Well, we’re here. This has gone on long enough. I finally have to weigh in on this whole Big XII, Big 10+1, Pac-10, MVC, Mountain West, SEC, hullabaloo. This whole thing is playing out like a bunch of stupid high school drama, and in the end, nothing (I repeat, NOTHING) is going to change. That’s right, I said it.
HP started whining about this like Chicken Little back in early May.
“The Big XII is done, and KU is going to get screwed.”
Sure it is. Read through all the crap in the paper, and I can see why you would think that. I mean, you have Missouri and Nebraska going to the Big 10. That causes Texas, Tech, Oklahoma, Okie Light, aTm, and Colorado* to bolt to the Pac-10. And once that mass exodus happens, you have KU, K-Junior, and Iowa State praying for that coveted invite from the MVC. Hey, at least I’ll get to see KU in St. Louis every March.
*Of course, somehow the legislature of Texas threatens to secede from the Union, and in turn gets the Pac-10 to take Baylor instead of Colorado. This forces the Buffs to become the worst team in the Mountain West instead of the worst team in the Big XII or Pac-10.
So as we all sit here on pins and needles waiting for the impeding collapse that is the Midwestern college landscape, allow me to remind you of just one little thing (and this may sting for all you Antlers out there)…
The Big 10 doesn’t want Mizzou.
It’s true. The Big 10 wants Notre Dame, and that is it. They want to get to twelve teams, which gives them two divisions, and a championship game in football. They do not want to expand to 16 teams.
I know it hurts, Tigers. Here is basically what happened. Let’s say that there is a really hot guy in school. He isn’t the hottest dude in school, but he is up in the top 3-4. We’ll call him Bryce Tennor. He has a huge crush on Nicole Davis. Nicole is the coolest girl in school. She is so cool, that she doesn’t even want to date or be tied down, and just sleeps with anyone. Bryce cannot get Nicole to notice him at all, even though he is hot. So what does Bryce do? That’s right; he starts flirting with everyone in sight. Nancy, Rachel, Syrie and Vicky. He does this merely in an attempt to get Nicole to think she had better get in the picture quickly or Bryce could be married before she even got a chance.
Then you have Missy. Missy is not attractive. She is poor, and has small insignificant television markets, uh, breasts. Well, Missy hears that Bryce is courting just about anyone, and suddenly believes she has a shot. Some of her friends even tell her she has a shot. Missy begins to lie to everyone she knows, telling them she will be dating Bryce before you know it. She tells herself this so much that she even begins to believe her own lie. Truth is, Bryce is never going to get with Missy unless he is ridiculously drunk and all the other girls mentioned are busy, or have herpes.
Sad, I know.
Look, The Big 10 pays each of its members about $20 million per year. Let’s do some math:
11 teams x $20 mil. = $220 Million.
Now, add in a Notre Dame and you have something more like this:
$220 mil. + $80 million from ND = $300 mil./12 teams = $25 million per team
Next scenario is the Big 10 adds Mizzou, Nebraska, and one of the Big East teams:
$220 mil. + $40 million combined = $260 mil./14 teams = $18.57 million per team
The Big 10 is not stupid. Nebraska and Mizzou add very little, if any value to the league. There is no way that the powers that be in that league will dilute the value of the franchise. Not so they can facilitate a “border rivalry” between MU and Illinois. Not so Nubs can play Iowa either. No, in the end this was all just a smokescreen to finally get the Irish to play ball. And it will probably work.
If I was Missy, I think I might try to play nice with the semi-good looking guy who is really only seen in public with me because I put out. That is, before he finds a better looking girl with even lower self esteem.