ESPN Take Two: Big Ten's next expansion move

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was just thinking about this

if we're sticking with the AAU requirement, some interesting teams would be North Carolina, Duke, Pittsburgh, Maryland, virginia. None of those really jump out like a nebraska or notre dame, but North Carolina and duke are huge brands although not so much in football.
 

Academically and a good sports fit? Irish, Pitt, Rutgers, Mizzou. A good hockey program matters. Expanding east matters. I don't see the Irish giving up it's tv contracts or wanting any part of a weekly difficult conference schedule.
 

hockey? um OK. hockey fans are a loyal group, but hockey means nothing to 99% of the population outside of the twin cities. I grew up in MN and never even saw a hockey game on TV until I was 20. I laugh everytime I hear the "state of hockey" as most people could care less about the sport and its essentially #4 or #5 (wild) on the sports list in the state.
 

This whole continual expansion business makes me sick. Sure! Give up conference history, rivalries, tradition, geographic proximity for fan/university travel, shared culture, the list goes on. A super-conference of 16 or more means we may not even play a member of our own conference at home for more than 4 years. Who cares if they're in the same conference.

Reality is that this isn't done to 'bring in money for research and help keep tuition cost down.' As we know only a few athletic departments actually MAKE money, while the rest still require funding. This won't change. It WILL help keep the big schools big, and keep smaller schools from rising up.

Can anyone detail to me what adding Maryland, Syracuse, Pitt, Oklahoma, etc would do for the University of Minnesota?
 


SDGopherFan said:
hockey? um OK. hockey fans are a loyal group, but hockey means nothing to 99% of the population outside of the twin cities. I grew up in MN and never even saw a hockey game on TV until I was 20. I laugh everytime I hear the "state of hockey" as most people could care less about the sport and its essentially #4 or #5 (wild) on the sports list in the state.
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I too grew up in outstate MN and depending on where you are talking... you are partially right, at best. In small town southern MN, you are correct to a degree. That is where I grew up and hockey wasn't (and still isn't) offered at most of the high schools. However, you'd still have to work pretty hard to completely avoid it as MOST of the state including the metro does take its hockey pretty seriously. I remember fondly watching the excitement of the televised tourney every year (despite the fact I barely knew the difference between a red line and a blue line at the time) as well as the two Stanley Cup runs for the North Stars. The "State of Hockey" makes a lot of sense because MN produces more NHL talent and puts on one of the biggest high school events (annual HS state hockey tourney) in the entire United States.

The Big 10 Network has seen the potential of covering the college hockey game and as a result... we now have the Big 10 hockey conference. I believe this is what the earlier comment was directed at, the comment you dismissed because you yourself don't follow the game.

I'm sure somebody's grandma in Warroad doesn't watch hockey either but that doesn't mean it isn't a hockey town. On a national scale Hockey falls back a bit but anywhere it is part of the local sporting scene (not forced into the area with an NHL franchise move)... it is plenty big.

I think these people would disagree with you as well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDnLt06GHg
 

I do follow hockey, I have been to the gophers, wild and high school hockey games numerous times as my wifes family is really into it. But, my point is that hockey families are dillussional when it comes to the popularity of the sport. It is popular in small sections of the state, nationwide it is virtually non-existant as compared to other sports such as football, basketball, baseball. To say that hockey is a factor on expanding the big ten is a joke, wrestling has 12 big ten teams participating and hockey will have 6 or half of the big ten teams.
 

As stated... I don't completely disagree with you. However, I believe the parts of Minnesota north and east of Hutchinson (including the Twin Cities) are more than a "small section" of the state.
 

Hockey does matter as it is the only other sport on any campus that can make money for the school to share with all the other sports that will NEVER make money. So if hockey does not matter then why field any other sports team besides football and bball? I think tennis, vball, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, baseball,ect. are all good for the school, student athlete and our culture. I love to play and watch tennis. I would rather have a root canal to avoid watching soccer or vball but I know other people are the opposite. Bottom line is hockey can make a profit.
 



ND had thier chance--I say leave them standing--alone. They would be a .500 team in Football. They do have a Hockey Program which is a good thing. They already play Purdue, MSU and Mich, but want the 'tradition' of beating Army and Navy (sometimes. They can't handle 3 more big ten games-period. They bask in being independant--so long as NBC pays the bills. Until B1G can pay $1 more than NBC, they are indy. again, they had thier chance, let them add "Luster/star power" to the ACC or Big East in football (yawn), it is a MUCH easier path to a BCS game.

Pitt would be a great fit-academics, hoops, football great traditions in both. Part of a large metro area and geographically attractive being part of the 'rust belt' (traditional big ten footprint). Opens great 'rivalry game' potential with PSU and OSU in Legends.

Mizzu-solid in Hoops and Football, sound academics and expand into the MO markets (not Rutgers/NY large, but good size). Put them in Leaders.

TCU would be great (if the Big East is in Flux as expected) it would get exposure to the Texas Markets. However they offer very limited upside in sports beyond football.
 


Additions: No One. Don't dilute the revenue poll any more. I wants our cash money.
 

ND and Missouri make the most sense to me. I still think Missouri should have been the pick for #12 over Nebraska. Better TV markets, better academics and better basketball. Worse football. They had football blinders on.
 



SDGopherFan said:
hockey? um OK. hockey fans are a loyal group, but hockey means nothing to 99% of the population outside of the twin cities. I grew up in MN and never even saw a hockey game on TV until I was 20. I laugh everytime I hear the "state of hockey" as most people could care less about the sport and its essentially #4 or #5 (wild) on the sports list in the state.
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I would rather see the Wild win the Stanley Cup and the gopher hockey team win the national championship than gopher football. I would say 99% of my friends and family would say the same thing. Hockey is huge in the Twin Cities....I think it's disturbing you didn't see your first game on tv until you were 20. In fact I do not believe you.
 


SDGopherFan said:
just a quick search turned up this website. If you have numbers showing the U of MN hockey program running at a profit I would be interested in reading it. http://www2.indystar.com/NCAA_financial_reports/expense_stat/show?school_id=73
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Wouldn't you want to actually include a link showing the hockey team does NOT run at a profit if you are going to ask that question? Or, is this link to a grid showing basketball and football income and expenses supposed to suggest that hockey doesn't turn a profit? Or, are you assuming that because Hockey is lumped in with ALL other sports (that do run at a deficit) that must mean that hockey runs that way too?
 

I just don't get any of this.

I can understand why A&M wants to be in the SEC (even though they're going to get absolutely destroyed and will be one of the worst teams in the conference pretty much from the get-go), but why the hell does the SEC want A&M? Do they think a footprint into Texas is that big of a deal? Is it worth it to dilute your product that much?

The Big Ten should not expand any more than it already has. Getting to 12 made sense for a variety of reasons. A college football conference should never be bigger than 12 teams.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I just don't get any of this.

I can understand why A&M wants to be in the SEC (even though they're going to get absolutely destroyed and will be one of the worst teams in the conference pretty much from the get-go), but why the hell does the SEC want A&M? Do they think a footprint into Texas is that big of a deal? Is it worth it to dilute your product that much?

The Big Ten should not expand any more than it already has. Getting to 12 made sense for a variety of reasons. A college football conference should never be bigger than 12 teams.
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Yes they do.
 

A & M's All-Time record vs SEC is 58-78-6 (.426)




Mizzou's All-Time record vs B1G is 46-55-4 (.455)
 

Don't expand just to expand. Don't give up history and dilute the product just to add another market. Sure another team will bring more money but they will also take the extra cut of that money. Unless a school would dramatically improve the conference's stature on and off the field, court etc. like a Notre Dame would and like Nebraska does in football and some other sports, stick with 12. It's a good number.
 

JackiO said:
The gopher hockey program is the most profitable college team in the country. That should tell you something
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Not that I think you are lying but I would love to see a link or something to back up that claim, which is pretty hard to believe.
 

BC and Notre Dame combo would be the best as both could add to hockey as well.
 



The idea of superconferences is kind of nauseating, as is the idea of the Big Ten sacrificing what's left of its midwestern identity.

The only potential expansion to 14 that wouldn't disappoint me would be the addition of Notre Dame and Pitt. That way, the conference doesn't become "east coast," Penn State regains a traditional rival, and the divisions could be re-drawn in a fairly geographical manner.

You could start with the old split between Indiana and Illinois, with the "West Division" annexing a chunk of Northern Indiana. With Notre Dame in the West, the helmet schools are split as evenly as can be (with 5 to consider), and Delany could salivate over the prospect of a Notre Dame-Michigan title game.
 

DrunkGopher said:
Not that I think you are lying but I would love to see a link or something to back up that claim, which is pretty hard to believe.
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Why would it be hard to believe that Gopher hockey is the most profitable college hockey program in the country?
 


SDGopherFan said:
hockey? um OK. hockey fans are a loyal group, but hockey means nothing to 99% of the population outside of the twin cities. I grew up in MN and never even saw a hockey game on TV until I was 20. I laugh everytime I hear the "state of hockey" as most people could care less about the sport and its essentially #4 or #5 (wild) on the sports list in the state.
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Every word of this post is so wrong it's laughable. You don't know anything about your own state.
 

dpodoll68 said:
I just don't get any of this.

I can understand why A&M wants to be in the SEC (even though they're going to get absolutely destroyed and will be one of the worst teams in the conference pretty much from the get-go), but why the hell does the SEC want A&M? Do they think a footprint into Texas is that big of a deal? Is it worth it to dilute your product that much?

The Big Ten should not expand any more than it already has. Getting to 12 made sense for a variety of reasons. A college football conference should never be bigger than 12 teams.
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For a change I agree with every word of your post. 12 teams should be the most any conference should have.
 

jackiO, can you provide me a link to ope.ed.gov/athletics/ which is the data source used in the link you provided that shows those numbers? I looked through the website and did not see those numbers listed individually for hockey.
 

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