I think my vote is for Mizzou. Reading up on their Wiki, it seems like they are the historic type of institution that belongs in the Big 10

I thought this was interesting

MU is one of only six public universities that houses a law school, medical school, and a veterinary medicine school all on the same campus

That would give the Big 10 4 of the 6 with half already belonging to the Big Ten with Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

gorocks99 wrote: FYI, apparently Missou would listen to the Big Ten with "an enthusiastic ear": http://campuscorner.kansascity.com/node/571

That is interesting. I thought the Big XII was a good fit for them, especially now that their football team has improved. They have seemed to always be near the top of the list of schools discussed over the last few years. I'd rather see them, but what would be the biggest benefit to the Big Ten?

I'll take Pitt or Missouri. Nothing else.

devil1197 wrote: Mizzou has been serious about the B10 for some time, I guess something in the B12 upsets them.

That would be a pretty good addition to the conference imo.

I don't think the Big 12 necessarily upsets them -- I think they understand that financially the Big Ten offers waaaaay more than the Big 12 right now. And they also are almost a perfect fit geographically (Midwest, bring in two major media markets in St. Louis and KC, and already have a natural rivalry with Illinois).

If the Big Ten is going to go this route, Missouri makes the most sense.

Oh and for those advocating Rutgers because it would somehow bring in the NY media market: I'd argue that's not a win for the conference. The NYC media is pro-oriented and could care less about college sports for the most part. I doubt it would add much in the long run.

I'm trying to find the announcement, is it going to be a press conference or just a news release?

King Curtis wrote: Cincinnati
Syracuse
Missouri
Rutgers
Pittsburgh
Louisville

Which one makes the most sense?

Of this list Syracuse and Rutgers makes the least sense simply because of how far they are from the rest of the schools in the conference.

Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are both in states with Big Ten teams and are therefore logical fits. Cincinnati has a very small stadium compared to the rest of the Big Ten. Nippert Stadium has 12,000 less seats than Ryan Field at Northwestern, the current smallest stadium in the Big Ten. OSU has more student tickets than UC has seats! So they are out.

Pitt has a long and good football tradition and is a top 25 team yet again. They are a large public university and they give Penn State a natural rival, which is needed. They play in a stadium with 65,000 seats, but it's Heinz Field, which is off campus, and every other Big Ten school now has an on-campus stadium. Might be a good fit though.

Louisville seems like a nice fit. They boarder three Big Ten states. They are a public university. They have a great basketball tradition, and their basketball program is the most profitable in the country. Their football stadium is only 5,000 seats smaller than Northwestern's, and their football program has the capacity to be a contender in the future.

Missouri boarders two big ten states and already has an annual rivalry with one (Illinois). They are a school that has been, and can be, good in both football and basketball. It is the largest of the schools mentioned and has the largest stadium (71,000 seats).

Off all the schools mentioned, Missouri seems to fit the Big Ten mold the best, but Pitt seems to be the most logical team. If I were making the decision I'd rank them Missouri, Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Rutgers.

Which of those schools actually brings something to the table for the CIC though?

Wasn't it discussed before as well that the team they bring in would have to have wrestling as well from what I have heard. If that is the case and for the life of me I don't know where I read that, but then Cinci, Syracuse, Louisville, ND would be out.

Al Capone wrote:

mucalum49 wrote: I wouldn't mind Louisville. The football stadium seats 42k but the stadium web page states it is built to expand up to 80,000 so even half of that expansion would fit into a Big 10 size stadium. They would be strong in baseball and basketball as well as football (yes I think Strong will turn them around). Pitt would be a good choice IF they had their own football stadium. They don't bring as much in other sports though.

Pitt wouldnt bring much in other sports? Both men and womens basketball teams have been very good.

Check out Louisville's men and women basketball teams, not too shabby. Throw in a potential College World Series contending baseball team and a new 20,000 seat downtown Louisville arena. Reading some of the other posts I think Mizzou or Louisville would be the top choices although I am not aware of how Louisville is academically. Just purely looking at what each school brings to the conference athletically.

How about Pitt, after continual poundings from OSU and the rest, maybe Mark May would finally be quiet.

Bucknuts is over there --------->

Ok, dont kill my post but would any school from the MAC be a fit? How long would it take a selected team to get to the status to better fit the Big Eleven? And I think adding UC would give tOSU a rival in our own state!

I am

^^^ No teams make that much sense, but I too would love to see it.

Any school added would have to add something to the CIC.

I like the notion of Nebraska coming in.

That'll never happen. Nebraska is tied to the Big XII tighter than fab to the pole in wes' basement.

I vote Pitt

Scarlet_Buckeye wrote: I vote Pitt

Pitt adds decent major athletic teams, brings something to the CIC, but doesn't add a new viewer base.

I'd say those are probably the 3 biggest criteria that the Big Ten will be looking at

Like everyone else, I think Mizzou and Pitt are the best fits. Of the two, I like Missouri more.

Missouri will listen to a Big Ten offer because they feel they could win a football and basketball Title easier in the Big Ten than in the Big 12.

I would think Iowa State would like to be in the Big Ten for the same reason.

missouri to the big 10, tcu to the big 12...problem solved

j_crazy wrote: That'll never happen. Nebraska is tied to the Big XII tighter than fab to the pole in wes' basement.

I'm not convinced Nebraska is real happy with the Big XII right now. The Big XII title game used to rotate between a location in Texas and a location in the north. The Texas bias has now made it exclusively in Texas. Nebraska and Oklahoma used to be one of the biggest rivalries in college football. The Big XII changed all that by seperating Neb and OU, essentially slapping them in the face and saying OU/Texas is now the big rivalry in the Big XII. The Big XII network was in the works to provide better TV coverage. Texas had enough pull to say they didn't want it because it didn't make financial sense to them. Result? No Big XII network.

Mizzou leaving would probably bring in another texas team, and continuing to look like the former SWC, and Nebraska wants no part of that. TCU is mentioned as an addition if Mizzou leaves, but what does TCU offer the Big XII? 8,000 students? 40,000 seat stadium? Little history or tradition? Inability to sell out football games even on their best seasons? Not being able to compete at the same level in other sports? Bad change for the Big XII, and I'm sure Nebraska knows this.

the_system wrote: I'm not convinced Nebraska is real happy with the Big XII right now. The Big XII title game used to rotate between a location in Texas and a location in the north. The Texas bias has now made it exclusively in Texas. Nebraska and Oklahoma used to be one of the biggest rivalries in college football. The Big XII changed all that by seperating Neb and OU, essentially slapping them in the face and saying OU/Texas is now the big rivalry in the Big XII. The Big XII network was in the works to provide better TV coverage. Texas had enough pull to say they didn't want it because it didn't make financial sense to them. Result? No Big XII network.

Mizzou leaving would probably bring in another texas team, and continuing to look like the former SWC, and Nebraska wants no part of that. TCU is mentioned as an addition if Mizzou leaves, but what does TCU offer the Big XII? 8,000 students? 40,000 seat stadium? Little history or tradition? Inability to sell out football games even on their best seasons? Not being able to compete at the same level in other sports? Bad change for the Big XII, and I'm sure Nebraska knows this.

Is Nebraska-Oklahoma not still played on a yearly basis? For some reason I thought that was part of the deal when they split divisions, but I could be wrong.

I agree on TCU. I would think Houston would have a little bit of an edge getting into the conference over TCU if they're looking at Texas. Are there any other schools they'd consider (Tulsa?)?

enigmaax wrote:

the_system wrote: I'm not convinced Nebraska is real happy with the Big XII right now. The Big XII title game used to rotate between a location in Texas and a location in the north. The Texas bias has now made it exclusively in Texas. Nebraska and Oklahoma used to be one of the biggest rivalries in college football. The Big XII changed all that by seperating Neb and OU, essentially slapping them in the face and saying OU/Texas is now the big rivalry in the Big XII. The Big XII network was in the works to provide better TV coverage. Texas had enough pull to say they didn't want it because it didn't make financial sense to them. Result? No Big XII network.

Mizzou leaving would probably bring in another texas team, and continuing to look like the former SWC, and Nebraska wants no part of that. TCU is mentioned as an addition if Mizzou leaves, but what does TCU offer the Big XII? 8,000 students? 40,000 seat stadium? Little history or tradition? Inability to sell out football games even on their best seasons? Not being able to compete at the same level in other sports? Bad change for the Big XII, and I'm sure Nebraska knows this.

Is Nebraska-Oklahoma not still played on a yearly basis? For some reason I thought that was part of the deal when they split divisions, but I could be wrong.

I agree on TCU. I would think Houston would have a little bit of an edge getting into the conference over TCU if they're looking at Texas. Are there any other schools they'd consider (Tulsa?)?

Nebraska and Oklahoma are not played on a yearly basis. In my opinion it was a bad move for college football in general to get rid of that rivalry.

Houston has the student population (38,000), but I think they have a really small stadium (30,000). Not sure on Tulsa, but BYU might be an option.

I really like the idea of Nebraska coming into the Big 10. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and add Nebraska...those teams are some of the all-time greats. Nebraska is very competitive in Football, Baseball, Wrestling, Volleyball, and recently women's hoops. In the end it will be a money decision. Which school offers the most as far as $ potential. Nebraska can't offer a market like Missouri or NY, but they have rabid fans nationwide that will do anything to see their team play. Big Ten Network viewers would go through the roof.

Here's a good blog I found on Nebraska as a choice and why it seems obvious. The article is from May, however.

http://weisnd.blogspot.com/2009/05/big-ten-expansion-guide-for-possible.html

"For my #1 choice for Big Ten expansion, let's go to Lincoln, Nebraska. If the Big 10 is looking for football tradition and a big time atmosphere and big time fanbase, there's really nothing like Nebraska football. Their fans are right up there with the best in the nation, and the passion for Husker football in the whole state is unmatched. If the Big 10 was looking for a powerhouse program to anchor a "Western Division," I don't know how they wouldn't at least inquire about Nebraska. Suddenly, the league would have four heavyweights with great tradition and huge fanbases. For the Big 10, the benefits of adding a program like Nebraska would be obvious. They are a no-brainer.

Here's how I would sell Nebraska on the Big 10. Even though I consider Nebraska to still be an elite program, they have sort of been marginalized in the Big 12. The Big 12 has turned into a Texas-oriented league these days. Texas is running the show, and OU is right there with a roster full of Texans. Plus, you have Texas Tech and A&M with huge pull down there. If you want to win in the Big 12, you have to be hitting the Texas area hard for players.

Plus, the Big 12 headquarters are based in Dallas. The marquee game of the year is no longer OU-Nebraska. They don't even play every year any more. Now, it's OU-Texas. That is THE Big 12 game, and the other Texas rivalries are close behind. It is plainly obvious that the focus of the league has shifted to the Big 12 South with the Big 12 North fighting for scraps. For Nebraska, they are now sort of an afterthought in the Big 12 mixed in there with Kansas and Missouri even though they have as much tradition as anyone in the conference. I don't know if that has hurt their recruiting in the Midwest, but maybe players are reaching the point where a Nebraska offer is no different than an offer from Missouri and Kansas. Nebraska doesn't seem to have the same profile right now that they have traditionally had in the league.

Would that change in the Big 10?? Honestly, I think it could be a great move for Nebraska's football program. The Big 10 programs are sort of the old school, traditional programs that remind me of Nebraska. It's Midwestern football instead of southern football. Cold weather, leaves changing colors, hard nosed Midwestern players, fans with Midwestern accents who wear corny sweaters to games. Isn't that basically Nebraska?? Wouldn't they fit in better with Iowa fans and Illinois fans and Wisconsin fans than Texas Tech and A&M fans??

I think a school like Nebraska could get into Illinois and Ohio and Indiana for players while also mining their region and nabbing some kids out of Texas. Bo Pelini is an Ohio guy who could probably make an attractive pitch to kids from this part of the country. Nebraska isn't really on the radar in Ohio, but it would be if they were in the Big 10.

I think they'd be a great cultural fit for the league. Maybe Nebraska doesn't have a bunch of media markets, but there are Husker fans all over. And I guarantee that the Big 10 Network would be getting record ratings on a nightly basis in Lincoln and Omaha if Nebraska joined the league. Those folks follow Nebraska football with a religious fervor.

To me, Nebraska is a grand slam. The expansion is about football. If you are looking for football, go get Nebraska. For Big 10 fans, going out to Lincoln for a game would be a must-do road trip almost immediately. They'd give the league a perfect partner for a 12th team, and they'd be the marquee name that would really accelerate the process for a Big 10 championship game. "