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Ok... so if Rutgers is out (they won't be), who's in?

Wouldn't you think that if the big ten can bring UMass up to the level of a decent football team, then they would do even better with Uconn seeing as they start from a higher place?
Yeah, but you underestimate the value to the B1G of having a Boston presence over having a second team in the outskirts of NYC....basically the B1G would 'own' the NE.
UMASS+B1G should easily and quickly overtake UCONN+AAC (former Big East), if UMASS hasn't done already by the time the deal is made....UMASS has a higher upside...it's not that UCONN would be a terrible choice, just that UMASS would be a good deal better.
 
Yeah, but you underestimate the value to the B1G of having a Boston presence over having a second team in the outskirts of NYC....basically the B1G would 'own' the NE.
UMASS+B1G should easily and quickly overtake UCONN+AAC (former Big East), if UMASS hasn't done already by the time the deal is made....UMASS has a higher upside...it's not that UCONN would be a terrible choice, just that UMASS would be a good deal better.
UMASS?? They bring virtually nothing to the table. UConn is as close to Boston as UMass and I doubt the folks in Boston give a darn about UMass. They had a good basketball team once a long time ago (though its tainted in the Calipari mess). and their football program just joined the FBS. It would be a serious step down. UConn brings top tier athletics across the board and a location smack in the middle of Boston and NYC. Plus, TheC will serve as honorary NU host in Connecticut for all visiting Wildcat Reporters!!
 
Although it is not a AAU member, i still keep coming back to BYU. It has strong athletic programs it would stretch the conference's footprint. While Salt Lake City is not one of the largest TV markets, you do probably win over the 7 million or so Mormons living in the United States.
 
Although it is not a AAU member, i still keep coming back to BYU. It has strong athletic programs it would stretch the conference's footprint. While Salt Lake City is not one of the largest TV markets, you do probably win over the 7 million or so Mormons living in the United States.

Travel/logistics nightmare.
 
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Yeah, but you underestimate the value to the B1G of having a Boston presence over having a second team in the outskirts of NYC....basically the B1G would 'own' the NE.
UMASS+B1G should easily and quickly overtake UCONN+AAC (former Big East), if UMASS hasn't done already by the time the deal is made....UMASS has a higher upside...it's not that UCONN would be a terrible choice, just that UMASS would be a good deal better.
Feli Please explain why UMASS would have a higher upside? I enjoy your unique ability to make a compelling argument against all logic.
 
Although it is not a AAU member, i still keep coming back to BYU. It has strong athletic programs it would stretch the conference's footprint. While Salt Lake City is not one of the largest TV markets, you do probably win over the 7 million or so Mormons living in the United States.

If nothing else, they don't play games on Sundays, which would be a crunch for everyone else. Not to mention the weeknight flights from State College and College Park to Provo.
 
1. Notre Dame. This is just a no brainer in my opinion.

2. Mizzou. The Illinois - Mizzou rivalry would be huge and I think Mizzou feels like a Big Ten team in an area of the country the Big Ten should consider "ours"

3. Iowa State. Same as Mizzou.

4. Pitt or Temple or both. Since we have PSU either would fit and really lock down the East Coast for us. Both would be similar to Minnesota in their Urban feel.
 
If the B1G was to go into that region in a few years, UCONN would be a strong candidate but likely UMASS would be yet stronger...today UCONN athletics is far ahead UMASS'...but that can change over the next years....PLUS the B1G brand is so strong that it can help a school like UMASS to really take off....
If this were to happen, the B1G would have a presence (at least indirectly) in the major NE metros: DC (Mary), Philly (PSU), NYC (RU) AND Boston (UMASS)....not bad at all.
BC would be another semi-reasonable way for the B1G to get in Boston, but I suspect UMASS would be a better fit overall (although its main campus is not that close to Boston).
UMASS? You are kidding right? BC would be reasonable but UMASS brings nothing. UCONN is even a stretch but UMASS is beyond a stretch.
 
Just so everyone knows, it is completely unrealistic for the Big Ten to add any schools from three of the other Power 5 conferences. The ACC, Big XII, and Pac-12 all have grant-of-rights deals, meaning that any school that leaves those conferences will have their media rights remain with their old conferences, so all of those schools are non-starters. That leaves the SEC, and the odds of any team leaving their hugely profitable rights situation are quite low.

So basically if you want to add anyone you're looking at Notre Dame, BYU, or a mid-major. And ND is halfway to being an ACC member as it is. And if you limit it to AAU members, you're left with Buffalo, Rice, and Tulane.
? They just added Maryland. Did not seem to stop that addition.
If we wanted to stump for UNC rather than Tech or any of the others, we could easily make the case.

Demographics:

- The B1G is not yet in the Southeast. North Carolina represents a whole new region for the conference.
- 10 million state population is larger than that of every state represented in the conference other than Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio.
- Three metro areas over 1 million (Charlotte, RDU, Greensboro).
- Major transportation hub in Charlotte.
- From this chart (https://alumni.unc.edu/PDF/WhereWeLive.pdf), there are something like 225-250K Carolina alumni in the U.S. right now, which obviously doesn't cover family members, non-alum fans, bandwagoners, etc. Of that amount, of course the most stay in-state, but the next highest totals are in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, California and New York (in that order) - all places where the conference would have a strategic interest in adding more eyeballs and TVs.
- The Research Triangle is one of the fastest growing STEM regions in the country and could provide a nice recruiting tie-in: look at all the companies who are now part of the B1G footprint!

Prestige/Education:

- AAU university - that's a key, as has been mentioned.
- It's a state flagship school.
- US News has it at #30 among national universities, behind only Berkeley, UCLA, Virginia and Michigan among public universities.
- UNC basketball is one of the premiere programs in the country. No one questions this.
- The football program, for all of its problems on-field and off over the years, has had 23 NFL players drafted since 2010. Ohio State has had 28. Iowa has had 22. Michigan has had 17. MSU has had 13. Wisconsin has had 8. We get the point.
- UNC women's soccer has won 20 ACC championships, and 22 NCAA championships. It is the best program in the country. Their men's soccer has also won 2 national titles. Their baseball program is very strong and would be a shot in the arm for a poor conference that we have. Both men's and women's lacrosse are really good, which is a nice thought for what is probably the fastest-growing college sport and for a conference that has started to assert itself as a prime destination for lacrosse (Go U!). Even their field hockey team has 6 national titles. It's a really, really good athletic department, top to bottom, if we're just looking at on-field performance.

The paper classes scandal was a big deal. They would need to prove that they're clean and compliant before an invitation would be extended, especially if Delany, a Tar Heel himself, were the one making the call. But if the next round of expansion isn't for another 5-10 years, I could see it. And if, at that time, we're looking for two schools to go to 16, grabbing UNC would make Duke or UVA much more interested, I would imagine, doubling down in the region and adding one of two more excellent schools. Given Notre Dame's intransigence (wouldn't it be awesome to snag some of the best ACC teams away from their new ACCish affiliation?) and Texas' greed, UNC is certainly a feasible option.
I did not realize that NC had grown to that 10 million level. I take back my objection.
 
UMASS?? They bring virtually nothing to the table. UConn is as close to Boston as UMass and I doubt the folks in Boston give a darn about UMass. They had a good basketball team once a long time ago
As I indicated, today UCONN has a significant athltic advantage, but whichever the B1G chooses will dominate the other, in fact becoming New England's preeminent athletic program.
There are almost twice as many people in MA as in CT, with comparable (slightly lower) per-capita income, which translates into an economy that is almost twice as big. This should count for marketability purposes.

Most would consider Boston a world-class city, with the 7th largest US TV market, and UMASS as the state's flagship school should have a considerable advantage in Boston over out-of-state schools...should have tons of alumni in the city...if the B1G wants to "take" Boston, UMASS is the obvious choice (wiith BC a distant 2nd). Today UMASS FB may not be a big thing there for understandable reasons (just as Rutgers isn't a big thing in NYC yet)...but once the B1G gets involved things could change in a hurry...big games would likely be moved to Boston, even if the main campus isn't that close.
 
As I indicated, today UCONN has a significant athltic advantage, but whichever the B1G chooses will dominate the other, in fact becoming New England's preeminent athletic program.
There are almost twice as many people in MA as in CT, with comparable (slightly lower) per-capita income, which translates into an economy that is almost twice as big. This should count for marketability purposes.

Most would consider Boston a world-class city, with the 7th largest US TV market, and UMASS as the state's flagship school should have a considerable advantage in Boston over out-of-state schools...should have tons of alumni in the city...if the B1G wants to "take" Boston, UMASS is the obvious choice (wiith BC a distant 2nd). Today UMASS FB may not be a big thing there for understandable reasons (just as Rutgers isn't a big thing in NYC yet)...but once the B1G gets involved things could change in a hurry...big games would likely be moved to Boston, even if the main campus isn't that close.

Why is BC a distant 2nd? If we want to "take" Boston then we should probably take a school that is within 30 minutes of the city compared to two hours. Why would the big ten be moving games to Boston? To make it impossible for students attend? I don't see events being moved to NYC for Rutgers so I doubt we would be moving any events. I can't wait to hear your "hot take" on why East Carolina is a better option then North Carolina.
 
Yeah, but you underestimate the value to the B1G of having a Boston presence over having a second team in the outskirts of NYC....basically the B1G would 'own' the NE.
UMASS+B1G should easily and quickly overtake UCONN+AAC (former Big East), if UMASS hasn't done already by the time the deal is made....UMASS has a higher upside...it's not that UCONN would be a terrible choice, just that UMASS would be a good deal better.
Owning New England is questionable. First the population of the entire region is not that great (Mass about 6 million and CT 3-4 but at least they solidify NY). ME, VT, NH and RI definitely not much. Total pop of the entire area is about 14 million including CT(about the equiv of IL) . And secondly, college sports is more of an afterthought in the area dominated by pro sports. In any event, I would think BC would be a better choice if you wanted to go into the region.
 
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Yeah, but you underestimate the value to the B1G of having a Boston presence over having a second team in the outskirts of NYC....basically the B1G would 'own' the NE.
UMASS+B1G should easily and quickly overtake UCONN+AAC (former Big East), if UMASS hasn't done already by the time the deal is made....UMASS has a higher upside...it's not that UCONN would be a terrible choice, just that UMASS would be a good deal better.
The population of the entire New England areas is about 14 million (including CT) If UCONN combined with Rutgers solidified the NY Metro area (20 Mill ) that would be better as Rutgers by itself would not do it.
 
Universite Laval. Lock up the french-speaking and Quebec markets. Eight Vanier Cups nothing to sneeze at. Put them in East Division and Rouge et Or vs. Maize and Blue would be a colorful game.
 
Why is BC a distant 2nd? If we want to "take" Boston then we should probably take a school that is within 30 minutes of the city compared to two hours. Why would the big ten be moving games to Boston? To make it impossible for students attend? I don't see events being moved to NYC for Rutgers so I doubt we would be moving any events.
Maybe for the same reason Illinois moves games to Chicago? (just a thought).
I suppose that for a big game, bus service can be provided to students on cost-recovery basis...a 2hr bus ride isn't much of a ride and shouldn't be two expensive...one can easily spend over an hour just getting from A to B WITHIN a big city, when traffic is heavy...students may look forward to an occasional trip to the big city for a big game...some may just share the cost of a car rental and turn it into a weekend trip....really the experience could be a lot of fun for them.
 
Owning New England is questionable. First the population of the entire... is about 14 million including CT(about the equiv of IL) . And secondly, college sports is more of an afterthought in the area dominated by pro sports. In any event, I would think BC would be a better choice if you wanted to go into the region.
Well, 14MM is a lot when you consider that IA PLUS NE only add up to about 5 MM...several others B1G states are in the 5-6 MM range, so New England is larger (pop-wise) than several combinations of multiple B1G states.

As I indicated, expansion decisions should be based on (reasonably) long term projections, as opposed to the current situation (within reason obviously)....Once the B1G gets involved, the situation can change quickly....A New England B1G school would have a 14-MM region to itself...that is a huge advantage...As the state's flagship university, UMASS upside is massively bigger than that of a private Catholic school (not named ND).
 
Well, 14MM is a lot when you consider that IA PLUS NE only add up to about 5 MM...several others B1G states are in the 5-6 MM range, so New England is larger (pop-wise) than several combinations of multiple B1G states.

As I indicated, expansion decisions should be based on (reasonably) long term projections, as opposed to the current situation (within reason obviously)....Once the B1G gets involved, the situation can change quickly....A New England B1G school would have a 14-MM region to itself...that is a huge advantage...As the state's flagship university, UMASS upside is massively bigger than that of a private Catholic school (not named ND).

An entire region is larger than a single state? Top notch insight!

PS -- BC would be a much much MUCH better addition to the B1G than UMASS. There's already a pretty sizable BC contingent in the B1G region (especially in Chicago) with a high number of Catholics who attend BC and move back home. Plus, you know... it's actually IN Boston instead of a two hour drive into the western part of the state.
 
1. Notre Dame. This is just a no brainer in my opinion.

2. Mizzou. The Illinois - Mizzou rivalry would be huge and I think Mizzou feels like a Big Ten team in an area of the country the Big Ten should consider "ours"

3. Iowa State. Same as Mizzou.

4. Pitt or Temple or both. Since we have PSU either would fit and really lock down the East Coast for us. Both would be similar to Minnesota in their Urban feel.


1. Yes

2. Yes (although not for the reasons you think. Has nothing to do with rivalries, and everything about markets. The state of Mizzou including St. Louis and arguably Kansas City would be worth it, and they are not a dud like Maryland and Rutgers on the field)

3. Laughable. We would never add a team that does not expand our market reach. And Iowa State gives us nothing.

4. Even more laughable. Over JoePa's dead body would Pitt be let in. No value whatsoever. Temple? Yeah, they just beat PSU, but you must be joking. This is almost as bad as the UMASS idea. I wouldn't be surprised if Temple has even less fans than most B1G teams in Philly.
 
As I indicated, today UCONN has a significant athltic advantage, but whichever the B1G chooses will dominate the other, in fact becoming New England's preeminent athletic program.
There are almost twice as many people in MA as in CT, with comparable (slightly lower) per-capita income, which translates into an economy that is almost twice as big. This should count for marketability purposes.

Most would consider Boston a world-class city, with the 7th largest US TV market, and UMASS as the state's flagship school should have a considerable advantage in Boston over out-of-state schools...should have tons of alumni in the city...if the B1G wants to "take" Boston, UMASS is the obvious choice (wiith BC a distant 2nd). Today UMASS FB may not be a big thing there for understandable reasons (just as Rutgers isn't a big thing in NYC yet)...but once the B1G gets involved things could change in a hurry...big games would likely be moved to Boston, even if the main campus isn't that close.

The reason this is a terrible idea and one that will never happen in a million years is that we are aiming to expand into growing markets. Population in New England is stagnant to declining - any expansion will be heading due South or perhaps South East (unless we take Notre Dame). The other thing is that I am almost certain (or at least I pray) we are not going to do a charity move again for the sake of televisions, not after we brought in Maryland and Rutgers (while the SEC brought in Mizzou and TAMU - huge, huge loss of prestige for the B1G on this front especially since I think Mizzou would have jumped to the B1G in a heartbeat). There is no way we are bringing in a Division IAA program. Add to the fact that BC owns the Boston college sports market. The only programs worth bringing in that I've seen mentioned at this point are ND, Texas and probably Mizzou. OU if that's what it takes to bring in UT.
 
Maybe for the same reason Illinois moves games to Chicago? (just a thought).
I suppose that for a big game, bus service can be provided to students on cost-recovery basis...a 2hr bus ride isn't much of a ride and shouldn't be two expensive...one can easily spend over an hour just getting from A to B WITHIN a big city, when traffic is heavy...students may look forward to an occasional trip to the big city for a big game...some may just share the cost of a car rental and turn it into a weekend trip....really the experience could be a lot of fun for them.

Just how many students do you think will still be on campus the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Do you think there will be more in the Chicago area, or in the vicinity of Urbana-Champaign? Is it a dumb idea to move a poorly attended game from an empty college town into the third largest metropolitan area in the United States?
 
Well, 14MM is a lot when you consider that IA PLUS NE only add up to about 5 MM...several others B1G states are in the 5-6 MM range, so New England is larger (pop-wise) than several combinations of multiple B1G states.

As I indicated, expansion decisions should be based on (reasonably) long term projections, as opposed to the current situation (within reason obviously)....Once the B1G gets involved, the situation can change quickly....A New England B1G school would have a 14-MM region to itself...that is a huge advantage...As the state's flagship university, UMASS upside is massively bigger than that of a private Catholic school (not named ND).

Here's where your logic falls apart. We are not talking about adding schools compared to schools that are already in the league. Especially charter schools who can't be kicked out anyways. We are talking about taking the best available, and taking those that would increase the pie for everyone. Sadly, NU would not be considered if we were not already in and a charter member. Neither frankly, would several other B1G schools. Frankly, nobody cares about a 14m region - especially when no one outside of Massachusetts identifies with UMASS, and even then, BC has more of a following - when you have the State of Texas that has 26m people. Missouri has more people than Massachusetts and a competitive athletic program plus two major television markets. And still we passed on them.
 
An entire region is larger than a single state? Top notch insight!

PS -- BC would be a much much MUCH better addition to the B1G than UMASS. There's already a pretty sizable BC contingent in the B1G region (especially in Chicago) with a high number of Catholics who attend BC and move back home. Plus, you know... it's actually IN Boston instead of a two hour drive into the western part of the state.
And they actually have a FB program with tradition.
 
That's because they put the grant of rights in place after Maryland left to prevent any more schools from jumping ship.
I would guess that they would have a big problem trying to hold enforce this
 
Just how many students do you think will still be on campus the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Do you think there will be more in the Chicago area, or in the vicinity of Urbana-Champaign? Is it a dumb idea to move a poorly attended game from an empty college town into the third largest metropolitan area in the United States?
You seem to agree with my point...perhaps you should have quoted the post to which I replied.
 
Here's where your logic falls apart. We are not talking about adding schools compared to schools that are already in the league. ... Frankly, nobody cares about a 14m region - especially when no one outside of Massachusetts identifies with UMASS, and even then, BC has more of a following - when you have the State of Texas that has 26m people.
My whole argument was in answer to a suggestion that UCONN should be added/considered, and my argument started with "if the B1G goes into that area"...that is, IF the B1G decided to pursue N.E. which school should it choose?

BC or UCONN may win if the B1G were to strictly consider the PRESENT state of each program...thankfully the B1G does NOT view things that way (at least not since the Nebby addition), since otherwise MD and especially RU would not be in the conference. The B1G correctly projects into the (not so distant) future and try to guestimate what sort of program the candidate would BECOME a reasonable time AFTER the program joins the conference...from that POV both MD and RU make a LOT of sense....RU created a huge buzz in NYC when it had its semi-magical season a few years back...imagine what'd happen if they did it as part of the B1G, say making it to the champ game...it would be HUMONGOUS buzz....

Of course Army was HUGE in NYC back when they were a big time program...Syracuse has also gotten strong support when it has put together a string of good seasons...the point is that programs rise and fall, and so go their popularity in so-called "pro towns"...RU can become in NYC what Army once was....same for UMASS in Boston....the queston is not what UMASS is today, is what UMASS + B1G woud become....of course you could ask the same about UCONN+B1G , and BC+B1G....I'd bet UMASS+B1G would dominate xxx+B1G with xxx any other N.E. school.

P.S. Currently the SEC is more lucrative (to its members) than the B1G is, so it would be harder for an SEC school to justify leaving that conference...yes, the B1G has a massive academic advantage, but that may not be enough (not everyone cares, unfortunately).
 
RU can become in NYC what Army once was.....

Actually, they ran this experiment a few years ago when Greg Schiano had success, and NYC did not give a rip about RU. NY is a pro town. College sports, particularly college football, just aren't on the radar screen. Even Syracuse doesn't get much play in the City, it attracts an upstate following only. So you can speculate, but the actual empirical evidence refutes your speculation.
 
Actually, they ran this experiment a few years ago when Greg Schiano had success, and NYC did not give a rip about RU. NY is a pro town.
Well, many people disagree with you, and speak of the huge buzz that RU created in/around NYC that season (as I already mentioned in my previous post). Of course they were still in a relatively small conference (compared to the B1G)...if they did it as member of the B1G it would be another level...I suppose people at the conference office considered such scenarios (past and future).
Anyway, there are so many people in and around NYC that it doesn't take a large share of them to make a huge number...the metro area is listed as having 20MM people...only 10% of that is more than the population of the entire state of NE, or WVa, or ID, or, etc...in fact close to 15 states are below 2MM in population...a handful of states don't even reach ONE MM, which is only 5% of NYC metro...just to keep things in perspective.
 
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Actually, they ran this experiment a few years ago when Greg Schiano had success, and NYC did not give a rip about RU. NY is a pro town. College sports, particularly college football, just aren't on the radar screen. Even Syracuse doesn't get much play in the City, it attracts an upstate following only. So you can speculate, but the actual empirical evidence refutes your speculation.
Actually, according to the NY times NYC has the most college football fans of any city. Its just that people are fans of ND, PSU, Michigan in addition to Rutgers.
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ege-football-fans-and-realignment-chaos/?_r=0
 
My whole argument was in answer to a suggestion that UCONN should be added/considered, and my argument started with "if the B1G goes into that area"...that is, IF the B1G decided to pursue N.E. which school should it choose?

BC or UCONN may win if the B1G were to strictly consider the PRESENT state of each program...thankfully the B1G does NOT view things that way (at least not since the Nebby addition), since otherwise MD and especially RU would not be in the conference. The B1G correctly projects into the (not so distant) future and try to guestimate what sort of program the candidate would BECOME a reasonable time AFTER the program joins the conference...from that POV both MD and RU make a LOT of sense....RU created a huge buzz in NYC when it had its semi-magical season a few years back...imagine what'd happen if they did it as part of the B1G, say making it to the champ game...it would be HUMONGOUS buzz....

Of course Army was HUGE in NYC back when they were a big time program...Syracuse has also gotten strong support when it has put together a string of good seasons...the point is that programs rise and fall, and so go their popularity in so-called "pro towns"...RU can become in NYC what Army once was....same for UMASS in Boston....the queston is not what UMASS is today, is what UMASS + B1G woud become....of course you could ask the same about UCONN+B1G , and BC+B1G....I'd bet UMASS+B1G would dominate xxx+B1G with xxx any other N.E. school.

P.S. Currently the SEC is more lucrative (to its members) than the B1G is, so it would be harder for an SEC school to justify leaving that conference...yes, the B1G has a massive academic advantage, but that may not be enough (not everyone cares, unfortunately).
UMass is not even a good MAC level team. They were looking at being picked up by the Sun Belt. They have no tradition, and no real following. Own the NE? It does nothing. BC controls the Boston area and CT is tied to NYC. So you want to control college FB in ME, VT, NH and RI with a pop of under 4 mill? Good luck.
 
UMass is not even a good MAC level team. They were looking at being picked up by the Sun Belt. They have no tradition, and no real following. Own the NE? It does nothing. BC controls the Boston area and CT is tied to NYC. So you want to control college FB in ME, VT, NH and RI with a pop of under 4 mill? Good luck.
So, you yourself started with the claim that NE 'only' had 14 million inhabitants, and within a few posts have managed to trim that figure by 10 MM!! At this rate, within a few more posts NE will be a ghost region!

I have already explained to you multiple time that 'tradition' comes and goes...what sort of tradition did NU have before the mid 90's? What about KSU? What about IOA a few decades prior? Well, they did have tradition...only in the negative sense....a tradition of losing...losing BIG....pre-'95 most reasonable people would have agreed that 'nobody in Chicagoland cared' about NU FB...and that UoIl 'owned' Chicagoland (and the entire state)....yet in 1996 no reasonable person would have agreed with that...NU fans turned out overnight everywhere....too bad NU has been unable to keep winning B1G championship as it did under GB and RW...if we had kept the momentum, most 'bandwagon' fans would have remained...but still NU is doing moderately well at least in comparison to the pre-GB year and that has improved its standing in Chicagoland...KSU and IOA have been doing even better, and now they 'own' their states...VT wasn't particularly successful through the 80's (once it was literally kicked out of a conference!)...back then UVa 'owned' the state....yet today ...today VT is a major FB program that 'owns' VA and at least partially the DC area....There are of course many more cases like those mentioned...Same could happen to Rutgers, and of course UMASS (if it were to join the B1G)...and as a flagship state university UMASS would have a much easier path to respectability than NU, for many obvious reasons.

BTW, the state of MA produces more FBS FB players than some B1G states (for example IA and MN)...it is only a few positions behind WI....NJ is way ahead of most B1G states and MA, though.
 
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So, you yourself started with the claim that NE 'only' had 14 million inhabitants, and within a few posts have managed to trim that figure by 10 MM!! At this rate, within a few more posts NE will be a ghost region!

I have already explained to you multiple time that 'tradition' comes and goes...what sort of tradition did NU have before the mid 90's? What about KSU? What about IOA a few decades prior? Well, they did have tradition...only in the negative sense....a tradition of losing...losing BIG....pre-'95 most reasonable people would have agreed that 'nobody in Chicagoland cared' about NU FB...and that UoIl 'owned' Chicagoland (and the entire state)....yet in 1996 no reasonable person would have agreed with that...NU fans turned out overnight everywhere....too bad NU has been unable to keep winning B1G championship as it did under GB and RW...if we had kept the momentum, most 'bandwagon' fans would have remained...but still NU is doing moderately well at least in comparison to the pre-GB year and that has improved its standing in Chicagoland...KSU and IOA have been doing even better, and now they 'own' their states...VT wasn't particularly successful through the 80's (once it was literally kicked out of a conference!)...back then UVa 'owned' the state....yet today ...today VT is a major FB program that 'owns' VA and at least partially the DC area....There are of course many more cases like those mentioned...Same could happen to Rutgers, and of course UMASS (if it were to join the B1G)...and as a flagship state university UMASS would have a much easier path to respectability than NU, for many obvious reasons.

BTW, the state of MA produces more FBS FB players than some B1G states (for example IA and MN)...it is only a few positions behind WI....NJ is way ahead of most B1G states and MA, though.

Dude. What's with the ellipses?
 
As someone born and raised in MA, the thought of adding UMass to the B1G is hilarious. The majority of New Englanders don't care at all about college football, and the few that do care about BC or Notre Dame. The Northeast, and New England in particular, is all about the NFL.

Here's a fun map I found to support my otherwise completely anecdotal claim:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/u...ca-where-college-football-means-the-most.html
 
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As someone born and raised in MA, the thought of adding UMass to the B1G is hilarious....Here's a fun map I found to support my otherwise completely anecdotal claim:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/u...ca-where-college-football-means-the-most.html
Not that long ago, most reasonable people (especially those from NJ) would have scoffed at the possibility that Rutgers of all places would EVER be a member of mighty B1G....only slightly fewer would react similarly to the possibility of UofMd moving from the ACC to the B1G...look what happened.
Somehow, being a state flagship university in or around a major metropolis and TV market can make the impossible happen...
Anyway, the linked article is interesting, but they themselves emphasize that there may be chicken-egg situation...it's hard to be a college FB fan if no team around you is any good (and/or compete at a high level)...and it's tough for a college FB program to thrive when few around it care about the sport...so, what causes what? The presence of pro-teams do matter because at the end of the day both college and pro teams compete for the same entertainment time/dollars.
Also, in places like Boston and vicinity there are always lots of transplants from across the country, including B1G-land and many CF-crazy areas, who together with people with a direct tie to the school (students, alumni, parents, etc) can provide the critical mass to get rolling...don't underestimate the power of the B1G brand.
Anyhow, I wasn't so much arguing that the B1G should get in NE (perhaps it shouldn't) but rather that UMASS would be the ideal school if the B1G chooses to do so...not so much because of what it is today, but rather because of what it CAN become, as a member of the B1G.
 
My whole argument was in answer to a suggestion that UCONN should be added/considered, and my argument started with "if the B1G goes into that area"...that is, IF the B1G decided to pursue N.E. which school should it choose?

BC or UCONN may win if the B1G were to strictly consider the PRESENT state of each program...thankfully the B1G does NOT view things that way (at least not since the Nebby addition), since otherwise MD and especially RU would not be in the conference. The B1G correctly projects into the (not so distant) future and try to guestimate what sort of program the candidate would BECOME a reasonable time AFTER the program joins the conference...from that POV both MD and RU make a LOT of sense....RU created a huge buzz in NYC when it had its semi-magical season a few years back...imagine what'd happen if they did it as part of the B1G, say making it to the champ game...it would be HUMONGOUS buzz....

Of course Army was HUGE in NYC back when they were a big time program...Syracuse has also gotten strong support when it has put together a string of good seasons...the point is that programs rise and fall, and so go their popularity in so-called "pro towns"...RU can become in NYC what Army once was....same for UMASS in Boston....the queston is not what UMASS is today, is what UMASS + B1G woud become....of course you could ask the same about UCONN+B1G , and BC+B1G....I'd bet UMASS+B1G would dominate xxx+B1G with xxx any other N.E. school.

P.S. Currently the SEC is more lucrative (to its members) than the B1G is, so it would be harder for an SEC school to justify leaving that conference...yes, the B1G has a massive academic advantage, but that may not be enough (not everyone cares, unfortunately).

The idea of bringing anyone from the NE is inane to begin with.

You may be right about the SEC (though I do not believe it is more lucrative overall to it's members - someone can probably fact check the numbers -- and especially not so once CIC funding is factored in). Many if not most schools will not care about the academics. Florida isn't one of them though.
 
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