The Conference That Can't Count, a/k/a the Big Ten, is considering expansion again. After adding Penn State as its eleventh member, the conference kept the name Big Ten, thus receiving ridicule for its inability to count. The conference is now looking for a twelfth member.
The impetus for expansion interest comes from the newly formed Big Ten Network. The cable/satellite channel premieres in late August. The network is jointly owned by the Big Ten and Fox. The network is already scheduled to be carried on Directv, and by several cable companies. However, the BTN has not struck deals with Dish Network, Comcast, and Time Warner. The latter two are the largest cable companies in the region.
The interesting thing to note here is that this talk is not being driven by the potential revenue of a conference championship game, but by potential cable/satellite TV revenue. The BTN is charging cable/satellite providers only 10 cents per subscriber outside the Big Ten region, but is charging $1.10 per subscriber in the eight Big Ten states. So, the Big Ten is looking to add a new member in an adjacent state, in order to increase revenue for the BTN. The conference projects an additional $5.5-7.5 million per year to be distributed to each school as a result of the BTN.
There is no guarantee that there would be a Big Ten championship game. For starters, Ohio State and Michigan would be opposed to it, as it would detract from their existing season-ending showdown. But, such a game would generate an incredible amount of revenue.
Who would become the 12th member? Syracuse? Rutgers? Missouri? All of those schools are located in adjacent states, and have academic reputations that would be acceptable to the current Big Ten membership. Notre Dame? They will remain independent as long as NBC gives them big money for their TV contract. Pittsburgh? Doesn't bring anything to the table that Penn State doesn't already bring. West Virginia? Viewed as academically inferior.
The Big Ten Network, if it succeeds, will revolutionize college sports. The SEC is watching eagerly, as they are ready to create their own cable channel. These networks are likely to drive another round of conference expansion and turnover.
6 comments:
You know, for certain sports, my high school was part of a group called PAC 5 because all of our schools were so small. It started with 5, but by the time I was there I think we were up to 7 schools in it. I think our excuse was that it was too expensive to change all those football unis! ;)
The PAC 5? Sounds like USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cal, plus Oregon thrown in as a fifth for good measure. I think I remember a HS conference in Oklahoma called the Big 9, but really had 10 teams, or another wrong number of teams.
As for the 12th Big Ten team, I think it'll be Mizzou. There are enough TVs in the state of Missouri to make it worth the Big Ten's while, and the athletic program is decent but not a threat to the big dogs such as Ohio State and Meatchicken.
This is old, but gives the history and the original schools involved.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~barrysat/pac5.html
I was around in 84 when we did so well. All the sports I played, though, were small enough that our school had our own teams.
Okay, I looked even deeper and this PAC-5 is made up of a TON of schools!
http://www.hbaeagles.org/files/content/student_life/athletics/2007_HBA_athletic_handbook_REV.pdf says this:
The original members of Pac-5 were Mid-Pacific Institute, University High School, Hawaii
Baptist Academy, Maryknoll School and Our Redeemer Lutheran School (now called Lutheran
High School). In 1982, Academy of the Pacific and Varsity International joined in. Today, in
various sports, Pac-5 may include schools like St. Francis School, Sacred Hearts Academy,
Damien Memorial High School, Lanakila Baptist School, ASSETS School, Honolulu Waldorf
School, Word of Life Academy, Hanalani School, Le Jardin Academy, Redemption Academy,
Island Pacific Academy, Pacific Buddhist Academy, Hoala School and Christian Academy.
Wow! Things have changed since I was a kid! ;)
You just created a lot of Google search results with all of those school names thrown in! LOL I want to be there when the Eagles of Hawaii Baptist Academy take on Pacific Buddhist Academy.
That's a case where 5 really isn't 5. :-)
5 is like 32. LOL. Actually, there are a lot of Buddhists who attend HBA because HBA is one of the top college-prep schools in Hawaii. It's a great place for outreach. They got me! :D
That would make sense, since there are a lot more Buddhists than Baptists in Hawaii.
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