BCS leagues expanding - yeah?

Hmm. Who would fill Mizzou's spot in the SEC? Probably not the 'Horns. Baylor? Seems unlikely given all their crap. If Mizzou stayed put, is K-State a no go despite being decent in football?

 

The B1G would never take K-State except in some kind of politically mandated package deal with KU, and probably not then either.

The B1G isn't going to get involved with KSU, ISU and OSU.

 

Because of the grant of rights there's probably at least a few years before the Big 12 starts breaking up. One thing to keep an eye on is OU's push to get into the AAU. It's something Boren has wanted since he got there, but it would have to really ramp up its research expenditures to get there.

If it could do that in the next 5-8 years, well the Big Ten has a huge voting block when it comes to deciding who gets in and who doesn't.

Of KSU, ISU and Okie State, Iowa State is the only one with the academic profile to join the Big Ten, but it adds nothing otherwise.

Ideal situation for the presidents if the Big Ten ever wants to expand, (and assuming Virginia, UNC and Duke aren't going anywhere and neither is anybody in the SEC) is OU gets to AAU status. Then it adds KU and OU, keeps the academic and geographic integrity it wants and essentially owns every market from OKC to NYC and has a sizable interest in Dallas.

 

Ask UConn how much being a basketball powerhouse matters in this version of musical chairs. If Kansas wants in the Big 10, it has to create a real football program and a real fan base out of table scraps and fast.

 

UConn's basketball profile is nowhere near KU's. The Jayhawks' basketball,profile is more than enough to get it into the Big Ten.

 

I initially thought this way too, but count the NCAA championship banners. Huskies edge them out 4-3, with all of theirs coming from 1999 on. Over that same period, UConn has a 5-4 edge in Final Four appearances. Jayhawks have more Final Fours in their history, but the Big 10 isn't admitting them on the basis of what Danny Manning did long ago, never mind Wilt Chamberlin.

 

Winning football games isn't a determining a factor either. Miami was probably the last school brought into a Power 5 conference with the intention of adding a powerhouse, and that didn't pan out. Rutgers, Maryland, Mizzou and even Texas A&M were not brought into their new leagues because of the number of football games they were winning.

Kansas football has been up and down for more than a century and I know it doesn't look like it now, but it's getting better. The roster next year and the year after is going to be significantly better, and historically if KU is even remotely competitive attendance and ratings are solid. Nine years ago KU went 12-1 and Baylor was 3-9. Then Robert Griffin chose Baylor over KU. Who knows how it's going to go over the next nine years. The one thing KU really needs to do with football is upgrade the stadium.

But Kentucky is the only school in the country with a basketball program that would help the Big Ten Network as much as KU. It's not an exaggeration to say KU's first exhibition game will get ratings on par with any basketball game the BTN shows this year, and it will only be available to a few million households. KU's tier three rights are a valuable property and that's what the Big Ten would get.

Wins and losses on both the football field and basketball court has proven to be pretty far down the list of factors.

 

I know you are sticking up for your friend, but come on. Anyone who is salivating over the KC or Wichita markets, or thinks KU benefits the B1G Netowrk to a large degree needs to turn off fanboi mode.

 

The last thing the Big 10 wants is one more piece of crap football program after admitting Rutgers and Maryland.

 

I know many (foolish) MU fans would jump at the chance for Mizzou to move to the B1G, especially if KU came along. They don't like the culture and they know the success the football team had was lightning in a bottle. Pinkel

 

I think it's more likely the Big Ten comes to the same conclusion the Big 12 did, that there aren't any schools available worth expanding for.

But if they did add two teams the AAU requirement makes KU one of the very few choices.