College Football--Big Ten Expansion

[Anonymous]

Is the Big 12 actually in a great place? None of their new additions are wonderful. Their deal isn't amazing. They are fine for a few years but I wouldn't bet on the Big 12 looking like it does now in 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the Big 12 actually in a great place? None of their new additions are wonderful. Their deal isn't amazing. They are fine for a few years but I wouldn't bet on the Big 12 looking like it does now in 10 years.

They are safe. There is real parity and they have a shot at the CFB. At the same time, there are no teams head and shoulder above the rest clamoring to get out which gives them stability that the Pac12 and ACC lacked.

[Anonymous]

The Big 12 Conference is in great shape & run by astute people.

An interesting article titled: Could Going Independent in Football Make sense for Stanford ?

Probably written by a Stanford student.

The website is: stanford.rivals.com/news/

Interesting & entertaining, but more of a fantasy piece than a realistic one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the Big 12 actually in a great place? None of their new additions are wonderful. Their deal isn't amazing. They are fine for a few years but I wouldn't bet on the Big 12 looking like it does now in 10 years.

They are safe. There is real parity and they have a shot at the CFB. At the same time, there are no teams head and shoulder above the rest clamoring to get out which gives them stability that the Pac12 and ACC lacked.

The ACC is fine with the playoff too. It was basically rigged to favor the old P5! The playoff position isn't a particular strength for the Big 12. Their $$ situation is also much weaker than the SEC and B1G and will likely be even worse comparatively next time around. I agree they'll get a team into the expanded playoff and probably more than one many years but the conference isn't in a great spot, especially since many of their teams have championship aspirations. I don't think you'll see many Big 12 teams in the semis or better from 2025 on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ACC is loaded with strong academic schools. Granted that Stanford & UCal-Berkeley are exceptional, but many ACC schools are outstanding with respect to academics.

Delusional.  Stanford and Cal are several academic levels above all ACC schools.  UVA, UNC, Miami, BC, etc.. aren't even close.

What I don't understand is that Stanford and Cal are loaded in endowment, those schools can reach into the fund to support the athletic department without any issues.  They have so many "rich" alumni there.  One would imagine that 30M/year is a drop in the bucket for Doordash CEO Tony Xu or Stanford Jerry Yang.  Stanford and Cal don't need to join the ACC to get that kind of cash.

Stanford yes on above others. Cal not so much. UVA, UNC, Miami, BC, Wake all Cal level. No one in the Pac 12 was near Cal either. Closest was UCLA and Cal.

Schools will not -- not a one -- tap endowment for sports. It will never happen except for that part of the endowment that is for sports. And no there is no pool of alums at any school willing to guarantee 30 million a year. This is all fantasy.

30M a year is just so little for many of the Silicon Valley Alumni that graduated from Stanford or Cal. I am sure it can be easily done. Larry Page made 8B in 2022 so 30M is .375% of his earnings.

If it were so easy it would have been done. It would take a gift of $600 million to have a year in year out guarantee of $30 million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if Stanford University offered to join the Big Ten Conference at a 50% payout forever, there is no value to the Big Ten Conference. Stanford's football value is in its rivalry relationship with Notre Dame.

Maybe Stanford could try being an independent for a year or two rather than dropping its football program, but there just do not appear to be any other economically viable options for Stanford football. And Cal football is in a worse position than Stanford football.

Stanford because they are Stanford would not take anything less than a full payout. Anything less damages the overall brand.

[Anonymous]

If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Notre Dame can remain as an independent because Notre Dame football draws viewers regardless of the opponent.

Stanford & Cal football cannot even generate excitement among their own respective student bodies.

(The US Military Academy at West Point is also an independent in D-1 college football.)

If the big conferences all go to a 10 game schedule, there won't be anyone for Navy to play other than second tier competition and the service academies...and I guess Stanford and Cal.

Actually. there won’t be any top teams from the conference for Notre Dame to play, except the traditional rivalry with USC. Why would a top B1G team want to schedule a game with ND when they will already have 5-6 tough rivalry games every year? Top teams would be more inclined to play a service academy before ND with only 2 out of conference games a year. In Michigan’s case, I guarantee that those 2 games will always be at home. Too much money lost playing home and away series in a diminished out of conference schedule. Michigan traditionally has 7 home games a year. I doubt they will be satisfied having only 6 in alternative years. Notre Dame will be forced to join a league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

Every rival is 3 time zones away, except for each other. It doesn’t work. Why do you think the Big aren’t added Washington and Oregon. I expect the Big Ten to eventually include Stanford and Berkeley, simply to anppease its west coast participants.

[Anonymous]

^^^^please excuse the typos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if Stanford University offered to join the Big Ten Conference at a 50% payout forever, there is no value to the Big Ten Conference. Stanford's football value is in its rivalry relationship with Notre Dame.

Maybe Stanford could try being an independent for a year or two rather than dropping its football program, but there just do not appear to be any other economically viable options for Stanford football. And Cal football is in a worse position than Stanford football.

Stanford because they are Stanford would not take anything less than a full payout. Anything less damages the overall brand.

Absolutely incorrect.

Stanford's brand with respect to football is weak. Stanford has almost zero chance of receiving a full share payout from either the Big Ten Conference or from the SEC. Also, near zero percent chance that Stanford would get a full share payout from the ACC initially. If Stanford and its athletes survive for over 5 years in the ACC, then a full share would be likely.

Stanford had much more value as a Pac-12 member due to geography & to rivalries.

Your second sentence regarding damaging the Stanford brand is not based on sound reasoning when applied to Stanford's football program. It does not have the value that you wish it did.

This is about athletics and about football, not about academics, endowment, or research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

Every rival is 3 time zones away, except for each other. It doesn’t work. Why do you think the Big aren’t added Washington and Oregon. I expect the Big Ten to eventually include Stanford and Berkeley, simply to anppease its west coast participants.

Reasonable thought, but the West Coast Big Ten Conference member schools may not want Stanford & Cal in the same conference due to recruiting competition for the best football players in California and in neighboring states. Yes, it would reduce travel and might preserve some minor rivalries, but college football is almost all about recruiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

Nice, but you only presented 10 games; current college regular season schedules 12 games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

Every rival is 3 time zones away, except for each other. It doesn’t work. Why do you think the Big aren’t added Washington and Oregon. I expect the Big Ten to eventually include Stanford and Berkeley, simply to anppease its west coast participants.

Not that big of a deal and that is what we are moving to. either 2, 3, or 4 national conferences. I doubt 4. Most likely 2 SEC and Big10 but possibly ACC if they could do it right. The move to national conferences is happening. Indeed it is why an ACC/SEC merger is not far fetched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If ND, Cal, and Stanford joined the ACC -- the ND schedule

Stanford
Cal
Miami
BC
GTech
Clemson
Duke - for the win
Wake - for the win

Navy
USC

They would do this.

Every rival is 3 time zones away, except for each other. It doesn’t work. Why do you think the Big aren’t added Washington and Oregon. I expect the Big Ten to eventually include Stanford and Berkeley, simply to anppease its west coast participants.

Not that big of a deal and that is what we are moving to. either 2, 3, or 4 national conferences. I doubt 4. Most likely 2 SEC and Big10 but possibly ACC if they could do it right. The move to national conferences is happening. Indeed it is why an ACC/SEC merger is not far fetched.

An ACC/SEC is far-fetched because ESPN is not paying SEC money to Wake Forest, Duke, and Boston College.