Pac-10 looking at expansion..

[Upton]

Larry Scott hasn't been the commissioner of the Pacific-10 Conference long enough to worry about such things, but if he has to have his shirts monogrammed to change the "0" to a "2," well, hang the expense.

In a news conference designed to introduce former Big XII Commissioner and Big Ten Network creator Kevin Weiberg as his chief aide, Scott acknowledged that the time for considering conference expansion seriously and thoroughly is upon him and the 10 university presidents and chancellors.

Put another way, the clock is ticking on the notion of a Pac-12, presumably - though not officially - with Utah and Brigham Young as the most viable candidates.

--------

We say Utah and BYU because they meet all the conference's stated criteria. Natural rivals, geographically desirable, academically compatible, and blah blah blah. The truth is, Utah and BYU are money generators, and on this side of the Rockies, they make the most sense. More, in any manner of thinking, than Nevada and Fresno State, or Colorado and Colorado State, or TCU and New Mexico, or any other candidates one can conjure.

There are rumors that the two likeliest targets are Utah and Colorado, but it seems safe to say that Utah would be happier maintaining its rivalry with BYU than trying to create a new one.

In any event, it's safe for you to figure that there will be a Pac-12 announcement sooner rather than later; either that, or Scott will have failed to initiate the most substantive change that frames all the others. Whether this is good, fair or neither is almost beside the point now.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/09/SPTB1BUVCC.DTL#ixzz0f9JU4FlP

Yep, the Pac-10 is looking to become the Pac-12, sooner rather than later. What lucky schools will have the honor of becoming a member of the nation's Premier Athletic Conference?

Personally I'd like to see Cupcake Bowl victor Boise St. join. Lets see how good that record looks after they're done playing a REAL schedule in a REAL conference..

[joeybee12]

1. They should take 13 because once USC goes on probation for eternity...n/t

[Upton]

2. Eternity?

Actually, I doubt any potential sanctions against the USC football program are going to be as bad as some people think or hope....

After all, college football needs USC...

[joeybee12]

3. even if they aren't bad, Lanie will get them a few more in a few weeks...n/t

[Condem]

4. Word of advice for the PAC-10. Choose wisely.

Preferrably a school who could teach the rest of the conference a little thing called Defense. I don't think any of the Big Ten is available, though.

[JonLP24]

14. Hopefully they could teach Arizona State about offense

D wasn't a problem, it was the offense that was pathetic specifically in the passing game.

[RT Atlanta]

5. Good conversation fodder

When I lived in the Pacific NW, I enjoyed the exposure to the Pac-10. One of the more notable differences to me with the conference is its geographic size: many of the schools are hours or more than a day's drive apart from each other (think Wazzu & Arizona).

Hope this helps the conference get better.

Now, on to an important subject: will the conference step-up and create a championship game to decide its football champion?

[Condem]

6. It'll be a tremor compared to the Big Ten's seismic shift announcement..

...Methinks we'll have to dig deep in the sports pages to even find it, RT. When the Big Ten decides...it'll be like one of those old Merrill-Lynch commercials. It will change the whole college football landscape.

[madinmaryland]

10. Uhhh. Condem. Look what happened to Merrill Lynch.

So you think the Big Ten will be swallowed up the MAC??

:D

[Condem]

13. See that, mad? Look what the Repubs did to M-L.

We can't let them get a hold of college football. Next thing, we'll have a hideous playoff system that will ruin the sport. Look what they've done to college hoops!

[madinmaryland]

15. Actually ML did it to themselves.

I actually worked there in the 90's and they basically told everyone to lobby for the repeal of the Glass/Steagel Act. When I was there, the firm was driven and run by brokers and investment bankers. It was when Stan O'Neill came in (he was not a broker) that the firm diversied into banking and sunk themselves.

BTW, College Football NEEDS a playoff system. The BCS is a joke.

[Condem]

16. Aaaaaaaaggggghhhhh!!!!

No playoffs. Render the season worthless. Like hoops.

[LisaM]

17. Agree with you!

Keep the traditions.

[madinmaryland]

19. Totally disagree. The BCS is a joke. Every other college sport (except for

chess maybe) has a playoff system. With the current system, the season is rendered worthless.

[Condem]

21. And that's what makes College Football the most watched, by far..

..in the collegiant ranks, mad. How those college hoops ratings for the regular season going? 13 weeks. Nothing else like it.

[madinmaryland]

23. So you are comparing football and basketball??

Basketball does play on average three times the games that football does. I will say that just about every office has the NCAA March Madness on, yet I don't see a whole lot of interest in the Astro-Bluebonnett Bowl.

Other than the top half dozen bowl games, I would hazard a guess that none draw as much as the NCAA March Madness.

[Condem]

24. Have to compare them.

And what you're saying is the whole root of my argument. That the whole Hoop season is meaningless. The NCAA is even seriously talking about expanding it to 96 teams. Wow! If you think the regular season is irrelevant now...and the only reason all those offices have March madness on is because of the office pools..and the amount of $$$ bet. Do you really think they care how far UNI goes?

[JonLP24]

34. People will still watch

If you keep it limited to 4 to 8 teams. It will keep interest are and chances are those will feature undefeated and 11-1 or 12-1 teams exclusively. What is driving fans away is situations where undefeated or multiple 1-loss teams don't get a chance to prove it on the field.

[MadBadger]

7. How many teams is this Premier Conference you speak of going to get into March Madness?

1?

[madinmaryland]

8. Big news coming next week. The Mid American Conference will announce that the Fighting Amish

of Notre Dame are joining their conference.

[joeybee12]

9. How about those Cowpies!

}(

[KamaAina]

11. +34-3

:P

[madinmaryland]

18. 33-14 to the Jests!! IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!

[JonLP24]

20. They lost to the Ravens in the first n/t

[joeybee12]

25. Short-term memory loss...it'll happen to you when you get as ancient as mad!!! n/t

[KamaAina]

12. Hawai'i has had its cap set for the Pac-10 for years

wouldn't you know, this would come during a down cycle for Warriors football. :(

[hughee99]

22. It's not like Boise St. beat the Pac-10 champion last year by 11.

Who in the Pac-10 managed that? They did have 1 fewer Bowl win this year than the ENTIRE Pac-10 (thank god for match ups against the ACC and the MAC). I'll admit, Boise probably wouldn't go undefeated playing a Pac-10 schedule, they have some good teams (Arizona, Stanford and the University of Secret Cash), but I think they'd be competitive.

[fishwax]

26. football-wise Boise State could compete in the Pac 10 -- academically they don't fit

so it won't happen.

[TZ]

29. They won't invite Boise State

After all I doubt the PAC-10 snobs would enjoy losing to Boise State every year (which they probably would, I believe Boise State is much better than ALL the PAC10...)

[Upton]

31. Spoken like a true East Coaster..

and someone who still hasn't gotten over Cincy's humiliation at the hands of Florida..

Btw, Boise would be competitive in the Pac-10...at least in football, I figure they'd be about a .500 team..

[TZ]

32. They KILLED Oregon ...they PAC10 champ

They played and BEAT a good Oklahoma team a couple years ago in a big bowl game. Meanwhile the PAC10 lost most of their bowl games..like to OSU, the so called "mediocre" Big Ten champ. What I've seen of the PAC10 is not impressive . What Florida State did when they entered the ACC is likely to happen in the PAC10. Or do you really think Lane Kiffin is a genius? :rofl:
Give me one impressive win of the Pac10 over another conference this year. Oh wait USC beat Notre Dame --OOOOH. Impressive..:rofl:
Edit: I'm not bitter about a team that had its snake in the grass coach (Kelly) wuss out on them lose in a bowl game. Not a surprise.
Face it the biggest disappointments in football this year were USC, Cal and to some extent Oregon. And even us East Coasters know that.

[Upton]

33. Boise beat the Ducks on that gimmicky blue turf..

and anybody can get up and play well in a bowl game they have a month to prepare for (well, anybody but Cincy).

How would Boise fair were they to have to play a full Pac-10 schedule?...That means ROAD GAMES in places like the Coliseum, Stanford Stadium, Berkeley or Eugene..I guarantee you by year's end poor little undersized Boise St. would be dragging..

Oh, and granted the Pac-10 had a poor bowl record this past season, but the year before they were tops in the nation. These things are cyclical, ask Condem, that's what he's always telling me to excuse the failures of the Big Ten..

[thatsrightimirish]

27. It's not all about football

It is the quality of the entire athletic program of the schools. Utah and BYU have the best athletic programs from top to bottom with both men and women's sports

[Condem]

28. Well said, thatsright.

It's about Academics, too. Believe it or not. Besides Stanford, not really known for a quality education like, say, the Big Ten. I'll get some argument for that, but half-hearted. I better update that. Cal. I do love what Cal stands for.

[Upton]

30. It's not just about athletic programs either..

both Utah and BYU come out of the same TV market.....Salt Lake City. Why not bring in two new TV markets rather than one?

[JonLP24]

35. BTW

Boise State can't do any worse than Washington State. They did beat Oregon so I wouldn't dismiss them so easily. I will agree that I would like them in the Pac-10. Glad we scored Utah!