[NU Sports] 64 out of 120

Tue Sep 20 23:33:58 CDT 2011

So, now the Pac-12 has decided they like 12 after all and the Big 10/Pac-12
symmetry will be maintained.  Oklahoma has laid down a demand that Texas
"reform" the Longhorn Network and the Big 12 fire the current commissioner
in which case they will stay.  Of course, now that the Pac-12 is holding,
they don't really have much of an alternative.  The SEC officially denies
the Missouri story but that may be only a delay until the Big 12 picture
clears and Missouri may want to wait to see what ultimately happens to the
Big 12.  The Missouri chancellor happens to be chairing the Big 12 executive
committee currently placing him in an awkward position to say the least  -
just ask the president of Pitt.

Meanwhile, in NYC, the remaining members of the Big East have recommitted to
the conference.  The only question is who exactly are the remaining
members.  UConn sent neither the AD nor the President to the meeting of ADs,
just a low level staffer, reinforcing the feeling that it was headed to the
ACC.  The identity of the Rutgers delegate isn't known.  TCU reportedly
wasn't invited but went anyway and Villanova was specifically not invited
and was all bent out of joint.  The Big East will now start sifting through
its list of expansion candidates, assuming the Big 12 stays together.  High
on the list are Houston, UCF, Navy, Air Force and East Carolina which
reportedly has already applied (in this case applied is not a pseudonym for
accepted).

While the picture starts to clear, still more fun days lie ahead.

Mark
*Mark S. Ament*
sportsbiz at gmail.com
SportsBiz - The Business of Sports
Illuminated<http://thesportsbizblog.blogspot.com>
When it comes to sports, you know it's all about the money
Follow me on Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/msament>

*
*

On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 6:17 PM, Jonathan Hodges <
j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu> wrote:

> At this point I believe the conference realignment is mostly a TV money
> grab
> and not a true split away from the NCAA.  I think we'll see the ACC & SEC
> stop at 14 (mostly to expand their TV footprint) while the Big Ten will
> likely stay on the sidelines at 12 (doesn't last year's move look good in
> retrospect, and the process was much better than what's going on this
> round).  Oh, and I don't see the BCS being substantially changed (maybe the
> Mountain West, with whatever schools end up there, gets a bid in place of
> one of the failed conferences if the Big East/XII "leftovers" merge - or,
> then again, the BCS could always lift the 2 schools/conference limit and
> just add another at large bid, which would give them more flexibility and
> the ability to make more money).  Also, I think ND will keep its NBC
> contract, BCS deal, and independence.
>
> Although the media loves to play up the paying player story, the school
> presidents are strongly against it and aren't close to budging (even if a
> handful of coaches give it some lip service - ultimately that would be a
> bad
> move for them, though, as they reap the biggest rewards with their huge
> contracts nowadays).  Also, there's all of those other sports that have a
> home with the NCAA, and IF a group of schools were to break away from the
> NCAA in football, things would be rather uncomfortable and if basketball
> doesn't stay under the NCAA umbrella (with the tourney financing the whole
> organization) then it could collapse.  Those breakaway schools don't want
> to
> create a whole new organization for all of the other sports.
>
> Also, I don't see a push to a playoff right now.  Again, maybe somewhere
> down the road, but right now the reorganization is not about creating some
> kind of balanced mega conference bracket; it's about TV money and
> establishing large footprints.
>
> But then again I don't think anyone could have predicted any of this
> happening before the Big Ten announced it was looking around just over a
> year and a half ago, so what do I know.  At this point, just be glad that
> Northwestern has been in the same conference since its founding in 1896 and
> sit back and enjoy the ride given that the Big Ten is certainly one of the
> top two most stable conferences in the nation and NU doesn't have to worry
> about going anywhere.
>
> --
> Jonathan Hodges
> Contributor, HailToPurple
> Web: http://www.hailtopurple.com/jhodges/
> Twitter: @hailtopurple
> Email: j-hodges at alumni.northwestern.edu
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 5:37 PM, Jim Leonard <jleonard518 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I would really like to be wrong. I think this realignment is all a huge
> > mistake and takes us one giant step closer to ruining college athletics.
> > However, once the four 16-team conferences are in place, about 98% of the
> > revenue and brand recognition will be on one side of the fence.
> > Historically, that balance of power will not sustain itself.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Alan Abrahamson <alan.abrahamson at gmail.com>
> > To: Clark Zahn <clzahn at mindspring.com>
> > Cc: Northwestern Wildcats <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 4:02 PM
> > Subject: Re: [NU Sports] 64 out of 120
> >
> > As Keith Jackson might have said, "Whoa, Nellie."
> >
> > Maybe Jim will, in time, be proven right. But let's cross that bridge
> when
> > we get there ...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 1:58 PM, Clark Zahn <clzahn at mindspring.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > > If that happens I don't think I want NU to be one of the 64, even if we
> > > could compete.
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > >From: Jim Leonard <jleonard518 at yahoo.com>
> > > >Sent: Sep 20, 2011 1:34 PM
> > > >To: Northwestern Wildcats <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
> > > >Subject: [NU Sports] 64 out of 120
> > > >
> > > >My fear is that the 64 teams in the 4 conferences will eventually
> break
> > > from the NCAA. That will eventually mean players get paid and it
> probably
> > > means they can no longer play the other 56 schools. That would mean NU
> > would
> > > have a very hard time competing. This is all a mistake.
> > > >
> > > >My friend sent me a report that Missouri has an offer from the SEC.
> This
> > > could all be decided before Persa is back.
> > > >
> > > >Jim
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > nwu-sports site list
> > > nwu-sports at tssi.com
> > > http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/nwu-sports
> > >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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