College Conference Realignment?
 

Any thoughts? Per articles on espn.com, it appears that all signs are pointing towards Nebraska and maybe Missouri heading to the Big 10. This will supposedly be followed shortly by Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State bolting for the PAC 10. As a Kansas State fan I'm not very happy about our prospects, but what about college sports as a whole? I'm sad for the hundred+ year traditions that will be lost, but also worried about the eventual effect on college sports. Will teams outside of these super conferences stand any chance of making it into BCS bowl games, the NCAA tournament, etc?

Ultimately the saddest element - it's all about money.

It'd be good for those particular conferences (PAC 10, etc) and the teams in it, to be a "Super Conference" like that.

It'd be bad for everyone else, IMO. It's bad for parity overall.

College sports have been ruined anyways, though. The money has ruined it. When College coaches are the highest paid public employee in a state, something has gone wrong! Ultimately, these are schools, not pro minor league sports enterprises. It's now all about recruiting, cheating, bending the rules, slipping the top athletes cash and other benefits, catering to players who treat their one year in college as their pro draft proving ground, etc.

It wasn't that long ago that Duke had NEVER had a player leave early for the NBA. Other top schools did pretty well in that regard too. Not anymore.

As an Iowa State grad, I am saddened by this, and the fact that Nebraska and all of these other schools would do it for the money is too bad. Why they need to be in one these other Divisions when the Big 12 has held its own for the past few years I don't understand.

My hatred for the Cornhusker has grown over this immensly, and I will now no longer root for them, or any of the other teams that leave the Big 12 in bowl games / etc.

I may just stop watching college football all together, or just root for the Academys moving forward.

Bill

I'm still sad about the SWC going away...

Wow. College administrators make sports program decisions based on money?:)



Snarkiness aside, I think its fantastic for both Nebraska and the Big 10(11) to have the Huskers join. I predict this will be a done deal by the end of the week. About double the conference revenue to NU, and a longstanding football tradition with a national fan base, added to the Big 10.

The old Big 8 conference was ruined by the forced marriage of convenience that added the 4 Texas schools to form the Big 12 when the Southwest Conference imploded. It was never a natural fit, and destined to fail. That said, I do empathize with the schools that may be left in the wake, such as KU, KSU and ISU.

Good riddance to the Big 12.




Tim

SammyG is going to s h i t himself - SC ain't gonna be the cock of the walk in the Pac 10 anymore.

I wonder if they'll let Boise State in.

I keep hearing that the SEC might make a grab for Miami and Florida State. They should also add GA Tech and VA Tech. That would be one quick conference.

Yup, there's a lot of rumors regarding teams from the Big East and ACC being lured away as well. Notre Dame to the Big 10 talk is still circulating too.

Obviously this is bad for fans of the "forgotten" teams, but I can't help but wonder if this will ruin what little innocence that college sports had left. The local rivalries are all slowly being destroyed, replaced by a moneymaking machine that looks more and more like the NFL.

wow. talk about not knowing wtf you are talking about. It is not Nebraska’s fault that the big 12 is falling apart.

I will miss watching Neb. stomp a mudhole in Iowa’s a$$ every year though.

Sorry, but every column I've read indicated that Big 12 survival hinged on NU. Texas is the other powerhouse, they publicly stated that their preference was to remain in the Big 12 but that NU leaving would spell the end of the conference.

I am a University of Kansas grad and have to agree with this post. Ever since the Big 8 became the Big 12, Texas has dominated talks on where playoff games are held. That has created a lot of bitterness with the teams in the north. I think KU may be better off becoming an independent and trying to work their own television deal. Most of their basketball games are carried on the major networks. Going independent can't be any worse than going to a weak confernence.

The Big XII has already voted 11-1 to keep the game in the Arlington Death Star with Nebraska being the only dissenting voice (of reason), and Texas has already picked up their ball and went home with it re: television, having started investment in their own TV studio for a Longwhorn network. When you take one of the three big programs (UT, NU, OU) off the table re: TV channel negotiations, how do you expect to obtain a deal better than what currently exists?

This goes back to the very beginning, to how the Big 12 was formed. After all folks, how you end up very often depends on how you start. Consider that the Big 8 invited four schools from the defunct Southwest Conference to form the Big 12. But it was as if the group of four swallowed the eight.

Imagine what the following must have been like for Osborne - then the NU head coach - to stomach. The Big 8 records did not continue. Everything started from zero. This came at a time when the Nebraska was in the midst of an historically great run.

Also, the Big 8 tradition meant nothing. Oklahoma and Nebraska would not play each other every year. That rivalry, it seemed, was deemed only suitable for Texas to have. Never mind that NU-OU games defined an entire generation of the conference's fan base, or that Texas was more historically suited to play Arkansas (now an SEC member).

It certainly had to feel sickening to Osborne, a man who's career was defined by both his failure and success when it came to the Sooners. No doubt, the Big 12 had to feel like a rotten deal from the beginning. Now, Osborne is in position to do something about it.

Blame Dan Beebe if you want to blame someone.

That makes two of us... I particularly miss Kern Tips - but that was long ago.

LOL, that's already over. Now the real reason for Cheat Carroll fleeing town has been exposed. Wow, all those years of cheating in recruiting, to get all those illiterate thug future NFL'ers, and only ONE BCS National Championship to show for it. That's some "dynasty."

The articles I read did say it hinged on Nebraska that's why i posted it.

Minnesota nice my ass. What a douche bag.

There is no such thing as MN Nice. It is kind of an inside joke out here.

Oh I know, I lived in the cities for a couple of years.

I am actually in Minnetonka right now.

Bill

Cool dude. We should go grab a beer when MN plays Neb. it will be a fun game.

The first shoe has officially dropped.

Colorado has confirmed they are joining the Pac 10.





Tim