BCS leagues expanding - yeah?

It would be really close.

 

Big Ten is on ESPN and ESPN2 at noon every Saturday so even Indiana-Northwestern might be televised. With the new contract, ESPN will be showing tons of SEC games. This spring there was increase in SEC baseball and softball on the WWL.

 

Kansas chancellor begs Nebraska to stay, plans on doing same with Missouri:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5262068

No matter how many flowery statements Kansas fans make about how the Jayhawks will be just fine (The Mountain West?!?!?!), there is a real chance that they will be left out in the cold here.

Missouri has a great opportunity to seize a decisive victory in this rivalry by telling the chancellor to go away, and leaving for the Big Ten.

 

"There are some universities that survive and thrive without a large athletic program," said Gray-Little. "I hope we don't have to test that out."

That quote has to be making Jayhawk fans' skin crawl. As does the idea of their chancellor having to beg hated rival Mizzou to save their ass. Between this and ticket scalping scandals, what a miserable time to be a Kansas fan.

 

See this is what I don't get. Great Kansas and Missouri hate each other. Guess who else hates each other? Michigan and Ohio State and I gaurantee you... those schools would always have each other's back. Always.

 

"...Nebraska and Missouri have both said they are interested in moving to the Big Ten."

Wait what? Come again? When have they come out and publicly said "Yes, Big Ten please let us join."

I was under the impression these were rumors about who the Big Ten wanted? Not who wanted to go to the Big Ten. Did this actually happen?

 

Eastern Division
East Carolina
Eastern Michigan
Eastern New Mexico
Eastern Illinois

Southern Division
South Alabama
South Florida
Southern Connecticut State
Southern Utah State

Central Division
Central Connecticut State
Central Michigan
Central Missouri
Central Washington

Northern Division
Northern Michigan
Northern Illinois
North Alabama
Northern Iowa

Western Division
West Texas A&M
Western Michigan
Western Illinois
Western State (Colo.)

 

Michigan and Ohio State have a true rivalry, a give-and-take in which no team completely dominates for an extended period.

Missouri's basketball arena features many "NCAA Appearance" banners. KU's features "NCAA Final Four" banners. They're both consistent also-rans in football. If Missouri were ever to seek a major pound of flesh in this rivalry, this is it. They might decide to "have KU's back." But if I'm the Missouri chancellor, I respond, "This has been going on for months. What the hell were you doing in freaking Europe when the meetings went down?"

The KU chancellor can't think she could go to Europe, then come back guns blazing, frantically calling everyone to say "Please stop! I might not have cared enough to cancel or reschedule my vacation! But I care NOW!!!!!!!!"

(If she was in Europe for a funeral or something, I stand corrected)

I thought Missouri people said they would listen. But I don't remember actual "interest" being stated.

 

I'm not sure how long Tom Osborne's memory is these days, but I'm pretty sure it goes back to at least 1995.

 

In London, meeting with alumni and other university supporters. It's not like she went to southern France beaches, toured London and skipped down to Italy to take in the art and pasta. Remember, the Big 12 meetings were business as usual until the Pac-10 bombshell Thursday. Was she supposed to fly back the moment a blog reported that story? It's not like she didn't keep in contact with the people at those meetings.

I have a lot more respect for Bernadette Gray-Little multi-tasking overseas than I do for Mizzou, practically crawling on all fours, pleading, begging the Big 10 to send an invite because they would do anything for it. The more I think about it, KU, K-State and Iowa State might be the only three schools truly committed to the Big 12. Mizzou's chancellor might have been at the meetings, but that doesn't mean he/she cared to be there.

 

A&M would jump to the SEC if given the opportunity however. And I believe their fan base would prefer that over the Pac-10.

A&M had a long-time non-conference series with LSU that ended when the Big 12 was formed and just started a 10-year series with Arkansas at JerryWorld last year.

If the Aggies were picked up by the SEC it would allow the Pac 10 to still take CU even if they were forced to take Baylor.

 

There's a reason she called Nebraska first. Berry Tramel is right, Missouri could stay or go on its own and it makes no difference. Nebraska is the one with the power to hold the conference together or destroy it, which is funny considering all the talk that TV markets are what matters and Nebraska is a state with 1.7 million people.