Conference realignment and the reported future demise of the Big 12 conference is the hot topic today and has been for the past two or three weeks. Most of the likely realignment scenarios don't look good for the Cyclones as they'll end up somewhere other than a BCS conference per these scenarios. That's too bad; for a century, ISU has been a loyal member of good standing to the Big 8/Big 12 conference and deserve much better than what most prognosticators predict. ISU's academic and research qualifications alone say they deserve better. Alas, this whole peeing match is about TV network revenue since the Big Ten Network has become so successful. ISU doesn't bring enough "eyes" to the TV sets to be regarded as a valuable enough TV commodity to be included in all these TV network scenarios being talked about.
I really wonder about those claims though; has anyone done research on what the Nielsen Ratings were for televised ISU Football and Mens Basketball games? I bet they're significantly higher than what may be expected. If ISU didn't bring eyes to TVs, why then did TNT and Versus broadcast so many of our football games, and why did ESPN do the same for football and basketball? I know the Big 12 TV contract had a lot to do with that, but what were the actual ratings when those games were telecast? I believe ISU has a bigger following than most people think.
Now recently, the Big 12 Conference Commissioner issued an ultimatum to both the Universities of Nebraska and Missouri to declare whether they're loyal Big 12 members, or not, and to make that declaration by the coming Friday, June 11, 2010. As reported by some, the University of Notre Dame is much closer to joining the Big Ten Conference than what was originally thought when this mess started. If UND joins the Big Ten, then they have their school that will bring in a national TV audience and won't need to poach Nebraska and Missouri from the Big 12 to expand their TV network. So, Nebraska and Mizzou better have their invitations to join the Big Ten in hand by Friday. Because if they don't, and declare they're going elsewhere outside of the Big 12, then Texas will probably bolt to the Pac 10 Conference, taking the Big 12 South Division with it, and orphan the Big 12 North. Therefore, more than likely as things are forming up, Nebraska and Mizzou will probably declare their conference allegiance to the Big 12 and the conference will be preserved for the time being. Thus allowing Dan Beebe to negotiate a new TV contract with Fox in 2011, and maybe a new one with ESPN in 2014. I say maybe because there is another possible scenario no one's talking about -- yet.
Let's say Nebraska and Mizzou say they're staying with the Big 12, but the Pac 10 somehow ups the ante and offers a deal to Texas, and Oklahoma they can't refuse. Of course, these two schools abandon the Big 12, join the Pac 10, and bring their affiliate schools with them -- the remainder of the Big 12 South. This leaves the Big 12 North orphans looking for other partner schools to reform the Big 12. In this scenario, Nebraska, Kansas, K-State, ISU, Mizzou, and Colorado, hopefully, unite together to form the core of a new Big 12. With Nebraska football and Kansas basketball, this group will hopefully have considerable value and be attractive for other schools to improve their TV revenue situation. Using the extra TV money from the Big 12 South schools (the Big 12 heavily penalizes any schools for leaving the conference), the remaining schools could look to expand in the east where there is more TV presence.
I would think the remaining Big East schools would be looking to join up with some other schools to form a power conference, and having NU, KU, et al, offering big money for other BCS schools to join with them would be the ticket to reform the Big 12 in the east. Specifically, I'm talking about Louisville University, the University of Cincinnati, and perhaps the University of Pittsburgh and maybe Syracuse University. I've heard rumors the University of Maryland is shopping around for a better TV deal. Perhaps a reformed Big 12 in the east may be attractive to them. Also, the service academies automatically have a national following, particularly Army and Navy. Would a reforming Big 12 conference be attractive them to join? These two academies will need to join a conference in the up coming age of conferences networks. Let's say all but Maryland join up, then the new Big 12 would have NU, KU, KSU, ISU, MU, CU, Pitt, Cinci, Louisville, Syracuse, Army, and Navy.
If I may say so myself, this new Big 12 has strong possibilities to form its own TV network. Nebraska, Army and Navy have the national following; particularly Army and Navy have a strong following in the NYC and Baltimore/DC regions, along with the Norfolk/SE VA region -- lots and lots of TV sets in those areas. Kansas, Pitt, Louisville, and Syracuse are quite strong in mens basketball, so that sport will have a strong following as well. Actually, this conference would be stronger as a basketball conference than football which plays right into the ISU's most passionate following, and its strength. I can't see any reason why a TV network with this new, reformed Big 12 Conference couldn't be as successful as the Big Ten network. Put another way, I can always dream, can't I?
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