Big Ten rumor, I hope not true

There's some speculation the Big Ten, which actually has 11 members, may expand to 14, or even 16 schools. Dread that happening.

The trend is supposed to be 12 schools, for future playoff purposes involving TV. Fourteen is too many (note old WAC which cracked up into the Mountain West and the leftovers). Sixteen? I think anything over 12 would be the eventual demise of the UTEPs, New Mexico States and even New Mexicos of what's now NCAA Division I-A. Yes, Fresno States, Utah States and even SMUs, Rices and Tulsas. There are quite a few schools out West and in the Southwest that would be hurt.

I don't see Houston as anybody's catch. Houston is a pro town, not a college town. Note that when Houston and Basketball Coach Tom Penders parted ways in March, Houston AD said he gave a lot of credit to Penders because he didn't have much money to work with.

I hope its a false rumor the Big Ten could be intrested in taking from the Big East: Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers. That would be 14 Big Ten schools. The Big East would be down to six football-playing schools. It would have to add. Only Memphis of Conferfence USA would seem to have the bankroll to move up to the Big East. Memphis could join old conference-mates (Conference USA defectors) Louisville and Cincinnati there. Memphis would have to up its spending on football, but there's a lot of money in Memphis.

What if other conferences go to 14 - or 16 - schools? Does the Pac-10 rob from the Mountain West (Utah) and the Big 12 (cellar-dweller Colorado), and go to 12?

Note the Big Tens and Pac-10s will go for "academic" institutions only; The Big 12 has the same thinking. What if the Big 12 goes hunting, or has to replace Colorado (or Missouri having gone to the Big Ten?)

And when the better schools from the mid-major conferences get promoted, the leftovers get kicked down even more in the BCS and national TV pictures.

Schools and cities with a lot of money stand the best chance in expansions.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting sources close to the Big Ten as saying expansion talk has been accelerated. Not good.

Comments

[shyminer]

or the Big 10 can just nab Norte Dabe and go to 12 teams...

[Pugapalooza]

Notre Dame might consider for Basketball but never football they don't play well with others and most defintely would not want to share Bowl game money. I never forsee Notre Dame ever losing their independent status in football. Just like the NCAA, it's all about the almighty dollar why do you think they want to expand tournament to 96 teams.

[John C]

Notre Dame or a Nebraska would be a compliment to Big Ten expansion. I do not think any of the Big-East schools fit the Big Ten profile as an academic school or atheletic moeny machine.

I do not see them going to 14 or 16 schools as this would dilute the bowl game and NCAA tournament winnings too much. Remember, having to split the winnings was what the WAC defectors stated in their split.

PAC 10 is also considering expanding and I hear rumors of UTAH and Colorado as possible expansion schools that fit the academic and athletic profile. This is as per the LA Times as recently as March 2010.

[Axe Man]

Joe~

Has this blog become irrelevant? Coach Floyd just signed a 4-star recruit plus the top recruit just confirmed he's coming AND NO BLOG ABOUT IT? I am catching myself getting all new news stuff from Miner Rush blog...This applies to TURN UP THE ORANGE

[Joe Muench]

Re: [Joe on utepia] Axe Man submitted a comment to Big Ten rumor, I hope not true

Perhaps thats all true. But there has been no confirmation Floyd has SIGNED anyone. Just because this is a blog, there is still journalism involved.

Joe

[MONCHIS]

How is the rumor of the Big Ten expansion of any consequence to UTEP?
There have always been expansions and realignments, and everyone has somehow managed to survive them.
All these expansions are is about MONEY, period! The big ten merely wants to ensure that these so-called power conferences maintain a stronghold on, and keep their NCAA monopoly!
Just watch, if the Big Ten does expand to 12 or 14 teams, the rest of these power conferences like the Big East, Big 12, PAC 10, etc., will follow suit! They want to ensure that their conferences keep getting more and more of their conference teams into the NCAA tournament or the BCS. They just want dominance of the NCAA, because that ensures that one of these conference teams will eventually end up NCAA champion! What a farce the NCAA is. Their authenticity is questionable at best, and dubious at worst.
Just my personal opinion!

[John C]

I agree with MONCHIS:

The rumors about Big Ten and PAC TEN and maybe others is just that. Perhaps it all depends on the proposed expansion of the NCAA tournament from 65 to 96 teams. This will very likely cause a scramble by the "BIg Conferences" to expand in order to capture more of the tournament and bowl televison money. It is all about the money.

If these conferences expand then there will be others that will be called upon to fill their void with the departing conference to include CUSA (Memphis & Tulsa to Big East).

Mountain WEst Conference (MWC) will surely take on Biose STate due to only nine conference members with no football conference championship game.

I would have to say that UTEP is probably better off in CUSA than MWC. We get more television coverage in the major recruiting areas due to ESPN and CBS sports venues than MWC. Maybe UTEP should not be in a hurry to run back to the limited television coverage areas of the mountain west even though it might be a little cheaper for travel.

We do better in basketball by scheduling New Mexico for a home and home series along with occasional BYU in additon to CUSA conference schedule. The other MWC schools do nothing for us in basketball. Football is another story as MWC is primarily a football conference. I feel that we would be better off by scheduling BIG 12 schools for non-conference football games along with our regular CUSA schedule than a whole conference schedule in limited television areas of the mountain west. This is the problem that the MWC has in BCS recognition for football.

[Joe Muench]

Re: [Joe on utepia] MONCHIS submitted a comment to Big Ten rumor, I hope not true

Because with the big-name conferences pick and choose from the UTEP-type conferences, and UTEP is not chosen, it will means UTEP is in danger of being relegated to an officially lower NCAA designation, one not Division I-A. The UTEPs and NMSUs will have to join the Illinois States and Indiana States that were at one time officially top-level, but are now Division I-AA.

Joe

[John C]

Follow up comment:

The argument that UTEP should be considered a potential MWC recruit is based on the fact that the city supports their hometown collegiate sports programs. This is very true as our attendance is higher for both football and basketball than say SMU or Houston. These schools are in large metro area that have to compete for attendance with pro sports. El Pasoans look at UTEP sports programs as an entertainment venue as there is little else available as compared to the larger metro areas such as FT Worth/Dallas and Houston.

However, the MWC, PAC 10, Big 10, Big East look at a variety of issues when deciding on expansion schools. Of primary importance are the number of TV viewers which in larger metropolitan areas is a far bigger issue than actual bodies in the stands. TV money is what most conferences are looking for including the MWC. This is why the MWC took in TCU (left behind by the BIG 12);Dallas/FT Worth -- the TV viewing area and a large recruiting base for the other schools in the conference.

The TV money paid to conferences now is based on TV viewers in an area that one of the conference teams is located. In addition to this the conference schools are looking at these TV viewing areas as a recruiting base. There are far more recruits that want to attend a school because their school will televise football and basketball in their home town area even if that school is in Laramie, Wyoming of Corvallis, Oregon.

[MONCHIS]

So Joe, you're saying UTEP and its conference,
C-USA, would become 1-AA?
What proof would you have beyond that of your own journalistic instincts?
When UTEP was left out in the cold from the MWC and remained in the fairly respected mid major conference, WAC, UTEP fared very well didn't they? UTEP picked up and joined the C-USA.
If there were to be big conference shakeups, UTEP would probably join another good mid major conference, or C-USA would bring in some more top mid major universities, thus avoiding demotion to 1-AA status.
That being said however, maybe UTEP would fare much better if they were to be designated and demoted to tier 1-AA status! Maybe UTEP would become,(Insert sarcasm here), a 1-AA powerhouse? Again, with UTEP students set to vote on whether more of their tuition goes to support the UTEP Athletic dept., maybe that will help make UTEP more attracrive to a nicer and more competetive conference that's better than
C-USA!
UTEP would have more money to hire a big name coach and thus attract better athletes here.
However, El Paso is considered the arm pit of the nation and without a major market to attract televison, no self respecting blue chipper would ever consider coming here.

[John C]

Tim Floyd and the recruiting trail:

MinerRush reports that:

As per ChicagoHoops.com--Floyd signs former 3 star (Rivals) forward in Michael Haynes. It was reported by the same web site that Haynes had offers from Minnesota, South Florida, Xavier, and had a well reported visit to Duke in Feb.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal: Georgia State recruit Rashanti Harris who has academic problems and could not play at Georgia State, has committed to Tim Floyd due to UTEP hiring William Small a highly respected recruiter in the Southeast and current assistant coach at Georgia State. Harris was reported to have been ranked as high as #26 by Rivals and ESPN in 2009.

Dwayne Polee a prized recruit for anybody (LA City 2010 most valuable) and one who committed to Floyd at USC as a freshman in high school has been seen on UTEP campus. He also has had a recent visit to Sanit Johns in NY with Steve Lavin (former UCLA coach). His father is Dwayne Polee Sr. has a similar pedigree and an LA high school legend was hired by Floyd as Director of baskeball operations which he still currently holds. It was reported by LA Times that Floyd was making a pitch for Polee Sr as an assistant at UTEP and also bring along Polee Jr as a package.

Not one of these reports have been confirmed by UTEP but Floyd is still on the recruiting trail and when he gets back he will announce the ones that are to stick. Apparantly Floyd is somewhat of a national celebrity and his sightings around the country draw some comparison to Elvis Presley sightings.

This is all good for El Paso and UTEP to have this kind of attention. Tim Floyd is ours and I sincerely that the UTEP students see this as a benefit not only to our city but to our University. I (as a alumni and booster) will contribute to the atheletic programs as much as possible with season tickets to both basketball and football along with other support that I am able to provide. A highly visible athletic program contributes to higher academic credentials as well.

[Dayton Flyer]

"Follow up comment by John C.

The argument that UTEP should be considered a potential MWC recruit is based on the fact that the city supports their hometown collegiate sports programs...."

------------------------

I have to disagree. Basketball - 800K people in El Paso and the Don doesn't get filled until past the middle of the season when the Miners were in first place in CUSA. Football - Attendance averaged less than 25K this year.

I'd say the opposite was true; the city does not support its teams. Certainly not until they are doing well.

The MWC is not interested in El Paso. Maybe Fresno State or Boise State from the WAC, but UTEP, no way.

[John C]

AS a follow up: I agree with Dayton Flyer!

But first some statistics: The analysis of fans in the stands was based on an average over the past five years (2005-2010) at UTEP, SMU, Houston, etc... The five year average showed UTEP had higher attendance at football and basketball games. This average was determined to get rid of out-lying up or down years.

The MWC conference schools despise UTEP and the El Paso border area. UTEP has been ridiculed in the past and have had tortillas pitched at them at games. The last thing that these MWC schools want is UTEP.

The MWC schools including UNM look down on UTEP. We get no respect from them along with NMSU. Even the people in the schools areas of Denver, Albuquerque, etc... want to distance themselves from amy affiliation with UTEP and the border. We are second class citizens in their mind. They consider themselves as elite compared to the citizens of the El Paso and Las Cruces area.

If PAC 10 takes UTAH and or BYU, why should UTEP look to reallign with the remainder of the MWC conference. They would not provide value to UTEP without UTAH and BYU.

MWC will probably take in Boise STate and Fresno State from the WAC. TCU maybe invited into the BIG 12 if Big Ten poaches away Nebraska or Missouri.

An interesting side bar is that some of the other schools that would be left behind if UTAH and BYU leave the MWC are talking about the demise of the MWC and all folding into a Super WAC.

The potential expansion of the Big Ten and PAC Ten has other conferences scrambling in anticipation of reallignment.

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

UTEP averaged over 37,000 last year. More than Stanford, Cincinnati, and TCU. This illustrates that there are a lot of other factors that determine the admittance of a school to a conference.

UTEP has a lot of negatives, chief among them being the perception of the border region. While this has worsened over the years, the University is taking steps to fix the problem.

Bob Stull has done everything he can do to improve the quality of our facilities and uplift the level of coaches in the major sports. The other factor that could work in our favor is UTEP's investment in achieving tier 1 status. Don't be so quick to discount us when it comes to realignment.

[OZ]

Yes, UTEP averages 37,000 in the stands but how much do tickets cost...probably half of what Stanford, Cincy and TCU charge...giving their schools more revenue for their respective operating budgets.

I agree, if UTEP is accepted as a Tier 1 school, the school will be more marketable when these realignments happen but I don't think the Tier 1 approval is going to happen soon enough.

By the way, sounds like FLOYD made some key signings...makes you want to ask Caracter who?!?!

[MONCHIS]

Bob Stull should consider looking for a more competetive conference, preferably one with national recognition and a strong televison contract.
But only if, there are mass conference expansions and realignments.
Why not go for broke and try to sneak your way into a big name conference? There's no harm in trying, is there? All they can say is no!
UTEP should forgo any notions about rejoining the WAC, or trying to get into the snubby, MWC!
Remember how they dissed UTEP?
Besides if they realign, none of the former UTEP foes will be around to continue their rivalries!
TCU, BYU, Boise State, New Mexico, all of these schools will be in different conferences! The only schools left will be the loser schools.
San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Hawaii, .... get my drift? Why would UTEP want to downgrade, and play these left over schools that no conference wants?
UTEP's been there, done that!

[Pugapalooza]

We can talk about money, facilities, marketing, perceptions of being a border town, etc. But at the end of the day El Pasoans are fair weather UTEP fans. We would probably be having a different type of discussion of Price and the Miners could have put together back to back bowl appearances instead of two dissaponting seasons. I grew up in el paso and follow the Miners religiuosly like most of you on this blog. But there are not enough of us, probably half of the student body even follows Miner athletics let allow go to the games. I know someone mentioned UNM earlier and I hate to say it but they have a great fan base the PIT is almost always sold out and even though they have a subpar stadium they fill it up. The Athletic department has done a great job as far as I am concerned, but it is up to the people of El Paso to take notice and it seems they only really notice when the Miners (especially football) are winning. Sad but true.

[Adrian Mac]

Thanks, Axe Man. I appreciate you coming by The Rush. I confirmed the ChicagoHoops.com report with the writer, and a Chicago coach, before posting that he committed because the site did look a bit sketchy at first.

In the case of Rashanti Harris, my post was based on a scoop by Dan Wolken, a beat writer for the Memphis Commercial Appeal (who heavily recruited Harris from his nearby high school in MS). I linked to Wolken's comments made via Twitter.

Axe, know that I will only publish news that is backed up by credible sources.

In the case of breaking Miner news, that usually comes from Andy Katz, Dennis Dodd, or maybe Dan Wolken.