As some of you dear readers have pointed out, I have been quiet up till now on the developments in the college football world. I really wanted things to settle down a little before I made my piece. However, I noticed things could go crazy all summer so I need to have my thoughts out there and here we go.
Expansion has been on the minds of many college football fans at the beginning of the year when the Big Ten made it known they were looking to expand to twelve teams and have that championship game. What got people going crazy was when we all realized that they might expand to 16 teams which would send everything out of control.
It all started when the Big Ten sent out feelers to Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri, and Rutgers. Meanwhile, the Pac-10 trumped everyone when they sent invitations to six Big XII teams including one of the jewels of expansion, Texas.
All this of course was speculation and rumor until the dominoes have started to fall. Colorado will join the Pac-10 and Nebraska will join the Big Ten. Meanwhile, the Mountain West gets stronger as Boise State will join the other BCS buster schools Utah and TCU to help that conference make an argument to become a BCS qualifying conference.
Today it seemed all but inevitable that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State would join Colorado in the Pac-10 and Texas A&M was looking to head to the SEC if the Big XII fell apart. Now, reports have surfaced that the ten teams left in the Big XII are looking to stay together and get a new television deal. As you can see, it has only just begun.
This all of course hinges on money. Money was the reason that Colorado and Nebraska left the Big XII. They believed the conference had become dominated by Texas and the south division, became very disenfranchised and felt they were not getting the money they deserved.
To me Colorado is really a Pac-10 school in many respects. Their school and the Denver area (12th biggest TV market) fits the mold of the rest of the Pac-10. Nebraska as well fits quite well with the rest of the Big Ten schools.
The key to continued expansion craziness hinges on Texas. If the Longhorns stay in a ten team Big XII I do not believe expansion will go much further other than the Pac-10 adding a twelfth team (probably Utah). Unless things go boom, Notre Dame will not do anything but sit there and be independent.
However, if Texas jumps and the Big Ten wants to get bigger, you know the SEC will not just sit idly by.
A twelve team Big Ten and a ten team Big XII? My head is already starting to hurt.
You think Utah would be the Pac-10's choice? I could also see them going for someone like Boise State. At least if they bring in Utah, the states will be geographically connected again I suppose.
ReplyDeleteThe Pac-10 offered Utah a spot today. I think out of the non-BCS schools they fit the best, both geographically and academically.
ReplyDeleteSince Texas stayed, I really don't see there being much of a shake up now (which is good IMO).
ReplyDelete