I don't either.
But if KU did, it would be due to the SEC's recent push to be the basketball power.
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
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But if KU did, it would be due to the SEC's recent push to be the basketball power.
They'd have to do things that would likely cost them $ to get to that point, however.
If they take KU, and the ACC is imploding, the Big 12 would likely get Duke, Louisville, and ****, why not UConn to join a league that already has Arizona, Houston, Baylor, ISU, WVU, Cincy, BYU, TTU, and a bunch of schools that are good at hoops.
I think they'd like to be the best hoops league, but they aren't willing to add dilutive schools in order to get there.
I wouldn't be surprised if the end game is something like 24 teams for each conference and forming their own division. They could possibly invite other teams to their championship tournaments but they would pretty much run all of college sports in this country. I wish we could turn back the clock and go back to 8 teams in conferences, it would be best for everyone, but that seems impossible now.
If both the Big 10 and SEC went to 24, they'd add dilutive schools.
I just puke in my mouth thinking about what 48 teams means for ISU. There's absolutely no good that can come from it. If we make the cut, we're a ******* doormat permanently. If we don't make the cut, we're totally irrelevant and likely have very few historic opponents on any schedule. Both of these outcomes absolutely suck and are worse than what we have today.
I'm rooting for something that's fairly inclusive (like 64-72 teams), something that's very exclusive (top 18-20 football brands do their own thing), or something that kinda looks like what we have now where the Big 12 and ACC schools get to participate, even if we make less money.
Currently it's impossible to add a school without it not being a loss to the conference. The media payouts are too high for any school to make enough to justify that number outside of the top 3 or 4 schools in the Big 10 and SEC. That didn't stop the Big 10 from adding Oregon, Washington and UCLA. All 3 teams have no chance of making a profit for the conference.
There's zero chance those schools will profit the Big 10. You actually think UCLA makes that kind of money or any money at all? They took them to capture a footprint on west coast and those were the best schools for it. They are expanding to a ridiculous point and they will continue to do so. So will the SEC. I don't know what the end game is but it's pretty obvious these two conferences plan on taking complete control.
Oregon and Washington we added at a significant discount btw so that slightly tweaks the math
What's the point of capturing the west coast footprint if it's not to make money?
They care about money. Not control for control's sake.
If they wanted control, why not just add all the Big 12 and ACC schools?
It's not the conferences, it's Fox and ESPN wanting control to exclude the likes of Amazon and to consolidate so they have less mouths to feed. Sankey and Petitti are puppets for ESPN and Fox who are the manipulators for this ongoing realignment BS.
Like the rest of the B12 schools the B10 and SEC have had better choices to take, so they took them over the remaining schools. Lets say after they have destroyed the ACC both teams need one or two teams left to get to a even number of schools for the conference and the remaining ACC teams are not equal to a KU or OSU? Would they not retrace their steps and offer one of those schools to fill out the conference?
The magic number is the amount the networks are willing to pay to bring new schools in the conference, no league is going to expand just for the sake of expanding, that number keeps increasing, for the B10 and SEC so you have to wonder outside of just destroying the ACC, how much money does UNC, UV, Clemson and FSU bring into either league without lower the payout to the current teams.
They'll add until they run out of schools that can make them money. That's the number. It might not be the same between the SEC and Big 10 either.
But the idea that "well, we're at 19 and we NEED another team even if it doesn't make us money" kinda flies against everything that's happened so far.
You can't keep them out of the tournament but you can make the money they earn in comparison a whole lot less.
This is exactly why autobids are going away for the bottom 20ish leagues. The P2 are done handing over any money they don't have to.
If this is the last go around, they are not going to end up with an odd number of teams it makes scheduling more difficult, giving a team a slot off when the entire rest of the league is playing. They would take a team like KU, OSU or maybe even a TCU to fill out that sport, or look at a Stanford or Cal.
I am sure that every league has a number in mind that they do not want to go over, but they also want to reach that number. Like others have said its FOX and ESPN calling the shots here, if they say we want KU then they are going to get the nod, being passed over in the past will not make any difference.
The big ten had an odd number of teams for close to 20 years without an issue.
If Fox and ESPN want KU In the SEC it will happen.
Thus far, they have not wanted KU in the SEC. They have had the opportunity for 15 years to do it and haven't. There's a reason, and just having round numbers won't be enough of a reason to change that.
Now if Kansas wins a football natty between now and then, they may feel that the KU overall brand has risen to the point it will be a financial win. But that's what it will take (not necessarily winning a natty, but being financially viable). Not some imaginary quota.
Fox has zero say / control in the SEC. At least at the moment...
True they added Penn State to get there and then even it out when they added Nebraska. But they also went ahead and added in pairs with Rutgers/Maryland, USC/UCLA and finally Oregon/Washington. Having an odd number in the league is doable but not what any league wants long term. If this next expansion is their last, they would be silly to end with a league that has 23 teams instead of 24.
KU wants the B10, that would be their preferred league, if the B10 does not want them and the SEC comes calling they would jump it would be crazy not to. Every school is worried about being the next Washington St./Oregon St. and want to avoid that at all costs, the money is just not going to be there for the schools that are not in the power conferences.
