Here's four little snippets to begin my post today:
1. The Big 12 announced today that Nebraska and Missouri have until Friday afternoon to state whether or not they intend to stay in the Big 12, or move to the Big 10.
2. The PAC-10 chancellors and presidents have given PAC-10 commissioner Larry Scott "all the authority he needs to expand the PAC-10."
1. The Big 12 announced today that Nebraska and Missouri have until Friday afternoon to state whether or not they intend to stay in the Big 12, or move to the Big 10.
2. The PAC-10 chancellors and presidents have given PAC-10 commissioner Larry Scott "all the authority he needs to expand the PAC-10."
3. The maelstrom of speculation on whether or not Texas will join the Big 10 hit a high point.
4. The SEC has flexed its muscles and said that "will not allow ourselves in any way, shape or form to be anything less than we are now."
What does this mean?
Money is king. It's all about the Benjamins.
Pretty soon, we're going to have a 16-team super league out west (The Sunny 16), a colossus conference in the midwest (The Big and Beefy 14), and a southern faction of heavyweights (The Even-Bigger-Yet-Ridiculously-Speedy 14) that will dominate the college sports landscape.
This will leave the Big East, ACC, Conference USA, Mountain West scrambling to keep up as the other four major conferences that make up the "BCS" schools.
In the wake of those other four filling vacancies and adding their own firepower, mid-major conferences such as the Mid-American, Western Athletic, and Sun Belt will be left in the dust, and an even bigger separation will occur between the BCS and the Best-of-the-Rest.
This isn't the first time that expansion has happened, but its the first time I can think of that such a large-scale, money-driven poaching has occurred. This undoubtedly will add firepower to the argument that the BCS has a monopoly over college sports.
How will smaller conference schools, such as Ohio, ever be able to catch up at this point? Will they ever be able to challenge for a national championship in the next 10 years? 20? 100?
The answer, unfortunately, is no.
Granted, there may be an opportunity for Ohio to move up to, say, the Big East, but will the Big East be relevant in 5 years? How about Conference USA?
This whole situation spells doom for small conferences, since the rich will only become richer.
I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that it can't be good. Not good, at all.
4. The SEC has flexed its muscles and said that "will not allow ourselves in any way, shape or form to be anything less than we are now."
What does this mean?
Money is king. It's all about the Benjamins.
Pretty soon, we're going to have a 16-team super league out west (The Sunny 16), a colossus conference in the midwest (The Big and Beefy 14), and a southern faction of heavyweights (The Even-Bigger-Yet-Ridiculously-Speedy 14) that will dominate the college sports landscape.
This will leave the Big East, ACC, Conference USA, Mountain West scrambling to keep up as the other four major conferences that make up the "BCS" schools.
In the wake of those other four filling vacancies and adding their own firepower, mid-major conferences such as the Mid-American, Western Athletic, and Sun Belt will be left in the dust, and an even bigger separation will occur between the BCS and the Best-of-the-Rest.
This isn't the first time that expansion has happened, but its the first time I can think of that such a large-scale, money-driven poaching has occurred. This undoubtedly will add firepower to the argument that the BCS has a monopoly over college sports.
How will smaller conference schools, such as Ohio, ever be able to catch up at this point? Will they ever be able to challenge for a national championship in the next 10 years? 20? 100?
The answer, unfortunately, is no.
Granted, there may be an opportunity for Ohio to move up to, say, the Big East, but will the Big East be relevant in 5 years? How about Conference USA?
This whole situation spells doom for small conferences, since the rich will only become richer.
I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that it can't be good. Not good, at all.
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