Voice of the Hawkeyes Board

Actually, we'd just get Wisconsin OR Illinois....the Leaders would get the newbies.

Seven in each division...

If the NCAA wants to save itself it better come up with a rule that limits conferences to 14 teams. If the super conference every forms and go's to 4 conferences with 16 teams in each conference, they will eventually say screw the NCAA and cut them out of the money so they have more for themselves.

NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES, NO!!!

I realize that Jim Delaney is very powerful, but this move makes no sense on any level:

1. The NY/NJ and DC/Baltimore markets are pro sports markets and don't give a crap about college sports. I predict that Delaney is going to have a tough time peddling the BTN to cable companies in those markets.
2. Most B1G teams already compete quite well in those markets for players. Adding maryland and Rutgers will only strengthen those schools' credentials and make it harder.
3. What do Maryland or Rutgers add for football? Seriously?
4. Maryland is good in basketball, but the B1G does not need help in basketball. Just look at the polls.
5. Whatever additional BTN money comes in (if any) will have to be split between 14 teams, not 12. Plus bowl revenues.
6. Now schools like Iowa and Minnesota will have to wait even longer to play teams like OSU, Penn State and Wisconsin as those teams will rotate off the schedule more often and for longer times. But we get Maryland and Rutgers instead. Hooray - those teams will certainly fill Kinnick and Ross-Ade!
7. What Iowa or Minnesota fans are going to want to drive to College Park or to Piscataway for games?
8. Travel expenses for teams will soar.
9. The conference's culture and brand are going to be seriously diluted.

I could go on and on. Seriously, the B1G AD's and presidents need to grow some stones and stand up to Delaney on this one.

We are clearly just asking for an opinion and my vision, so agree or disagree but I see it as:

Teams like FSU, Clemson, Miami, BYU, BSU, ND, VaTech, etc join a super conference

4 Conferences, 16 teams a conference, with 64 teams total. Thats 56 less D1 schools total on the money tit plus another 192 (D2) schools total no longer touching the money till.

The super conferences dont have to share any money with anyone but themselves. They only play teams in the 64 team pool and all the NCAA hassles before go out the window. They come up with their own super Commissioner to over see the 4 other commissioners of their current conference and they play by whatever rules they see fit, and with 64 teams it should be easier to regulate.

Keep the a bowl system in place because its a money maker, historic prestige and tradition. While also doing a 4 team playoff of the highest ranked team from each conference to play for a NC. People will argue about the bowl system but its a simple fact, people want to watch football during xmass break, it makes money.

Its practically the NFL but with double the teams, if done right it could make just as much money as the NFL. Start selling Jerseys with players names on the back, keep it shared revenue like the NFL does and you'll make millions of that alone.

In a 16 team super-conference model -- I can envision an all conference pre-season tournament for BBall. It could rotate every year to keep the bases happy. For the new Big sites might be Indy and Chicago and Baltimore and NY.

Basically it's all about the money. Does it matter that the system is fundamentally broken, even though it may raise more money there still will be a problem non-sustainable viability.

": The business model of big-time college athletics is primarily broken. It's, it's a horrible business model."

You've got 125 of these programs. Out of 125, 22 of them were cash flow even or cash flow positive."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57551556/has-college-football-become-a-campus-commodity/?pageNum=2

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/65720/report-illinois-to-legends-new-teams-leaders

Report: Illini to Legends, new clubs Leaders

Some interesting new discussions/rumors starting to float out there that BC, FSU, GT and ND are the ultimate targets for Delany...as in ALL FOUR are to be added eventually taking the conference to 20 teams.

UVA and UNC are apparently 'stalking horses'...as neither want to leave the ACC, and prefer that it remain intact...thus they will not be the first to break ranks.

The BC rumor has it that they provide the critical Boston market...this is key in many ways, not the least of which is that Boston is one of the top 3 or 4 ND tv markets. Also, they are a longtime rivalry game for ND.

The FSU rumor has it that they have actually reached out to the B1G, and the B1G has taken notice. While FSU may not fit the pure academic/research oriented profile they desire, it is not a deal breaker for B1G presidents. FSU brings 1) elite/historic on-field fball program, and 2) southern expansion for demographics, tv market and recruiting.

The GT rumor is somewhat tied to the FSU rumor, in that it gives FSU a southern partner so they are not isolated geographically. Plus, they are obviously a quality academic/research university that fits with B1G standards. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have an opportunity to nab the Atlanta tv market either.

Finally, the ND rumor is simply a matter of connecting the dots:

-they have always been target #1
-add Boston market
-add longtime BC rival
-add state of Florida
-add elite FSU program
-add Atlanta market
-add GT program with history of playing ND
-break up ACC even further, giving ND incentive/pressure to rethink the long term viability of being in IND and give them a better landing spot for their olympic sports programs.

A B1G conference with these 20 schools would be an absolute Titan.

Of course, if the SEC were to some how counter by adding a couple of the remaining ACC schools (UNC, VT) and then snag....~gasp~...TEXAS and OKLA, then all bets are off.

Makes me nauseous just reading about this. What's the point in even having a conference anymore if this is the direction things are headed in?

I assume that's what they would do. But in that case, if you're not even playing any teams in the other division of your conference, then what's the point in being in the same conference? And how do you come up with a true conference champion with a straight face? For football, with two 10-team divisions, you could at least play everyone in your division. And while I realize there would be a conference championship game, there's a very good chance that one division will be much stronger than the other in a particular year. At least with the way it is now, there are some crossover games, so you can get some sort of gauge of the overall strength of each team. But you could have the four best teams in one division under the new system.

Also, the only crossover game the entire season would be the conference title game, meaning the other 18 teams would never play a team from the other division.

I agree with you that it all comes down to money, and that's a shame. Tradition has really gone out the window.

Tradition....educating young people....cya later.

This. The whole thing is disgusting and is ruining what is best about college sports.