I hope the Big Ten adds Missouri and Pittsburgh.

As I'm sure anyone reading here knows, I think 16 is unlikely for quite awhile. A decade or two down the road, if the Big Ten did go to 16, Missouri wouldn't be a be a bad one to go for, although I think it would be hard to get them from the SEC.

Pittsburgh I can't see. They are a city school in a state where the conference already has lots of coverage.

Why do you prefer Missouri and Pittsburgh?

I prefer Mizzou and Kansas (or Vandy), but I don't see that happening.

I honestly don't get the excitement for Missouri. Maryland won a national title in football since the last time Missouri won their football conference title. They are located in a so-so state. Okay recruits, okay population and demographics, no major strategic cities (i.e. Washington, D.C., New York City, etc.). Missouri is fine but they would do nothing for me to get excited about realignment. Maybe a jack of all trades, king of none type profile.

The Big Ten needs to figure out what it's end game is. Texas, Notre Dame, North Carolina, or some other big fish? How big do you want the conference to be? If 18 is the limit for conferences (or 20) then the next two adds really need to make the end targets be the there. If you want Texas, add Oklahoma and Kansas. If you want UNC, add Georgia Tech and Florida State/Virginia or whoever. Notre Dame probably won't ever come so that's even more of a long shot than UNC or Texas but it's still an option however remote.

Personally, I'd like it to end at 16.

I understand why the conference's first choice would have been North Carolina and Virginia but I personally would prefer Virginia Tech over Virginia. With VT I do like Missouri and that allows UNC, UVA and Duke to go to the SEC but trying to figure out four divisions gets difficult in the Central portion of the conference. You have an easy division of four out East but out West it is also difficult. Who is your anchor? Wisconsin? Nebraska?

As an Iowa guy I would first and foremost want Iowa to be with Wisconsin and Minnesota but if Nebraska was to replace Wisconsin for us then so be it. The problem is Minnesota is even more tied to Wisconsin than we were.

Nebraska
Iowa
Missouri
Illinois

Wisconsin
Michigan State
Minnesota
Northwestern

Ohio State
Michigan
Indiana
Purdue

Penn State
Maryland
Rutgers
Virginia Tech

Maybe, its still iffy but for me personally I am not a big fan of seeing Iowa end up in a four team division with zero Core Big Ten schools in it despite the fact that such a scenario is exactly what I think will happen.

Prefer to stay at 14, don't see how adding any more teams nets more total money or benefit per team. They'll just be more mouths to feed. I'd really like anyone to show rough numbers as to otherwise.

(06-13-2015 07:39 PM)Strut Wrote:  Prefer to stay at 14, don't see how adding any more teams nets more total money or benefit per team. They'll just be more mouths to feed. I'd really like anyone to show rough numbers as to otherwise.

The conference moved to 12 when there was a conference championship to gain from it. We wont move to 16 until there is the capability to change rules in order to put more infrastructure in place to take advantage of.

We got 20 mil for the championship. Earning 15 mil per semifinal isn't absurd. That is 30 mil right there for two more programs.

Moving to 14 was obviously just a first step because there was nothing that came with them besides their markets.

Various thoughts from thread.

1. GE and MTS, Missouri is kind of a jack of all trade/master of none. They aren't really appealing over no expansion at all, but if we are going to expand at some point in the future, they are nice as they fit the institutional and cultural profile well. They are a Midwestern school which would help the old time feel of the conference more than an east coast school which I think makes them somewhat popular (although probably less likely to actually be picked for that reason even if they wanted to come).

2. Strut, I am definitely inclined to agree, at least for the time being.

3. If semi-finals eventually come, there is no reason you have to have 16 for them. You could just as easily do 3 divisions of 4/5 with one wildcard.

(06-13-2015 08:06 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Various thoughts from thread.

1. GE and MTS, Missouri is kind of a jack of all trade/master of none. They aren't really appealing over no expansion at all, but if we are going to expand at some point in the future, they are nice as they fit the institutional and cultural profile well. They are a Midwestern school which would help the old time feel of the conference more than an east coast school which I think makes them somewhat popular (although probably less likely to actually be picked for that reason even if they wanted to come).

I don't know if you are agreeing with me or trying to tell me something as if I didn't say the exact same thing in my post.

I think Missouri would have done anything to get into the Big Ten when they were still in the Big 12 but now after getting snubbed (after they publicly played their cards saying they thought they were getting a Big Ten invite if I remember correctly) and ending up in the SEC they are happy and not moving. They (at least fans I see here) convinced themselves that they are more southern due to some Civil War feelings or some junk like that.

Missouri to me is like a beige family van. Nobody wants a beige vehicle, but it doesn't offend anyone so when you fight between a couple colors you settle for that. You know what you'll get with a van. It won't be exciting for anyone, you won't go bragging to your friends you got a van. But it will be reliable, get you from point A to B safely, and be efficient. It can do some heavy lifting but don't overdo it. Plus it's versatile. But it's still a van and it's never anyone's first choice. But that's just my opinion.

I was agreeing. Sorry I wrote that badly. I also agree they'd never come now.

(06-13-2015 10:12 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  I was agreeing. Sorry I wrote that badly. I also agree they'd never come now.

Cool. Glad to be on the same page.

Missouri doesn't have many negatives which is kind of a positive I guess. That may be the most succinct way instead of my roundabout meandering. I is not the bestest with wordz sumtimes.

At this time the only program I wouid want to see the conference add is Miami.

1) Major southern city with boatloads of talent to recruit for football & baseball.
2) Very good facilities
3) Great weather for Big 10 fans to enjoy when traveling to root on their teams
4) The majority of the Miami undergrad student body is not from Florida and may not even be from the south. I remember reading a Chicago Tribune article which listed the universities outside of Illinois that had significant representation from Illinois and for the time period they researched about 5% of Miami's undergrad population was from Illinois. Certainly states like PA, NJ, OH and Maryland supply even higher numbers of Miami students
5) Miami has a tough time drawing fans having to compete with 4 pro sports franchises and all the transplants that live there. There are thousands of big 10 alums who live in Florida who would travel to Miami to root on their alma mater's.
6) Gives the Big 10 visibility in the nation's 3rd largest state.

Big win for Miami and a real plus for the conference also

On the eastern side, Syracuse was a missed opportunity.

(06-15-2015 02:22 PM)Hitch Wrote:  On the eastern side, Syracuse was a missed opportunity.

Syracuse would have made a nice filler for the 20 team scenario as there was one last spot to fill but where we are at currently? Nah, Maryland was a great grab for The Big Ten in terms of potential and culture fit. Rutgers is a solid project. They need to make some wise decisions in terms of personnel they hire but they have many solid traits that are much more difficult to find.

I agree that Syracuse makes a nice throw in. I'd rather have the schools that the Big Ten added instead of Syracuse too. If you needed the token private school and you didn't already have one, then Syracuse makes a great fit. But I think the Big Ten no longer needs the markets/demographics that Syracuse would bring, and their football brand wouldn't add to the conference.

I would love to see Miami in the Big Ten in a hypothetical sort of way. I think they'd have no shot to get in but I'd love the match ups with Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, etc. The fan support bugs the crap out of me though. Even when they were a dominant program they didn't have the fan support. It didn't get better when they went to the ACC so there isn't much evidence that makes me think it will get better if they joined the Big Ten.

Texas and Duke

(06-20-2015 09:55 AM)AntiG Wrote:  Texas and Duke

Too Far! I've crossed paths many times at airports with several college teams and can't help but feel sorry for them as it is currently. Distance is a factor and there should be some limit for "student athletes".

I can understand how Texas might be desirable on some level but Duke I especially don't see it. When Coach K leaves Duke no fault of anyones but they'll be a shadow of themselves. That's really all they've got athletically where numbers even come close to resembling B1G; IMHO they're best where they are in ACC.

(06-13-2015 08:06 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Various thoughts from thread.

1. GE and MTS, Missouri is kind of a jack of all trade/master of none. They aren't really appealing over no expansion at all, but if we are going to expand at some point in the future, they are nice as they fit the institutional and cultural profile well. They are a Midwestern school which would help the old time feel of the conference more than an east coast school which I think makes them somewhat popular (although probably less likely to actually be picked for that reason even if they wanted to come).

2. Strut, I am definitely inclined to agree, at least for the time being.

3. If semi-finals eventually come, there is no reason you have to have 16 for them. You could just as easily do 3 divisions of 4/5 with one wildcard.

Or no divisions and just take the four highest ranked squads (say a formula that's 25% CFP, 25% Coaches Poll, 25% AP, 25% Harris or maybe just the CFP or some other combination) and pit 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in the semis.

(06-15-2015 05:49 PM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 02:22 PM)Hitch Wrote:  On the eastern side, Syracuse was a missed opportunity.

Syracuse would have made a nice filler for the 20 team scenario as there was one last spot to fill but where we are at currently? Nah, Maryland was a great grab for The Big Ten in terms of potential and culture fit. Rutgers is a solid project. They need to make some wise decisions in terms of personnel they hire but they have many solid traits that are much more difficult to find.

Which was why the conference chose to take on that project, at the institutional level we were a true, natural fit. Demographics we're a boon. Athletically we need lots of work.