Paterno pushing For Big10 to Expand to 12

[tbozeglav]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4118848Saw this story on ESPN. When Joe-Pa mentioned those 3 Big East teams, it made me wonder if this is the door that might open a slot in the Big East for us. Now, I know this is a horse that's been beaten to the point where you could drink the remnants, but this is a very, very interesting story to hear.

[ZachTheZip]

Put this up on the MAC board and you'll see every single possibility you could imagine being thrown out there. We're the conference that needs to either expand or contract. None of the others face a scheduling problem like the MAC does, except for the Big East with their 7-game conference slate.In fact, if you don't mind, I'll put this up on the MAC site now and see what becomes of it. Conference expansion threads are usually entertaining.

[tbozeglav]

I honestly dont care... if thats what you were asking.I just know this topic has been beaten to a royal pulp on these boards, but seeing this story and the schools Joe-Pa throws out there really makes it interesting. To get this out of the way, I am a supporter of staying in the MAC and building a perennial powerhouse before moving somewhere else. However, if the opportunity presents itself... I'd be hard pressed to pass on it. Something to note about Joe-Pa throwing those teams out there... they are regional to Penn State. If any of them were to be invited to the Big10 (dont even want to begin to think what the conference would be called if they expanded to 12... :facepalm: ), they'd be in direct competition regionally for TV time and recruits. Not sure why Joe Pa would want another team from that region to be in the same conference as his team... but looking at things realistically, those are the best teams that would fit a Big10 conference expansion. Anyways... interesting story to think about... Im interested to see what comes of this.

[ZachTheZip]

I heard about Missouri being a candidate for expansion a few years ago. We always think about what would happen to the Big east, but what if the Big XII was the one needing another team? What kind of chain-reaction would that create?

[tbozeglav]

I heard about Missouri being a candidate for expansion a few years ago. We always think about what would happen to the Big east, but what if the Big XII was the one needing another team? What kind of chain-reaction would that create?

In regards to Missouri... I dont see them going anywhere anytime soon. They've been the only consistent Big12 North school to give the Big12 South any competition. The Big12 needs to keep Missouri, otherwise the Big12 would become grossly unbalanced. However, if the Big10 was SOMEHOW (and I put big emphasis on this because any Big12 team would be a fool to leave that conference right now) able to lure a Big12 team to the Big10, the Big12 would be stuck short a team. There's no way that the Big12 would pick any schools east of the mississippi, and there really aren't any teams "big" enough to fill that slot anywhere in the great plains region. My theory on all this: If the Big10 decides they will expand their conference to 12 teams, they are going to seek either Notre Dame or an elite Big East team. Any team located in the eastern Midwest region would be ideal for the Big10. Seeing how the Big East is really the only major conference that has conference members in that region, they'd be the Big10's prime target. Personally, if the Big10 can't lure Notre Dame in (which is entirely possible given past attempts), I see the Big10 going after Pitt, West Virginia, or Syracuse. Geographically, Rutgers is a too far East to make sense for the Big10.

[vmd9]

I really hope Notre Dame doesn't go to the Big10, and honestly I don't think they ever will. Paterno suggested Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt, which in my opinion are way to weak for the Big10. We could easily beat Rutgers, we crushed 'cuse last year, and Pitt has their ups and downs. If I had to pick the perfect team for them to add, I would say West Virginia they have one of the biggest fan bases in the Big East and are pretty strong most of the time. Also, not that it is important at all, but I have noticed that every school, with the exception or Northwestern is named for the state its in, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, etc...so why not West Virginia haha I mean teams like that tend to have a fanbase that covers the whole state...

[Quickzips]

Ohh joy, another Big East expansion thread.

[skip-zip]

Without repeating most of what I've said before about this topic, I'll just say this...I'd like to say that news like this would make me take notice, and get me excited about the possibility that we could have an opening to move up to a major conference. I really wish I could hang my hat on some things that are impressive enough to make a major conference consider our admission. We aren't in that position. We have a long way to go.

[Dead Horse]

Ohh joy, another Big East expansion thread.

At least you are still alive and only sleeping. I'm dead with a lot of credit to this topic.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Please please please can someone draw up possible new conference alignments??!! Include UMass, Western Ken.tucky, and Delaware if possible. I'd also like to see its effect on Conference USA.

[Dave in Green]

..... Paterno suggested Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt, which in my opinion are way to weak for the Big10. We could easily beat Rutgers .....

You might want to do a little more research on Rutgers. As recently as 2006, they were as high as #12 in the polls. Their coach, Greg Schiano, was Michigan's second choice after LSU's Les Miles to replace the retiring Lloyd Carr. But he instead elected to remain with Rugers with the hope of building it into a perennial power. Rutgers may have slipped a little in the last couple of years, but it's wishful thinking to believe the current Zips team could knock them off, easily or otherwise.

[zen]

Ohh joy, another Big East expansion thread.

At least you are still alive and only sleeping. I'm dead with a lot of credit to this topic.

not just dead.... "beaten to the point where you could drink the remnants" WV is a blatantly obvious fit for the big10.Even with our lack of dominance, I think that if you look at the overall state of things in our top sports indicates that we are poised to have a lower risk of being a detriment to the Big East than many other candidates. In other words, even though we are not a spectacular gem to add to their crown, our potential risk of sliding is comparatively appealing

[Zipgrad01]

I heard about Missouri being a candidate for expansion a few years ago. We always think about what would happen to the Big east, but what if the Big XII was the one needing another team? What kind of chain-reaction would that create?

In regards to Missouri... I dont see them going anywhere anytime soon. They've been the only consistent Big12 North school to give the Big12 South any competition. The Big12 needs to keep Missouri, otherwise the Big12 would become grossly unbalanced. However, if the Big10 was SOMEHOW (and I put big emphasis on this because any Big12 team would be a fool to leave that conference right now) able to lure a Big12 team to the Big10, the Big12 would be stuck short a team. There's no way that the Big12 would pick any schools east of the mississippi, and there really aren't any teams "big" enough to fill that slot anywhere in the great plains region. My theory on all this: If the Big10 decides they will expand their conference to 12 teams, they are going to seek either Notre Dame or an elite Big East team. Any team located in the eastern Midwest region would be ideal for the Big10. Seeing how the Big East is really the only major conference that has conference members in that region, they'd be the Big10's prime target. Personally, if the Big10 can't lure Notre Dame in (which is entirely possible given past attempts), I see the Big10 going after Pitt, West Virginia, or Syracuse. Geographically, Rutgers is a too far East to make sense for the Big10.

Actually, Rutgers is the school that Big Ten would probably go after for the simple fact that it is in the largest market in the country (New York city metro). The Big Ten has been itching for years to get into a market of that size. The prestige of the Big Ten would do nothing but help Rutgers as far as athletics is concerned and it would be a cash cow for the conference.

[GP1]

I heard about Missouri being a candidate for expansion a few years ago. We always think about what would happen to the Big east, but what if the Big XII was the one needing another team? What kind of chain-reaction would that create?

In regards to Missouri... I dont see them going anywhere anytime soon. They've been the only consistent Big12 North school to give the Big12 South any competition. The Big12 needs to keep Missouri, otherwise the Big12 would become grossly unbalanced. However, if the Big10 was SOMEHOW (and I put big emphasis on this because any Big12 team would be a fool to leave that conference right now) able to lure a Big12 team to the Big10, the Big12 would be stuck short a team. There's no way that the Big12 would pick any schools east of the mississippi, and there really aren't any teams "big" enough to fill that slot anywhere in the great plains region. My theory on all this: If the Big10 decides they will expand their conference to 12 teams, they are going to seek either Notre Dame or an elite Big East team. Any team located in the eastern Midwest region would be ideal for the Big10. Seeing how the Big East is really the only major conference that has conference members in that region, they'd be the Big10's prime target. Personally, if the Big10 can't lure Notre Dame in (which is entirely possible given past attempts), I see the Big10 going after Pitt, West Virginia, or Syracuse. Geographically, Rutgers is a too far East to make sense for the Big10.

Actually, Rutgers is the school that Big Ten would probably go after for the simple fact that it is in the largest market in the country (New York city metro). The Big Ten has been itching for years to get into a market of that size. The prestige of the Big Ten would do nothing but help Rutgers as far as athletics is concerned and it would be a cash cow for the conference.

Wouldn't quality of product be more important than location? Rutgers is about as uninteresting as....well....the rest of the Big Ten. You can't force people to watch TV, you can only give them good programing and hope they watch. I'd take going to the gun club any day over watching Rutgers. It's hard for people from the midwest to understand, but people in the northeast are not interested in Big Ten football. They have their own teams like UCONN, Syracuse and BC and have no interest in Iowa, etc.Let's face it, Notre Dame is the logical choice for the Big Ten. Untaped media market? How about the entire country? The move would break NDs ties with NBC and make the Big Ten Network that much more valuable. The problem is there is very little for ND to gain from joining the Big Ten. They have their own TV network so why give that up to join the Big Ten. The biggest thing ND gains is joining a very average conference in both FB and BB. Average teams playing average competition have the appearance of looking good. Remember how good NDs BB team was supposed to be at the beginning of this year before playing Big East competition?ND has now run into the same problems as the Big Ten. Like the rest of the Big Ten schools, it is located in a part of the country where good "athletes" don't want to live and are not from, South Bend is an ugly place (yes, I've been there more than once), snow, girls in winter coats half the year, uninteresting style of football and some level of academic standards. Let's face it, you can almost be retarded and go to an SEC school.

[tbozeglav]

Wouldn't quality of product be more important than location? Rutgers is about as uninteresting as....well....the rest of the Big Ten. You can't force people to watch TV, you can only give them good programing and hope they watch. I'd take going to the gun club any day over watching Rutgers. It's hard for people from the midwest to understand, but people in the northeast are not interested in Big Ten football. They have their own teams like UCONN, Syracuse and BC and have no interest in Iowa, etc.Let's face it, Notre Dame is the logical choice for the Big Ten. Untaped media market? How about the entire country? The move would break NDs ties with NBC and make the Big Ten Network that much more valuable. The problem is there is very little for ND to gain from joining the Big Ten. They have their own TV network so why give that up to join the Big Ten. The biggest thing ND gains is joining a very average conference in both FB and BB. Average teams playing average competition have the appearance of looking good. Remember how good NDs BB team was supposed to be at the beginning of this year before playing Big East competition?ND has now run into the same problems as the Big Ten. Like the rest of the Big Ten schools, it is located in a part of the country where good "athletes" don't want to live and are not from, South Bend is an ugly place (yes, I've been there more than once), snow, girls in winter coats half the year, uninteresting style of football and some level of academic standards. Let's face it, you can almost be retarded and go to an SEC school.

Not just the SEC, but pretty much any upper-class college school. I know its a generalization of all schools, but its pretty much the case. In regards to Rutgers... While it's true the New York media market would be a huge market to get involved in, it's already dominated by the Big East. Nobody out there cares about the Big10. If anything, Rutgers joining the Big10 would actually hurt them more than help them as far as the media goes. Next up would be West Virginia. They're in the right location and have the media market thats best representative of the majority of Big10 teams (big state school, huge loyal fanbase, etc). Yeah, Pitt and Syracuse would be good, but right now Basketball is their only strong suit. They're weak football schools, and we all know the Big10 relies on its football product more than its basketball product.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I want to know about Western Ken.tucky's role in the new MAC!!!Can anyone ever envision the Big 10 commissioner stating "We are proud to announce Rutgers has joined the Big 10."

[zips4ever2008]

If the Big 10/11 adds another team then someone needs to change the conference name because we'll have two Big 12s. I guess you can have the Midwest 12 or the Big-Mid 12. I still find it amusing how the Big 10/11 can't count how many schools they have in their conference. For now, I'd say we stay in the MAC and start dominating in football and basketball. We do have other sports that do well against the MAC and other conferences like track and field and soccer. Schedule teams from conferences like the Big 10/11 to see how we stack up. If we can pull some upsets aganist bigger competition, I would feel a whole lot better about joining another conference.

[Kangaroo Craig]

One point that nobody made is the the Big East is arguably better top to bottom than the Big 10 in Basketball. If you are primarily a basketball school such as Syracuse and Pitt, why would you want to leave the Big East? Overall the Big Ten is an upgrade, but not necessarily for basketball. I have not seen the $$, but I would have to think that joining the Big Ten would be a monetary benefit to any Big East school considering the Big Ten TV contracts in place. That alone would be enticing to any school.

[ZachTheZip]

Rutgers would jump much quicker than Pitt or 'Cuse would. Rutgers is a football school in a basketball conference and one of the main proponents of the Big East splitting.

[Zipmeister]

I really hope Notre Dame doesn't go to the Big10, and honestly I don't think they ever will. Paterno suggested Rutgers, Syracuse, and Pitt, which in my opinion are way to weak for the Big10. We could easily beat Rutgers, we crushed 'cuse last year, and Pitt has their ups and downs. If I had to pick the perfect team for them to add, I would say West Virginia they have one of the biggest fan bases in the Big East and are pretty strong most of the time. Also, not that it is important at all, but I have noticed that every school, with the exception or Northwestern is named for the state its in, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, etc...so why not West Virginia haha I mean teams like that tend to have a fanbase that covers the whole state...

Everyone who was born in the state of Purdue, please raise your hand.

[ksu sucks]

Everyone who was born in the state of Purdue, please raise your hand.

Don't question logic.

[zen]

We need a Big MAC and little MAC. I smell endorsement money.I could see the Big-10 taking Rutgers if they really felt it would increase the bottom line*raises hand*

[GP1]

One point that nobody made is the the Big East is arguably better top to bottom than the Big 10 in Basketball. If you are primarily a basketball school such as Syracuse and Pitt, why would you want to leave the Big East? Overall the Big Ten is an upgrade, but not necessarily for basketball. I have not seen the $$, but I would have to think that joining the Big Ten would be a monetary benefit to any Big East school considering the Big Ten TV contracts in place. That alone would be enticing to any school.

Interesting points. Let's examine.....There should be no argument that the Big East is better than the Big Ten in BB. In fact, the BE is the best conference in college basketball........hands down. The competition and talent is absolutely brutal. I don't remember any BE team losing to the likes of Sienna in the Tournament. MSU making the finals can be more explained by a team on a three week run at the end of the year instead of a good team from a good conference making the finals. Why would Big Ten football be an upgrade over the BE? The BE and BT are second tier conferences behind the SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10. From top to bottom, the BE = BT in football. They both have overrated teams at the top (see PSU and tOSU getting destroyed by USC, a team that lost to Oregon State, in the same season), extremely average teams in the middle that beat up on I-AA teams and MAC schools early in the season to become bowl eligible and MAClike teams at the bottom. I'll give you that Syracuse is primarily a BB school, but Pitt? Pitt is a football school that happens to have a good basketball team.

[ksu sucks]

Why would Big Ten football be an upgrade over the BE? The BE and BT are second tier conferences behind the SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10. From top to bottom, the BE = BT in football. They both have overrated teams at the top (see PSU and tOSU getting destroyed by USC, a team that lost to Oregon State, in the same season), extremely average teams in the middle that beat up on I-AA teams and MAC schools early in the season to become bowl eligible and MAClike teams at the bottom.

Not sure what the OP's thoughts were, but maybe they were looking at things economically. Sure, BE and B10 are(arguably) equivalent in the product they put on the field, but the Big Ten rakes in a lot more dough annually. Is it right? No. But that's why the Big 10 may be a more lucrative option for many Big East teams.