Was thinking about this earlier and figured I would post it. Would Kansas seriously consider the idea of joining the Big East for their Olympic sports and try to do football as an independent or join the AAC/MWC (assuming the Big 12 wouldn't keep their football) as opposed to remaining in what's left of the Big 12 (also assuming none of other P5 conferences add them)? This would essentially be doing what UCONN did.

Would the Big East consider expanding to 12 with Kansas? I know Kansas isn't a private university, but isn't far from KC, historically good at basketball, and would give Creighton a travel partner. UCONN is a public university, but they also had history with majority of the current members.

Interesting idea.

The idea hasn't gone over well here at CSNBBS: https://csnbbs.com/thread-880181.html

The Big East sounds credible but if and that’s a big if the AAC stays intact, you don’t give any legitimacy to Wichita State that now you’re equals. That’s a perception and recruiting battle KU doesn’t want.

(07-24-2021 01:04 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  The idea hasn't gone over well here at CSNBBS: https://csnbbs.com/thread-880181.html

Well that was 2 years ago when the Big 12 thought they were not at risk of being torn apart. Now is a different situation.

The Big East would absolutely take Kansas; it would be great from their perspective, and there is already a Big East member nearby. But KU's history in the Big 8/12, even though it doesn't include much KU football glory, probably means that KU could never convince its own boosters and alums to accept a Big East-plus-football-indy arrangement.

It's not the craziest idea, if Fox wanted to purchase two or three football Indy packages a la carte (which actually makes West Virginia the better candidate for this) EXCEPT for the sheer size of the departure funds that'll be there for the leftover Big 12 teams. The worse the meltdown gets the bigger that pot will be.

No. The B12 will continue to be a 4 bid conference, maybe 5 if they pick the right basketball replacements, and should still earn an annual CFP spot. The likely TV value is north of $16m, figure the usual 20% bump in 2025 and you are looking at still $20m per school, plus a share of the estimated $150m exit fee of Texas and Oklahoma (I see them leaving in 2023), which is close to an additional $20m for KU over some 5 or 6 years of the next contract.

Financially it's a no brainer. The Big East has no football and really doesn't improve expose in basketball. West Virginia, TCU, Baylor, in state rival K State and even Oklahoma State and (good at basketball) Texas Tech are all important basketball foes with long rivalries. I don't think people in Lawrence care about the Big East line up (Depaul, St. John's Providence, Seton Hall, even Villanova and Georgetown). Even if teh money could be made even, and football somehow worked as an Independent, it's still a bad fit both ways.

(07-24-2021 01:28 PM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 01:04 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  The idea hasn't gone over well here at CSNBBS: https://csnbbs.com/thread-880181.html

Well that was 2 years ago when the Big 12 thought they were not at risk of being torn apart. Now is a different situation.

I think that was always a wrong assumption.

IMO they were always the most unstable P5.

Sure, I thought OU and Texas wouldnt bolt but the cracks have always been there.

if their options were the AAC or BE/FB independence , maybe, but still think KU would choose the all sport league

Very unlikely to happen but I think KU would love the Big East if they joined. Very liberating to be part of a conference that is 100% basketball when you are a basketball school. Rivalries would quickly develop & KU would get a huge boost from the east coast exposure. Games every year in Chicago, Washington, Phila, NYC are amazing for engaging folks with $$$.

Very unlikely IMO. As much as the Big East would fully welcome Kansas on-board, I fail to see a scenario where that would be Kansas’ best arrangement moving forward.

If I were to rank the options, internally, for Kansas, it’d be this:

1) SEC
2) B1G
3) ACC
4) PAC
5) Big 12 (w/ call ups)
6) AAC (w/ Iowa State and/or Kansas State)
7) Big East (non-football/FBS Independent)
8) MWC

At best, #5 will remain the realistic and most likely option. At worst, #6 will always be there as a worst-case fallback. There isn’t really a scenario where #7 becomes a necessity.

I see the hypothetical Kansas and Big East marriage as an awkward fit. There is no history between the two parties and the geography is bad (though KU and Creighton would work in terms of physical proximity).

I posted this previously:

The "new" Big East has been successful for many reasons but, in part, because it is comprised of smallish (in terms of enrollment) private universities with numerically limited (yet passionate) fan bases. I would think a significant number of fans of Big East schools either attended (or had a close relative who did) or worked at, or did both, those universities. In contrast, public universities with massive state-wide fan bases and that sponsor DI football — in this case, Kansas — are a different animal. Lots of fans of such schools neither attended nor worked at those universities and some don't even have a relative who did. As such, Kansas doesn't fit the BE model — even remotely. UConn is an exception because of its past history and rivalries with seven of the current BE members and its location in the Northeast, with which the Big East has always enjoyed a strong presence.

No doubt, Kansas would be more than worthy of inclusion in the current BE. It is an outstanding university and offers elite men's hoops. Perhaps the BE would be interested — thinking it might be time to "change the model" and invite universities such as Kansas. But it would be a VERY odd fit.