I know this is a old subject, like stale bread, but it looks as if we've seen the last of the Big 12 as we know it. ESPN reported that Colorado is headed for the Pac-10, with Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State likely to follow. With Nebraska purportedly headed to the Big 10+1, The Big 12 is down to 5 teams. Maybe Conference-USA will take them.

Anyone know why they are even doing these expansions.  Whats wrong with the current system?

I think it's absolutely nuts but its gotta be money driven. Any other old farts like me remember when the Southwest Conference played some of the best football in the country?
Rumor has it that the SEC is gonna invite Idaho State to join! LOL!

I liked the old SWC also. change is not always best.

Yeah I remember those days, when it was an all Texas conference + Arkansas.

I kind of liked the good old days too, at least where it comes to football.

Texas and Oklahoma schools in a "Pacific" based conference just seem  wrong to me. I was born 10 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, and currently spend most of my time in Oklahoma, but it still  seems wrong.

is not going to the Big Ten by themselves and neither is Colorado to the Pac-10. Obviously big money i.e. TV is behind all this and we will find out once the Pac-10 TV contract expires at the end of the 2011 season.

I am with Messrs. GaGambler and St Croix, I like to go back to the traditional conferences, the Pac-10, Southwestern conference etc. Think about it, it has been traditions that built college football to what is, by the legends of Knuke Rockne, Paterno, Robinson, Dee Andros, Wilkinson, Bowden, Byrant, Woody Hayes et al in the format so many called archaic and which produced so many memorable moments. I wonder if a "Rudy" could happen today?

It's all gone. The issue of what's next, is "up in the air".

... lets go all the way back to leather helmuts too!

Not the most sterling of programs to cite in this discussion.

Most every other major program in the country was guilty of the same offenses. SMU just got caught.

Similar to steroid in baseball, I don't spend my time wringing my hands over who was juicing during the last decade or two, I just enjoyed the baseball, and FWIW I did enjoy the steroid era.

I should admit to my bias in my thinking, I made a ton of money betting of baseball during the last years of steroids, enough money that several bookies cut me off and refused to take my action. That "might" have something to do with my POV

more likely, he played with no helmet at all. lmao

... I would venture a guess that his playing days were quite limited in many sports.

-- Modified on 6/11/2010 7:50:20 AM

... what is the ultimate vision/goal for college football?

I am sure that there are quite a few individuals, coaches, schools, conferences, NCAA (maybe), etc. that have an issue with the current system/format (as some like to point to).  This forum is filled with threads to this fact every December/January.

If the College Football was clear about it vision, I am quite sure there would be a system/format which could easily accommodate all the seemingly conflicting issues.

Maintian traditions?  Increase competition?  Want to see similarities across the conferences or see regional anomolies?  Want parity?  Increase viewership?  All these issues are very real, and answerign them correctly depends on how the system/format as a whole is implemented.

What I find very intriguing is how the same pool of institutions can produce two completely opposite systems/formats for their sports - college football and college basketball.  Depending on the perspective, both have their faults.  I wouild just like to think that the potential to have the cake and eat it too is very high.

i understand that he is reigning champ at those endeavors.

Nebraska might be going to the Big 10 alone depending over several other factors including Notre Dame's decision whether or not to join the conference. With the addition of Nebraska the Big 10 now has 12 schools, enough to stage a conference football championship game for a bunch of extra money.

BTW, if you want to go back to traditional conference configuration then the Pac10 would be the old Pac 8 with Arizona and ASU sent back to the WAC.

There's a big difference: the NCAA controls college basketball, the major conferences control college football and there is no NCAA championship at  the top level.

have Texas A&M looking at the SEC. Kansas, K-State and Missouri may get invites to the Mountain West.