I would love to have UVA and VA Tech as a package just to solidify the eastern footprint of the conference. Sadly I think that is fantasy in the near term.
Don’t really see Va Tech as a Big Ten school. If the dominoes were to fall with Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, the Big Ten would need to make a move to stay on par. I could see UVA, then I think they would aim for UNC as well. If that were to fall through, then either Missouri or Kansas to help even up the West.
That's what @LionJim told us about UMD not that long ago. Money trumps ACC tradition.
In terms of football, I see VA tech as a perfect match with the B10, typically a solid hard nose program…. reminds me of Iowa. In terms of the rest of their package you may be right. UVA seems like a very good fit overall. UNC would never relinquish power they wield in the ACC. As far as the West goes, I say screw the west. The conference needs more eastern schools.
I want to say that Missou wanted to come to the B1G last time around, so I doubt they would be happy with Texas coming to the SEC. Personally, I don’t think the Texas/OU to SEC will happen. Texas wants to be a big fish, so this may just be a power play. I still think their best move would be to go to the PAC 12, because it is struggling and Texas could take advantage of that.
I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, but I suspect the sudden shift to the 12 team playoff is a direct result of the UT/OU discussions and the fact that the SEC will be able to send 1, 2, or even more teams to the expanded playoff. Under the old system, it would have been foolish for UT or OU to join the SEC.
You know that Dabo is going to leave for Bama in a couple of years and eventually, Clemson is going to go back to, well, Clemsoning.
Yup. It’s about the eyeballs and UVA and Tech would take the BIG from strong in the DC / VA market to dominant.
Warren has fallen upwards so many times that he may actually change the rules of gravity.
Lol, it sounds exactly like something I would have said.
What research footprint?
Of course not. I am saying I have no idea what your data are referencing since you seem to be mixing buckets, but that in any event one should not Pooh Pooh these schools as research institutions sitting next to the seat of government in a state that is growing rather than shrinking.
Why not? It’s not like the Big is chopped liver in basketball and they would take a huge step up in football.
I agree with the above- however way back when there was a lot more talk about how PSU would benefit by joining the Big Ten for academic/research reasons- further elevating our rep beyond just sports. The Big is still primarily large state schools- with Northwestern the oddball (Vandy of the SEC/ Wake of the ACC). Va Tech better fits the student size mold than either UVA or UNC- which would both be the 2nd smallest # of undergrads. We were shocked when looking at Chapel Hill for our daughter when we realized on our tour that the school was the same size as the University of Delaware, Not that any of this matters anymore- it's all about eyeballs and revenue
