the directional Michigan schools? I don't know if SIU, UNI, UWW etc. could move up or not...maybe NIU ends up moving down. Someone enlighten me.

Who even wants to respond to your comment about moving down. All the posts you have an you say something like that.
Come on! Where the hec t do yuo get UWW and others like that??

This is going to be the end of the mid major as we know it. NIU will be championship subdividion before 2015. IF the Big Ten goes to 16 teams and all the other BCS conference do likewise they can't cannibalize each other. They'll take the Boise's and TCU's of the world and let the other NON-BCS teams fend for themselves in the Championship.

(04-21-2010 12:08 PM)NorthHuskie Wrote: [ -> ]Who even wants to respond to your comment about moving down. All the posts you have an you say something like that.
Come on! Where the hec t do yuo get UWW and others like that??

Uhhh what? I'm as big of an NIU fan as anyone. Unfortunately, NIU's chance of ending up in one of these power conferences is slim to none. In my opinion, we will end up with a ton of smaller conferences that are more based on proximity than anything else. This will generate rivalries, allow for casual fans to attend away games, and create a more realistic postseason environment for mid major schools. The only reason I said UWW or any of those other programs is because they are nearby and have established football programs. I think this scenario is a lot more likely than us getting in the Big Ten or Big 12 if that's what you think is going to happen. I also don't think moving down is necessarily a bad thing. NIU could be a top tier school at that level and the MAC isn't very advantageous for NIU anyway.

I'm admittedly not very informed on what could happen with realignment, but my guess is what I've written above. I'm not sure why you think that is so far fetched.

UWW? That's a stretch.. DIII to FBS?

NIU is staying in the MAC. If anything, IL State will move into the MAC with full membership beginning in 2014.

I don't buy the whole super conference thing, either. We'll see how this all plays out, but I see NIU staying put. Unless the Big XII is robbed of Tex and Missouri and comes calling for the Chicago media market! LOL

(04-21-2010 01:33 PM)DSniu41 Wrote: [ -> ]I don't buy the whole super conference thing, either. We'll see how this all plays out, but I see NIU staying put. Unless the Big XII is robbed of Tex and Missouri and comes calling for the Chicago media market! LOL

Won't happen. ISU believes they can deliver the Chicago Market and think they have the inside track to the Big 12.

(04-21-2010 01:26 PM)armour248 Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-21-2010 12:08 PM)NorthHuskie Wrote: [ -> ]Who even wants to respond to your comment about moving down. All the posts you have an you say something like that.
Come on! Where the hec t do yuo get UWW and others like that??

Uhhh what? I'm as big of an NIU fan as anyone. Unfortunately, NIU's chance of ending up in one of these power conferences is slim to none. In my opinion, we will end up with a ton of smaller conferences that are more based on proximity than anything else. This will generate rivalries, allow for casual fans to attend away games, and create a more realistic postseason environment for mid major schools. The only reason I said UWW or any of those other programs is because they are nearby and have established football programs. I think this scenario is a lot more likely than us getting in the Big Ten or Big 12 if that's what you think is going to happen. I also don't think moving down is necessarily a bad thing. NIU could be a top tier school at that level and the MAC isn't very advantageous for NIU anyway.

I'm admittedly not very informed on what could happen with realignment, but my guess is what I've written above. I'm not sure why you think that is so far fetched.

I agree with you. I have mentioned this sort of scenario before, and it really would not bother me. Playing in the MAC, which has to prostitute itself to the dictates of bigger conferences and ESPN, provides us with no advantage. If NIU drops to a lower division, I would hope there are more realistic TV deals and a championship structure like there is for FCS. Note: I am NOT saying that NIU necessarily drop down to FCS. What I see happening is another division being formed between FBS and FCS for current FBS upper "mid-majors", and I do not see this as all that bad, especially if it gets us out of the stranglehold of the big FBS conferences.

(04-21-2010 01:33 PM)DSniu41 Wrote: [ -> ]UWW? That's a stretch.. DIII to FBS?

I meant more of what Dog Fan said...or somewhat of a meeting in the middle. There are going to be a lot of schools looking for homes if there ends up being a 16 team Big Ten. The UWW stadium holds 11,000 right now which could easily be expanded to hold 20,000 or more. Here's an aerial view.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=...&encType=1

I'm not saying it's what I want to happen, but I certainly could list a lot of positives for NIU.

I don't see the superconference thing happening...but if it does, I'd say there is a change the Big East takes the top tiers of the MAC and C-USA. That may or may not include us. Some teams may not like having 4 more teams to compete with in their conference so I think 16 team conferences are out of the question.

I'd imagine with NIU's location, and facilities, and evidence we are willing to put more into the program, we'd be given an opportunity to stay at this level. Perhaps some of the Big East castoffs combine with CUSA and the MAC's better teams to form a conference. I wouldn't worry too much yet. At least as long as Peters is our president, I think the efforts will be made to keep us at D1 level. While we don't win as much, we offer a fair amount more than many MAC programs with our location near Chicago and Soldier field games.

SEC has a long term TV deal they just signed, so I don't think they'd be interested in going to 16 teams right now, so that'd be an issue for the super conference type thing.

The few tea leaves I read have no clues to what future holds for NIU or BT expansion.

ND is ND. Never say never but never surrendering independence is a possibility for Irish.

"The counterintuitive aspect of the Big Ten expansion talk is that it is not always the quality of the program, but the television market that it would deliver." As the article stated, all future conference expansions would be driven by this fact. This can only offer opportunity and promise for NIU.

nothing will happen

I just don't see that big of change coming either. Isn't the basic system working right now for the most part? At least from a revenue standpoint in the major programs?

Certainly things could change, but I really don't see a huge overhaul coming.

Big boys long range objective IMO is to squeeze more of what TV, bowl and other money is out there each year from the little fish.

If you read the article you would see the point of change. Lot of money in it for the Big 10 to add new teams & markets.

(04-22-2010 12:38 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote: [ -> ]If you read the article you would see the point of change. Lot of money in it for the Big 10 to add new teams & markets.

I'm not saying the Big 10 won't add teams...I'm talking about some of the comments that state that a ton of teams will go down to the championship division or that there is going to be a mid-major sub-division to college football, etc.

Depending on how the B10 expansion shakes out (if they take 5 teams and none of them is ND); this could work out well for NIU in getting serious consideration for a move up to a BCS conference at least for football only.
The B10 with expansion is looking for football programs that either can bring a major market (Mizzou, Kansas, Rutgers) or have a large national name and fan following(Nebraska). Any program added will have to be an AAU member. There are only 3 BE programs (Rutgers, Syracuse and Pitt) that are AAU, every Big 12 North division program save KSU is. UT and A&M are as well. UT gets the lions share of the Big 12 football TV $ much to the consternation of the Big 12 North teams and possibly OKST, Texas Tech and Baylor.

These factors plus the Big 12 North programs drawing thousands more football attendance than the 3 BE AAU programs makes them a more likely expansion target than the BE. Pitt will not be offered since they don't bring any new market and Syracuse is a long shot being they are a private school.
ND will not move all it's sports to the B10 which means the BE survives.

The B12 on the other hand, if they lose Nebraska, Mizzou and Kansas; will likely lose Colorado to the PAC10 as that conference will look to go to 12 teams with the B10 going to 16 and the ACC and SEC already at 12. They will also invite Utah. This means the Big 12 will become the Big 8 again and need to add 4 members at least for football only to keep their conference championship game in place.

If NIU has a strong next 2-3 years on the gridiron and beats Illinois, MN, Iowa State and Kansas(at least once); they will be an attractive candidate for a football only membership in a conference needing to add 4 football programs.

If this happens as I've spelled out in my last post with the state of Texas having 4 of the 8 teams left in the Big 12 also means that TCU while being a strong candidate to be added to several BCS conferences won't be going to the Big 12 because they don't bring any new market to that conference which just might open up one of those 4 slots for NIU.