The Big 12 expansion committee has scheduled a conference call for tomorrow at 10AM. 6-27-2012
Haggard gives a WC interview speaking for the board, are we to believe he is the dude. No he has stated the ACC contract is outrageous and FSU needs to begin looking.
“I have nothing to confirm this but heresay, but..
..I have heard, with our new TV contract with escalators, the addition of two teams would raise the per member share to about $23M. The Big12/SEC playoff game would add about $2M. Finally, the T2 Big 12 network could bring the amount up to $30M.
?This doesn’t include any T3 revenues the members can generate.
The Big 12 expansion committee will meet this afternoon for the first time since the decision to invite West Virginia as the league’s 10th member was finalized, a league spokesman confirmed this morning.
But that does not mean there has been significant movement in the idea of adding Louisville or Brigham Young to the league’s 10-member configuration that will exist for the 2012-13 school year. The Chronicle of Higher Education, citing sources, reported today that the addition of at least one new member to the Big 12 was “very possible.”
Throughout the expansion process, league officials have acknowledged some conference schools favor a 10-member configuration and others prefer a 12-member league. Today’s meeting is an attempt to sound out those differences, said Bob Burda, the Big 12’s associate commissioner for communications.
“There is nothing imminent in regard to expansion,” Burda said. “We have never ruled out the possibility of further expansion. I don’t know if anything is going to come out of (today’s meeting) other than charting the course for future calls” to discuss possibilities.
This isn’t my idea — someone posted this on the Dude’s blog ….
We all know that money is driving the bus here, but I contend that the recent development of Clemson being cold-shouldered has everything to do with the Big 12 leaders (esp. Dodds and Bowlsby) MAXIMIZING PLAYOFF ACCESS for its members. Let me explain.
First, I believe Bowlsby, Dodds, et al. were waiting for today’s OFFICIAL announcement to 100% confirm that BOTH Strength of Schedule AND Conference Champion Status would play a vital role for the Final Four selection committee. Now that they have that information confirmed, they are going to make a strategic masterstroke to give the Big 12 an advantage over every other league with 12 or more members.
Here it is. What better scenario to possibly put TWO Big 12 teams in the Final Four than by having 11 full members (current 10 + FSU) and ND as an associate member for schedule strength and $$$? Think about it. This would kill both birds with one stone. First, it would satisfy the monetary component, as both universities bring a net gain in TV revenue to the table. Let’s assume UT and OU get ND annually or semi-annually. Then throw in FSU as a full. Imagine the TV contracts this would demand! Second, it maximizes playoff access by (1) avoiding the Conference Championship Game (which UT hates anyways) and (2) increases the likelihood of having TWO Big 12 teams ending up the regular season undefeated since there would not be a true round robin with 11 teams.
This, of course, makes it possible to have two 12-0 conference co-champions on certain years when those teams avoid each other on the schedule. That would make it VERY difficult for a selection committee to deny playoff access to those teams. On top of all of this, the S.O.S would increase with the addition of FSU and ND. This is the strategy folks: the Big 12 is simply finding ways to increase the total number of scenarios that multiple members can access the Final Four on any given year, while simultaneously maximizing profit. It’s actually quite brilliant, and it explains why the Big 12 has iced Clemson. Clemson would throw a wrench in the whole equation by actually REDUCING the number of scenarios where multiple Big 12 teams can make the Final Four. Everyone keeps talking about bigger being better when it comes to conference realignment.
The Big 12 is thinking outside the box. They realize that going beyond 11.5 is a long-term disadvantage for any league looking to make the playoffs in the new playoff set up. It’s about quality members at this point, not the quantity. The 11.5 member set-up satisfies both the monetary and access components PERFECTLY. In the next 7-14 days, look for the Big 12 to announce ND as a partial and FSU as a full member. Mark my words. This will be a historic move for our conference and put the Big 12 in the driver’s seat for the next 2 decades!”
