Could The Big 12 Be Ready To Expand?

[swilsonsp4]

In all seriousness, these plans to expand Nippert, renovate 5/3rd, can we really move forward with those plans if we are stuck in this mess? Outside of increased private funding, I don't see how UC will be able to afford doing either of those while being a member of this conference for the long run.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? If facilities are an issue that needs to be addressed before either the ACC or B12 will consider them, then UC has no choice but to proceed, given that they want to stay relevant. Only if neither conference cares about the size of Nippert (since football is the driving force) would it make sense to delay plans to renovate. My guess is that it makes a difference, so they should go ahead.

[cpawstoney]

From cbssports:

As Jeremy says in the podcast, everyone seems to be fine with their current membership until Jim Delany decides to get weird and add two more teams. As long as the Big Ten stays at 14 teams -- or as long as ACC schools remain committed to the current/future membership -- we seem to be in a state of calm in conference realignment for the moment. [NOTE: Literally, only this moment. The moment has now past and the state of calm has been erased.]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...alignment-more

[cpawstoney]

From Dallas:
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews....sibility.html/

[coach]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? If facilities are an issue that needs to be addressed before either the ACC or B12 will consider them, then UC has no choice but to proceed, given that they want to stay relevant. Only if neither conference cares about the size of Nippert (since football is the driving force) would it make sense to delay plans to renovate. My guess is that it makes a difference, so they should go ahead.

not really the case. nippert expansion is largely built around whether they can sell the luxury boxes which finance most of it. we shall see on that. shoemaker is not a game changer in any of these expansion deals. look around at these other big conferences and you will see any number of them that cannot draw 11 to 12k a game which i think we can for conference games(we're close now). hopefully non conference will get better as schedule improves. the real kicker is whether or not maryland is on the hook for the 25mm exit fee. that's a game changer in the acc.

[red_n_black_attack]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...edules/nrelate

The Big 12 are ready to keep only ten members and are already aligning themselves for lesser tier bowls should the Cotton Bowl be moved into the playoff rotation. I can see why we want to be a part of that! Very pro-active to protect the interests of member institutions.

The only way the Big 12 expands is if forced to have 12 for Championship game. If forced to do so, I hope the Big 12 responds with compromise that all confernces need to play a 9 or 10 game conference schedule. The SEC is only conference who does not at this point and the PAC 12 and BIG could agree to the compromise.

Even if forced to go to 12 teams, I do not believe the BIG 12 would go after Louisville and Cincinnati. It would make sense to bridge to W Virginia and dig into a little of SEC and BIG territories for recruiting and media rights. However, I think they go after Fla State first and then see where dominoes fall. Nothing will happen until Maryland's $53.3 million suit with ACC is resolved. The next thing on that case is Feb 18th hearing to determine whether it will take place in a Maryland or North Carolina courtroom.


We're going to be playing the waiting game for a while longer....

[bearcatbret]

They are talking the talk that all schools/conferences do. I think that they know that it is going to come down to a 12 team conference. There are better schools out there than UC if they can raid the ACC or even a lower tier SEC team. However, out of the ones out their looking and begging, UC is at the top. But if the Big12 does raid the ACC, then the ACC is going to have to look elsewhere. UC adds geographic and rivalries for a handful of their teams in 2013/2014. Not knowing what is going to happen but having read that their will be the big4 counferences, I could actually see that somehow, the BIG, SEC, PAC decide that their conferences are automatically in the mix for the national championship where the ACC and Big12 will between them send one team which is the highest ranked. Or something like that. I just see that the ACC is going to end up being the ugly step child in all of this.