Chicago Sun Times: 15th and 16th Schools Coming for Big Ten

[aughnanure]

UConn will not get a Big Ten offer because it's not a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and the BIG presidents fashion themselves as just a step below the Ivy League. Nebraska is the only non-AAU member in the BIG, but they were a member when invited and were pushed out of the AAU later.

Kansas, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech are all AAU members and would all be invited before UConn. Their presidents would all jump at the chance, although $ might dictate otherwise. Missouri, also AAU, wanted in the Big Ten but grabbed the SEC when it offered. Might seem like a good move footballwise, but their president wanted in the BIG desperately. Believe it or not, the BIG would even take Texas (AAU), but the Longhorns wouldn't go where they can't rule the roost.

UConn is very, very far down the list. Rutgers is a dumpster fire athletically, but it and Maryland are AAU members.

I don't think any Big East schools are in the AAU, but it's because they don't offer the full range of research programs that are required for membership, not because of quality of education.
http://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=4020

Don't buy it. That's what they like to say. But Notre Dame is not AAU and they would be welcomed in a heartbeat. There was also word a while back that B1G would grab OU to get Texas. At a certian point, you start running out of options. The GOR has stopped the poaching of the Big 12 and ACC (unlesssssssss you can grab a large number of them to "break" a clause...which is a rumor about the Big 12 one).

If there's one thing everyone's learned from all this crap, its that money first, and money alone, drives the bus. The constant drum-beating about academics is complete crap (also a very arbitrarily chosen and biased measurement for "academics"). It matches absolutely no other reasons for realignment and is really easy for them to claim. They had plenty of options, but now they've missed out on most of them. Texas A&M and Mizzou are the only two under this scenario that they could add (SEC has no exit fee and no GOR). Will they look at AAU status? Sure. Will it completely block a valuable candidate? No.

[Wizard of Westroads]

UConn will not get a Big Ten offer because it's not a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and the BIG presidents fashion themselves as just a step below the Ivy League. Nebraska is the only non-AAU member in the BIG, but they were a member when invited and were pushed out of the AAU later.

Kansas, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech are all AAU members and would all be invited before UConn. Their presidents would all jump at the chance, although $ might dictate otherwise. Missouri, also AAU, wanted in the Big Ten but grabbed the SEC when it offered. Might seem like a good move footballwise, but their president wanted in the BIG desperately. Believe it or not, the BIG would even take Texas (AAU), but the Longhorns wouldn't go where they can't rule the roost.

UConn is very, very far down the list. Rutgers is a dumpster fire athletically, but it and Maryland are AAU members.

I don't think any Big East schools are in the AAU, but it's because they don't offer the full range of research programs that are required for membership, not because of quality of education.
http://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=4020

Don't buy it. That's what they like to say. But Notre Dame is not AAU and they would be welcomed in a heartbeat. There was also word a while back that B1G would grab OU to get Texas. At a certian point, you start running out of options. The GOR has stopped the poaching of the Big 12 and ACC (unlesssssssss you can grab a large number of them to "break" a clause...which is a rumor about the Big 12 one).

If there's one thing everyone's learned from all this crap, its that money first, and money alone, drives the bus. The constant drum-beating about academics is complete crap (also a very arbitrarily chosen and biased measurement for "academics"). It matches absolutely no other reasons for realignment and is really easy for them to claim. They had plenty of options, but now they've missed out on most of them. Texas A&M and Mizzou are the only two under this scenario that they could add (SEC has no exit fee and no GOR). Will they look at AAU status? Sure. Will it completely block a valuable candidate? No.

OK, don't. But there's a reason UConn wasn't taken over Rutgers in the first place. The Big Ten would make a run at any of those other schools first. And I think we can all agree that Notre Dame is the exception to every rule in college sports. And OU did not get invited, it was only the subject of rumors.
But speculate away. Next up: The Big East presidents would take either VCU or Wichita.

[JOPO]

That's some terrible football being played in pod 3

Even worse in Pod 1!

[HoosierPal]

UConn will not get a Big Ten offer because it's not a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and the BIG presidents fashion themselves as just a step below the Ivy League. Nebraska is the only non-AAU member in the BIG, but they were a member when invited and were pushed out of the AAU later.

Kansas, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech are all AAU members and would all be invited before UConn. Their presidents would all jump at the chance, although $ might dictate otherwise. Missouri, also AAU, wanted in the Big Ten but grabbed the SEC when it offered. Might seem like a good move footballwise, but their president wanted in the BIG desperately. Believe it or not, the BIG would even take Texas (AAU), but the Longhorns wouldn't go where they can't rule the roost.

UConn is very, very far down the list. Rutgers is a dumpster fire athletically, but it and Maryland are AAU members.

I don't think any Big East schools are in the AAU, but it's because they don't offer the full range of research programs that are required for membership, not because of quality of education.
http://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=4020

Don't buy it. That's what they like to say. But Notre Dame is not AAU and they would be welcomed in a heartbeat. There was also word a while back that B1G would grab OU to get Texas. At a certian point, you start running out of options. The GOR has stopped the poaching of the Big 12 and ACC (unlesssssssss you can grab a large number of them to "break" a clause...which is a rumor about the Big 12 one).

If there's one thing everyone's learned from all this crap, its that money first, and money alone, drives the bus. The constant drum-beating about academics is complete crap (also a very arbitrarily chosen and biased measurement for "academics"). It matches absolutely no other reasons for realignment and is really easy for them to claim. They had plenty of options, but now they've missed out on most of them. Texas A&M and Mizzou are the only two under this scenario that they could add (SEC has no exit fee and no GOR). Will they look at AAU status? Sure. Will it completely block a valuable candidate? No.

OK, don't. But there's a reason UConn wasn't taken over Rutgers in the first place. The Big Ten would make a run at any of those other schools first. And I think we can all agree that Notre Dame is the exception to every rule in college sports. And OU did not get invited, it was only the subject of rumors.
But speculate away. Next up: The Big East presidents would take either VCU or Wichita.

Westy, few people on this board want to talk about academics. But here is the bottom sentence that was on the Big Ten / Big East Gavitt Tourney announcement. The Big Ten very much is proud of their academics and holds member schools to high standards.

"Maryland and Rutgers are already members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, an academic consortium of Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago that is a model for effective and voluntary collaboration among top research universities. In 2012, Big Ten institutions produced over $9.5 billion in research expenditures."

[JOPO]

Um this part?: "Four 16-team leagues. And good luck if you’re not among those 64."

Yes it's not an issue in the short term. But long term if we do move to 4 16 team leagues there's nothing to stop those leagues from cutting everyone else out. I see no reason for them to not cut us out. I don't buy that people like the NCAA tournament the way it is so much that they wouldn't cut out the midmajors. Are people really going to not watch because all the teams are good? BS. Most people prefer to watch two ranked teams play. We could all be on the outside looking in in 10 years.

Yes, but we aren't a mid-major! We shouldn't be cut out of the national basketball championship picture because we don't play football. That's bullpoop! Also, you can't have all 64 of those teams going to a national championship! Some of those schools notoriously suck in basketball (and football for that matter). Who would want to watch that?

[Professor_Bulldog]

Um this part?: "Four 16-team leagues. And good luck if you’re not among those 64."

Yes it's not an issue in the short term. But long term if we do move to 4 16 team leagues there's nothing to stop those leagues from cutting everyone else out. I see no reason for them to not cut us out. I don't buy that people like the NCAA tournament the way it is so much that they wouldn't cut out the midmajors. Are people really going to not watch because all the teams are good? BS. Most people prefer to watch two ranked teams play. We could all be on the outside looking in in 10 years.

Yes, but we aren't a mid-major! We shouldn't be cut out of the national basketball championship picture because we don't play football. That's bullpoop! Also, you can't have all 64 of those teams going to a national championship! Some of those schools notoriously suck in basketball (and football for that matter). Who would want to watch that?

Plenty of things "shouldn't" have happened in regards to realignment. Anything is possible.

[DeltaV]

Isn't there something in the Big 10 bylaws regarding only expanding to adjacent States (I may be wrong...)? They expanded to PA which bordered Ohio, Nebraska bordered Iowa, and then New Jersey and Maryland which bordered PA. I thought I heard that somewhere, but it also may not be a 'hard' rule.

This would make UVA, and then UNC or Missu the only options. UConn would 'require' a school from NY, and GA Tech would be out. I guess Kentucky and Kansas would be possible as well.

[pki1998]

People are overestimating the Grant of Rights (GOR). Big Ten expansion has been primarily motivated by the Big Ten Network. Let's say for the sake of arguement that their was mutual interest between the Big Ten and UNC. The GOR only gives the revenue from UNC home games to the ACC. The BIg Ten can still make money of adding UNC by putting the away games against Big Ten teams (4 football and 8 basketball games) a year on the Big Ten network. This would allow the Big Ten to get their network on basic cable in North Carolina and at the high rates charged in Big Ten Country.

[SCS]

I don't buy the whole AAU thing. There is no way that the president's of the Big Ten had no inclination that Nebraska was going to lose its AAU membership. The chancellor of Nebraska even stated they knew they were at risk of it happening for 10 years now and they fought off an effort for their removal in 2000. Nebraska being removed from the AAU wasn't sudden, it was inevitable.

[Boyee]

I think the Big Ten wants Virginia and UNC for #15 & #16. Not sure UNC will leave the ACC without NC State & Duke. I feel that Pittsburgh and Missouri would be the best choices outside of Notre Dame. I think Virginia is a given as it is contiguous with Maryland. Virginia could possibly only go if Virginia Tech comes too. I am sure both will be eastern schools. It is still possible they could go in a completely different direction and add 2 non-AAU schools Connecticut and Syracuse but that's highly unlikely. If the Big Ten takes from the ACC, the ACC would likely add UConn. They could possibly go for Kentucky and Vanderbilt or Missouri and Vanderbilt of the SEC.