<p>No way it would be ND. They have nothing to gain by joining the B 10. </p>
<p>Rutgers, as a major land grant research university, is a better fit educationally than Syracuse. The latter also brings little to the table in terms of the NYC market. Remember that the Empire State Building was bathed in Rutgers’ Scarlet when they were playing, and beating then no. 3, Louisville in football in 2006. It was in Scarlet a second time when the Rutgers’ women played for the national basketball championship in 2007. </p>
<p>Getting into the B10 would academically be the best thing that ever happened to Rutgers. It wouldn’t be bad athletically because of the extra money it would bring in. Compare the bowls that the B 10 schools go to to those the Big East winds up at.</p>
<p>Thinking outside the midwest/east coast box: how about BYU? Big school with a respectable academic standing and strong athletic tradition. Plus they are always looking to move up to face stronger competition and get more respect nationally.</p>
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<p>When the Pac-8 added the two Arizona schools (which are NOT in a Pacific coast state, btw), it didn’t hurt them to change their name to PAC-10.</p>
<p>More than 20 years later, I’m still upset that the Pacific-8 added the Arizona schools. ASU and UA didn’t deserve it, proven by the football and basketball scandals uncovered at ASU at the time.</p>
<p>Well, I never said that I was unbiased, Barrons.</p>
<p>But we HAD coaches whom generally posessed greater character in the Pac-8 in those days (the 1970s-early 1980s). Frank Kush at Arizona State football was just a meglomaniac that we didn’t need in the conference. He was Bobby Knight without the charm. And ASU and UA really had nothing to exceptional to recommend them, academically. While Washington State U is considered to be the least blessed university, academically, in the PAC-10, it’s still stronger [especially in the sciences] than either ASU or UA. But of course, the expansion of college athletic conferences typically have little to do with academics.</p>
<p>Then again, maybe it’s time for Notre Dame to reconsider and join the Big Ten. Here’s an interesting financial analysis that suggests Notre Dame is probably falling farther behind the Big Ten schools financially. According to this report, Notre Dame nets only $9 million a year from its NBC contract, and its Saturday football telecasts draw only half the audience of the Big Ten and SEC games it’s up against, so that number won’t grow much and could even shrink when and if the contract is renewed. Even landing in a BCS bowl, which ND hasn’t done for some time now, brings in only another $4.8 million, leaving ND still well behind even mediocre Big Ten teams which draw something on the order of $17 million to $20 million a year from Big Ten conference distributions—and a lot of people expect that pie to grow as the Big Ten Network gets better established.</p>
<p>Money would also be the big draw for Rutgers which pulls in only about $4.8 million from Big East conference distributions (football + basketball). </p>
<p>Notre Dame also gets some money from Big East basketball TV distributions, but probably pretty comparable to Rutgers’ $1.4 million, which still leaves ND well behind the Big Ten schools in television revenue.</p>
<p>They never should have added Penn State- they don’t fit in, not in the midwest. No rivalries, they’re outsiders. New Jersey??? How would that improve their academic reputation? This is a sports conference, not academics. Somehow I can’t see Rutgers students getting excited about any of the schools in the conference or having any knowledge about their states. The conferences need to be regional. I still think of the Big Ten, plus the other school nobody knows or cares about (sorry Penn State students, but you’re off the radar).</p>
<p>I love Notre Dame and love the Big Ten, so it’d be interesting to see them join, but its such a long shot. I really see almost no way it would happen. I’m guessing Missouri will join.</p>
<p>Tom1944, no way Colorado voluntarily leaves the Big 12 unless the bribe/incentive is astronomical. Now Colorado might use a possible departure as a bargaining chip to re-write the Big 12 revenue sharing agreement, if what was said about Texas getting the lion’s share is true [and those Texas schools came to the Big 8 with hat-in-hand because no one cried after the Southwest Conference fell apart!!!].</p>
<p>In a Pac-12, Utah would be welcome not least of which because many California athletes are finding their way to U of Utah nowadays (Alex Smith of the 49ers; Keith Van Horn of the NBA) and they bring California TV viewers with them. As for BYU, they have few friends in the west. Opposing coaches have complained for years about BYU having ‘grown men’ on their roster as opposed to 18-21 year olds, a result of the Mormon Church’s mission obligations. The 12th team is a toss-up; Colorado State, Boise State, California State-Fresno, Air Force?</p>
<p>They only whine when they lose. When they beat BYU the opposing coaches don’t mind those missionaries and how they spent two years not practicing their sport, getting out of shape, and letting their skills erode. Plus the whole Mormon missionary thing applies to Utah almost as much as it does to BYU. But since BYU is the perennial athletic powerhouse in the Rocky Mtn region, they get most of the complaints. Moreover, not all the Mormon athletes go to BYU or Utah. Remember Mark Madsen the big star at Stanford who later played for the Lakers? He served a Mormon mission. Conversely, many of big stars at BYU did not serve Mormon missions: Ty Detmer, Jim McMahon, and Steve Young among them. </p>
<p>Another thing is I don’t think Utah will join the PAC-10 without BYU, because they are long time in-state rivals. It would be like USC and UCLA moving into different leagues.</p>
<p>"They never should have added Penn State- they don’t fit in, not in the midwest. No rivalries, they’re outsiders. New Jersey??? How would that improve their academic reputation? This is a sports conference, not academics. Somehow I can’t see Rutgers students getting excited about any of the schools in the conference or having any knowledge about their states. The conferences need to be regional. I still think of the Big Ten, plus the other school nobody knows or cares about (sorry Penn State students, but you’re off the radar). "</p>
<p>Spoken like someone who has never lived outside Wisconsin. Perhaps you saw a little film called Goodbye Columbus. The brother from Long Island relives his days at Ohio State. Perhaps you even have heard of Ron Dayne or Anthony Davis, PJ HIll, Wes Mathews and a long list of others from the greater NJ/NY/CT area who brought glory to UW sports teams. With the lack, until recently, of major college sports in those states many college sports fans in the area grow up watching Big 10 sports, attending B10 universities, and becoming dedicated B10 fans for life. Kids from the northeast now are a key financial underpinning to those B10 schools through the OOS tuition they pay that helps support the underfinanced instaters.</p>
<p>What PSU and perhaps Rutgers bring is exposure and eyeballs in the most densely populated area of the US. This will help maintain the finances of the B10 sports teams, attract more students and their OOS tuition to B10 schools, and bring a little needed diversity to those midwest campuses. It will also help those midwest school grads get better access to the many high paying professional jobs in the northeast. Everyone wins except the isolationists.</p>
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