Rutgers in Talks With Big Ten!!!

[Bearcat-in-Italy]

From CBS Sports:

Maryland and Rutgers are in advanced and ongoing negotiations with the Big Ten regarding membership, according to multiple reports.

ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy first reported the news that Maryland was in "serious negotiations" to join the Big Ten. According to the report, Rutgers is in a similar situation and would also join the Big Ten if the negotiations are finalized. That news was then confirmed by Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde, who -- citing multiple sources -- said both schools are in "advanced discussions" to join the Big Ten.

No date has reportedly been set for any announcement, but Alex Prewitt, the Maryland beat writer for the Washington Post, said one could come as early as next week. Maryland president Wallace Loh, who has reportedly been handling the negotiations with the Big Ten, and Chancellor Brit Kirwan will need to present a recommendation to the Board of Regents. The recommendation would then be put to vote before an official announcement is made. According to Prewitt, that part of the process may not take very long.

This would be another blow to the New BE. It would take out the NY/NJ market and another traditional BE team. They do nothing for basketball, but have been a solid if not spectacular football team. With the new football teams coming on board, we can't afford to lose anything.

Could UC replace Maryland in the ACC????

[Rational Cat]

From CBS Sports:

Maryland and Rutgers are in advanced and ongoing negotiations with the Big Ten regarding membership, according to multiple reports.

ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy first reported the news that Maryland was in "serious negotiations" to join the Big Ten. According to the report, Rutgers is in a similar situation and would also join the Big Ten if the negotiations are finalized. That news was then confirmed by Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde, who -- citing multiple sources -- said both schools are in "advanced discussions" to join the Big Ten.

No date has reportedly been set for any announcement, but Alex Prewitt, the Maryland beat writer for the Washington Post, said one could come as early as next week. Maryland president Wallace Loh, who has reportedly been handling the negotiations with the Big Ten, and Chancellor Brit Kirwan will need to present a recommendation to the Board of Regents. The recommendation would then be put to vote before an official announcement is made. According to Prewitt, that part of the process may not take very long.

This would be another blow to the New BE. It would take out the NY/NJ market and another traditional BE team. They do nothing for basketball, but have been a solid if not spectacular football team. With the new football teams coming on board, we can't afford to lose anything.

Could UC replace Maryland in the ACC????

UConn was mentioned on the ESPN report as the possible replacement.

[Lobot]

UConn was mentioned on the ESPN report as the possible replacement.

There's already a thread on this under the Conference Realignment forum.

[bobestes]

We are back to the CUSA days, folks. Hope the basketball is halfway decent.

[bearcatgary]

If the B10 goes to 14, then the B12 has to go to at least 12 and hopefully 14.

Gary

[bearcatbret]

UC will survive in basketball (sorry to all of you "haters") but the Big East was a blessing to football. However, the current bowl season is so watered down where over half of all colleges go bowling. If we come up with a legitimate bowl system, UC could survive regardless of conference affiliation. I was actually happy with the Conference USA when it first started because it got UC out of the independence status and the games were close and exciting even though to most of us, it was second tier but when two teams are equal, it usually means for a good game. I was kind of tired of UC being the patsy of a couple of national power houses just to get a pay day out of it. We have come a long way since then and we will not go back. Do not worry, change is coming across the entire landscape of college football and UC will not be left out.

[London 'Cat]

Maybe the MAC would be a good fit for UC. The football has been fairly strong in recent years, this year in particular. Men's basketball is also trending upwards. The geography makes sense, and there could be so many engaging rivalries. With the way conference realignment is changing the BEast, for the worse in my opinion, will the 'Cats really be better off in the BEast than in the MAC? Probably not in football, but probably quite so in men's basketball.

[08bearcat]

I think the MAC would be a great fit. Is a watered down Big East worth the championship in MSG? I don't think so. We could take a leadership role immediately and press for improved basketball (maybe even add some basketball only members in the region)

Unless we get an invite to the big12 or the ACC, the MAC in football is roughly equal to the Big East and we could more organically grow our fan base.

We're at a critical moment, we need to be honest about who we are. We weren't really ready for the Big East structurally when we joined. One small example: we spent 50m on a building adjacent to the football stadium with no boxes in it that was completed 6 years ago. A ripe market would have sold out season tickets ever since we went to 1 bcs game, this has not been the case, the buoyed attendance numbers this season have been heavily dependent on a student fan base that either gets their tickets for free or a normal charge.

I just think we should think seriously about it. It seems extreme, but so does trying to convince folks to come see SMU play instead of Toledo or even Ball State.

**the problem with this, of course, is that we would take a major hit in basketball creditability. So we would have to join the a10 for basketball and join the MAC as a football member, and of course, that wouldn't really be ideal, would it?

[#41]

The best solution would be to try and create a new conference entirely by picking off the best MAC schools and combining that with some geographic fits from C-USA.

[cincycpaw]

Wait, people want to be in the MAC? Seriously?

Or is that just where you think we'll end up?

[London 'Cat]

Wait, people want to be in the MAC? Seriously?

Or is that just where you think we'll end up?

A little of both. The BEast continues to be less of an advantage over the four "other five" conferences as teams defect to other, more powerful conferences. And it appears that UC is unlikely to leave the BEast for one of those conferences because it does not have the resources to compete in those conferences. So, is it better for UC to stay in a watered-down BEast or move to the MAC? What advantage does remaining in the BEast have over joining the MAC, realistically?

[Rob99]

If UC remains in the Big East, then the future Big East will have a better football and much better BB then the MAC. I am not sure the Big East will survive as football conference. Have to see what Big 12, ACC and maybe even PAC 12 do. UC has a shot at Big 12 or ACC, but both of those conferences are going to go through changes.

[#41]

If UC remains in the Big East, then the future Big East will have a better football and much better BB then the MAC. I am not sure the Big East will survive as football conference. Have to see what Big 12, ACC and maybe even PAC 12 do. UC has a shot at Big 12 or ACC, but both of those conferences are going to go through changes.

They'll have slightly better football, but enormously more expensive travel costs for non-revenue sports. At a certain point you ask "why bother" -- especially if the MAC offers the same eventual access.

[cpawstoney]

Rutgers announces it will join Big Ten

It's official:

The school announced its decision Tuesday at a campus news conference attended by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, Rutgers president Robert Barchi and athletic director Tim Perenetti.

Barchi said the Big Ten is "really where Rutgers belongs."

In the Big Ten, the amount of revenue Rutgers receives from the league's television and media deals should quadruple in the short-term and could be even more than that in years to come.

The Big Ten reportedly paid its members about $24 million dollars last year. The Big East's payout to football members last year was $6 million.

http://forums.bearcatnews.com/newrep...treply&t=12412

[Binturong05]

I find this humorous and not that far fetched. Everyone knows Delany wants Notre Dame. ND is the prize the big ten can't have because ND will not bow at the alter of Ohio State and Michigan which run the show in the Big Ten board room. All other members are second class citizens.

So we get that Delany must be mad at Notre Dame. Or Delany wasn't going to let ACC commissioner John Swofford – heretofore the king of bad expansion based on unlikely projections, pie-in-the sky dreams and the fear of being "left behind" – get the Irish as partial members without some retribution. Or Delany is going to retire soon and he wasn't going to let someone else be in charge of the league's legacy moves.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--...192826899.html