STrib: With Big Ten, bigger might not necessarily mean better

[BleedGopher]

per the STrib:

There’s no turning back now. Maryland and Rutgers, as of today, are members of the Big Ten, stretching a conference long contained to the Midwest plains all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

By expanding from 12 to 14 schools, the Big Ten gets bigger, but will this make the conference better? Will the massive television markets and expanded recruiting landscape outweigh any negatives that come along with two struggling athletic departments? Those are questions that will take years to answer, and conference Commissioner Jim Delany’s legacy is riding on it.

“Our commissioner’s a pretty smart man,” Gophers football coach Jerry Kill said. “I think he’s thinking outside the box. You think about the media markets, it’s going to make it a national conference. Financially, it helps all the schools.”

But unlike the Big Ten’s two most recent expansions — Penn State in 1990 and Nebraska in 2011 — it’s harder to make the case this one enhances the Big Ten brand, especially in big-revenue sports. Maryland went 13-24 in its past three football seasons. Its men’s basketball team won the 2002 national title but hasn’t made the NCAA tournament the past four seasons. Rutgers has sputtered in football since former coach Greg Schiano left for the NFL, and the men’s basketball team hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 1991.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/265316401.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#SEjKor21JChlygJ5.97

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

STrib: Gophers won't face new football rivals until 2016

The Gophers football team won’t play either of their new Big Ten opponents, Maryland or Rutgers, in the regular season until 2016.

The immediate impact for the Gophers comes from the divisional realignment. The Big Ten has scrapped the Legends and Leaders, replacing them with East and West.

The Gophers are in the West, which looks less potent on paper, but Minnesota’s two East Division crossover games the next two years come against Ohio State and Michigan. Wisconsin, however, will play crossovers against Rutgers and Maryland.

It evens out in 2016, when the Big Ten moves from an eight- to a nine-game conference schedule. The Gophers will play crossovers that year at Maryland, at Penn State and home against Rutgers.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/265316841.html#Htl78gdH0sLl3lB1.97

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gopherguy0723]

Why not abandon non-conference games and play every team every year? Conferences aren't very cohesive if they exist on paper only. Half of the years you play six home games, and in the other half you play seven home games. Then play a conference title game and the postseason.

Losing one home game every two seasons might be easily made up for by eliminating all creampuff payouts in aggregate and with an increase in tv ratings.

 

[wait!what?]

Big Ten Expansion good or bad? i'm not for it but.....

I'll bet on Big Diamond Jim making the correct decisions for the BT every single time. Every BT football stadium should have a single DELANY gate.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

I'll bet on Big Diamond Jim making the correct decisions for the BT every single time. Every BT football stadium should have a single DELANY gate.

Yes, but the gate is at the rear of the stadium and is for unloading only.