Hook em Big XI

Friday morning I blogged about conference expansion over on the OVC's official blog ovcinsider.blogspot.com and since I'm too lazy and it wouldn't make any sense, to write a similar post on the topic here I'll just link it so you can give it a read.

I try to stay impartial on the OVC blog but since this is Fresh 35, I don't mind tellin ya - I don't want the big ten to expand UNLESS they can pull in a texas or a notre dame. I'll let it be known right now that I strongly dislike all things fighting irish but I'm also no fool and realize what the addition of their school would mean for the conference which is why I support that addition. I also support the addition of Texas, as crazy as that sounds on the surface. I used inaccurate information in the OVC blog about Texas turning down the Big Ten before they went to the Big 12. It wasn't until later that night I discovered that the Big Ten was interested in bringing Texas on but it couldn't pull the trigger since they had just brought in Penn State when Texas approached the Big Ten. Those restrictions no longer apply and I think it would be a good fit.

Pat Atwell, the former AD at Quincy when I was an undergrad used to talk about the fear of "super conferences" I listened to his thoughts on the topic but never really thought it would happen, but events have been put in motion recently and I think we will start to see the formation of super conferences, starting with the big ten. This is why I think the time is perfect for the Big Ten to approach Texas, Notre Dame and a third party yet to be identified where they'll proposition them with the ever growing big ten network platform which has helped Northwestern make more television revenue than both Texas and Notre Dame. The only way adding teams to a conference makes sense is if the schools coming in can bring enough television revenue with them to add to the collective pot rather than split it up in smaller quantities due to more teams. It's because of that aspect that I think we will see the big ten move to 14 teams and create new television markets in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and likely the entire Southwest and pick up a national following with the addition of Notre Dame and a market yet to be determined...maybe st. louis and kansas city with mizzou, maybe some of new york with syracuse.

Once that happens, look for Colorado to bounce from the big 12 and if the Big Ten takes Mizzou and Texas the Big 12 will be down to 9 teams and who knows where they would go, possibly TCU, which would likely upset the northern schools. They may make a play for Arkansas in the SEC, formerly of the Big 8 and the SEC may make a move for the Florida schools in the ACC. I have also read rumors of Oklahoma and other Big 12 teams jumping to the SEC if their league crumbles.

I don't have any idea what will happen one way or the other but I love speculating about it and I, for one, hope to see it happen. Selfishly, bringing Texas into the Big Ten makes it more difficult for Iowa but I don't care, I'm in the camp that to be the best you have to beat the best, so bring em on. I've long argued t hat the Big Ten is the best conference in collegiate athletics and its hard to argue that because there are so many intagibles involved, but I usually argue its more than just athletic performance. If they Big XI can pull off landing a couple of these big fishes than I think they will solidify my argument for me. That said - Hook em Big Ten.