Big Lead Sports Bar

7/27/2007

Checking In

I apologize for the lack of posting today...I'm hard at work on the Steelers preview for Deadspin. I don't want to ruin this surprise of this year's topic, but I'll simply promise that it's taken quite a while to put together. I hope you enjoy it.
Given that I have limited time to post today, I wondered what subject to tackle. And then one of my readers dropped quite the tasty morsel in the old inbox.
As you may have noticed, there's been quite the ongoing debate about college football on the site this week. Rather than interrupt that momentum to talk about things like the semipro team that populates PNC Park or the incredibly-early debate on the merits of drafting Lawrence Timmons, let's throw some more gas on the fire. The college football site EDSBS points out in this article that the Big 10 could be expanding. Who are their possible targets? Just a few teams from the lowly Big East.
Debate participants, take your places...

10 comments:

TheStarterWife said...

In case you guys missed it, Precious Roy over at "Kermit the Blog" did a great series of the Top Ten most overrated college football schedules before ESPN did.

Number 1? The Big East

Ron - That preview cannot come soon enough. I don't know if you have noticed, but the Yinzer Mafia keeps taking over the rest of the previews.

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

Thanks starterwife for fueling adam.

But what's it say about the ACC if the Big "Least" teams beat up on them in bowl games and only one of them was ranked? Ponder please...

They said on College Gameday that the Big 10 should take Pitt or Rutgers.

I say they all just flip the bird to the Big 10 and stay put.

Curious, what really WOULD happen if we all ignored Adam?

Unknown said...

"Curious, what really WOULD happen if we all ignored Adam?"

Let's give it a shot.

Doug said...

Until Joe Pa has no say in it you can bet that Pitt will never join or be invited to join the Big 10.

That's what happens when you don't join his all eastern conference 25 years ago.

By the way, there are 11 teams in the Big 10, right, so if they get another then it would be the Big 12. I think some people down in Texas might not like that very much.

Adam said...

Well,
Heres how i see the selectees for the Big 10 in order:

1. Notre Dame-We've always had a crush on them, but I doubt they'll join, whether it is good for them or not.

2. Rutgers-The school has access to NYC, which, while it is a pro town, still has access to a LOT of potentiel Big 10 fans.

3. Pitt, WVU, and Syracuse-Pitt is a long shot here, not because of JoePa, but because PSU is already in the PA market. WVU and Syracuse would add exposure to new places for the Big 10.

4. I've heard rumblings about mizzou.

and to the earlier posts, the Big East's bowl opponents were a joke. Period. I can't take that seriously

Anonymous said...

The expansion of the Big Ten is only now mentioned b/c the Big Ten Network can't gain placement on the basic cable tier with carriers outside of the midwest.

The Big Ten thinks that by adding Syracuse or Rutgers and gaining entry into NY or NJ that they will attain critical mass in the northeast and be more than just a bunch of shit-kickin' hicks from the midwest. (No offense, of course.)

Big problems with this logic...

For starters, Syracuse sucks in football. It would be the equivalent of adding another Indiana to the conference. Then again, maybe that will help Penn State climb out of the cellar.

Let's also remember that the Big East is a better basketball conference than the Big Ten - and SYR is more of a basketball school. So if you're the Orange, why make the move? Kids who grow up in the northeast dream of playing at The Garden, not the United Center.

Rutgers? Please. Rutgers is as "Jersey" as Jersey gets. I know what the Big Ten is thinking. Piscataway is 40 miles outside of NYC and if we get Rutgers, we get the #1 market in the country, too!

Sure - 40 miles on a map. More like 400 miles in reality. No one more than 20 miles away from the Rutgers campus evens realizes they exist. Seton Hall has more of a following.

The bottom line is this - you won't be watching Michigan St. vs. Illinois in women's volleyball on the Big Ten Network anytime soon.

TheStarterWife said...

Sorry Louis Lipps - I thought by linking him to another site, he'd take is cause there.


Cecil points make the most sense, especially on Syracuse and Rutgers. (Rutgers is just the lucky/feel good team right now. Let's see where they are on 4 years.)

Free Pacman said...

Thestarterwife,

he probobly did take his cause over there, but decided to bother us here,too. I'm pretty sure all he does all day is talk about how great PSU is.

The pages of his JoePa biography are probobly stuck together.

Free Pacman said...

*Probably. Wow, I can't spell.

Louis Lipps is my homeboy said...

Ummm (he who will not be named)... if they wanted to expand into new markets, and Penn State already has captured the "Pittsburgh" market...

... then why would they want WVU, which is in Pittsburgh's market too?? (as well as the market for an under-populated state with no money... sorry West Virginians).

And the point I was making about the Big East's bowl oppoenents totally flew over (he who will not be named)'s head.