Smoke your cigars and enjoy the band while you can....

[steve dave]

PETE YOU rough ridin' bad person OMG!

[kim carnes]

cool it you rough ridin' vultures!

[ednksu]

Pete, what does the Dude of WV think of all this? TIA

WVU pulling strings like a BOSS

[Pete]

 

tapatalk folks!

[Pete]

I pushed the button and tapatalk is all "we cannot connect blah blah blah..." So, I pushed it again a few times ,and tapatalk was all "Still cannot connect blah blah blah."


Do not trust tapatalk is the point here, folks.  I think we have all learned a valuable lesson today.

[steve dave]

tapatalk folks!

Yeah, it does that to me from time to time as well YOU rough ridin' bad person!

[Dr Rick Daris]

thank the lord. i thought pete was GOING BONKERS!

[Pete]

Jesus, I really did make a mess didn't I.  Yikes.   

[Pete]

I am not going to delete them.  Let them stand as a symbol of my shame, and a warning to all.   

 

[steve dave]

I am not going to delete them.  Let them stand as a symbol of my shame, and a warning to all.   

Also, our follow up posts wouldn't make sense

[SabiNation]

I say keep going, Pete. I only wish everybody else were as dedicated to the "Get the 'Smoke Your Cigars' thread to 1000 pages" effort as you are

[wetwillie]

The dude is going to go full on dude tomorrow.  Should be fun to follow along.

[Emo EMAW]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening. 

[MadCat]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening.

Padding post counts in this thread is about as much fun as taking a dive in the 2nd round.

[Emo EMAW]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening.

Padding post counts in this thread is about as much fun as taking a dive in the 2nd round.

Noted.

[Emo EMAW]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening.

Padding post counts in this thread is about as much fun as taking a dive in the 2nd round.

Noted.

[Emo EMAW]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening.

Padding post counts in this thread is about as much fun as taking a dive in the 2nd round.

Noted.

[GoodForAnother]

I am not going to delete them.  Let them stand as a symbol of my shame, and a warning to all.   

Every great work piece of literature needs some filler.

[MadCat]

Anyone else getting bored with all this conference realignment talk?  It's kinda boring without anything really happening.

Padding post counts in this thread is about as much fun as taking a dive in the 2nd round.

Noted.

I see you have money on the other guy. 

[wabash909]

“@MHver3: And in B12 rumors KU leading the life of a double agent?Dodds laughing at us all.And a CCG in time for the playoffs?? More on that in the am”

["storm"nut]

The Dude

Expansion Update: Big 10 Targets ACC

10 Dec, 2012

It’s becoming more and more difficult to write about conference realignment.  The Big 10’s raid of the Big East and the ACC and the subsequent countermove of the ACC’s addition of Louisville set in motion events that are harder and harder to track.

It was easy to get details when the Big 12 was the only conference on the hunt, not so easy when the Big 10 entered the scene, and damn difficult when you introduce the competing interests of the Big 10, Big 12 and SEC.  Now take that difficulty level and multiply by the number of ACC teams positioning to get out of dodge with the biggest paycheck possible.

What’s certain? What’s probable? What’s unlikely? What’s the buzz?

Here’s what I’m certain about after talking to three separate Big 10 sources. The Big 10 will not stop at 14 and 16 may just be a rest stop on the way to 18; and maybe more

I’m also certain that the Big 10’s endgame is Notre Dame.

The Big 10’s addition of Maryland and Rutgers may have been, at least on the surface, mysterious and explainable only by the value added to the Big 10 Network.  Yet a look at the Big 10’s markets and a quick comparison of Notre Dame’s top television markets (in terms of ratings & estimation of fans) shows a justification of Delaney’s strategy.

    New York
    Chicago
    Boston
    South Bend
    Philadelphia
    Los Angeles
    Washington
    Indianapolis
    St. Louis
     Detroit

With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers the Big 10 has Notre Dame’s important markets covered with the exception of Boston and Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles market is out of reach for the Big 10 but the Boston TV market is not.

Sources within the Big 10 and Boston College have confirmed the Big 10 has approached Boston College and BC believes it is next in line for Big 10 expansion.

Boston College is eager to leave the ACC and many within the ACC tell me that BC’s departure would almost be welcome–except they don’t consider the appeal of Boston College to Notre Dame.

If the Eagles leave the ACC the Big 10 would have 9 of the 10 top markets for Notre Dame included in the Big 10 network with 2 of those markets coming at the expense of the ACC.

Georgia Tech would also add to the Big 10’s appeal to Notre Dame and detract from the ACC’s.

Certainly the Big 10’s motivations for expansion include adding inventory to the Big 10 Network and an everyday presence is the rich recruiting grounds of the south, but it appears the primary motivating factor is the gut the ACC and make the Big 10 the only viable option for Notre Dame.

Doubting the Big 10 would go to such lengths to acquire Notre Dame – what the Big 10’s television deals would be worth with Notre Dame as full member.

Now comes the part that Big 12 fans will not want to hear.

If the Big 10 expands to 16 and plans to add Notre Dame they would have 17 members.

They won’t stop at 17. The Big 10 has targeted FSU as #18.

Sources within the Big 10 tell me that Jim Delaney and Eric Barron have had discussions about the Seminoles joining the Big 10.

Obviously FSU doesn’t fit the academic profile of the Big 10.  Obviously Louisville didn’t fit the academic profile of the ACC either. It simply doesn’t matter.

FSU would add valuable TV territory and more importantly add a southern presence for the Big 10 and Notre Dame for recruiting purposes.

Last summer FSU told the Big 12 it would not consider membership without a southern partner.  Georgia Tech provides FSU the southern partner it would require in the Big 10.

Clearly FSU prefers the Big 10 to the Big 12. The lure of the additional money of the Big 10 Network gives the Big 10 a natural advantage and the academic reputation of the Big 10 would sooth FSU’s faculty over leaving the ACC.

Sources at Ohio State tell me the Big 10 plans to move  shortly after the Orange Bowl by adding Boston College.  Delany believes the ACC will be forced to counter with the addition of UCONN and it’s the Huskies that will give Eric Barron and FSU the excuse they need to move.

Barron will claim the ACC is no longer a viable home for FSU football and he will be right.

Louisville is a good program but they lack the tradition or the track-record to elevate ACC football. The Cardinals have one of the best athletic departments in the country and should be admired, but they do not have the stature to save the conference.

Pitt and Syracuse have struggled to compete in the Big East and their administrations have shown a lack of commitment to football.

And what happens to ACC football when their only choice is to add UCONN?

What happens is that FSU and GT leave for the ACC and–as much as I loathe to write it–UNC and Duke leave for the SEC.

We can expect the Big 10 to act shortly after the Orange Bowl.

Tomorrow I’ll write what this means to the Big 12 and West Virginia.

[Super PurpleCat]

I liked this thread better when it was full of despair and loathing about our certain doom of a future in Conference USA or Mountain West. 

[michigancat]

I liked this thread better when it was full of despair and loathing about our certain doom of a future in Conference USA or Mountain West. 

It's definitely lost some intensity.

[MadCat]

I liked this thread better when it was full of despair and loathing about our certain doom of a future in Conference USA or Mountain West.

Just wait until Texas leaves. 

[slobber]

Were going to the MWC!!!! 
Source is C- (a voice in my head.)