B1G expansion plans?

[Quix0te]

Seems that the BTN and Fox Sports are trying to buy Oklahoma's Tier 3 content for 2021 and later....

https://247sports.com/college/oklah...about-buying-Tier-3-rights-from-OU-119647264/

And both OU and Texas refuse to extend the B12 GOR past its current 2025 expiration date.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...grant-of-rights-extension-ranking-candidates/

 

[EvanstonCat]

Seems that the BTN and Fox Sports are trying to buy Oklahoma's Tier 3 content for 2021 and later....

https://247sports.com/college/oklah...about-buying-Tier-3-rights-from-OU-119647264/

And both OU and Texas refuse to extend the B12 GOR past its current 2025 expiration date.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...grant-of-rights-extension-ranking-candidates/

Why the eff we didn't take OU last time and instead went with Maryland and Rutgers, I'll never understand. And taking them now won't make up for taking RU the last time, unless we can boot them out now.

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

Seems that the BTN and Fox Sports are trying to buy Oklahoma's Tier 3 content for 2021 and later....

https://247sports.com/college/oklah...about-buying-Tier-3-rights-from-OU-119647264/

And both OU and Texas refuse to extend the B12 GOR past its current 2025 expiration date.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...grant-of-rights-extension-ranking-candidates/

No

 

[corbi2961]

Why the eff we didn't take OU last time and instead went with Maryland and Rutgers, I'll never understand. And taking them now won't make up for taking RU the last time, unless we can boot them out now.

Because who the hell lives in Oklahoma. It’s about TV markets.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Because who the hell lives in Oklahoma. It’s about TV markets.

Yeah, but it's also about top notch football content. The SEC and even ACC won the last round of expansion. What the hell did we get for Rutgers and Maryland? Did we really get the NYC market as was promised?

PSU and Nebraska were quality adds. No one lives in Nebraska either, but I don't think anyone would argue their addition wasn't valuable to our branding and football quality, and ultimately value to the league.

We struck out in the last round of expansion. We've got to hit a home run in the next one. OU AND Texas or bust (though USC or Florida/FSU could be palatable too).

 

[Deeringfish]

Yeah, but it's also about top notch football content. The SEC and even ACC won the last round of expansion. What the hell did we get for Rutgers and Maryland? Did we really get the NYC market as was promised?

PSU and Nebraska were quality adds. No one lives in Nebraska either, but I don't think anyone would argue their addition wasn't valuable to our branding and football quality, and ultimately value to the league.

We struck out in the last round of expansion. We've got to hit a home run in the next one. OU AND Texas or bust (though USC or Florida/FSU could be palatable too).

Also every person ninth whole state of OK follows OK football.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Also every person ninth whole state of OK follows OK football.

Not sure if that was English, but I think I know what you meant to say. Who roots for Oklahoma State then?

 

[FitzFan]

Not sure if that was English, but I think I know what you meant to say. Who roots for Oklahoma State then?

Kansans, now that they don't have a football team.

 

[NJCat]

Kansans, now that they don't have a football team.

Bill Snyder begs to differ.....

 

[BretEpic]

IDK if knocking OU's media share is the way to go as NU fans

 

[Catslash]

So when this happens does Purdue and Illinois go east or Purdue and Northwestern?

 

[zeek55]

So when this happens does Purdue and Illinois go east or Purdue and Northwestern?

With divisions of 8, only one school would go East (Purdue).

The remaining 6 in the West + OU/Texas (or OU/Kansas) would be the new West division.

Northwestern wouldn't go anywhere if they stick with an East/West split.

But they may just move to non-divisions with "3-4 protected games" for each school and the rest of the schedule rotate among the remaining 12-13 teams. The problem with divisions of 8 is that 7 of your games are locked every year. Only 2 games rotate through the other division. Hard to call it a conference when you're playing the other division so rarely, though the SEC and ACC still stick to that number.

Then the top 2 teams play in the Championship Game in a non-divisional format.

 

[JournCat]

Maybe we schedule sort of like the NFL, starting with four divisions of four. Each season you could play your division, the whole slate of another division, and then one team each from the third and fourth decided by your place finish last season (so if you finished second, you’d get the second place team from those two divisions). That adds up to nine games. So if OU joins, the Big Ten could guarantee it would play three rivals in its own division, plus the top teams in every other division if it did well the previous year.

 

[zeek55]

Maybe we schedule sort of like the NFL, starting with four divisions of four. Each season you could play your division, the whole slate of another division, and then one team each from the third and fourth decided by your place finish last season (so if you finished second, you’d get the second place team from those two divisions). That adds up to nine games. So if OU joins, the Big Ten could guarantee it would play three rivals in its own division, plus the top teams in every other division if it did well the previous year.

I think the biggest issue with pods or small divisions (i.e. divisions/pods of 4) is that it's hard to create 4 equal divisions from 16 teams.

It might be better to just lock 3-4 games for each team rather than create imbalanced pods/divisions.

 

[Quix0te]

I think the biggest issue with pods or small divisions (i.e. divisions/pods of 4) is that it's hard to create 4 equal divisions from 16 teams.

It might be better to just lock 3-4 games for each team rather than create imbalanced pods/divisions.

This is about as balanced as possible:

EAST - Rut, MD, PSU, OSU

CENTRAL - UM, MSU, IN, Pur

NORTH - WI, MN, Neb, Iowa

SOUTH - UT, OU, IL, NW

Annual crossover games for OSU-UM and Neb-OU.

 

[ricko6543211]

This is about as balanced as possible:

EAST - Rut, MD, PSU, OSU

CENTRAL - UM, MSU, IN, Pur

NORTH - WI, MN, Neb, Iowa

SOUTH - UT, OU, IL, NW

Annual crossover games for OSU-UM and Neb-OU.

It would be unfortunate to lose most of our current West rivals (I enjoy playing all of the teams in your proposed North division on an annual basis), but agree that is a reasonable array of "pods".

If we sent Purdue East in an 8/8 split, that division becomes even more top-heavy with a clear upper half (OSU PSU Mich MSU) and lower half (all the rest). Adding OU and UT to Wiscy Neb Iowa NU would make that new West division pretty tough.

That's all just hypothetical thinking at this point, but it is the offseason so why not...

 

[Quix0te]

That's all just hypothetical thinking at this point, but it is the offseason so why not...

Actually, I'm channeling Jim Delany right now and this is a done deal.

 

[zeek55]

This is about as balanced as possible:

EAST - Rut, MD, PSU, OSU

CENTRAL - UM, MSU, IN, Pur

NORTH - WI, MN, Neb, Iowa

SOUTH - UT, OU, IL, NW

Annual crossover games for OSU-UM and Neb-OU.

Those are about as balanced as I can see though I wonder how some of those schools will feel about losing a lot of their annual games in favor of swinging divisions.

Ohio State for example would only have Michigan as an annual game among the original 10 members. It just seems to me like a better fit is to give everybody 3 or 4 protected games and then just play the schedule out with each team getting a b2b with 5 or 6 other teams.

It'll be somewhat confusing for fans either way given that the divisions will be joining other divisions to create your half-conferences from which the 2 title game participants will be decided.

 

[EvanstonCat]

This is about as balanced as possible:

EAST - Rut, MD, PSU, OSU

CENTRAL - UM, MSU, IN, Pur

NORTH - WI, MN, Neb, Iowa

SOUTH - UT, OU, IL, NW

Annual crossover games for OSU-UM and Neb-OU.

How is Nebraska north of Northwestern and IL? I guess you're trying to avoid pairing us with Wisconsin and avoid making the North too overpowered, but putting Northwestern with OU does the same thing even if you bring over Illinois to try to offset things.

 

[Quix0te]

Those are about as balanced as I can see though I wonder how some of those schools will feel about losing a lot of their annual games in favor of swinging divisions.

Ohio State for example would only have Michigan as an annual game among the original 10 members. It just seems to me like a better fit is to give everybody 3 or 4 protected games and then just play the schedule out with each team getting a b2b with 5 or 6 other teams.

It'll be somewhat confusing for fans either way given that the divisions will be joining other divisions to create your half-conferences from which the 2 title game participants will be decided.

I agree, your proposal would best preserve all traditional rivalries and facilitate schools playing those in geographical proximity. I'd go with five each. Examples are:

Rutgers - MD, PS, OS, MS, Pur
Texas - OU, Neb, Iowa, IL, IN
Minny - WI, Iowa, Neb, NW, UM

It also makes a good ten-game conference schedule. Each team would have five annual opponents and ten schools who are not. Play five of them one year, the other five the next year.

 

[Sheffielder]

TV markets won't matter for much longer. I bet the current cable model doesn't even survive Fitz's tenure at NU. A conference that builds itself on cable deals in this day and age is very short-sighted.

Really, the Big Ten should be asking itself...if BTN sells itself as an OTT network, how many more monthly subscribers do they reel in with OU and UT, and how much less does each school get when you divide by 16 instead of 14?

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I agree, your proposal would best preserve all traditional rivalries and facilitate schools playing those in geographical proximity. I'd go with five each. Examples are:

Rutgers - MD, PS, OS, MS, Pur
Texas - OU, Neb, Iowa, IL, IN
Minny - WI, Iowa, Neb, NW, UM

It also makes a good ten-game conference schedule. Each team would have five annual opponents and ten schools who are not. Play five of them one year, the other five the next year.

You must really like Iowa!

 

[zeek55]

Because who the hell lives in Oklahoma. It’s about TV markets.

These things have changed dramatically in the past decade.

Back in 2010 before Netflix/cord cutting/cord shaving became huge phenomena, you could justify the additions of Maryland and Rutgers on the notion that the people of New Jersey/NYC market and Maryland would be paying for BTN monthly through their cable/pay tv bills even if they didn't support those universities and their teams.

Now in 2018, you need content that actually draws eyeballs because cord cutting/cord shaving have significantly eroded those 2010 notions of tv markets. BTN needs teams that have more actual viewers that are willing to sign up and watch the service whether online or through pay tv.

Next additions to the conference will absolutely emphasize that, you need additions to the conference that are relatively immune to cord cutting/cord shaving.

 

[Curdog7]

These things have changed dramatically in the past decade.

Back in 2010 before Netflix/cord cutting/cord shaving became huge phenomena, you could justify the additions of Maryland and Rutgers on the notion that the people of New Jersey/NYC market and Maryland would be paying for BTN monthly through their cable/pay tv bills even if they didn't support those universities and their teams.

Now in 2018, you need content that actually draws eyeballs because cord cutting/cord shaving have significantly eroded those 2010 notions of tv markets. BTN needs teams that have more actual viewers that are willing to sign up and watch the service whether online or through pay tv.

Next additions to the conference will absolutely emphasize that, you need additions to the conference that are relatively immune to cord cutting/cord shaving.

Conference expansion was always more than just TV markets. The BIG population is not growing as fast as other regions. The MD RU move was to get the BIG in the footprint of where future students will come from.

 

[zeek55]

Conference expansion was always more than just TV markets. The BIG population is not growing as fast as other regions. The MD RU move was to get the BIG in the footprint of where future students will come from.

Sure, but the financials have to justify expansion as well.

Big Ten decision makers are going to be sure that financially every set of schools pays for themselves over time rather than taking from the pie of the original, now 14, members.

With Rutgers/Maryland, you had a huge expansion of BTN's footprint and given their markets, the tier 1 package was increased proportionally.

The "2010 version" of the next expansion would be grabbing UVa and Georgia Tech. But it's hard to see that happening with how big cord cutting/cord shaving are.

You need more than just planting a flag in markets to justify the additions financially going forwards.

 

[Deeringfish]

Sure, but the financials have to justify expansion as well.

Big Ten decision makers are going to be sure that financially every set of schools pays for themselves over time rather than taking from the pie of the original, now 14, members.

With Rutgers/Maryland, you had a huge expansion of BTN's footprint and given their markets, the tier 1 package was increased proportionally.

This is why it is important that NU truly grabs the Chicago market. The small alum base may not be enough eyeballs to justify the financials. Unless we are willing to play the role of the Generals for the glory of the bigger fan bases. In that case tear down the stadium and play all away games.

 

[Williesfan]

This is about as balanced as possible:

EAST - Rut, MD, PSU, OSU

CENTRAL - UM, MSU, IN, Pur

NORTH - WI, MN, Neb, Iowa

SOUTH - UT, OU, IL, NW

Annual crossover games for OSU-UM and Neb-OU.

Agree with east and central, change the other two pods to North MN, WI, IL, NU. West OK, Ioa, NE and UT.

 

[JournCat]

I think NU’s value to the Big Ten is:

- academics

- offering a venue and media foothold in Chicagoland (and unlike with Rutgers and NYC, no one disputes that Evanston is in Chicagoland)

- having a fan base that while small, will travel and spend money at bowl games

- a media following that ensures we will always get an outsize and sometimes obnoxious (Rovell) amount of attention

 

[Williesfan]

Personally I would like to see ND exorcise thier hubris and finally join the conference they belong in. Then either add Pitt, Vanderbilt or Kansas and keep in geophically condensed