[NU Sports] Texas In The Big 10?

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

> Doesn't the Big Ten already have at least two schools with
> that mindset?  (Notre Dame

Good point - but I also think Texas would have a bit more respect for the Big Ten than Notre Dame would (or than Texas had for the Big Ten).

> What do ANY of the Big Ten schools have in common with
> Texas, geographically speaking?
> They're a better fit with either the SEC or the Pac 10.

I don't get this Pac 10/Texas thing ... Seattle to Austin is just as distant as State College to Austin. And it's not like the Pac 10 has the football tradition (or more importantly TV contracts and revenue stream) that the Big Ten has. The SEC is another story.

Having a day to digest it, it does intrigue me (like the UConn idea did). Texas would be a "game changer" that could send ripples across every other major league as it would be huge for the Big Ten and it would bring in mega markets in a state that LOVES football (and from when I was down there, one that had Big Ten regional games on Saturday morning before the days of the Big Ten Network).

The Horns would also be a worthy member to the Big Ten academically -- it's a combo few (if any) schools could bring to the table in terms of Big Ten expansion. There aren't many schools with big market followings who have high academic standards and a rich football tradition.

It certainly gets me more excited as a fan than Mizzou, Rutgers, Syracuse or the other names.

But I do think the geography factor is huge -- it hurt Miami in the Big East and Boston College in the ACC ... it's not a big issue for football, but for midweek basketball games or midweek lacrosse and small sport games, it's a big expense -- especially for a school like NU where we don't have the huge revenue stream of a 100,000 seat stadium -- and would likely lead to the need to cut sports (as many Pac 10 schools did last year in this economy with their travel costs).

I'm not quite sure it fits culturally, but who knows? The tailgates would fit right in!:) And I wasn't sure PSU would fit, but it's been a wonderful addition to the league with the friendliest fans you can find, full of midwestern hospitality, and gorgeous views to make the drive worth it (especially as opposed to, say, a drive to Champaign :) ).

I don't see it happening, but I will admit it is a proposal that -- if it happened -- would definitely be a "worthy" move for expansion. Mizzou? Meh. Rutgers? Zzzz. Texas??? Whoa! And aside from their location, they would seem to be a natural fit in every other way.

Besides, think of a league schedule for football that had Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas on it? I think any network exec or pure football fan is already drooling at the possibilities. Those four alone would make up half of college football's historical royalty (along with Bama, ND, SC and Oklahoma) ... plus all have 100,000+ stadiums with nationwide fan bases.

I have no idea how it would work, but they certainly have my attention.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT