Missouri, Nebraska, Syracuse, Pitt, and Rutgers to Big Ten per Peter King

[The Great 8]

lmao @ Big XII adding Tulane...

Just for the record, Tulane has an SEC title ...

You mean in 1949?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulane_football

Unless I'm missing something...

[Guest]

lmao @ Big XII adding Tulane...

Dennis Dodd's Big XII expansion scenario had them AND Rice being added. It was idiotic.

It's not that idiotic.

Fifteen years ago Rice was in a conference with the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Baylor.  If the Big 12 loses a lot of teams - Nebraska & Missouri to the Big Ten; Texas & Texas A&M to the SEC or Pac 10... the Rice makes as much sense as Houston & TCU (who were also in the Southwest Conference).

Tulane? Yeah, that might be a bit much... but you do get New Orleans with the Green Wave... and they a solid baseball team.

[Jamie]

lmao @ Big XII adding Tulane...

Dennis Dodd's Big XII expansion scenario had them AND Rice being added. It was idiotic.

It's not that idiotic.

Fifteen years ago Rice was in a conference with the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Baylor.  If the Big 12 loses a lot of teams - Nebraska & Missouri to the Big Ten; Texas & Texas A&M to the SEC or Pac 10... the Rice makes as much sense as Houston & TCU (who were also in the Southwest Conference).

Tulane? Yeah, that might be a bit much... but you do get New Orleans with the Green Wave... and they a solid baseball team.

Except Rice and Tulane both stink at the money sports and their fan bases (even in big cities) are miniscule. Texas already owns the Houston area, and LSU owns New Orleans.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

I think that the College Athletic landscape will see 4 Super Conferences (Pac, Big, SEC, and ACC). They will each get 2 bids to the BCS. There will be other conferences but the 4 will rule the landscape. It's going to be an eat or be eaten environment when the dominoes start to fall. Based on nothing but a gut feeling that I have. I hope that I'm wrong, but I just think that there will be even a greater gap between the haves and have-nots.

[Jamie]

They will each get 2 bids to the BCS.

Then there would be no point in having conference championship games.

[Guest]

lmao @ Big XII adding Tulane...

Dennis Dodd's Big XII expansion scenario had them AND Rice being added. It was idiotic.

It's not that idiotic.

Fifteen years ago Rice was in a conference with the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Baylor.  If the Big 12 loses a lot of teams - Nebraska & Missouri to the Big Ten; Texas & Texas A&M to the SEC or Pac 10... the Rice makes as much sense as Houston & TCU (who were also in the Southwest Conference).

Tulane? Yeah, that might be a bit much... but you do get New Orleans with the Green Wave... and they a solid baseball team.

Except Rice and Tulane both stink at the money sports and their fan bases (even in big cities) are miniscule. Texas already owns the Houston area, and LSU owns New Orleans.

Well, in Rice's case, a small fan base is the result of a small school... USF St. Pete by itself is bigger!

I'm not saying it's a good idea, just not "idiotic" for Rice given the 80 years of history in the same conference with many of the Big 12 conference teams.

[Guest]

They will each get 2 bids to the BCS.

Then there would be no point in having conference championship games.

Very true.

Moreover, that would virtually guarantee anti-trust lawsuits.

[Joe]

Geez, when will anyone listen to me? Rice and Tulane will get looks. Why? Because they're academic powerhouses.

Academics do mean something in all this expansion...

[Guest]

Geez, when will anyone listen to me? Rice and Tulane will get looks. Why? Because they're academic powerhouses.

Academics do mean something in all this expansion...

Exactly.  Academics = Justification for the money grab.

Conference Commissioner -- "We've invited <INSERT SCHOOLS HERE> because of their overall athletic programs and strong academic standing."

Reporter - "Isn't this just about money?  Does <INSERT SMALL/MINOR SCHOOL HERE> really help with that?"

Commissioner = "No.  This is about making the conference stronger in all aspects."

Syracuse adds very little to the Big Ten.  It's a fairly small, private school with a modest fan base, mostly driven by basketball.  Yes, Syracuse is on everyone's list of programs being added to the Big Ten.  Perhaps the Big Ten network would get onto the basic tier instead of the paid tier in some cable markets in New York (state) but probably not bring in the added revenue to offset the share they will have to pay the Orange.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

Geez, when will anyone listen to me? Rice and Tulane will get looks. Why? Because they're academic powerhouses.

Academics do mean something in all this expansion...

Academics do mean something, but athletics/money mean a whole helluva lot more. If a school has great academics, but really ***** athletics, I don't think that they will be brought into the fold. The commissioners can say what they want. Student/Athlete BS, it's Athlete/Student. JMVHO, of course everyone just thinks I'm a crack pot, much like my thinking that the SEC would expand as well.

MODIFIED 2:32PM Friday. I must apologize to one and all (except the poster that shall remain unnamed), I've been an ass munch the last few weeks. I realized that today. I'm ready for the season now. It's been a LONG time since I've looked forward to a season as much as this one. I almost feel like I could play, but then I stand up and the left knee says "yea, not so much". Still no excuse for being an ass munch.