Forget Pitt, Big Ten Rumored to now be Talking to Texas

[texaswarrior74]

"...the Big Ten has engaged in “preliminary exchanges” with a much bigger fish from the Big 12."

From the Lawrence(KS) Journal World

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/feb/11/big-ten-making-overtures-texas/?sports


I for one think it would be ridiculous but who knows...money talks the rest walks....

[radome]

Wow ...

[damuts222]

 Isn't the closest school to Texas, Iowa....is Texas looking to leave the Big 12 because they were mentioned on the Pac-10 list of schools to add to their division. I don't see Texas leaving where there at currently. Big 12 has better football by far, and basketball in the last couple of years.

[wiscoave]

Great news. So long as they dont poach a BE school like Rutgers, Pitt or Syracuse, we will live to see another day in the conference.

I am hoping to avoid the whole re-shuffling of conferences. Without football, we are expenable to some of the high major conferences.

[NYWarrior]

"...the Big Ten has engaged in “preliminary exchanges” with a much bigger fish from the Big 12."

From the Lawrence(KS) Journal World

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/feb/11/big-ten-making-overtures-texas/?sports


I for one think it would be ridiculous but who knows...money talks the rest walks....

Makes perfect sense for the B10 and UT.  UT is a national brand and the Big10 would love to add Dallas and Houston.  Geography is inconsequential.  The Big12 was not UT's first choice anyway -- they talked with the SEC and PAC 10 in the last big shuffle. 

[wiscoave]

Isn't the closest school to Texas, Iowa....is Texas looking to leave the Big 12 because they were mentioned on the Pac-10 list of schools to add to their division. I don't see Texas leaving where there at currently. Big 12 has better football by far, and basketball in the last couple of years.

Texas most definitely is interested in leaving. They wanted to join the PAC10 because they they thought it was in their best interests to be recognized academically along with Stanford and UCLA. Texas is a hardcore research-based university - a perfect match for the B10. Plus, Texas is probably the best state for football recruits and adding UT would expose the entire conference to the state (and eventually bring the likes of UM and OSU back to the top). It's a move like when the BE added USF. Since Miami left, the conference thought it was necessary to maintain conference exposure in the state since Florida is almost on par with Texas as far as recruits go.

[Desert_warrior]

The shuffling might expand as the PAC10 is looking to exand also. http://www.azcentral.com/sports/heatindex/articles/2010/02/10/20100210young-pac10-expansion-partners.html

[mu-rara]

How long until there is only 1 conference?

[PJDunn]

Rumors from the west coast have the Pac-10 adding two schools within the next year or so.  According to a well placed source at the real UW, the conference want to revisit their early '90s attempt to get both Texas and Texas A&M (Texas is more apt to leave is they get to take a big rival with them and Oklahoma's academics are too weak).  Their second and probably more realistic choice is to go after Utah and Colorado.  

Regardless, this upcoming shuffle is going hammer conferences.

[LON]

Is it safe to say that most of these expansion talks is largely related to football?

If so, that is pretty crappy, because college football is so overrated.

[GOMU1104]

Too many people think about "quality of play" for basketball and football, when they hear about teams wanting to move to the Big 10.  The Big 10 is uber-profitable, and if UT moves to the Big 10, that means the B10 Network moves into Texas as well...$$$$

[wiscoave]

Buckle up! Here we go.

Looks like PAC10 will make the first move (the B10 talking heads cant ever make a decision about anything). The B12 will have to counter. The moves will start in the west and spread east. My guess is ACC football will be targeted with Miami. ACC will once again tap a BE school.

[GGGG]

Buckle up! Here we go.

Looks like PAC10 will make the first move (the B10 talking heads cant ever make a decision about anything). The B12 will have to counter. The moves will start in the west and spread east. My guess is ACC football will be targeted with Miami. ACC will once again tap a BE school.

No...the Big Ten started it.  If they get Texas...and possibly even a couple of teams after that, they are the big winner.  Right now, it is estimated that the Big Ten gets $10 M per team more than the Big 12 does annually.  Throw in what the Big Ten Network can do in Texas and the money will pour in.  Throw in A&M, Oklahoma or Nebraska, and it goes up even more.

[NYWarrior]

No...the Big Ten started it.  If they get Texas...and possibly even a couple of teams after that, they are the big winner.  Right now, it is estimated that the Big Ten gets $10 M per team more than the Big 12 does annually.  Throw in what the Big Ten Network can do in Texas and the money will pour in.  Throw in A&M, Oklahoma or Nebraska, and it goes up even more.

Agreed. The Big10 will seek first-mover advantage.  Figure they go for UT, it makes too much sense.  If politics in the Lone Star State get in the way they might have to consider A&M as well and then pluck either Pitt or Rutgers to round out at 14 teams.  They'd have the BTN in four of the top five markets by that point, a home run.

Pac10 takes Utah and Colorado...everybody yawns.

[wiscoave]

According to a writer on CBSSports

"I doubt Texas would leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten. First, it would literally take an act of the state legislature to move. Second, I hear that Texas is going to start its own network. It already makes approximately $10 million a year in Big 12 revenue. It would make at least $16 million per year in the Big Ten but the school has so many revenue streams at the moment that difference might not matter."

[Tulsa Warrior]

The University of Texas is a statewide attraction and the addition of that school to the Big Ten would bring every media market in the state into play for the Big Ten -- Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, plus about 20 other smaller TV markets.  The BTN would have get a lot of exposure.

[rocky_warrior]

How long until there is only 1 conference?

I can see it now, the big100, or the big10x10

[wiscoave]

I knew a shuffle was eventually going to happen but I didnt expect that the PAC10 would instigate it - I had no idea they were this aggressive.

There is simply no way the BE comes out of this better than before. BE fball is already terrible. You cant just simply continue to patch it up with the likes of Memphis, E. Carolina, etc. Culture, traditions, marketability all go out the window if that happens. This is going to suck.

This article is dizzying.

http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/12910283/pac10-could-launch-cannon-ball-at-nonbcs-with-conference-cannibalism

[PJDunn]

The Pac 10 expansion sounds like a done deal.  Like the B-11, they percieve themselves as an academics first conference, thus the likes of UNLV, Nebraska, and Oklahoma are off the table (which is laughable when your conference includes Wazzu and ASU).  The most likely scenario has the combo of Utah and Colorado joinig the Pac 10.

It also sounds like the B11 will definitely add a team ASAP.  When you sift through all of the crap, the most likely team to go the the B11 is still Mizzou.  Thus the big loser might end up being the Big 12.

[butchbadger]

Texas is the #1 sports school in the country.  One of the few that are good in both hoops and football (along with baseball).  Other comparable schools in the top 10 are Ohio St, OK, SC, LSU and of course Wisconsin

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=763753


The revenue would be enormous for Texas and the entire conference.


Geographically it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  Academically the Big 12 is an embarassment.

[VegasWarrior77]

I can see it now, the big100, or the big10x10

I think they would still call it the big ten!

[GGGG]

I knew a shuffle was eventually going to happen but I didnt expect that the PAC10 would instigate it - I had no idea they were this aggressive.

I don't know why you keep saying that.  The Pac Ten didn't start this.  This is a reaction to the Big Ten's announcement a few weeks ago.  The Big Ten *is* talking to potential schools.  This is the Pac Ten's reaction.

Just like the Big Ten started the last major conference shuffle when it added Penn State.

[AlumKCof93]

If TX is willing and able to move to the Big 10, I don't see why they wouldn't.  IMO, the prestige of the Big 10 would increase exponentially.  It would greatly enhance the Big 10, be devastating to the Big 12 and clearly relegate the Big East to a football conference as I don't see what it could do to compete with the Big 10 and SEC in football. It would be those 2 football superconferences and everyone else.

[wiscoave]

According to the link I posted, expansion was at the top of the list of things to do for Larry Scott. The B10 has been talking about it for years....and have done absolutely nothing. Larry Scott sounds as though the "idea" has materialized and Im willing to bet you the PAC10 moves first.  

[PBRme]

If Texas leaves for the Big Televen and Colorado to the Pac10 how hard would it be to convince Missouri and Kansas or Missouri and Nebraska to come along.  Without Denver and the TX markets the B12 money would be miniscule.