So here ware trucking through our Big 10 Expansion, running over our introduction and Big 10 history along the way. Today our focus beams toward why the Big 10 wants to expand. Like we said yesterday, money is a big part but not the whole pie. Other slices include the silver bullet of television, the need to grow, scratching the itch that’s been bothering them the past 20 years, channeling baseball’s New York Yankee style of athletic competition, and the dust collecting on their trophy shelves. Think of money as the crust that keeps the filling in the pie. It’s alot to handle so we’ll try not to drive you crazy with the reasons.
Yesterday we laid the groundwork for the expansion drama that’s girdling up the loins of college football at the moment. Today we are taking a look at how the history of the Big 10 led us to this point. There’s over 100 years of data to go over, but we are blowing through the earliest parts and focus on the last 20 years. Expansion is in the blood of the Big 10 and they’ve acted on it. They tried many times and failed but were able to pull one team in the fold. So let’s ring up the good Doctor and fly away in the TARDIS back to the start of the Big 10.
It’s the middle of May and many of the big time conferences are in the middle of meetings. Athletic directors and coaches nationwide are now meeting to check up on things and discuss to goings on of their respective schools. Now usually, this will blow over with not much of a drop of news to report. This year, however, it’s getting bigger attention because of the expansion talk coming from the Big 10. Where last year there might have been one or two beat writers covering the meeting, this year it’s a media hoopla. No, the KCCGD Crib Sheet did not travel to the Big 10 meeting, but the Big 12 one is in Kansas City next week so we may crash that party. In the meantime, read up on our Big 10 expansion series and check out this week’s Crib Sheet:
Blair Kerkhoff speculated last week how Kansas City could be affected with Missouri and/or Nebraska leaving the conference. We’ll cover it later this week, but this is a nice roundup of how serious of a move this is for the local area.
Mike Sherman’s been away to Iraq talking to Aggie troops. He went out there for the Aggie Muster, which is a roll call of fallen Texas A&M soldiers on April 21. He ended up being late and had to stay later due to the Iceland volcano blowing ash. Sherman’s got our respect here for spending his own dough and sticking through to keep up the tradition.
Notre Dame and Miami are looking to renew their rivalry. Sounds good to us. Back in the day, this game meant national championships. Today, well, these teams are struggling to get back to the big time. Maybe this renewed tussle will help them get back on the track.
It seems like there is some trouble going on over in Lawrence. We might have not mentioned it before, but there is a big brewhaha over former fundraiser Rodney Jones’ abuse over tickets and plane ride solicitations. On the field, first stringer defensive tackle Jamal Greene is off the team because of his arrest for a little breaking and entering and armed robbery. At least they are cleaning things up now.
The speculation for the Big Ten expansion now grows toward the Sun Belt, according the head honcho Jim Delany. Let the fake reports triple because of this.
Bennie F. Abram, the Ole Miss player who collapsed and died on the field during a workout, had the sickle-cell trait. The enlarged heart due to that caused the seizure. When will the NCAA institute a rule that monitors this disease in football players? Every year there’s a new kid that dies because of this. Where is the clamor?
It was bound to happen. The discussion blew up late last December and now we have legitimate motions telling us that the Big 10, and college football, is about to run into some big changes. Ever vigilant, we here at the KCCGD Headquarters decided to toss our hat into the speculation ring and offer up our analysis as to just what the hell is going on. It’s plenty to chew on so we will be breaking up into bite size chunks of creamy goodness. At just the right time too, the Big 10’s athletic directors and coaches are meeting this week and the Big 12’s crew will do the same next week. Why does the Big 12 matter? The conference is among some of the institutions affected by this move. Strap it on, because we are about to ride the hottest off-season college football activity we haven’t seen in a long time.
This week we will take another look at a potential power pill to the Big Ten’s Pac-Manning of college football in the Pittsburgh Panthers. This Big East team has been linked to a rivalry with Penn State and generally fits well with other potential teams like Syracuse and Notre Dame. So how does ‘Roc’ the Panther stand up to mascot standards? We’ll find that out as well as where this guy came from and why he’s the ‘Roc’. So kick back and see if Roc rocks our world if, much like Sex Panther Cologne, he works 60% of time every time.
So the Big 10 expansion speculation that’s been building the last couple of months has finally come to a head here at the KCCGD Headquarters. We’ll give our thoughts about the whole shebang in the next couple days, but we wanted to whet your appetite with some tasty nuggets of information in the Crib Sheet. You, too, can munch down on expansion rumor to fill your belly with enough information to win your sports bar argument. Sports screaming at its finest, folks. On to the Crib Sheet:
In case you thing we’ve forgotten, Mike Leach’s case against Texas Tech has a hearing coming up May 14th and last week Texas Tech officials filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit altogether. They say the sworn statements are all that is needed and that Leach’s treatment was an offense worthy of termination. Leach on the other hand is making the case that it was about his contract and the bonus he was about to receive.
Kansas State, ever the team to take on tough new challenges, forged a mega deal to face the fearsome University of Texas San Antonio. Who? Yes that’s right, The Roadrunners, led by former Miami coach Larry Coker, will face the Wildcats in their inaugural FCS seasons. Man, UCLA isn’t that tough. Leave it up to Bill Snyder 2.0 to find the scrubs of the scrubs.
Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone was feeling green big time last Saturday. No, not green for the Fighting Irish, but green for rolling doobies. New coach Brian Kelly is going to bitch slap him around a hit and call it a done deal. It’s the new century, football players get stoned all the time, even the pious ones.
So the speculation has been about what conferences will do to react to the Big 10 Expansion. Well, on the Big 12 side it seems they may be exploring options with a pact between them and the Pac 10 (see the play on words?). Basically, the two conferences will have something similar to the hardwood series we enjoy but on the football field. The speculation is that there is also a potential Rose Bowl spot that could be up for grabs too. Remember, it’s speculation only.
Much ballyhoo is blowing around the college football land due to the blowhards up north in the Big 10. It seems they want to expand their television footprint or whatever it is. Part of their master plan includes penetrating the much valued market in New York. How will they do this? By going after a low hanging fruit by the name of Rutgers. So in honor of one of the teams that is part of the speculationalooza, we’ll be taking a look at Rutgers mascot, the Scarlet Knight.
Cinco de Mayo not only brings the Mexican in everyone, but it also brings out another week of the Crib Sheet! We’re going to celebrate by munching some nachos and busting open a pinata or two. No cervesas here. It’s a school day. Or more importantly, it’s not a college football primetime night or a Saturday chock full of football. On to this week’s Crib Sheet:
Mark Emmert is your new NCAA president, starting November 1. He’ll have to deal with all of this expansion hullabaloo from the Big 10 as well as television and money deals. This came as a shock to everyone as the former Washington guy is more progressive than the other counterparts considered for the position.
Speaking of the NCAA, they are making the schools come up with detailed plans on handling concussions after they recommended that they sideline players for the rest of the game if symptoms show up. It’s great that they are being proactive on this medical issue now they need to put forth some effort on sickle cell disease.
In the case of blogging gone wild, the local Missouri run news crew let slip last week that Missouri to the Big 10 was a “done deal.” The only problem, it was based on a 3rd person recount of talk overheard from a Pac 10 AD. On a podcast! Okay, so this expansion thing is going to rule the rest of the summer and we’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Our thoughts about it will show up here eventually, but in the mean folks try not to jump on every little rumor.
Joe Montana’s son, Nick, was looking good during Washington’s spring game. Is it genes or head coach Steve Sarkisian? Welp the coach is the former offensive coordinator during the national championship run of USC. We’re going with coach.
Big East coaches are putting the pressure on Notre Dame to commit fully to the conference. The basketball team plays there and now they want the football team. The Fighting Irish is the pivot in the expansion talks. They are the ones with their own national tv contract. If the Big 10 was smart, they would pick up the national exposure and double down on the title game on NBC.
Quick somebody get us some facial tissue and some decongestants. It’s allergy season here at the KCCGD Headquarters! We’re sneezing our heads off and we’re barely making it through the week. That’s not stopping us from delivering your favorite weekly news roundup: The Crib Sheet! It’s chock full this week with a ton of diva grandstanding from college conference officials. It’s a good thing our noses are stuffed because we think alot of that talk stinks. On to the Crib Sheet:
So the graduation rate for college athletes are on a curve. The College Sport Research Institute factored in longer years and lighter classloads to determine that the reported 79 percent rate is actually 54.8 percent, compared to 73.7 percent of other students. Looks like the NCAA needs to take some more math classes.
All the hype leading up to the commissioner meetings this week was whether or not the Big 10 would accelerate expansion plans. Big 10 commissioner Jim Delany came out of the meetings to speak on this rumor to reporters. “Nope” was pretty much all he said. Crisis averted.
Northwestern will play Illinois at Wrigley Field. Finally! All those people in Chicago will have an opportunity to root on two disappointing local teams that don’t play baseball. Way to go guys!
The BCS came out with a 3 pronged formula to help determine who gets an automatic bowl bid after the 2012 season. They take the highest ranked BCS team, the total BCS numbers for the conference, and the number of teams in the top 25 to determine who gets the nod. This is an obvious gesture to the Mountain West Conference, whose Boise State team has been rolling the last couple of years and has an opportunity to start in the top 3 once the preseason rankings come out. It will be interesting to see how this adds to the pressure and expectation the Broncos have this year.
So the first round highlights of the NFL Draft include Tim Tebow going to the Denver Broncos. Huh? What is he gonna do? Be a running back. Good thing the Big 12 represented big time with 9 picks going from the conference, including the top 4. Way to go Big 12!
Bill Snyder 2.0 is weighing the decision to get surgery on his torn ACL and MCL. More and more we’re thinking that Snyder 2.0 is a cyborg version of the original. It’s only reason we can come up with to answer Snyder’s statement that it doesn’t hurt much. What’s up with that? A jammed finger hurts like hell. This guy just walks it off. He’s hiding a gun in his leg, we swear.
The NCAA approved two more bowls for a total of 35, including the Yankee Bowl and the Dallas Football Classic. The later is the former Cotton Bowl and will have a place on New Year’s Day. Huzzah! This is the kind of expansion we enjoy here. Not the kind where you at more teams to the playoff. New Year’s Day next year will be mega stuffed with more football.
We probably should let everyone know that if an expansion from the Big 10 happens, expect the SEC to counter move. Yeah, it’s going to domino all over the place. We really just need two conferences. That way we can determine a champion the easy way.
Coming back to the somewhat near future, ESPN announced its 2010 College Football Primetime schedule and we have a whole bevy of games from the Big 12. The Lonestar Showdown with Texas A&M and Texas on Thanksgiving should be a treat. So’s the rematch between Nebraska and Kansas State on Oct 7th. Football can’t get here anytime sooner.
Okay it’s not as exciting as signing day or the first day of summer practice, but it’s enough to get us here at the KCCGD excied for some more college football! This week’s Crib Sheet dives into cracks and pulls up some loose change and football news. It doesn’t matter, it’s great to see the kids on the field getting ready for another season. We’re saving the change for stadium popcorn. On to the Crib Sheet:
We’re heard stories about college players getting arrested for drug and/or alcohol related crimes, but we haven’t heard the story about other players removing student newspapers that feature such crimes on the front page. Welp, it happened in Texas and the coach is backing his players for the removal. Is it suppression of free speech? Or is it a team rallying together? We don’t know, but we do that a campus full of students walked into class that morning without a crossword puzzle to distract them and that’s just wrong. At any rate, the coach later apologized.
Dan Beebe told everyone to chill about the permanent championship homes for the Big 12. At least not until June. It looks as though the rumor was Football in Jerryville, Baseball in OKC, and Basketball at the Sprint Center in KC. Maybe he’s holding out for more money from Jerry Jones, but my guess is that the Big 12 can get more from each city in the Big 12 area when putting the location up for grabs each year.
The Notre Dame athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, let slip the possibility that the Fighting Irish may have to join a conference and lose its independence if expansion happens all around them. This could be a bad thing for the Irish and a great thing for the conference that nabs them.
Coaches in Texas and Maryland get a one year reprieve from the new rule that limits successors in waiting to recruit for the team. The gates are open, boys, take as much as you can before the clock runs out!
Speaking of Notre Dame and Maryland, they will be playing each other at FedEx field in 2011. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the home team. Huh? FedEx field is IN Maryland. Okay now we see why this independence is going away for the Irish. That’s just ridiculous.
President Barack Obama honored the Alabama Crimson Tide at the White House this week for winning the BCS National Championship. It must be be tough for a Big 10 guy to honor an SEC team, but hey, he’s a politician and he rolls with the tide.
The Crib Sheet returns! We’re in the first lull of the year as Spring Practice is right around the corner. The second lull is the summer, of course. We here at the KCCGD find many things to pass the time. Dodgeball for instance. It’s not exactly football, but it is alot of fun. We think that colleges should catch on to this trend and officially support dodgeball in their athletic programs. It can work. We all just have to will. DUCK! Here comes the Crib Sheet:
The rumor mill was hot that Texas or Notre Dame could join the Big 10. Not anymore. The Big 10 has hired a firm to assist with their expansion plans. They reportedly have a list of about 15 school. Our money is on Nebraska, Iowa State, and Missouri from the Big 12 being on the list.
The Dayton Daily News has a great story about a one handed safety from their area succeeding in division III football. There’s nothing like a little inspirado to make your week go by faster.
Joe Paterno’s glasses were auctioned off for charity at $9000. JoePa recently opted for Lacik surgery so he doesn’t need them anymore. What other iconic college football items could go this high for charity? We’re thinking maybe Rich Rodriguez’s tear catcher, Mark Mangino’s blanket-sized bib, or Pete Carroll’s recruiting cloaking device.
The big talk the last week or so has been conference expansion. Well, never fear, because here at the KCCGD headquarters, we are perfectly happy with out size. Now there have been some talks of expanding out to St. Louis or up into Omaha, but does KC St. Louis Omaha College GameDay sound great? We say no. Granted, the barspots might be a little more glorious if we end up at an Old Chicago in St. Louis, but for now we are perfectly satisfied with what KC has to offer in bars and feel no pressure to hitch up and roll out every week. That said, here’s this week’s Crib Sheet:
What is the deal with other conferences wanting to poach schools from the Big 12? First it was the Big 10 and Missouri and now it’s the Pac 10 and Colorado. Yes it makes sense for both side to get the television markets. What this will signal is some massive changes (and payouts) to all the schools in the Big 12. Do you honestly believe Nebraska will go to the Big 10?
So we know about Missouri, but the Big 10 talking with Texas? Huh? Okay, no we’re thinking other conferences want to consolidate into just one big conference with all of the television markets. That’s the only way that makes sense. Texas won’t have an easier challenge up there. Just strange.
Goodbye Tim Griffin. We used his quick news on the goings on for news here at the KCCGD headquarters and we’re sorry to see him go. We wish him the best and we hope to see him or hear from him real soon.
The NCAA rolled out a rule severely limiting recruiting by coaches who are deemed as the successor in the head coach line at colleges. Naturally, Texas is not happy with this. What are they worried about? They are Texas. They get the best kids in Texas. Recruits do not need to promise of some other coordinator to tip scales for them.
JoePa will get lasers shot into his eyes. Yup, no longer will we see the iconic, thick-framed, bespectacled Joe Paterno, but now we will see the I big nosed, mega old dude on the sidelines. Hey, it just goes to show that you’re never too old to get procedures done to your body. Let’s hope he doesn’t get pectoral implants next.
The NCAA wants to take away touchdowns for taunting. Okay, we get it. Sportsmanship is truly a noble attribute. But doesn’t it say something about society as a whole when we have to legislate it? Why take a away a touchdown? A penalty assessed on the kickoff or extra point should be enough. Those are kids out there and they have a hard time controlling their emotions. The NCAA needs to focus on making the kids safer first.
Bo Pelini got yet another raise. He goes up to $2.1 million per year through 2015. Congrats to everyone’s favorite gum chewing Cornhusker. That’s gonna buy him a load of Bubble Yum.
Here’s this week’s police blotter: Frosh Mizzou quarterback Tyler Gabbert got the Owen Wilson treatment and broke his nose in a fight inside a Gumby’s Pizza. The ladies still find Owen hot, somehow, so he should be good. Meanwhile, LaMichael James, the Frosh offensive player of the year for the Pac 10, is in jail for strangulation, assault, and menacing. Welp, we might have a LeGarrate Blount situation here. Only difference was one was on a field against a dude and the other was off the field against lady. Oregon should kick this guy off the team.
Another week of the Crib Sheet and we are finally starting to see things calm down around the college football landscape. There’s still some action here and there but we envision the news will be trickling out here in there for the offseason. There’s still some loose ends that need to be tied up and we will stay there to make sure the granny knot is tight. So keep in step with this week’s Crib Sheet:
Skip Holtz is your new South Florida head football coach. After USF tanked Jim Leavitt, they pick up on East Carolina prodigy and son of former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz. Admittedly we’ve seen more of Lou than Skip and we can only hope that the kids down there can actually understand him when he talks. The kids up in East Carolina apparently did so it looks like a good hire.
Christopher Tritto from the St. Louis Business Journal breaks down the money situation for Missouri if they leave the Big 12 for the Big 10. Basically, they will make about $10 million more annually than the position they are in now. Tritto also points out that recruiting would be hurt as they pull alot of their kids from Texas. So do they give up being competitive to get paid more? Tuned in next year.
Tim Tebow is fresh out of college and ready to hock Christian morality. He’ll be in a Super Bowl commercial that will take an anti-abortion stance. However long his NFL career may be, you can be sure that he will be making a push into politics after he’s done.
…will not be discussed here. We’ve seen enough on the other websites so we are just going to say this was the best decade evar. All due to the KCCGD. Plus we’re still drying off from all of the snow that’s still dumping outside. Fortunately, there’s a bowl game on every night to keep us warm and cozy. New Year Eve and Day will be packed full of bowls as well. It’s the last huzzah of the college football season and the decade, help us celebrate in in style! Until then, here’s this week’s crib sheet:
TCU head coach Gary Patterson is your AP Head Coach of the Year. The former Kansas State alum took a mid-con team undefeated and in the top ranks of the BCS. This guy deserves it. Now only if he rides out the contract a couple of years and takes over for Bill Snyder 2.0 in a couple of years. Heck, they may be a part of the Big 12 in a couple of years anyway. Congrats, coach.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon took some pot shots at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State while trumping up support for the rumored Missouri move to the Big 10. Basically he said those schools housed dumb people. Boy if the Tigers stay in the Big 12 after all of this, look out for some revenge to be had in the next couple of seasons.
Sarah Thomas was the first female official to game a bowl Saturday at the Little Caesars Bowl. Some true ground was broken and word has it, she’s being eyeballed by the NFL. So now all we need to see are some ladies on the field competing. But not a Kathy Ireland type thing.
He’s in, he’s out, he’s somewhat both. Last weekend, Urban Meyer resigned from the team, announced he was coaching the Sugar Bowl, then announced he was coming back next year. Apparently this all was due to health issues. We think that many Florida fans and alums are experienced some heart related health issues upon hearing this set of news.
Happy Holidays everybody from the KC College Gameday Crew! It’s been a couple of years now of doing this blog and we’ve learned alot along the way. We also are very thankful for all 12 of you that actually read this internet football rag. It’s not a perfect blog and we strive hard everyday just to make it a little bit better. We wished it could be perfect, but sometimes great things come from imperfections. Much along those same lines, we have Christmas wishes we want to share with you this holiday season:
