Big 10 looking at 15 schools, hires search firm

[Atlanta Bull]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/84822917.html

Madison — Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said Friday that Big Ten officials have hired a firm to research potential candidates as the conference considers expansion and that 15 programs were included in an initial report.

"They basically broke down what they would bring to the table," Alvarez said at a meeting of the UW athletic board. "They talked about academics. They talked about size. They talked about size of their arenas. They talked about attendance. They talked about the populace in that specific area."

According to Alvarez that process will continue, and Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany could make a recommendation to the university presidents this summer.

"I think it could be one (school), or I think it could be multiple," Alvarez said.

Alvarez declined to identify schools on the list of 15 candidates but acknowledged he did not see Texas on the list.

It was reported recently that the Big Ten and Texas had begun preliminary discussions about the Longhorns leaving the Big 12 for the Big Ten.

"In our initial study, there wasn't anything on Texas," Alvarez said.

Alvarez thinks some schools are trying to anticipate possible moves by the Big Ten and the Pacific 10, which also has talked about expanding.

"You saw what happened a handful of years ago with the ACC and the Big East," Alvarez said. "I think there may be a re-alignment, and I think people are out there trying to position themselves, saying: 'When the music stops, we better have a chair.'

"I think people are looking right now and trying to decide what's best for them. I think our league is doing the same thing."

One school Alvarez doesn't see joining the Big Ten or any other league is Notre Dame.

[SRQ]

Well, if a big shake-up comes (ie. 14 team B10, Pac10, SEC, ACC), it can't hurt that USF has Holtz to upgrade football, Heath winning in BE b'ball and all of the upgrades to athletics in the works.  Timing has been on Bulls side ever since inception of football.

[Who'sYourData?]

Did they hire Neinas? 

[smazza]

dumb

man these schools find ways to blow money

[Danm1983]

Hmm 15. My guesses at which schools:

1. Notre Dame (they'll still consider and beg)

2. Missouri

3. Nebraska

4. Iowa State

5. UConn

6. Syracuse

7. Rutgers

8. Pitt

9. West Virginia

10. Cincinnati

11. Louisville

12. Kentucky

13. Vanderbilt

14. Maryland

15. Navy?

[smazza]

how much are they paying for this?

[Cow Pie]

Hmm 15. My guesses at which schools:

1. Notre Dame (they'll still consider and beg)

2. Missouri

3. Nebraska

4. Iowa State

5. UConn

6. Syracuse

7. Rutgers

8. Pitt

9. West Virginia

10. Cincinnati

11. Louisville

12. Kentucky

13. Vanderbilt

14. Maryland

15. Navy?

Here is my list... the Big 10 is a Yankee conference and will be looking to add Yankee schools first and then if they can't find enough to jump ship then I imagine that they will go after the ACC... they might try for some Big12 or SEC schools but will fail. No school in the SEC or Big12 is willing to jump ship given that their conference has won the National Titles for the past decade where as the Big10 has not... the only school that they have a shot at is Iowa State which is a Big12 school... the only reason the Big10 has a shot is because Iowa is in the Big10.

1. Iowa State

2. Rutgers (see below)

3. Syracuse

4. West Virginia (Long shot)

5. Cincinnati (Doubt it b/c of Ohio State)

6. Pitt (Doubt i b/c of Penn State)

7. Navy

8. Army

9. Boston College

10. Louisville (the only Southern school they have a shot at)

11. Ball State

12. Maryland

13. Virginia

14. Virginia Tech

15. W. Kentucky

I have been thinking about and hoping for this day since I became a Bulls fan because this is the only way the craptastic Big East will ever expand to have a championship game.

I believe that the Big10 will do the following to reach 14:

(1). Take Rutgers from the Big East = Get a share of the NYC market

(2). Take Iowa State from the Big 12 = They lock up the entire state of Iowa

(3). Take Boston College from the ACC = They lock up the Boston market.

Then the ACC will take another team from the Big East and the Big 12 will take a team from out west.

The question is will the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 use this as an excuse to become 14 team super conferences as well... I say that it will open that door.

When the dust is settled there will be no Big East in football and hopefully we are in the ACC or SEC.

[Danm1983]

I still think they're looking at Missouri because of the research institution and academics, as well as other sports. Iowa State isn't an athletically great school, and their fanbase is pretty localized. I hear their academics aren't as good as Missouri's either.

Missouri is in Columbia, smack dab in the middle of the state. Guess which two markets they get a share of with that? St. Louis to the east, and Kansas City to the west. Both are huge markets.

I still think Syracuse (and even UConn) get better reps in NYC than Rutgers does. Rutgers does seem like they may compete better in B10 play, but they need to start doing more on the field and the court or they're gonna end up hanging out with Indiana in the cellar of the B10.

Ball State and Western Kentucky are too "low tier" to be considered right now, and I'm not sure Ball State is the 3rd Indiana school the B10 had in mind (**** you ND just join the big ten already).

Army would capture more of a national audience, but I think that's a long shot. If the B10 was smart and did want to do the (IMO stupid ass) 14 team thing, they could lock up Army, Navy, and Notre Dame. Not only do they get the Army-Navy game (imagine if that ended up being the conference championship one year???), but they get the Navy - Notre Dame game as well. Two pretty big traditional games that carry alot of hype and TV.

Boston College would be the poor man's Notre Dame, and would at least lock up Boston's TV market, and part of NYC by default.

Pitt makes good sense and plays similar style of football, but Joe Pa hasn't budged on that much. West Virginia brings no market and their academics have been brought up as inferior on more than one occasion.

The Virginia schools would be a good option, but they'd HAVE to take both (meaning it would be a 14 team expansion).

Louisville and Cincy are wayyy on the backup list.

As much as you'd think Kentucky wouldn't budge, the B10 money is pretty good and may level out with the SEC in future years. If the B10 teams start doing better, the Big Ten Network will see increased revenue. Kentucky basketball joining the ranks of Purdue and Indiana would bolster that area greatly, and Kentucky has a better shot at winning the Big Ten than they do the SEC East - face it, Florida, Georgia, or Tennessee will ALWAYS win that division.

I still think they're going to approach Missouri or Rutgers if they're going 12 member. If they're doing the 14 member swell, I'd say they may look to Missouri, Rutgers, and Pitt (JoePa won't be around forever), unless Notre Dame one day just changes its mind.

[80mins]

Dixie--I think moreso than being a Yankee conference--and as a yankee, I'd make a distinction between us BosWash megalopolis folk and midwesterners--the Big Ten is a midwestern conference. That said, they'd betray that for a second to pick up a major metro area. Some would say they did already picking up Penn State, but those folks haven't been to State College, PA. Also keep in mind they'd prefer an AAU institution, and one in a state that is already in, or adjacent to, the Big Ten footprint, though again, I don't doubt they'd abandon that for dollars. With this in mind, here's my thought for the fifteen, not removing folks who may have already told them no:

1. Notre Dame

2. Mizzou

3. Syracuse

4. Rutgers

5. Pitt

6. Nebraska

7. Kansas

8. West Virginia

9. Iowa State

10. Texas

11. College Park

12. Louisville

13. Cincinnati

14. UVA

15. Army/Navy (it'd be both or neither)