OWH Barfknecht: During realignment, four others from Big 12 took a look at Big Ten switch

The Duke

The Duke

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I have mentioned a couple of times over the last few years that the Big Ten might go after some old Big Eight teams. Just recently in the "Bill Snyder Let's bring Nebraska back" thread I was quoted as saying:

It is far more likely that the Big Ten expands rather than Nebraska going back to the Big 12.

I honestly feel within the next decade the Big Ten will expand to include some/if not all the old Big 8 teams. Not only to appease Nebraska (similar to what they did for Penn State with the additions of Maryland & Rutgers), but to ultimately create a super conference, and one that could potentially surround the SEC from both the West and the North.

If Delaney and the Big Ten bring in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and convince Missouri to ditch the SEC for the Big 10....

...well than there is your new BIG 10 of 20 teams in 10 team divisions locking down the great plains, the midwest, and the northeast.
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Well...we might not get to 20, but 16 is still a very real possibility. Very interesting read this morning in the Omaha World Herald from Lee Barfknecht who has done some outstanding journalism over the last five years on the ever changing college football realignment, particularly as it pertains to Nebraska, the Big 12, and the Big Ten.

Here is his opener in what could have been a jaw-dropping conference:

Big Ten football fans, see if the following slate of conference games would interest you:

Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin; Nebraska vs. Texas A&M; Iowa vs. Iowa State; Minnesota vs. Kansas.

Unfortunately, it’s not happening. But there was a time when grouping those eight schools into one division of a 16-team Big Ten was discussed at high administrative levels by members of both leagues.
Click to expand...
Here is the link to read the rest of the article: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/barfknecht-during-realignment-four-others-from-big-took-a-look/article_2d507fc0-3337-11e5-8cc1-4373847a1bfe.html

In my opinion a few things stand out to me after reading this article:

  1. I miss all of the Big 8 Teams. I do not miss the Big 12 and it's allegiance to Texas at all.
  2. The Big 12 is a sinking ship, and I will be surprised if it lasts another 10 years. Nebraska made the right move...at the right time.
  3. I am firmly convinced there will be a few old Big 8 teams in the Big Ten within the next decade.

When it comes to conference realignment:

  • Follow and read the conference TV contracts carefully
  • Read the conference's grant of rights deals, but understand...they are not cast in stone.
  • What is said by a university's president/regents carries more weight than what is said by the athletic director, coaches, players, or fans.
​Lee Barfknecht says it best in his article:

All this is more proof that the conference realignment wheel never stops spinning. Sometimes, it just goest faster, ...
Click to expand...
 
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If the Big 10 merged with the Big 12, it would all but guarantee that years would go by without playing several teams within the conference. Heck, we are going into Year 5, and we still have not played Indiana.

Also, with BTN, I would expect (hope) the Longhorn Network be dissolved before Texas joined.

 
I like the idea of 20 teams, and yet, I dont.

Gives you a 9 game conference slate every year, but never any rotation on and off from the other side.

However, it would make the conference championship awesome with no possibility of a rematch. If we saw the addition of OU, OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU and Mizzou....

You have a west half of

NEBRASKA, OKLAHAOMA, OKLAHOMA STATE, KANSAS, KANSAS STATE, IOWA, IOWA STATE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, and (hopefully) Wisconsin over Illinois/Purdue/Northwestern

I wouldn't care about not playing any eastern boys till a CCG.

 
The Duke said:
I have mentioned a couple of times over the last few years that the Big Ten might go after some old Big Eight teams. Just recently in the "Bill Snyder Let's bring Nebraska back" thread I was quoted as saying:

It is far more likely that the Big Ten expands rather than Nebraska going back to the Big 12.

I honestly feel within the next decade the Big Ten will expand to include some/if not all the old Big 8 teams. Not only to appease Nebraska (similar to what they did for Penn State with the additions of Maryland & Rutgers), but to ultimately create a super conference, and one that could potentially surround the SEC from both the West and the North.

If Delaney and the Big Ten bring in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and convince Missouri to ditch the SEC for the Big 10....

...well than there is your new BIG 10 of 20 teams in 10 team divisions locking down the great plains, the midwest, and the northeast.
Click to expand...
Well...we might not get to 20, but 16 is still a very real possibility. Very interesting read this morning in the Omaha World Herald from Lee Barfknecht who has done some outstanding journalism over the last five years on the ever changing college football realignment, particularly as it pertains to Nebraska, the Big 12, and the Big Ten.

Here is his opener in what could have been a jaw-dropping conference:

Big Ten football fans, see if the following slate of conference games would interest you:

Oklahoma vs. Wisconsin; Nebraska vs. Texas A&M; Iowa vs. Iowa State; Minnesota vs. Kansas.

Unfortunately, it’s not happening. But there was a time when grouping those eight schools into one division of a 16-team Big Ten was discussed at high administrative levels by members of both leagues.
Click to expand...
Here is the link to read the rest of the article: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/barfknecht-during-realignment-four-others-from-big-took-a-look/article_2d507fc0-3337-11e5-8cc1-4373847a1bfe.html

In my opinion a few things stand out to me after reading this article:

  1. I miss all of the Big 8 Teams. I do not miss the Big 12 and it's allegiance to Texas at all.
  2. The Big 12 is a sinking ship, and I will be surprised if it last another 10 years. Nebraska made the right move...at the right time.
  3. I am firmly convinced there will be a few old Big 8 teams in the Big Ten within the next decade.

When it comes to conference realignment:

  • Follow and read the conference TV contracts carefully
  • Read the conference's grant of rights deals, but understand...they are not cast in stone.
  • What is said by a university's president/regents carries more weight than what is said by the athletic director, coaches, players, or fans.
​Lee Barfknecht says it best in his article:

All this is more proof that the conference realignment wheel never stops spinning. Sometimes, it just goest faster, ...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Great article by Barfknecht....even better commentary by The Duke

 
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Coach Power'T said:
I like the idea of 20 teams, and yet, I dont.

Gives you a 9 game conference slate every year, but never any rotation on and off from the other side.

However, it would make the conference championship awesome with no possibility of a rematch. If we saw the addition of OU, OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU and Mizzou....

You have a west half of

NEBRASKA, OKLAHAOMA, OKLAHOMA STATE, KANSAS, KANSAS STATE, IOWA, IOWA STATE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, and (hopefully) Wisconsin over Illinois/Purdue/Northwestern

I wouldn't care about not playing any eastern boys till a CCG.
Click to expand...
Yes, Nebraskans would probably love it. But Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa would absolutely hate it.

 
Red Five said:
Coach Power'T said:
I like the idea of 20 teams, and yet, I dont.

Gives you a 9 game conference slate every year, but never any rotation on and off from the other side.

However, it would make the conference championship awesome with no possibility of a rematch. If we saw the addition of OU, OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU and Mizzou....

You have a west half of

NEBRASKA, OKLAHAOMA, OKLAHOMA STATE, KANSAS, KANSAS STATE, IOWA, IOWA STATE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, and (hopefully) Wisconsin over Illinois/Purdue/Northwestern

I wouldn't care about not playing any eastern boys till a CCG.
Click to expand...
Yes, Nebraskans would probably love it. But Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa would absolutely hate it.
Click to expand...
Things change. It'd be for the betterment of the Big 10 and those 3 would be the 3 against it.

 
If we went to a 20 team conference, then get rid of out-of-conference scheduling all together. 13 games, all in conference, with schedule fairness/equality determined by previous years' win-loss records.

Divide the conference into 4 5 team pods, you play all 4 teams in your pod every season, as well as rotating with another pod every 2 years, and 2 each from the two remaining pods. That way you don't go more than 2-3 years without playing every team in your conference.

 
As an alternative to fixed divisions, there is the possibility of rotating "pods" (aka mini-divisions). For a 16 team league with a 7 game conference schedule and using 4 pods (e.g. A,B,C,D), teams in the league would play each other either at least twice every 6 years. As an example, in year one pods A and B would form one division and C and D the other, so all the team in A and B be would play each other with the division winner facing the winner from C and D in the CCG. Year two would be the same format with the home and away games swapped. Year three would form different divisions consisting of A and C in one and B and D in the other. Continue in that pattern and then year seven will be a repeat of year one. Team sin pod A play each other every year and play teams in other pods twice every six years.

If more than 7 league games are played, then protected crossovers could be incorporated allowing teams to play each other even more often. This allows older B1G teams to maintain rivalries. In a case where pod A consists of Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas, Iowa could maintain crossovers with Wisconsin and Minnesota (or whoever).

With a 20 team league and 9 conference games, the pod system will also work to allow playing every other team at least twice every six years (but no crossover games) using four pods of five teams each and the same rotation pattern as above. If the B1G were to add 4 old B8 members, then that forms a natural pod (e.g. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Okie St, Kansas, Kansas St).

Edit: LoMS beat me to the punch on pods.

 
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A 20 team conference split into 2 divisions, isn't that basically having 2 different conferences that agree to play a championship game at the end of season? I'm starting to feel this way with the current B1G divisions.

 
The Old Big 8 / B1G merger would be a dream come true. Like the OP I'll never miss Texas.

I'm also familiar with the pod thing. I find the rotation and the way the semi's work interesting too.

 
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