T.J. Ward hit on Ogletree: A Rules Discussion
November 19, 20122-8 Records: The Cleveland way
November 19, 2012The Illi-Buck trophy isn’t the only turtle in the conference anymore-
“The University of Maryland’s Board of Regents on Monday voted unanimously to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference and leave the Atlantic Coast Conference, a source told ESPN on Monday. An afternoon announcement is expected.”
Rutgers is also meeting today, and could likewise announce their intent to accept an invitation.
[Related: Ohio State number 4 in latest AP poll]
42 Comments
A solution in search of a problem.
Another step toward 4 16-team “mega-conferences”, where the 4 conference champions fill the 4 playoff spots that were recently set up.
It might take a while, but that’s where we’re headed. And I’m OK with that. Any system that allows a national champion to be determined on the field and not in the polls or by some magical “BCS formula” is OK by me.
and really that makes it an 8 team tournament as each conference will have 2 divisions of 8 that are more or less their own conference (as you cannot play everyone in the other division).
the question is which dominoes fall next? obviously UConn to the ACC.
who does the Big10 want for the last 2 open slots? I think we might be hoping that Navy makes a jump with their entry into the Big East. Maryland would love that as well (true rival).
nothing wrong with the rich getting richer. Maryland was one of the HUGE “get” teams on my list. no, not as high as Texas or A&M, but those weren’t going to happen. they were in the next tier though.
huge state school, great academics, huge markets (DC & Baltimore), opens the East corridor for better recruiting. they are still within the geographical mapping of the Big10 (all our states at least touch unlike other conferences). Under Armour recently made Maryland “their” school as well. Hate the uniforms, but it adds a level of intrigue in the conference (like Oregon in the Pac12 and Oklahoma State in the Big12).
my issue with this idea: what happens to all the other FBS teams not in one of these megaconferences? Cant imagine a system where the majority of the teams are ineligible to ever compete for a national title.
new 7 team divisions?
Ohio State
Penn State
Maryland
Rutgers
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Michigan
Michigan State
Iowa
Minnesota
I don’t see how they can keep Wisconsin in our division unfortunately. It leaves it a bit unbalanced in football and I personally don’t like it but I see it as the most logical split (Buckeyes SOS will be hurt).
those 64 teams just form their own division and leave the NCAA behind.
It’s a great question. Maybe the FBS (D-1) splits into two subdivisions, the “Big 64” and everyone else? Not sure how that would go down, exactly…that would certainly tick off some of the “mid-major” programs.
That might be doable, but remember D-I technically already is two divisions (FBS and FCS) :). I get the upsides of the “Big 64” concept, but it would certainly kick the idea of being a student in addition to an athlete in major college football even farther to the curb. This hypothetical new division would essentially be turning into the NFL minors. Would certainly bring a payday for many, but at a considerable expense imho.
If you can put Illinois in the “east” you can keep Wisconsin there. I’m not sure the travel is of any concern at all anyway.
Some schools that would fit geographically: Pitt, Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse, Kansas, NC State, VA Tech, Iowa St., Kansas St., Cincinnati.
We have 12…adding Maryland and Rutgers gives us 14. I think ND and Pitt make the most sense. I know that ND keeps saying no, but if it goes to a 4-super-conference structure, they really won’t have any choice. Kansas St. or VA tech would be nice additions as well.
Well, okay, as long as it’s just about the money, then we might as well change the name of the the Big Ten Conference to Big Fourteen Corporation or BF Inc or something appropriately business-like.
Then the Big Fourteen Corp. or whatever can issue shares and join the New York Stock Exchange.
And that hopelessly archaic “Ohio Stadium” name has got to go. I’m sure we’d get used to HomeDepot.com Stadium.
Of course, we’ll have to sell advertising on the uniforms so that they look like NASCAR jump suits.
Instead of awarding Buckeye Leaves, coaches could hand out little Dunlop Tires decals or Big Mac stickers.
And the field itself contains acres of green grass or a reasonable facsimile thereof that has no visual appeal. We can be plaster advertising on every square inch of it.
Yeah, I’m starting to love this. The possibilities are endless.
I don’t see how it would be played on the field anymore than it is now. Notre Dame is the only eligible undefeated team, and Alabama is pretty clearly the most talented, and has the best resume of the one loss teams. Anyone trying to claim the system isn’t working is just trying to cause chaos and not look upon the results rationally.
Meanwhile, this eight team tournament (as mgbode below is correct), if the season ended today, would include at least four teams outside the top 10, depending on where exactly you slot Notre Dame, and would likely feature an unranked Wisconsin. Doesn’t sound much better than what we have now.
K St and V Tech do not fit in the Big Ten profile at all. Academics and research do not come close to matching.
Great minds think alike. Makes most sense for Wisconsin to move to Legends and welcome Maryland and Rutgers to the B1G Leaders division. Maybe conference play extends to 9 or 10 games. As for the 16 team idea, Cincy and Louisville would be pretty logical choices for the B1G.
also Louisville and Cinci.
VaTech and UVa are tied at the hip. I see them as eventual SEC additions IMO.
Louisville, Clemson, FSU, Miami to the Big12. Then, maybe GaTech and UNC?
that’ll leave us with Syracuse again, which isn’t so bad as it’ll leave a big time program without a home and needing to get into that 64 team superconference structure. ND.
Great news for me living in MD. I am a few hrs from Rutgers, and will be an hr from U Maryland
I think MD will be in ours, and Rutgers in the other. Rutgers and Penn St have bad blood.
True – it would in essence be an 8 team tournament. That’s fine.
To me, it’s better because you would completely control your own destiny. It doesn’t matter what any polls say or where you started the season in the rankings. If you win your division and your conference, you are going to have a shot at the National Championship. No more arguing over which one-loss conference champion gets to play for the National Championship. No more trying to impress the pollsters so you can influence the BCS standings. No more snubbing an undefeated Boise St. or Utah. The popularity/beauty contest would be gone. We really wouldn’t even need weekly “rankings” any more (even though they would probably continue because of tradition).
The major issue really would be to figure out which 64 teams would be included in this. That in itself would also be a popularity/beauty contest.
Maybe it wouldn’t work out…but I think it has some merit, and it seems to me that with all of the conference re-alignment going on, that’s ultimately where we are going to end up.
So just like Indiana and Purdue play for the Old Oaken Bucket, maybe Maryland and Rutgers can play for the Solid Gold TV Dish.
HATE IT. Too many teams, disrespectful to tradition, and worst of all, further watering down the quality of an already-weakening conference. Lame lame lame.
I think eliminating all subjectivity is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Again, we’re looking at Wisconsin getting a chance over LSU or Texas A&M. I don’t see how that’s any sort of improvement.
And we’re still going to snub the mid-majors, who are not invited to the tournament of 64 because of their market, not their ability.
And you’ve made four (and maybe five) weeks out of the year completely useless games. You win your round robin of eight teams, hopefully don’t get screwed in your one crossover, and play four exhibitions. One of the great things about college football is how important those inter-conference games can be. Now, you don’t have any, much less any of importance.
The Big Ten already encompasses Cincinnati’s market, and I’m not sure Louisville brings in enough new TV’s. You expand to sell your product in places you weren’t before. A Texas school and Notre Dame are obviously the ideal choices, but I’d have to say Missouri and Virginia would be next on the list.
The B1G has proven geography doesn’t matter. There are 4 good teams in football, 2 in each, so expect OSU-WU and MSU-tsun to stay together no matter what. Plus the conference won’t isolate it’s best chance at a title.
It’s Illinois who switches, not Wisconsin, per the Maryland president.
I know this is going to sound completely crazy, but I wish Ohio University could find a way to sneak into a major conference as a result of all this movement. Hear me out before you call me crazy.
OU has shown an ability to compete nationally in both football and basketball with trips to the Sweet 16 and a recent win over a Penn State team that turned out to be not that bad.
Plus, when you really think about it. Ohio could realistically compete with the following schools in both football and basketball…Iowa State, Minnesota, Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, USF, Virginia, Cincinnati, etc. Point is…there are TONS of “major conference” schools that OU is at least on par with athletically.
I say, why not the Big 10 (14)? I can dream…right?
Athens, OH isn’t adding to anyone conferences market share 🙂
If we’re going off on this tangent* then you’d have to consider Kent.
A nationally ranked football team and a trip to the Elite 8 under their belt.
*Not going to happen for either of them.
“kick the idea of being a student in addition to an athlete”
I think that idea was punted a long, long time ago.
surprising, but i like it.
Maryland and Penn share a border. How does that mean geography doesn’t matter?
Cinci and Louisville do not have the academics nor the markets we are looking to add.
we lost our shot at Mizzou. the teams on “the list” are likely:
Syracuse, UNC, NC State, UVa, VaTech, and ND
I want to say Navy, I really do, but I doubt they are on the list.
debateable. the vast majority of FBS student athletes do not go to the NFL. While football is a priority at times, the education part still has a significant piece of the pie. a Big 64 division would really put a hurting on that, for those 64 schools. Which in terms undermines the educational side of those universities as a whole, and that I think would be really sad. I’d greatly prefer an ambiguous national champion in football each year than to see that happen.
hey, I fully agree it “SHOULD” be a priority. but, on a given 85 man roster for the elite football-factory programs, how many of their athletes do you think spend enough of their time thinking about their education?
making sure they have a major to get a job after football, making sure they are spending time on their studies and in study groups, taking internships to better themselves in a tough marketplace for employement?
it’s already put a hurt on it and I don’t think going from 119 schools to 64 is going to do much more.
Amen
I guess that last bit is where we reach an impasse. I think it can and would make a significant negative impact to make that 119-64 change. But that’s a discussion ill-suited for a comment thread 🙂
yeah, no worries. impossible to really know unless it happens and a lengthy topic best discussed over multiple beers 🙂
Even if Ohio could ever add to someone’s market, they have to contend for more than a couple years before they will be truly considered. There’s a difference between beating a decent program once and making it through a Big Ten schedule.
Mizzou would be tough to get now, but I’d say not off the table. The Big Ten still offers more money than the SEC, and a much better academic setting. When push comes to shove, Mizzou would rather be a Big Ten team.
i don’t know. the SEC is pretty close on money (at least for now). i agree they did want to join the Big10, but not sure they would risk even attempting that jump. if it failed and the SEC found out, then they’d be replaced and left out of the party. once you have a secure seat at the party, you don’t give it up (unless you are a bigtime like Texas, Ohio State, Florida, etc. that can make their own rules).
There’s no harm in mentioning it over an expensive steak dinner. The SEC will get over it when you point out how many houses you’re adding to its map.
And the SEC is close for the moment because they recently re-upped their TV deal. In 2017 the Big Ten gets to renegotiate, and is expected to top 40 million a year per team.