Colorado Leaves Big-12 for Pac-10

ESPN.com ^

[AZMike2010]

The Pac-10 conference announced Thursday that the University of Colorado has agreed to leave the Big 12 to join its conference. "This is an historic moment for the Conference, as the Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth," commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. "The University of Colorado is a great fit for the Conference both academically and athletically and we are incredibly excited to welcome Colorado to the Pac-10.

[ConservaTexan]

Pac-16 sounds kinda dumb.

See post #23

[Nabber]

The demise of the Big-12 means that the Mountain West Conference will get the open NCAA auto-bid, finally. TCU, BYU, and Utah (if it stays) have done well enough to warrant this auto-bid. In addition, the Air Force Academy (last 3 years at 9-4, 8-5, 8-5) could occasionally rise to the top.

[Azzurri]

There’s no way that Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State would be put in the same division. Talk about unbalanced.

Michigan has gone 5-7 and 3-9 the past two years. These things are cyclical. Besides, Nebraska added to the other division would balance things out, because Iowa and Wisconsin are not chopped liver either.

[al_c]

The rumors here in Bama (some coming from Paul feinbaum so get the grains of salt) are that the SEC has offered Texas A&M and Texas — who have suddenly gone into private meetings with each other this AM — and are prepared to accept Texas Tech and Baylor as a Texas package along with those two.

I like that idea. Much better than joining the Pac teams.

[commish]

The reason everyone is doing it is to get some super TV package and more money. It has nothing to do with a playoff system

Maybe not a full blown playoff per se, but it has EVERYTHING to do with creating a Conference Championship game. The Pac-10 and Big-10 are seeing how much the other conference Championships bring in. Which goes right back to the TV and more money.

But, make no mistake, if someone can come up with a playoff plan that makes the conferences as much money as the current BCS system, they will scrap the BCS in a NY minute.

[al_c]

It would restore the rivalry with Arkansas.

And create others ... LSU, Tenn, etc.

[dfwgator]

I suspect with two divisions of eight teams each, teams would only play other teams in their division, so here is how I think the SEC would look:

WEST

Texas
Baylor
Texas Tech
Texas A&M
Arkansas
LSU
Ole Miss
Miss. State

EAST

Florida
Auburn
Alabama
Tennessee
Georgia
Vanderbilt
South Carolina
Kentucky

[commish]

I like that idea. Much better than joining the Pac teams.

True.

If they pull that off the divisions would be:

SEC West: Texas, Tx Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi St

SEC East: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vandy

[Non-Sequitur]

I suggest that you could tell a Mormon that he may never go to Salt Lake City, or a Muslim that he may never go to Mecca more easily than telling a Buckeye fan that his team won’t play Michigan every year.

[TonyInOhio]

I suggest that you could tell a Mormon that he may never go to Salt Lake City, or a Muslim that he may never go to Mecca more easily than telling a Buckeye fan that his team won’t play Michigan every year.

Right you are, sir. Any restructuring of the Big Ten that does not allow for an OSU-UM game is a non-starter.

[Non-Sequitur]

Right you are, sir. Any restructuring of the Big Ten that does not allow for an OSU-UM game is a non-starter.

On the other hand if the Kansas-Missouri Border War is dispensible or the 104 year unbroken streak of Kansas-Nebraska football games is meaningless, then I've no doubt that the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry could be dropped if there was enough money in it.

[tnlibertarian]

Yeah, those would be the divisions if it happened, and it would suck. In the west, you essentially have LSU and Texas fighting every year for the title. In the east, you have Bama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. It would be like this past year in basketball.

[dfwgator]

Petrino has gotten Arkansas moving up, so they’ll be a player.

Sucks for the Mississippi schools.

[tnlibertarian]

True. Speaking of Arkansas, at least they could renew some of their SWC rivalries.

[ForAmerica]

Texas is going west along with OU, OSU, A&M and TT.

[devere]

I’ve been to Colorado, and I missed seeing the Pacific Ocean.

At least Utah has sea gulls. They would have been a better fit.

[dfwgator]

Also what happens to Texas-Oklahoma?

[tnlibertarian]

They were in different leagues with the Big 8 and SWC. If the teams just play within their own division, that would make 7 instead of 8 league games, so adding a quality non-conference opponent would be more feasible. They could play each other on their own, like Florida and FSU or Georgia and Georgia Tech.

[Brookhaven]

Likely the SEC would do what the ACC did: create two division that don’t have a geographic basis (the Atlantic and Coastal divisions). Boston College FSU, & NC State are in the Atlantic division, while North Carolina, Miami, and Georgia Tech are in the Coastal division.

I suspect the SEC would mix it up geographicly also. My guess is two of the Texas teams would go in one division, and two in the other. The only requirement would be to try and keep old rivals playing every year.

[al_c]

Looks like a good line up to me!