More Realignment on the Way?

[Bill Marsh]

Couple of things... nothing new, just repeating from many posts over the years...

[EDITED FOR BREVITY]

- CNN was an unstoppable force 15 years ago.
- ESPN and FS1 have the same production quality.
- FS1 viewership has steadily increased.
- Viewers know ESPN is biased.
- NJRedman... chill with the abrasive language brother... a little more Boo Harvey and a little less Jayson Williams...
- Bill Marsh is one of my favorite posters here.

Plus Bill was a class mate of our favorite HC Pete Gillen!

IS THIS TRUE? DID BILL MARSH GO TO COLLEGE WITH PETE? Pete Gillen was the guy more than anyone who put X on the map in basketball. There were several good coaches after Pete and one or two before him but none did more with less (at the start) than Gillen.

Bill have you ever written about Pete on this site. I would appreciate your doing so if the opportunity ever avails itself. Of course this could be an inside joke by DanofXav but if it is true I would enjoy reading anything you have to say on Gillen.

High school classmate, not college. Pete actually played basketball at Brooklyn Prep, a now defunct Jesuit HS. I think he only played baseball at Fairfield. Great guy and a hood HS basketball player. I'm actually on the job, so don't have time to post more right now. Cheers!

[ChelseaFriar]

Pete and a young Gonzo at PC.

[Bill Marsh]

Pete and a young Gonzo at PC.

Is Pete trying to tell us something about Gonzo with that gesture to his head?

[Michael in Raleigh]

Back to the original topic, it sounds like, from an interview with ACC commish John Swofford, an ACC network would be with ESPN, similar to the SEC Network or Longhorn Network. As others have said, it's hard to imagine ESPN allowing NBC to take on some of its own properties. The current syndicated ACC Network run by Raycom is done in full cooperation with ESPN. In fact, for several games during basketball season, games are simulcast on ESPN and the Raycom network. Duke-UNC, for instance, was available here on both ESPN and the ACC Raycom network, which for me was on my local CBS affiliate. That is done once or twice a week. I think this just further illustrates the unlikelihood that NBC would get a full fledged ACC network.

[Boyee]

I think it will be either the Big Ten Conference or the Southeastern Conference that will be first to expand to 16. I don't think the Big 12 Conference will expand until another Power Five conference does.

[RDinNY]

Big 12 will be back up to 12 very soon. Probably before next season. They have to for football conference championship purposes.

[R Jay]

I'm not convinced about the Big 12 getting back to 12 soon. Sure a CCG would help, but who do they add that brings value? I can't imagine Texas (or Oklahoma, for that matter) being excited about going to Colorado State or Cincy. Sure, adding Cincy gives WVU a travel partner, and sure Colorado State gets the Big 12 back into Colorado, but Texas moves the meter and I just don't believe that they would jump to dilute the Big 12 anymore.

[GoldenWarrior11]

The Big 12 really missed the ball on expansion a few years ago. They could have swooped in and taken West Virginia, Louisville, and Cincinnati (in addition to TCU) when they lost Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas A&M. It would have been a real benefit to get West Virginia some regional opponents (and traditional rivalries) and prevent them from being literally placed on an island.