It was Colonel Mustard in the Dining Room with the Rope.
http://www.giantbomb.com/colonel-mustard/94-7802/
My thinking there was more status quo for the Big 12 and allowing Colorado the chance to bring in their biggest rival into the B12 North in exchange for their loyalty and not jumping to the P10. Besides, if you ever spent any time in Denver you know that the Rams have a great following, just under 30k in enrollment, is a research university with a large endowment and is beginning to spend more money on facilities.
Big 12
Texas/A&M
Tx Tech/ Baylor
OU/OSU
KU/KSU
Neb/ISU
Co/CSU
It would be either them or Utah and I do not think they leave BYU behind.
DFiH
Here's what I'd like to see:
Boazy stays in WAC. Tech finally gets our act together and builds a powerhouse football program. For a few years, Tech and Boazy exhange blows, the teams winning close, hard-fought battles at home. Annual game becomes a must-see nationally televised event. WAC gains in overall status...Fresno continues to beat big name teams OOC, but struggles to finish 6-2, at best in the WAC. Nevada and Hawaii continue to make bowls and occasionally join Tech and Boazy, and often Fresno, in the Top 25.
Then Tech starts to open a little daylight, beating Boazy 3 of 4 years.
Rumors start to fly about expansion again. The MWC is close to getting AQ status! The talk is Boazy will be invited. But, nah, instead, the MWC announces:
"We have invited Louisiana Tech as a travel partner for TCU."
For now, I am glad to see Boazy staying. We owe them some big time pay back!
Come get some!
Go Dawgs!
Colorado St. plays second fiddle to Univ. of Colorado in Denver. Colorado St. is the equivalent of Iowa St.--a team that the Big 12 would be more than happy to dump.
I don't see Utah turning down a spot in the Big 12, although they would probably prefer PAC-10 based upon their non-conference schedule over the past several years.
Here is a good question. Do you really think that Nebraska would jump to the Big 10 if ND passes on the chance? I know that ND has an unbelievable following and history, but the Huskers have a great tradition as well. I don't think Nebraska would be flattered as being considered the replacement for ND. They are a little more proud of themselves than that.
Great Falls, Montana article excerpt:
"The presidents of the Mountain West Conference schools voted Monday not to expand the nine-team league at this time. That means current Western Athletic Conference schools like Boise State and Nevada won't be leaving the WAC anytime soon to join a stronger league like the Mountain West. And it also means the WAC won't be raiding Big Sky members like Sacramento State and Portland State — or even Montana and Montana State — to fill in the gaps."
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/art...bilize+Big+Sky
The thought of WAC adding Sac St or Port St with us still in the WAC makes me want to hurl...
No one wants to think of themselves as a replacement, so I definitely see your point there. But, I think Nebraska would accept immediately if invited to join the Big 10. We talk a lot about academics, but it really means a lot when talking about the Big 10, because of the Big 10 consortium that most universities would kill to be a part of. Nebraska has a long history in the Big 8 / Big 12, but regionally they fit pretty well with the Big 10, and their football program has a good enough history to stand up to the Michigans and Ohio States.
A decade from now no one would remember the fact that they were a replacement, just as most people these days don't remember that Tulane used to be in the SEC. The Big 12 has shown that it is vulnerable, and I think Nebraska has to be concerned about the future of their program and it's conference affilitation. The Big 10 offers that stability along with a good reputation and great academics.
I heard on ESPNradio today that Nebraska falls outside the 8 state coverage area of the Big 10. They explained that 14 people from Neb. would have to subscribe to the Big 10 network to equal what 1 person generates inside the coverage area. Something like 88 cents inside to like a nickel outside. I just don't think it happens without a big time rival such as Oklahoma or Texas doing the same. Who would be the big rivalry game on Nebraska's schedule? It certainly won't be a Big 12 team with all the Big 10 teams filling the other slots. I don't think Iowa, Purdue, or Illinois will be that big of a deal, at least at first. Over time I am sure rivalries would develop and Nebraska's smash-mouth, option style from years past would fit in well with other Big 10 teams. I don't think it would hurt them, I just see it taking a few years to pick up the kind of intensity that games against OU, Texas, and TAMU have for Nebraska right now.
Expansion small? Not anymore!