Does anyone really think that Gonzaga has turned down membership in Big 12?

If we have a chance to add Duke, we MUST add them. However, something tells me that the twists and turns of this whole thing have yet to be completely revealed. I somehow doubt we'll see Duke in the Big XII at the end.

IvanBear said:

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bear2be2 said:

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PartyBear said:

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Sorry but Gonzaga just makes no sense. It is a tiny school with really no athletic program except a hoops program that has been good for roughly 10 years and it is located about where WSU is which is is way the fxxk out of the way from everything. Would we be like pursuing Rice if they had a hoops program like Gonzaga's over the past decade or so? Except they are in like the 3rd largest metro area in the country and Rice has div 1 athletic programs other than basketball. In summary Rice makes more sense and Rice doesnt make any sense at all.

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The Big 12 is well past the point of being able to compete with the Power Two at their own game. Markets don't matter as much national relevance, and Gonzaga is a national draw. That's one of the top 10 men's basketball programs in the country -- a program without which a national championship tournament can't be played.

The Big 12 can't force its way into the football national championship discussion because it doesn't have a single program capable of winning a football national title in the current landscape. That's not true in basketball.

The Big 12 is just trying to keep the Power Two from completely leaving it in the dust. And basketball is the only leverage it has.

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Gonzaga will lose the conference money in the long run and not impact a single TV contract that floats the teams in this league. Our commissioner needs to stop trying to be the NCAA basketball commissioner and get in a room and start negotiating with the SEC and Big 10 about how the three of us can create our own replacement for NCAA. Any other route is trying to live in a system that isn't going to last five years. ESPN and the SEC are straight up saying the quite part out loud now they want to cut the smaller teams out of everything not just football, that's what needs to be stopped. Adding tiny athletic departments who can't carry their weight in revenue production will not save this conference.

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Is that even realistic. B10 and SEC are the big two, benefiting in every way over us. Bringing us into planning and decision making won't really make them more money. We're third. Basketball is the growth area. As the Big 2 grow their stranglehold on football, many fans will turn to basketball imo. March madness is the best sporting event in TV. Maybe football playoffs will be better, but I doubt it.

Big 12 may not survive too much longer.

SEC and Big 10 will just pick off the most valuable brands in the conference and there will be about 6-8 schools left out.

Why didn't they do that when they took Texas and OU and take more from the PAC rather than let them go to the XII? A guy on Twitter has said that as well along with many other things that contradict that (Swaim). There is another guy MHiver (who does not tweet nearly as often) who said a month ago "his sources" say that the break off will also include the post ACC version of the XII as well. So the 3 conferences will break off.

I'm not vouching for either guys btw. But if the XII is allowed to be building up, it seems that is plausible. There is so much crap though on Twitter so who knows.

thales said:

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gobears20 said:

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Montemayor added that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is trying to forge relationships now in case the ACC falls apart.

"He is targeting potential free agency after the ACC melts down," Montemayor said of Yormark.

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i don't see the acc melting down

it will be like the big 12 - the teams that can score a better payday, will.

everyone else that remains (and there is a lot of teams in the acc) will stay in the acc because there is not a better alternative

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The best case possible would be for those teams to end up under big 12 control, in attempt to unite the remainders that are outside the SEC and Big 10. A group like that would hopefully have enough negotiating power by shutting the Big 10 and SEC out of non conference games. This could cause the SEC/BIg 10 collusion to be slowed. While those programs have a lot of value, it's still hard to imagine they'll command as much value when everyone else is taken out of the equation. SO much of college football is David vs Goliath, even if David basically never wins the national championship, the thought that you might have a crazy enough season to do it keeps me interested in how Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, and Michigan, etc etc are doing even though I hate those teams.

If those teams are never going to even potentially play my team, I just don't have to care about them on any level anymore.

That is just another website trying to get clicks by throwing out some ridiculous story about Duke.

Duke and its decision making isn't led by the athletic department like most Big 12 schools and the only reason Duke needs the big payout is to cover its sports programs as they exist today. It could just easily walk away from the athletic dollars and visibility and it wouldn't affect Duke's academic plan whatsoever. The academicians and donors from Duke would just as soon see Duke compete in the Ivy League or some re-organized Atlantic or East Coast league that included highly academic schools or de-emphasize athletics altogether as they would lower themselves to the perceived academic inferiority of the Big 12 schools.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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That is just another website trying to get clicks by throwing out some ridiculous story about Duke.

Duke and its decision making isn't led by the athletic department like most Big 12 schools and the only reason Duke needs the big payout is to cover its sports programs as they exist today. It could just easily walk away from the athletic dollars and visibility and it wouldn't affect Duke's academic plan whatsoever. The academicians and donors from Duke would just as soon see Duke compete in the Ivy League or some re-organized Atlantic or East Coast league that included highly academic schools or de-emphasize athletics altogether as they would lower themselves to the perceived academic inferiority of the Big 12 schools.

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You really underrate how much they care about their basketball team there. But I do agree this is just click bait.

The future is basketball.

Just make the B-XII Tournament the NCAA Tournament.

IvanBear said:

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thales said:

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gobears20 said:

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Montemayor added that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is trying to forge relationships now in case the ACC falls apart.

"He is targeting potential free agency after the ACC melts down," Montemayor said of Yormark.

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i don't see the acc melting down

it will be like the big 12 - the teams that can score a better payday, will.

everyone else that remains (and there is a lot of teams in the acc) will stay in the acc because there is not a better alternative

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The best case possible would be for those teams to end up under big 12 control, in attempt to unite the remainders that are outside the SEC and Big 10. A group like that would hopefully have enough negotiating power by shutting the Big 10 and SEC out of non conference games. This could cause the SEC/BIg 10 collusion to be slowed.

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i saw some people posting similar ideas over the past month, if not under bb then under football

With the ratings the women's basketball tournament games have gotten the last two years, it's probably time to start looking at growth opportunities in that sport as well. The talent and skill levels have never been higher than they currently are in girls and women's basketball and because there are no WNBA one-and-dones, that sport is actually creating four-year stars that are growing into legitimate draws. It's only a matter of time before that sport starts making real TV and tournament money, too.

I've long been of the mind that Yormark should look for growth where it is actually attainable for the Big 12, and that is in basketball IMO, both men's and women's.

IvanBear said:

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Big12Fan2024 said:

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That is just another website trying to get clicks by throwing out some ridiculous story about Duke.

Duke and its decision making isn't led by the athletic department like most Big 12 schools and the only reason Duke needs the big payout is to cover its sports programs as they exist today. It could just easily walk away from the athletic dollars and visibility and it wouldn't affect Duke's academic plan whatsoever. The academicians and donors from Duke would just as soon see Duke compete in the Ivy League or some re-organized Atlantic or East Coast league that included highly academic schools or de-emphasize athletics altogether as they would lower themselves to the perceived academic inferiority of the Big 12 schools.

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You really underrate how much they care about their basketball team there. But I do agree this is just click bait.

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Indiana and Ohio State are pretty good academically. They are both research Universities.

If ACC falls, take VA Tech and NcSt (if not taken) and Duke and then Pitt.NO TO MIAMI

That appears to have been Yormark's strategy all along. The Big 12 is blessed to have him. He is very intelligent & savvy. Perfect for the job.

bear2be2 said:

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IvanBear said:

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bear2be2 said:

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PartyBear said:

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Sorry but Gonzaga just makes no sense. It is a tiny school with really no athletic program except a hoops program that has been good for roughly 10 years and it is located about where WSU is which is is way the fxxk out of the way from everything. Would we be like pursuing Rice if they had a hoops program like Gonzaga's over the past decade or so? Except they are in like the 3rd largest metro area in the country and Rice has div 1 athletic programs other than basketball. In summary Rice makes more sense and Rice doesnt make any sense at all.

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The Big 12 is well past the point of being able to compete with the Power Two at their own game. Markets don't matter as much national relevance, and Gonzaga is a national draw. That's one of the top 10 men's basketball programs in the country -- a program without which a national championship tournament can't be played.

The Big 12 can't force its way into the football national championship discussion because it doesn't have a single program capable of winning a football national title in the current landscape. That's not true in basketball.

The Big 12 is just trying to keep the Power Two from completely leaving it in the dust. And basketball is the only leverage it has.

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Gonzaga will lose the conference money in the long run and not impact a single TV contract that floats the teams in this league. Our commissioner needs to stop trying to be the NCAA basketball commissioner and get in a room and start negotiating with the SEC and Big 10 about how the three of us can create our own replacement for NCAA. Any other route is trying to live in a system that isn't going to last five years. ESPN and the SEC are straight up saying the quite part out loud now they want to cut the smaller teams out of everything not just football, that's what needs to be stopped. Adding tiny athletic departments who can't carry their weight in revenue production will not save this conference.

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The SEC and Big Ten have no reason whatsoever to negotiate or compromise with the Big 12. They hold all the leverage, and as we saw with the football playoff "negotiations," they're going to use it to their advantage -- good of college athletics be damned.

The only way the Big 12 gets any power to leverage against the Power Two is to build a basketball power that can't be ignored or left out when the SEC and Big Ten decide they're ready to take their ball and go home.

Yormark understands this and he's playing the hand he has the best he can. good of college athletics be damned.

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" good of college athletics be damned." Spot on.

Stefano DiMera said:

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Big 12 may not survive too much longer.

SEC and Big 10 will just pick off the most valuable brands in the conference and there will be about 6-8 schools left out.

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There are no brands left in the Big XII that can bring enough value to either the B1G or the SEC to be worth it. For you to think there are EIGHT to TEN such brands left here is beyond ludicrous.

MT_Bear said:

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Stefano DiMera said:

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Big 12 may not survive too much longer.

SEC and Big 10 will just pick off the most valuable brands in the conference and there will be about 6-8 schools left out.

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There are no brands left in the Big XII that can bring enough value to either the B1G or the SEC to be worth it. For you to think there are EIGHT to TEN such brands left here is beyond ludicrous.

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If you look at the requirements for B1G and SEC the only common thread is a large statewide fanbase following. B1G claims to rely on academics (cough, cough) while SEC could care less. The SEC is more about geographic.

The only ones in the Big 12 I can think of that fit those SEC requirements are Tech and OSU. The B1G might consider KU and ISU.

Regardless there are many more attractive condidates in the ACC such as Clemson, FSU, NC and UVA.

historian said:

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That appears to have been Yormark's strategy all along. The Big 12 is blessed to have him. He is very intelligent & savvy. Perfect for the job.

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I wish he had been hired a long time ago, like 2012. The B12 would be in much better shape overall. He probably would have poached teams left and right