Tag: Conference Expansion

Predicting the next round of college football expansion for the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12…and Notre Dame

What is next for the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 for conference expansion??

The Big Ten is expanding as is the Big 12. The SEC seems happy to not expand. The ACC might be the next conference to be plundered when it is all said and done. Welcome, to conference expansion.

And while the Big Ten recently expanded with the addition of Oregon and Washington (the Big 12 did too), there is likely only going to be more conference expansion. Why? Conferences are going to target the best programs in the best media markets to further enhance their portfolios for the next round of television deals.

So what is next in the world of conference expansion? And who ends up where? Scroll down and check out some predictions for what happens to Notre Dame and UConn and the rest when it comes to conference expansion!

Power rankings: Who are now the top five targets for the Big Ten in conference expansion?

The Big Ten likely isn’t done in the conference expansion arms race.

Early in August, the Big Ten made another big move in conference expansion, adding Oregon and Washington. The Big 12 followed suit, with their own flurry of moves.

But what’s next now for the Big Ten? Will they expand again? And who are the top targets?

The Big Ten is currently at 18 teams. They likely want to add two more teams within the next year if only to continue stockpiling programs. Where this leads the Big Ten is anyone’s guess.

After all, who would have thought that Rutgers and Maryland would become Big Ten members in 2014.

Keep in mind a couple of things when it comes to conference expansion and the Big Ten:

  • The conference only admits AAU members. This whittles down the list considerably, doesn’t it?
  • Football is driving the bus with basketball second.
  • Almost as important (if not as important) in all of this? Television markets being added to the conference.

This is really an arms race between the remaining Power Four conference to best position themselves for the next round of television negotiations.

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Scroll down and check out the updated Power Rankings for Big Ten conference expansion:

Where does Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class rank among the expanded Big Ten

Starting in 2024, the Big Ten Conference will add four new schools.

Starting in 2024, the Big Ten Conference will add four new schools. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will leave the Pac-12 for a news league.

Where do these schools currently sit among their soon-to-be fellow conference schools in recruiting rankings? Michigan and Ohio State hold the top two spots in the recruiting services rankings.

Where does Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class currently rank among their fellow Big Ten schools? The Huskers hold 24 commits, with six 4-star prospects scheduled to join the program in the future.

The class is led by in-state commitments Carter Nelson and Dae’vonn Hall. The 4-star prospects are currently ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits in the state of Nebraska.

You can find the Big Ten 2024 Recruiting Class rankings from 247Sports below.

ESPN Report: The Big Ten hasn’t had conversations with Florida State about conference expansion

Florida State appears to never have been a serious Big Ten target.

Despite desperately wanting to get out of the ACC, a recent report said that Florida State hasn’t been targeted by the Big Ten for conference expansion.

Earlier this month, the Big Ten fired its latest salvo in the conference expansion turf wars, raiding the Pac-whatever to nab Oregon and Washington. This power move from the Big Ten came after days of reporting that the conference wasn’t going to expand anytime soon.

Bam. It happened. And the Big Ten once again changed the landscape for college football.

All of this led to more reporting and speculation about if the Big Ten would expand further and add two more teams to get to 20 members. A host of programs were thrown out as linked to the Big Ten, none of which have substantially materialized.

Several ACC programs have been rumored to be Big Ten targets, including Florida State. But this week, an ESPN.com report from Andrea Adelson poured cold water on that front.

In her report on the status of conference expansion as it relates to the ACC, Adelson dropped this not-so-little tidbit:

“But a source with knowledge of the discussions said the Big Ten did not have serious conversations about adding Florida State, and its top priority remains Notre Dame.”

Truth be told, Florida State never made sense as a target for the Big Ten. While they are certainly attractive for football and basketball, there is one glaring issue with Florida State that will hold them back: AAU membership.

Florida State isn’t a part of the AAU and the Big Ten only accepts member institutions.

The ACC programs that make the most sense for the Big Ten, were the conference to expand further, are Miami (a recent AAU member) and North Carolina (also an AAU member). Both would bring national brands and legitimate television markets to the equation as well as strong non-revenue sports where the Big Ten could use a lift.

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All of this means that the more things change with regard to the landscape around the ACC, the more it stays the same. At least, until, it doesn’t anymore.

Also, check out this good video recap from John Kurtz about everything going on with conference expansion.

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Conferences with the most teams in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

What conferences have the most ranked teams heading into 2023 and how would the rankings look with conference realignment in 2024?

What conferences have most teams ranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll? How many teams would each conference have ranked if based on how the conferences will look in 2024?

The college football landscape will change a ton in 2024 with the Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 all adding multiple teams. The Pac-12 is on life support and may not even exist next season. For now, the ACC is expected to stay at 14 teams.

Georgia (61), Alabama (four) and Ohio State (one) all received first-place votes in the 2023 preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll, but the Bulldogs check in as the No. 1 team in the nation.

What conferences have the most ranked teams heading into 2023 and how would the rankings look for 2024?

What’s next for the Big Ten after adding Oregon and Washington?

The Big Ten made a move on Friday that ensures its status as one of the two superconferences in college sports and more specifically, college football. Adding Oregon and Washington is absolutely massive for the Big Ten. And it leaves every other …

The Big Ten made a move on Friday that ensures its status as one of the two superconferences in college sports and more specifically, college football. Adding Oregon and Washington is absolutely massive for the Big Ten.

And it leaves every other conference, with the exception of the SEC, in its fumes.

But what now for the Big Ten? And what does the addition of UCLA, USC and now Friday’s news drop about Oregon and Washington mean for the Big Ten? It means almost certain death for the Pac-12, that much is certain.

At the end of Friday, the Big Ten stood at 18 member institutions with the additions of Oregon and Washington. Going to 20 schools seems to make the most sense.

These schools all need to have a few basics in order to get these two coveted spots:

  • AAU membership
  • Be in a desirable media market for future television network deals
  • Have viable football and basketball programs

What are the schools make the most sense for the Big Ten now? Notre Dame obviously if the Fighting Irish want in…but that doesn’t look likely to happen anytime soon. So what other programs make the most sense for the Big Ten? 

Scroll down and find out!

Is the Big 12 about to poach Arizona from the Pac-12?

Could this be the domino that signals the end of the Pac-12?

In what has been a fury of college football realignment events over the last few weeks, the Big 12 appears ready to add their eventual 14th member institution.

On Thursday night, it was reported by multiple outlets, including ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, that the University of Arizona and the Big 12 were closing in on Arizona leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big 12.

Arizona has been a member of the Pac-12 conference since 1978 and previously was part of the WAC from 1962 through 1977.

According to Dellenger, the Big 12’s executives met Thursday evening to “approve the application of Arizona as a 14th member” of the Big 12 conference. Arizona would be the second Pac-12 program to make the jump, joining the University of Colorado, which previously did so on July 27. The final step for Arizona to join the Big 12 would be for its Board of Regents to officially approve the move via a vote.

The Arizona Board of Regents officially met on Thursday night, which included discussions regarding the university’s athletics. As of early Friday morning, it was unclear what was specifically discussed in the boards’ executive meeting and the results of that meeting.

Notably, the Arizona Board of Regents also oversees the Arizona State University. Pete Thamel has previously reported that the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and the University of Utah would all likely stick together regarding their conference decisions.

On Thursday night, Thamel added that while both Arizona State and Utah have been “more conservative in their approach,” there has been a change recently in the “tenor” of the conversations due to recent events.

If the Pac-12 were to lose Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah, it could effectively end the conference. At that point in time, the Big Ten Conference would likely make official pushes for the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to join the Big Ten.

Thamel also reported on Thursday afternoon that the Big Ten’s presidents met Thursday morning and “authorized Commissioner Tony Petitti to explore expansion and bring them back more information on Oregon and Washington.”

Ross Dellenger would add on later on Thursday, noting that any Big Ten offer to Oregon and Washington would likely be in the $35 – $40 million per year range regarding payouts from the conference’s media deal. That said, both Thamel and Dellenger stated that the lower payment amounts could be a potential hangup for Oregon and Washington in potentially leaving for the Big Ten.

While conference expansion continues to rapidly change the landscape of college athletics, the 2023 college football season is just around the corner, with week zero just over three weeks away. If the last few weeks indicate what could be in store for the rest of the year, it could be one historic season of college football, and the sport may never be the same once it’s all said and done.

With Colorado leaving the Pac-12, five bold predictions for conference expansion

What’s going on with conference expansion and realignment for the Big Ten, SEC and the Big 12?

The college football world – and the college sports world at that – went through another seismic shift this week with Colorado leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big 12. Who says you can’t return home?

Colorado, originally a member of the Big 12, is back in the fold of a conference that they left in 2011.

Now with their move back to the Big 12, Colorado is likely to be joined by at least one new member if not three. And those programs are likely to be dictated by television markets and numbers as much as it will be by one-the-field success.

So what does this mean for conference expansion and realignment? And what does it mean for the Big Ten, the conference that kickstarted this arms race last summer with the addition of UCLA and USC?

Scroll down and find out what this move means for the world of college football and how it will impact the Big Ten…

Could realignment winds blow the SEC’s way? 5 teams that might make sense

As the Big 12 looks at further expansion with the addition of Colorado, would the SEC explore expansion? Here are 5 teams that make sense.

After Oklahoma and Texas opted to move to the SEC and USC and UCLA decided to relocate to the Big Ten, there was a belief conference realignment was over for the short term. Even though the dust has barely settled, the pieces are moving on the board gain.

The Big 12’s move into Pac-12 territory to take Colorado kept the conference realignment game going. Like a game of Settlers of Catan, Brett Yormark is working for the “longest road” as he ventures out west to bring Colorado back into the fold. He hasn’t been shy about trying to collect as many resources as he can to strengthen the Big 12’s status in the conference realignment game.

Because realignment never ends, there’s always a chance the Oklahoma Sooners’ future home in the SEC could opt for expansion to strengthen its inventory for the future.

Let’s take a look at five teams that could make sense for the SEC.

Report: Colorado heading back to the Big 12

Time to party like it is 2010.

Time to party like it’s 2010.

After leaving the Big 12 for the Pac-12 following the 2010 season, the Colorado Buffaloes are going back home. The Buffs will make the Big 12 the Big 13 for the 2024 season. The move was reported by Action Network’s Brett McMurphy on Wednesday.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Pac-12, which is yet to announce a media deal. Brett Yormark and the Big 12 remain on the offensive with the latest addition. Prior to the 2023 season, the conference added Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston to the mix. This countered Oklahoma and Texas leaving for the SEC prior to the 2024 season.

Now the Buffaloes become the latest Power Five school to make the jump to a new conference and the third from the Pac-12. Both Southern California and UCLA are heading to the Big Ten following the upcoming season.

Colorado was one of the original members of the Big 12 in 1996. Now Coach Prime is bringing them back to where it all began. The news of their departure comes roughly 24 hours before the Board of Regents was set to meet.

Never a dull moment in Boulder or in the world of conference expansion.