Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

[lint]

what started all this conference madness? and who decided that 16 team conferences was a good idea?

If this destroys the BCS... I might have to agree.

I am not into RL college football as much as pro football because of so many teams, but man this conference crap has got me crazy interested... OH NO I HAVE FALLEN INTO THE TRAP!!!

[marque1d]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

If ND had been part of the Big 11 this may have never happen. but really Mizzou really instigated all this by begging to leave the Big 12.

[bkfount]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

it's all over money.

[countryboy]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

Some big wigs from the Big 10 and Pac-10 conferences played NCAA football which allowed them to realign conferences how they saw fit.

[J-Unit40]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

^ Nice one cb!!

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

I still believe that this was a rouse to get Notre Dame into the Big 10, and the Big 10 ended up getting Nebraska instead (which might be a better move anyways). I also think Missouri has a lot to deal with in the blame, and when the Big 10 was thinking large, the PAC 10 saw its opportunity.

And the Big XII did nothing. Had they been proactive, they would have been saved. They still have a shot, but it isn't looking so good right now.

[Scott812313]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

I still believe that this was a rouse to get Notre Dame into the Big 10, and the Big 10 ended up getting Nebraska instead (which might be a better move anyways). I also think Missouri has a lot to deal with in the blame, and when the Big 10 was thinking large, the PAC 10 saw its opportunity.

And the Big XII did nothing. Had they been proactive, they would have been saved. They still have a shot, but it isn't looking so good right now.

Not even close. Notre Dame, despite recent struggles, is still the most prestigious college in the country.

[Hooe]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

Not even close. Notre Dame, despite recent struggles, is still the most prestigious college in the country.

Maybe the most storied football program, sure, but most prestigious institution of higher education? I beg to differ.

In any case, to the topic, to quote my favorite AC/DC song, "money talks".

[Scott812313]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

Maybe the most storied football program, sure, but most prestigious institution of higher education? I beg to differ.

In any case, to the topic, to quote my favorite AC/DC song, "money talks".

The most important university in the country when you take into account the history of the athletic programs and the extremely high academic standards.

[Hooe]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

The most important university in the country when you take into account the history of the athletic programs and the extremely high academic standards.

Again, what other than its historically powerful but now good-not-great football program makes Notre Dame so special on a national scale? There are plenty of other colleges with extremely high academic standards, with a good number of them (particularly in the Ivy League) having even tougher standards than ND.

I'd also contend that there are schools with better across-the-board athletics programs than ND, notwithstanding that football is and always will be the crown jewel of collegiate athletics.

[Cebby]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

I'd also contend that there are schools with better across-the-board athletics programs than ND, notwithstanding that football is and always will be the crown jewel of collegiate athletics.

Yeah even if we're talking athletic program and academics UCLA and Stanford slaughter Notre Dame.

Since Notre Dame has been irrelevant for some 20 years and the majority of their titles were won when nobody on this board was alive we might as well count the Ivy League titles of the 1800s and early 1900s where Harvard, Yale, and Princeton have like 15-20 each.

Notre Dame doesn't even register on the "most important universities."

[Marino]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

Prestige has nothing to do with ND and why the Big 10 wants them. It's about the revenue they recieve from the NBC deal and the conference wants that.

[sycodmn]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

Yeah, for my (homer) money, the best OVERALL combination of athletics and academics is UCLA. 100+ National Championships speaks for itself. We're just mediocre in football.

[bgeno]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

The correct answer, I believe, is that the Big-10 realized it could make tons of money with its Big-10 Network by breaking in to different large media markets. The more basic cable providers they can get to carry the Big-10 Network, the more money for the conference, which owns 51% of the network (Fox owns the other 49%). That's why Texas is so coveted in the whole discussion. That would bring in a bunch of big and decent-sized media markets (Dallas-Fort Worth is a top-5 market alone).

[Tovarich]

Re: Silly Question, but I have to ask... how did all this crazyness start

The answer for why this is going on now is that TV contracts are up for many conferences after the 2011 season, which means negotiations will begin after the 2010 season. So things are starting to happen so the conferences can get more money in their next TV contract.

Depending on what Texas decides Tuesday, it could be all over minus the PAC adding one more team some time in the next year, and maybe the Big 12 replacing Colorado and Nebraska to get back to 12, although they could go on with 10. If Texas decides to leave, all hell will break loose.