Pac10 expansion, it’s happening folks.
Posted on 03. Jun, 2010 at 2:41 pm by Kinger in NCAA Football, Oregon Ducks Football, PAC-10 Football
Chip Brown
Orangebloods.com
The Big 12 meetings are reaching their climax Thursday and Friday in Kansas City with the presidents and chancellors from the league coming together to discuss pressing issues, including sites for championships. (Look for the Big 12 title game in football to stay at Cowboys Stadium for the next three years.)
But when it comes to possible realignment, the Big 12 meetings may be premature.
Why?
Because it appears the Pac-10, which has its meetings in San Francisco starting this weekend, is prepared to make a bold move and invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league, according to multiple sources close to the situation.
Here is how the divisons would lay out:
USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State.
Arizona, Arizona State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado.
Financial/TV aspects:
Putting together an exlcusive network (a la the Big 11) could net each school upwards of $20 million per year. That would be more than the SECs deal ($17 mil) and by far the most lucrative in the country.
This would give the ‘Pac-16′ 7 of the country’s top-20 TV markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Seattle and Sacramento).
I for one generally don’t like the old guy in the room that is afraid of change, thinking the past/present is always better than the future. But, I think in this situation, I am the old guy. This general direction the NCAA (driven the the monster that is college football) frightens me. All of these “super conferences” resemble nothing but cash grabs to me, that will make the already powerhouse programs, that much more so. Now, schools like OSU and Wazzu that generate little revenue, will now have an influx of cash that they normally would not. This may help them, but in no way will it even the playing field with schools like SC or Texas that already generate more money than the other would under the new model.
The ‘weak’ will get stronger. But the stronger will as well.
This is like giving steroids to the guy that can already bench 500 pounds.
Gone will be the round robin schedule that the Pac10 currently plays, thus crowing a true champ. In will be then unbalanced schedules that could make one team play @SC, Texas and UO in the same year, while another team in their division misses two of the trio, and gets the other game at home.
Unbalanced schedules have made the Big12 championship game messy in the past, and would get even worse under this model. Remember when Mizzou beat KU, went to the title game, lost to OU for their only loss, but KU was sent to the Orange Bowl instead of the Tigers? How about 2001? CU crushes Nebraska to win the Big12 North. Beats Texas in the Big12 title game, yet Nebraska gets sent to the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP game to get smashed by Miami? Not only screwing the Ducks (#2 in both the polls), but screwing logic at the same time–right in the ear. Duck fans will never get over how a team that didn’t even win it’s own division can get sent to the National Title game. Now, one can look at these as examples as a model of “opportunity”, where more teams could be BCS bound, even without winning a division, but it is pretty lame at the same time.
Financially, it is a no brainer, the super conference will pump in the cash. Let’s be honest, cash makes the world go ’round, and this evolution of college sports will go on with or without the Pac10, but that doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make it a better product. And it certainly doesn’t make it make sense to most.
But hey, the Wu Tang Killer Bees said it best; CREAM!!
Now, take it away Raekwon:
Tom
03. Jun, 2010
Well, this would pretty much put an end to the Oregon Dynasty. I don’t know how much I would like the pac being 16 teams, however I am not opposed to expansion. I was thinking 12 teams.
El Rey
03. Jun, 2010
T bag, certainly with the model that is being proposed–Oregon wouldn’t be winning many conference titles, but neither would anyone other than $C and Texas.
I am generally fine with 12 teams, but 16 seems like a tad much.
Jeremiah Ma-stole-i
03. Jun, 2010
Hey Longhorn fans, tell me how the 2000 Holiday Bowl tastes!
3d
03. Jun, 2010
I’m rooting for 12 teams so the Pac catches up w/ the big 12 and SEC. Pac ten teams in contention for a BCS bid usually get hosed b/c they don’t play on championship weekend.
bbryan
03. Jun, 2010
this won’t happen until the BCS starts allowing 3 teams from the same conference into the BCS
Jeremiah Ma-stole-i
03. Jun, 2010
I love smokin’ cess and drinkin’ beer, and I aint tryin’ to hear what Chip is kickin’ in my ear.
Mick
07. Jun, 2010
I’m not hating on the fact that the Pac-10 is out hunting teams down from the Big 12, but Colorado?? C’mon guys, moving that school into the Pac-10 or Pac-16 would be a big mistake for CU…. Playing any sport in the division of a conference would guarantee and last place finish for the next 20 years. We’d also be losing our rivalries with Kansas, KState, and Nebraska in football. May not seem big to you all on the west coast, but if that happens here then the whole town may chase the board of trustees off the Royal Gorge bridge in Southern CO….
bbryan
07. Jun, 2010
You are thinking like a fan Mick. Will CU make more money in the pac-10? If yes, then they go, in no then they don’t go. Simple as that.
El Rey
07. Jun, 2010
I guess if your rivals in football are the Jayhawks and Wilcats, no one should really even want you. I agree with Mick, CU should stay far away from the soon-to-be expanding Pac10.
Mick
07. Jun, 2010
It’s tough to say whether or not CU will make more money that it does now in the Big 12. Remember that all of the Texas and Oklahoma schools bring in big $$$ along with Nebraska. I’m not sure what the revenue split is because each team has their own TV contracts with FoxSports. I would assume that CU may get more money from a national contract, but it’s hard to tell because they already have their own exclusive deal with FoxSports Rocky Mountain…
Keeping regional rivalries that spark regional interests should not be broken just to make a quick dime. Who cares what you really think about CU’s rivals anyway King?
bbryan
07. Jun, 2010
I have heard Colorado may be on the outs and Baylor may be on the way in. Trust me Mick, you want to hop aboard this train, you don’t want to become part of the MWC. The big money will be coming in because the Pac-10 is going to have their own TV newtork. Being that you are a Yankee fan I’m sure you know how lucritive having your own TV network can be.
Plus the big 12 was founded in 1994, not exactly a long traditional conference.