If you were the Big Ten watching the SEC about to go "super" why would you not consider this expansion strategy:
Oklahoma (you already let in Nebraska who lost their AAU membership so that is no longer sacrosanct. OU isn't a horrible school, they are close to Missouri in many rankings and are a Space Grant university.
If adding traditional football power Nebraska was a good idea, then it goes the same for OU. It adds another of the strongest rivalry games in college sports history to the league.
Next: add Texas. Going to the Big Ten and the academic benefits to that school probably allows UT to split from T-Tech and Baylor much easier, especially if Missouri is targeted by the SEC and OU leaves for the Big Ten putting the Big 12 on the brink of collapse.
Maryland. Big school, fits academic profile, covers two huge DMAs in Baltimore and Washington DC, adds a greater NE presence for the league, develop a true rival for Penn State.
A "super" SEC and an expanded Big Ten almost assures that they could then convince Deloss Dodds' good buddies at Notre Dame to join them as well. Most likely there would be at least 1 if not 2 ACC schools being targeted by SEC which would create opportunity to pull Maryland out.
Divisions could be split East/West and maintain balance between football powers, while retaining rivalries.
This conference would then become an equal with the expanded SEC as the most powerful conferences once again, which they both lost when Larry Scott showed up. The TV money would be ridiculous, but they would actually have teams that could represent the conference in the title game. I honestly feel that is a scenario that Notre Dame would consider joining and I bet OU and UT would jump at as well. It would leave enough strength in the old Big 12 to combine with the remnants of the Big East to retain a BCS auto-bid which would be the best thing for Iowa State and Baylor so they should be supportive of only two more Big 12 teams leaving.
EAST
| WEST
|
Maryland
| Northwestern
|
Penn State
| Illinois
|
Ohio State
| Wisconsin
|
Michigan
| Minnesota
|
Michigan State
| Iowa
|
Notre Dame
| Nebraska
|
Purdue
| Oklahoma
|
Indiana
| Texas
|
The SEC targets would probably come from: Missouri, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, or North Carolina (longshot) to go along with Texas A&M. North Carolina politics probably block the Tar Heels from leaving their brethren behind, but an expansion of Missouri and Texas A&M to the west and Virginia Tech and West Virginia to the east would be pretty damn good for the SEC. They would be adding three huge states to their footprint and some natural rivalries would develop in all sports. West Virginia-Kentucky, Virginia Tech-Tennessee, VT-WVU, A&M-LSU, A&M-Arky, Arky-Mizzou. Thats some good content right there.
The ACC would be forced to raid the Big East once again to at least get back to 12 teams. Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UConn, Rutgers, and Louisville would all be in the conversation and if they wanted to get to 16 then all 5 of them would be invited.
That would leave the Big East with: Cincy, South Florida, and TCU in football. With the Big 12 leftovers: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Baylor needing more members it seems easy that TCU would be invited to join. Then there would be options to expand east (Cincy, East Carolina, USF, UCF, and Memphis) or west (Houston, New Mexico, Air Force, Colorado State); or possibly merge with the Mountain West in order to ensure retention of the BCS auto-bid. In that scenario they would be a pretty solid football and basketball conference.
West | Central |
San Diego State | Iowa State |
Fresno State | Kansas |
UNLV | Kansas State |
Nevada | Oklahoma State |
Boise State | TCU |
Wyoming | Baylor |
Colorado State | Texas Tech |
Air Force | New Mexico |