Finally! Big 12-Pac 10 challenge officially announced

[EggMcClone]

I happened onto the Big 12 page today and saw they just announced a four year deal with the Pac 10. The Cyclones first game...at Oregon State, November 30. I'm really pumped for this. The Pac 10 is really playing some good basketball this year and has the potential to be even better next year. It would be fun to get a game with USC to welcome Tim back to Hilton.

The Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences have announced an agreement to play a four-year men's basketball series of 12 annual games between the two leagues, starting with the 2007-08 season.
"This series of games with the Pac-10 will showcase some of the best college basketball in the country," Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg said. "Our two conferences annually produce highly rated teams and multiple NCAA Tournament teams. This series will provide quality match-ups that will help to build the strength of our teams' non-conference schedules. We are excited to have the opportunity to do this with the Pac-10 in a way that allows all of our teams to participate."
The series will continue in 2008, with games slated for December 4-7. The contests scheduled will be return games of the matchups from 2007, but may not be scheduled for the same day of the week. The games in the series in 2009 will be played December 3-6, 2009, while matchups in 2010 will be played December 2-5, 2010.
"We are pleased to make this scheduling arrangement with the Big 12 Conference and its members," Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen noted. "It will enable both conferences to provide exciting, high-level basketball competition. The games will spotlight college basketball in early December and will be excellent programming for our television partners. I commend the coaches of the two conferences for embracing the competition which will enhance the power ratings of all participants."
Additional components of the series, including the name of the event, television and sponsorship will be announced at a later date.

BIG 12 / PAC-10 MEN'S BASKETBALL SERIES
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007
Oregon at Kansas State
Oklahoma at USC
Friday, Nov. 30, 2007
Washington State at Baylor
Iowa State at Oregon State
Saturday, Dec. 1, 2007
Washington at Oklahoma State
Missouri at California
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007
Arizona State at Nebraska
Stanford at Colorado
Texas at UCLA
Texas A&M at Arizona
Outside the 10-game series window
Arizona at Kansas (Sun., Nov. 25, 2007)
Stanford vs. Texas Tech (Sat., Dec. 22, 2007)
[Neutral Site To Be Determined]

 

[ISUFan22]

Awesome, excellent...rock on!

Great find man!

 

[Cybone]

Sweet!........no USC v. ISU matchup huh?

 

[ISUFan22]

And I agree - I await the day we get to face off with USC. Too bad they couldn't have done that for '07.

 

[chuckd4735]

I dont like how they are doing a home and away, I wish they would do it more like the Big 10-ACC with a different matchup for each team each year, and you alternate each year playing at home and playing on the road. But I am glad they did do something to make the non-conference more exciting, should be fun!

 

[EggMcClone]

Also, I like how they got a guarantee of 12 games a year from a 10 team league. It will be interesting to see what the TV package ends up being since the Pac 10 has their deal with Fox Sports.

 

[CyinCo]

I dont like how they are doing a home and away, I wish they would do it more like the Big 10-ACC with a different matchup for each team each year, and you alternate each year playing at home and playing on the road. But I am glad they did do something to make the non-conference more exciting, should be fun!

I agree. I was disappointed to see a home and away. I would have liked to had a different team all 4 years to get a better taste of the entire Pac-10.

 

[isuarch80]

I like how it's over the weekend, it'll be nice to follow, but I think it's terrible that two games are outside those 4 days (ie. KU/AZ and Stan/Tech). The reason Big Ten/ACC challenge works well is they get every game in 3 days (maybe two) and it's easy to follow the standings. Everyone will just watch the KU/AZ game now as it's own individual game, and then a week later will put it into the grouping of the face off.

I dont like how they are doing a home and away, I wish they would do it more like the Big 10-ACC with a different matchup for each team each year, and you alternate each year playing at home and playing on the road. But I am glad they did do something to make the non-conference more exciting, should be fun!

I agree here as well...why do we want to play the same teams...the point is to get a big time conference to play each other and the teams should just rotate. It's not difficult to set up... I would have also liked USC to play K-State to see Mayo vs Walker this fall, but Walker may not even be back in time now...

 

[ISUCY11]

bout time they get this goin!

but...

our game vs Oregon State seems very similar to how they put teams like Penn State and Clemson together in the L11/ACC challenge. Pretty much the last two teams put together just to finish things out. Wish we could get a team like USC/UCLA/Oregon/Washington. But I guess we can't get too greedy. I'm glad this is finally happening.

 

[cyfanatic]

If Floyd had any input and didn't want to come back to Ames I would kind of understand. But it would have been cool to bring Lute back to the state too! That was a long time ago but bringing Arizona to Ames would have made for good stories...

 

[Whitey]

Is this ESPN sponsored? Will all of the games get national TV?

 

[ISUFan22]

TV deals and naming if the "event" is still up in the air.

 

[cyclonenum1]

I would be shocked if this is not on TV...probably Fox Sports since they have ties to both the Big 12 and Pac 10 as we speak.

If this is anything like the ACC / Little 11 challenge it is a "made for TV" event. The pairings are to try to draw big audiences...so you see teams of similar strength play and they can ensure a competitive game or you see "traditional" powers play that typically don't play each other...There is a reason KU and Texas are playing Arizona and UCLA.

 

[cyclone35]

Big12/Pac 10 Showdown

Looks like we play at Oregon State next season...

http://www.big12sports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011107aab.html

 

[j4state]

Re: Big12/Pac 10 Showdown

Very exciting! I've always wanted us to take on another major conference.

Go Big XII!!!

 

[BryceC]

I think this is awesome, I've been wanting to see a Big 12-SEC matchup for a while because we both have 12 teams. Very exciting for the conferences as well to get that kind of national exposure for all of their teams.

 

[ISUCY11]

I bet Floyd would want to come back here, if only to dig up the money he and Larry buried in his backyard.

 

[EggMcClone]

"Larry! What are you doing?"
"Yardwork?"

Classic...

 

[ornryactor]

I wonder why Arizona and Stanford were the two schools chosen to play two games against Big 12 opponents? That and the date of the AU/KU game makes me wonder if Kansas had already scheduled Arizona as a nonconference game before this full-conference challenge was implemented. Rather than change the schedule, they just said, "hey, this game's part of the challenge, too."

Also, why is Stanford-Tech at a neutral site?

 

[Johnny8]

"Larry! What are you doing?"
"Yardwork?"

Classic...

HAHA. I almost forgot about that one. That was great back in the day.