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If Big 10 goes to 16, why not Colorado?

Sportsfan101

Well-Known Member
If Big 10 goes to 16, they need to add 5 teams. To make expansion word from a $$$ perspective, to go to 16, Big 10 will need Texas and A&M.

That leaves 3 schools. Possibilities include Missouri, Nebraska, Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers (they don't carry NY despite whatever Rutgers fans may claim). I think CU is at least as desirable as those schools, and maybe more so, for one sole reason -- TV market size.

The Big 10 requires cable carriers in the Big 10 geographic footprint to carry the Big 10 Network on the first tier of programming at a cost per subscriber of approx. $.70 - $1.10/month. This fee has caused the Big 10 Network to be extremely successful, and every school in the Big 10 now receives more $$$$ on a yearly basis than Notre Dame receives on a yearly basis from its NBC contract. Even though the Denver Metro area may not have a huge % of die-hard CU fans, CU fans would demand that local cable carriers carry the Big 10 Network, and the Big 10 Network will only agree if they put it on the first tier of programming at a cost of, say, $.70 a pop per month. You do the math -- Denver market has 1.6 million people, 16th largest market in the country. That's a lot of $$$ at $.70 a pop a month.

Therefore, IF (and this is a big if) Big 10 goes to 16, I'd expect Colorado would be receiving a phone call.

Barnhardt knows his southern football, not sure about his knowledge of Big 10. But still an interesting read:
http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-colle...what-happens-if-the-big-ten-goes-to-16-teams/
 
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If Big 10 goes to 16, they need to add 5 teams. To make expansion word from a $$$ perspective, to go to 16, Big 10 will need Texas and A&M.

That leaves 3 schools. Possibilities include Missouri, Nebraska, Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers (they don't carry NY despite whatever Rutgers fans may claim). I think CU is at least as desirable as those schools, and maybe more so, for one sole reason -- TV market size.

The Big 10 requires cable carriers in the Big 10 geographic footprint to carry the Big 10 Network on the first tier of programming at a cost per subscriber of approx. $.30/month. This fee has caused the Big 10 Network to be extremely successful, and every school in the Big 10 now receives more $$$$ on a yearly basis than Notre Dame receives on a yearly basis from its NBC contract. Even though the Denver Metro area may not have a huge % of die-hard CU fans, CU fans would demand that local cable carriers carry the Big 10 Network, and the Big 10 Network will only agree if they put it on the first tier of programming at a cost of $.30 a pop per month. You do the math -- Denver market has 1.6 million people, 16th largest market in the country. That's a lot of $$$ at $.30 a pop a month.

Therefore, IF (and this is a big if) Big 10 goes to 16, I'd expect Colorado would be receiving a phone call.




Barnhardt knows his southern football, not sure about his knowledge of Big 10. But still an interesting read:
http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-colle...what-happens-if-the-big-ten-goes-to-16-teams/

Isn't it more like $0.75 to $1.00 per month in subscription fees? They get $0.10 per subscriber in any non-direct markets from being on a tiered package.
 
Isn't it more like $0.75 to $1.00 per month in subscription fees? They get $0.10 per subscriber in any non-direct markets from being on a tiered package.

I was wrong and you are correct -- $.70 to $1.10 per month in the Big 10 footprint based on a quick google search. I made the correction in the original post.
 
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If we were in a division like this:

Colorado
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Illinois
Missouri
Northwestern

I wouldn't say no. It would be the next best thing to a Pac-10 invite and probably much better revenue-wise for the school. If we can be financially secure for the next couple of decades, then you'd have to say YES to that. Traveling to those schools would be about the same as our Big 12 travel is right now, and probably easier to fly to. The home games would be a lot better, TV coverage 10x better. Bowl games better. And having 1 or 2 games a year against the other division (Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, and whatever two teams also get added (Notre Dame, Rutgers, Pitt).

If it was an "ACC" type division lineup where it spread from NJ or PA to CO then I'd say hell no.

If it was 5 former Big 12 teams (Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri) + Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in one division then I think I would rather be in the expanded Pac-10 so we don't turn into the Indiana for football of that division.
 
Logistics keeps this from being in the cards. Dumb idea anyway.

By logistics do you mean we'd have to fly all our teams to all away games, including revenue producing giants like the women's bball team and the volleyball team? Oh wait -- we already do that in the Big 12.
 
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It's a dumb idea because there are virtually zero CU alumni in the Big 10 footprint. This would further alienate the alumni we do have on the West Coast. We need to be doing what we can to re-connect with our alumni, not alienate them. You think we don't travel well to Big 12 cities? Wait until we get to go to such garden spots as West Lafayette, Iowa City, Columbus, Bloomington, and East Lansing. Our future lies to the West, not to the East.
 
It's a dumb idea because there are virtually zero CU alumni in the Big 10 footprint. This would further alienate the alumni we do have on the West Coast. We need to be doing what we can to re-connect with our alumni, not alienate them. You think we don't travel well to Big 12 cities? Wait until we get to go to such garden spots as West Lafayette, Iowa City, Columbus, Bloomington, and East Lansing. Our future lies to the West, not to the East.


:yeahthat:

I Couldn't have said it better Sacky
 
That's a good point on the alumni -- although it hasn't stopped us from Big 12 membership at this point. Still, I think $$$ talks and the Big 10 TV currently pays at least 5x the money per year that the Pac 10 TV deal pays out. College FB will continue to grow into the "haves" and the "have nots" and because of the Big 10 TV Network, the Big 10 will be a "have" for many years into the future. I'd feel more confident about CU hitching its wagon to the Big 10 than the Pac 10. I do agree that there are some pluses to the Pac 10 (better destinations and more alums), but the tradition of the Big 16 (or whatever it will be called) plus the $$$ would be a huge opportunity for CU.
 
That's a good point on the alumni -- although it hasn't stopped us from Big 12 membership at this point. Still, I think $$$ talks and the Big 10 TV currently pays at least 5x the money per year that the Pac 10 TV deal pays out. College FB will continue to grow into the "haves" and the "have nots" and because of the Big 10 TV Network, the Big 10 will be a "have" for many years into the future. I'd feel more confident about CU hitching its wagon to the Big 10 than the Pac 10. I do agree that there are some pluses to the Pac 10 (better destinations and more alums), but the tradition of the Big 16 (or whatever it will be called) plus the $$$ would be a huge opportunity for CU.

The Big 12 was an outgrowth of the Big 8. CU joined the Big 8 in the 50's, at a time when there wasn't air travel available to the masses and very few CU graduates left the state. Things are different now. As for the Big 10 television contract - there's no doubt that we'd love to have that kind of money coming into our coffers. But for all we know, the TV contract with the Pac will be just as lucrative, or at least pretty close. The idea of being in the Big 10 holds no attraction for me.
 
Penn State has had a hard enough time acclimating to the Big 11....what, a decade later? even with a +5 team format that included CU....I don't see the appeal. certainly not vs. the Pac. I have a couple PSU buddies and i think their perspective is they are still treated like the red headed step-child in Big 11 conference matters. one of the reasons if i were PSU i'd lobby like heck to get Pitt in the conference to consolidate PA as a Big 11 outpost. now, they are on an island. as far as recruiting, the other Big 10 teams raid PA, but PSU hasn't reaped the same benefits in talent rich Ohio or hoops rich Chicago and Indiana. it's been one way.
 
Penn State has had a hard enough time acclimating to the Big 11....what, a decade later? even with a +5 team format that included CU....I don't see the appeal. certainly not vs. the Pac. I have a couple PSU buddies and i think their perspective is they are still treated like the red headed step-child in Big 11 conference matters. one of the reasons if i were PSU i'd lobby like heck to get Pitt in the conference to consolidate PA as a Big 11 outpost. now, they are on an island. as far as recruiting, the other Big 10 teams raid PA, but PSU hasn't reaped the same benefits in talent rich Ohio or hoops rich Chicago and Indiana. it's been one way.

Penn State is an interesting story...they've had trouble "acclimating" in my mind because they no longer play the weak sisters of the poor on a weekly basis. When PSU was an independent, their schedule was laughable. I love Joe Paterno, but many of his wins were over the Temples of the world. I think PSU is a straw tiger in the sense that they've got a killer all-time record in large part because they didn't play anyone.
 
Penn State is an interesting story...they've had trouble "acclimating" in my mind because they no longer play the weak sisters of the poor on a weekly basis. When PSU was an independent, their schedule was laughable. I love Joe Paterno, but many of his wins were over the Temples of the world. I think PSU is a straw tiger in the sense that they've got a killer all-time record in large part because they didn't play anyone.

this is true. one of my "PSU buddies" was with me in grad school at CU. while adopting CU as "one of his teams", he used to regularly belittle the Big 8 as "just OU and NU and sometimes CU". i went back and researched PSU's schedule over the years and, as you say, while independent they had half a season of playing the Duquesne's and Bucknell's of the world with the service academies in the mix as well. it was pretty sad. towards the end, and they were very strong in the mid/late 80's and through the 90's, they stepped up some and were playing Bama and Miami and Nebraska.
 
Very interesting quotes by the Ohio State AD. This may be an attempt to smoke out Notre Dame, but who knows where this goes?

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sp...41C62F2783DDFA85862576FE00091995?OpenDocument

Ohio State President (E. Gordon Gee, former CU Prez) have been very vocal as "pro-expansion" people. Penn State's President Spanier has been described as "open-minded".

Illinois President Ikenberry has been publicly "political" about it, but seems to favor a conservative status-quo to "keep the tradition". Michigan's President and Michigan State's President have stated "no comment" due to their influential positions in this decision. Lou Anna Simon is MSU's President and is the Chair of the Council of Presidents/Chancellors that would review the expansion plan. Mary Sue Coleman, the Wolverins President, is probably one of the most powerful people in the decision making as she was rumored to be a possible replacement for Myles Brand as NCAA President and presides over Michigan University currently.

Indiana's past president was the one that voted against Penn State being invited to the conference, not sure if the "institution" would do the same this time around.

The Athletic Directors are all pretty much universal in their towing the conference line that it is a 5-year review and it must be a perfect fit in academics, athletics, etc etc; with the exception of Gene Smith and Barry Alvarez who have both publicly come out in favor of expansion.
 
Penn State has had a hard enough time acclimating to the Big 11....what, a decade later? even with a +5 team format that included CU....I don't see the appeal. certainly not vs. the Pac. I have a couple PSU buddies and i think their perspective is they are still treated like the red headed step-child in Big 11 conference matters. one of the reasons if i were PSU i'd lobby like heck to get Pitt in the conference to consolidate PA as a Big 11 outpost. now, they are on an island. as far as recruiting, the other Big 10 teams raid PA, but PSU hasn't reaped the same benefits in talent rich Ohio or hoops rich Chicago and Indiana. it's been one way.

But that's not a good comparison because while many of the original 10 schools are recognized football powers, PSU has never been much of a basketball school.
 
But that's not a good comparison because while many of the original 10 schools are recognized football powers, PSU has never been much of a basketball school.

sure, maybe i should have left hoops out of it.....but say CU joins the Pac 10. CU has never been a basketball power but would you not expect that to possibly open up CA, WA, and OR as recruiting areas for CU? at least more than now. same for PSU. all the other Big 10 hoops schools hit Chicago/Detroit for recruits. main point was (according to my buddies) they lose PA football players to other Big 10 schools far more than the recruiting returns in a reciprocal way, say, from Ohio high schools. because they seen as being off "the Big 10 proper" map. so, there's a kind of leeching effect of talent leaving the state as a result of joining the Big 11.
 
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In the Big 10, whatever Jim Delaney says should happen will happen. End of story.

My earlier thought that maybe the Big 10, by expanding to 16, are trying to force Notre Dame to join is supported by this article by Dennis Dodd that I just stumbled upon.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-ten-may-swallow-irish-in-expansive-landscape

Really interesting. From a CU fan's perspective, this seems to indicate that Big 10 expansion to 16 will be done with a focus on the Big East and not Mizzou/Nebraska/KU/Iowa State/CU/etc.
 
A Big East expansion for the Big 10, with maybe one of the Big 12 schools might be ideal for CU as it would increase the odds of bigger fish being willing to join us in the Pac 10. I'm not a huge advocate of going into the Pac 10 with a ton of the TX schools, but a Pac 10 + CU, UT, TAMU, NE, KS, Utah...now you're talking. You own the entire western / southwestern US, with a number of dominant football and basketball schools, a ton of eyeballs for a Pac !0 network, solid academics, and ties to recruiting in both Cali AND Texas. Only main issue is whether the revenue is additive enough when divvied 16 ways. My guess is the answer is yes if you start your own network. OK and OSU probably go SEC. ISU, KState,Baylor, Tech, and (maybe) Missouri admittedly get screwed, but a merger of them plus the MWC probably gets AQ status, and they could shift further east and join up with Louisville and Cincy.
 
In the Big 10, whatever Jim Delaney says should happen will happen. End of story.

My earlier thought that maybe the Big 10, by expanding to 16, are trying to force Notre Dame to join is supported by this article by Dennis Dodd that I just stumbled upon.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-ten-may-swallow-irish-in-expansive-landscape

Really interesting. From a CU fan's perspective, this seems to indicate that Big 10 expansion to 16 will be done with a focus on the Big East and not Mizzou/Nebraska/KU/Iowa State/CU/etc.

I don't think it is that simple as "Delaney gets what he wants". While he is the public voice of the Big Ten, there is no way that he can overpower the school president's will. Now, any changes or plans must originate with him, and his vision is what will get put in front of the presidents but it has to make sense to enough of them to get enacted; not just because Jim says so.

When Penn State was being voted on for expansion, there were several presidents that were not in favor, but the Big Ten does not require unanimous voting. When the Athletic Directors found out about it they all went ballistic and caused the process to be delayed much longer than anyone expected. "Big Jim" doesn't rule with an iron fist, especially in an "academic conference" like the Big Ten. And that would be a much bigger seismic shift in college sports!
 
While I would grant that Big Ten towns are further from the CU alumni base, those towns are hands-down better than those that we currently tour in the Big XII.

It's a dumb idea because there are virtually zero CU alumni in the Big 10 footprint. This would further alienate the alumni we do have on the West Coast. We need to be doing what we can to re-connect with our alumni, not alienate them. You think we don't travel well to Big 12 cities? Wait until we get to go to such garden spots as West Lafayette, Iowa City, Columbus, Bloomington, and East Lansing. Our future lies to the West, not to the East.
 
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