OldBlue1999;842540226 said:

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Don't you guys have a practice field/facility on Montezuma across from El Conq? Seems like that would be a good location if it's big enough for a full stadium. Tailgates would be epic if the new place is anything like what it used to be.

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Great spot. Big enough for a 45,000 or so Stadium if you demolish a couple of buildings or purchase that grammer school next door (which is real old). I believe this to be one of the possible spots.

On the downside, those neighborhoods next to that area are part of what took Viejas Arena nearly a decade to break ground.

***Note...Sad to say, El Conq is no longer El Conq. The high rise is still there but the name changed a few years back. DAMN!

LocoOso;842540236 said:

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None of these schools have a shot at Pac-12 membership. Expansion is driven by $$$$, expanding the conference footprint and adding eyeballs and TV sets.None of these schools/programs do that.

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Again...IF TV demands all major conf's go to 16 teams for TV $$$'s...

Put in names of schools to bring major conf's to 14 (2 for Pac 12...4 for Big 12 etc).

Then see what markets are left for # 15 and 16. San Diego is by far one of the top area left by far in the West.

Steve Aztec;842540184 said:

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Is this worse than the Stanford Band pissing on your field?

And we are well aware of Fresno fan and their antics.

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The fact that you have to ask if the violent drunken behavior of one fanbase is any worse than the passive-aggressive act of urinating on our home field demonstrates that for you this is a dick measuring contest.

Really? You want us to welcome your school into our conference after displaying that kind of attitude?

You aren't a Dale Carnegie graduate, are you?

FiatSlug;842540323 said:

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The fact that you have to ask if the violent drunken behavior of one fanbase is any worse than the passive-aggressive act of urinating on our home field demonstrates that for you this is a dick measuring contest.

Really? You want us to welcome your school into our conference after displaying that kind of attitude?

You aren't a Dale Carnegie graduate, are you?

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You make a good point. And sorry I forgot to add a wink to my post.

Freso State is a brutal place to play. We have many fans that Will not travel there also.

I am a little different. I haven't been to a game there would like to go.

I have been to 2 Raider/Charger games in Oakland. No problem.

Steve Aztec;842540302 said:

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Again...IF TV demands all major conf's go to 16 teams for TV $$$'s...

Put in names of schools to bring major conf's to 14 (2 for Pac 12...4 for Big 12 etc).

Then see what markets are left for # 15 and 16. San Diego is by far one of the top area left by far in the West.

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1. I think you make a mistake in thinking that if major conferences go to 16 that all 5 will add teams to go to 16. I think it is more likely that one implodes and the other 4 take on teams to make 4 conferences of 16. This would be great for anyone in one of the 4 because what it will mean in practice is 8 conferences of 8, and a playoff with the conference championships being round 1.

2. I could absolutely see SDSU being attractive for any conference other than the Pac-12 for the reasons you say. The Pac-12 already has your market and recruiting territory. The only benefit I see to the Pac-12 is in defending its territory from other conferences. That being the case, I think the only chance SDSU has at the Pac-12, if that is what they want, is to get another suitor.

OaktownBear;842540458 said:

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1. I think you make a mistake in thinking that if major conferences go to 16 that all 5 will add teams to go to 16. I think it is more likely that one implodes and the other 4 take on teams to make 4 conferences of 16. This would be great for anyone in one of the 4 because what it will mean in practice is 8 conferences of 8, and a playoff with the conference championships being round 1.

2. I could absolutely see SDSU being attractive for any conference other than the Pac-12 for the reasons you say. The Pac-12 already has your market and recruiting territory. The only benefit I see to the Pac-12 is in defending its territory from other conferences. That being the case, I think the only chance SDSU has at the Pac-12, if that is what they want, is to get another suitor.

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This.

Right now, the SEC and B1G are at the top of the conference heap. Strongest of the P5 leagues about to get massive new TV deals. They are not worried at all about teams leaving the nest to join other conferences. When they decide to become 16 team Super Conferences, they will raid other leagues to do so. Very likely that the SEC will dip into the ACC for Virginia Tech and North Carolina State. This will expand the conference footprint so that the SEC covers the entire American South, adding the lucrative Atlantic Seaboard states of North Carolina and Virginia, plus lots of $$$$ eyeballs and TV sets.

B1G will also expand. Might try to raid the ACC again for schools like Virginia or North Carolina. Or maybe Jim Delany grabs Kansas from the Big XII.

Pac-12 has security that is provided not only from $$$ but from geography. Extremely unlikely that a member school is leaving for the far flung B1G or SEC. Big XII instability means that Arizona or Utah isn't leaving for that league in our lifetimes. Pac-12 problem is a lack of attractive candidates for expansion outside Power 5 leagues. San Diego State? Pac-12 already owns that market. Fresno, Boise Colorado State? Small time, also exist within Pac-12 footprint and bring nothing to the table. BYU? No chance for reasons that have been discussed ad nauseum.

The ACC has Notre Dame in it's back pocket and it looks likely that eventually the Irish will join the ACC as a football member. But league is susceptible to raiding by nearby SEC and B1G.

Big XII? They need 6 teams to get to 16, and like the Pac-12 there is a lack of attractive candidates. Cincinnati, Memphis, BYU, Houston, Tulane, or UCF? None of those schools move the needle. League is also susceptible to raiding by B1G and SEC. Don't think Kansas would bail to the B1G in a heartbeat?

Big XII and ACC face future instability. Grant of Rights agreements? Won't matter, when the money is on the table the knives will come out and teams will be running for the exits.

To me, the best solution for the Pac-12 and the Big XII powers (Texas and OU) remains with each other. Form a Pac-16... West division is original Pac 8, East division is ASU, Arizona, Utah and Colorado along with Texas, Oklahoma and two of the following... Texas Tech, Okie State and/or Kansas.

In this scenario, you'd have 4 Superconferences. SEC, B1G, Pac-16 and some version of a 16 team ACC, which will lose between 2 and four teams, but then add Notre Dame followed by a fight for membership between... West Virginia, UConn, Memphis, Baylor, TCU, Houston, UCF and whoever else is being squeezed out by realignment.

OaktownBear;842540458 said:

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1. I think you make a mistake in thinking that if major conferences go to 16 that all 5 will add teams to go to 16. I think it is more likely that one implodes and the other 4 take on teams to make 4 conferences of 16. This would be great for anyone in one of the 4 because what it will mean in practice is 8 conferences of 8, and a playoff with the conference championships being round 1.

2. I could absolutely see SDSU being attractive for any conference other than the Pac-12 for the reasons you say. The Pac-12 already has your market and recruiting territory. The only benefit I see to the Pac-12 is in defending its territory from other conferences. That being the case, I think the only chance SDSU has at the Pac-12, if that is what they want, is to get another suitor.

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I totally agree with your points one and two,

Four 16's is a very good possibility.

And I think the Aztecs fit better in anoth
er conf than the Pac 12.

One question for you that I've been curious about from a Pac 12 perspective.

The Pac feels they own San Diego. They have a lot of it but no where near all. The Aztecs have a large portion of the County.

Would the Pac 12 rather add San Diego State and make sure they have all if it...Or...let the Aztecs go to the Big 12, which then allows the Big 12 to add So Cal to their footprint and slowly chip away at the So Cal Market of San Diego and Los Angeles...which would also allow the Big 12 to add Fresno State And the Big 12 also makes inroads in NorCal?

(Insert ACC or whoever)

dajo9;842539211 said:

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The best thing about expanding is that we could create a Pac 8 division matching the old conference. Once schools start bickering we could break off and create the old Pac 8 Conference again. Champ goes to the Rose Bowl. For me, that would be ideal.

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Completely agree.

Steve Aztec;842540495 said:

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I totally agree with your points one and two,

Four 16's is a very good possibility.

And I think the Aztecs fit better in anoth
er conf than the Pac 12.

One question for you that I've been curious about from a Pac 12 perspective.

The Pac feels they own San Diego. They have a lot of it but no where near all. The Aztecs have a large portion of the County.

Would the Pac 12 rather add San Diego State and make sure they have all if it...Or...let the Aztecs go to the Big 12, which then allows the Big 12 to add So Cal to their footprint and slowly chip away at the So Cal Market of San Diego and Los Angeles...which would also allow the Big 12 to add Fresno State And the Big 12 also makes inroads in NorCal?

(Insert ACC or whoever)

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To your last question, I don't know. It depends on how much respect they have for the potential of SDSU, rightly or wrongly. If you joined the Big 12, say, would that lead to a big improvement in your football program, where you would be competitive in that league, become a true power conference team, lock down the San Diego market and give the Big 12 recruiting inroads in Southern California? Or will you be a doormat that they take on just to add a team, which could, if anything, lead you to be less attractive in the local market. Is your basketball team going to continue to be a very good program or is it the result of the personality of a very good, but aging coach? I'm not even sure they've considered SDSU. That is why I think you need a suitor. You need to scare the Pac-12 into taking you. Not sure if they will be scared or not. Not sure if they aren't whether they will look back and regret it.

dajo9;842539211 said:

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The best thing about expanding is that we could create a Pac 8 division matching the old conference. Once schools start bickering we could break off and create the old Pac 8 Conference again. Champ goes to the Rose Bowl. For me, that would be ideal.

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This sentiment comes up a lot on this board and other pac 12 boards (well the OG pac 8 boards). The caveat is that you need proper balanced expansion to get the pac 8 back as a division. And the choices for that are what? Add MWC teams and the conference will absolutely have to split CA (or at least LA) to get the markets and power even remotely balanced. There is no way a Pac 8 v (mostly) old WAC alignment would ever work.

So that comes back to who to take? The only other possibility that I see as having any chance w/o Texas is... and it's a long shot... to convince Nebraska and Oklahoma that they were better off in the Big 8 alignment. I don't see that one happening with the Big Ten TV money freely flowing, but can anyone else think of anything that would even remotely come close to balancing the 'pac 8' division in terms of money and power?

OaktownBear;842540507 said:

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To your last question, I don't know. It depends on how much respect they have for the potential of SDSU, rightly or wrongly. If you joined the Big 12, say, would that lead to a big improvement in your football program, where you would be competitive in that league, become a true power conference team, lock down the San Diego market and give the Big 12 recruiting inroads in Southern California? Or will you be a doormat that they take on just to add a team, which could, if anything, lead you to be less attractive in the local market. Is your basketball team going to continue to be a very good program or is it the result of the personality of a very good, but aging coach? I'm not even sure they've considered SDSU. That is why I think you need a suitor. You need to scare the Pac-12 into taking you. Not sure if they will be scared or not. Not sure if they aren't whether they will look back and regret it.

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Exactly...this expansion in the West has a couple of wicked angles.

No doubt Aztec football recruiting would benefit big time in Big 12 over what it is.

I can't imagine the Pac 12 being willing to let one of there P5 competitors come into the Market and steal their TV's...When it has become all about the TV's.

Steve Aztec;842540495 said:

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The Pac feels they own San Diego. They have a lot of it but no where near all. The Aztecs have a large portion of the County.

Would the Pac 12 rather add San Diego State and make sure they have all if it...Or...let the Aztecs go to the Big 12, which then allows the Big 12 to add So Cal to their footprint and slowly chip away at the So Cal Market of San Diego and Los Angeles...which would also allow the Big 12 to add Fresno State And the Big 12 also makes inroads in NorCal?

(Insert ACC or whoever)

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The San Diego market is Pac-12 country. Doesn't matter if they "have it all" they have enough. Also assumes that the Big XII will be around after next round of expansion. In fact, at 10 teams it is the league that faces much uncertainty and is likely to have members jump ship for other conferences. Not only to the SEC or B1G, but also from the ACC if in fact that leagues gets raided in the next round.

Not a knock on the Aztecs or their program. You're just in a tough spot. SDSU had wanted Pac-12 membership for years, I just don't think they're ever going to get it.

LocoOso;842540515 said:

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The San Diego market is Pac-12 country. Doesn't matter if they "have it all" they have enough. Also assumes that the Big XII will be around after next round of expansion. In fact, at 10 teams it is the league that faces much uncertainty and is likely to have members jump ship for other conferences. Not only to the SEC or B1G, but also from the ACC if in fact that leagues gets raided in the next round.

Not a knock on the Aztecs or their program. You're just in a tough spot. SDSU had wanted Pac-12 membership for years, I just don't think they're ever going to get it.

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No prob on your comments...but the Pac 12 does not own as much of San Diego as Pac 12 fans think they do. When you come down next year you will get a good read on it.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

LocoOso;842540492 said:

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This.

Right now, the SEC and B1G are at the top of the conference heap. Strongest of the P5 leagues about to get massive new TV deals. They are not worried at all about teams leaving the nest to join other conferences. When they decide to become 16 team Super Conferences, they will raid other leagues to do so. Very likely that the SEC will dip into the ACC for Virginia Tech and North Carolina State. This will expand the conference footprint so that the SEC covers the entire American South, adding the lucrative Atlantic Seaboard states of North Carolina and Virginia, plus lots of $$$$ eyeballs and TV sets.

B1G will also expand. Might try to raid the ACC again for schools like Virginia or North Carolina. Or maybe Jim Delany grabs Kansas from the Big XII.

Pac-12 has security that is provided not only from $$$ but from geography. Extremely unlikely that a member school is leaving for the far flung B1G or SEC. Big XII instability means that Arizona or Utah isn't leaving for that league in our lifetimes. Pac-12 problem is a lack of attractive candidates for expansion outside Power 5 leagues. San Diego State? Pac-12 already owns that market. Fresno, Boise Colorado State? Small time, also exist within Pac-12 footprint and bring nothing to the table. BYU? No chance for reasons that have been discussed ad nauseum.

The ACC has Notre Dame in it's back pocket and it looks likely that eventually the Irish will join the ACC as a football member. But league is susceptible to raiding by nearby SEC and B1G.

Big XII? They need 6 teams to get to 16, and like the Pac-12 there is a lack of attractive candidates. Cincinnati, Memphis, BYU, Houston, Tulane, or UCF? None of those schools move the needle. League is also susceptible to raiding by B1G and SEC. Don't think Kansas would bail to the B1G in a heartbeat?

Big XII and ACC face future instability. Grant of Rights agreements? Won't matter, when the money is on the table the knives will come out and teams will be running for the exits.

To me, the best solution for the Pac-12 and the Big XII powers (Texas and OU) remains with each other. Form a Pac-16... West division is original Pac 8, East division is ASU, Arizona, Utah and Colorado along with Texas, Oklahoma and two of the following... Texas Tech, Okie State and/or Kansas.

In this scenario, you'd have 4 Superconferences. SEC, B1G, Pac-16 and some version of a 16 team ACC, which will lose between 2 and four teams, but then add Notre Dame followed by a fight for membership between... West Virginia, UConn, Memphis, Baylor, TCU, Houston, UCF and whoever else is being squeezed out by realignment.

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I see this:

Pac adds OU, OSU, UT, TT/Baylor/TCU (who cares, but probably TT)
B1G adds Kansas and ND.
SEC adds FSU, Miami.
ACC adds WVU, Temple, UConn, Cincy (not great for football, but doable and good for basketball which they care more about anyway)

I don't think any of the North Carolina schools leave the ACC. Remember basketball. I think they stay together.

I still think ultimately ND ends up in the B1G. ACC will be a lesser football conference and ND is about football.

Texas blew it by alienating Colorado, aTm and Nebraska. If you still had those 3 on board, you could try and screw over the Pac by offering the Arizona's the moon to join the conference and essentially cutting off their avenue for expansion. That isn't going to happen now. I think they have put themselves on an island at this point. I don't see the SEC or the B1G taking them.

OaktownBear;842540521 said:

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I see this:

Pac adds OU, OSU, UT, TT/Baylor/TCU (who cares, but probably TT)
B1G adds Kansas and ND.
SEC adds FSU, Miami.
ACC adds WVU, Temple, UConn, Cincy (not great for football, but doable and good for basketball which they care more about anyway)

I don't think any of the North Carolina schools leave the ACC. Remember basketball. I think they stay together.

I still think ultimately ND ends up in the B1G. ACC will be a lesser football conference and ND is about football.

Texas blew it by alienating Colorado, aTm and Nebraska. If you still had those 3 on board, you could try and screw over the Pac by offering the Arizona's the moon to join the conference and essentially cutting off their avenue for expansion. That isn't going to happen now. I think they have put themselves on an island at this point. I don't see the SEC or the B1G taking them.

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SEC will never add Florida State or Miami. Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and now A&M enjoy being the only SEC schools in their respective states and together form a coalition that will vote to keep those schools... plus Clemson and Georgia Tech... out of the league. SEC expansion is eyeing new markets and expanding the footprint. Virginia and North Carolina are at the top of the list.

Notre Dame is already an ACC member in all sports but football. They're not going to the B1G, they'll head to the ACC as a football member. They see that league as a better fit for them academically, culturally etc. The league being a "football league" isn't an issue for ND. They're already playing 5 ACC opponents a year in football as part of their slow transition into that conference.

Basketball has very little to do with this discussion. Maryland left for the B1G and didn't give a thought to basketball. NC State would leave the ACC in a heartbeat to get out of the shadow of UNC. Same with Va Tech. Would be a move akin to A&M moving to the SEC. And the $$$ would be huge.

Baylor and TCU would not be on the Pac-12's short list due to religious affiliation. After Texas and OU, I'd guess it would come down to Tech, Okie State and Kansas for the final two spots. Kansas is actually attractive because it gives the league reach into the Kansas City and St. Louis TV markets.

LocoOso;842540533 said:

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SEC will never add Florida State or Miami. Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and now A&M enjoy being the only SEC schools in their respective states and together form a coalition that will vote to keep those schools... plus Clemson and Georgia Tech... out of the league. SEC expansion is eyeing new markets and expanding the footprint. Virginia and North Carolina are at the top of the list.

Notre Dame is already an ACC member in all sports but football. They're not going to the B1G, they'll head to the ACC as a football member. They see that league as a better fit for them academically, culturally etc. The league being a "football league" isn't an issue for ND. They're already playing 5 ACC opponents a year in football as part of their slow transition into that conference.

Basketball has very little to do with this discussion. Maryland left for the B1G and didn't give a thought to basketball. NC State would leave the ACC in a heartbeat to get out of the shadow of UNC. Same with Va Tech. Would be a move akin to A&M moving to the SEC. And the $$$ would be huge.

Baylor and TCU would not be on the Pac-12's short list due to religious affiliation. After Texas and OU, I'd guess it would come down to Tech, Okie State and Kansas for the final two spots. Kansas is actually attractive because it gives the league reach into the Kansas City and St. Louis TV markets.

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I agree that Kansas would be attractive to the Pac and almost said that. I think Texas would have to bring another Texas school along, though.

Personally, I think the religious affiliation issue is stupid. Especially when in Baylor's case you are talking about a decent academic institution.

Right now you have the Pac 12, BIG, ACC, SEC and Big 12 with 64 teams-add ND is 65-take away one and you have a magic number. The SEC, BIG and Pac12 will survive. I see the ACC and Big 12 as spoils.

I think the Big's venture onto the eastern seaboard with Rutgers and Maryland is very interesting-this was a bit of a head shaker, these are not big revenue makers nor football franchises but they do provide a nice footprint for further expansion-Virginia, or Ga Tech. (I also find it funny but not threatening that the BIG commissioner said that they have more fans in Phoenix than Arizona). Likewise I see the SEC rambling out of the old confederacy to Va Tech and maybe even Oklahoma. It will all be very interesting.

GB54;842540571 said:

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I think the Big's venture onto the eastern seaboard with Rutgers and Maryland is very interesting-this was a bit of a head shaker, these are not big revenue makers nor football franchises but they do provide a nice footprint for further expansion-Virginia, or Ga Tech.

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Or TV $$ for BTN. Sure Maryland and Rutgers don't draw much in the NYC or DC markets, but once you start adding in schools that have a lot of transplants tothose two metro areas... Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State to start it out, they get well over the critical mass to get the network on basic cable at a high rate. Same is true with the P12 choosing schools (if that even happens)... you either have to get new markets or increase the share in current markets. UCLA and USC are big in LA, but there are enough transplants from the other ten P12 schools to get a higher rate than the LA schools alone. Same (and probably more so) in the Bay Area. And it's somewhat binary too - not enough interest, and it's not a lower rate but no contract.

One thing not discussed yet is whether a school like kansas (+ a few others) would tip the needle in LA? Because we don't have full buy in there yet either. Obviously Texas/OU tip the needle anywhere...

Since we are having this thread on SDSU weekend, and they would be #1 if taking a California school were advantageous, it might be useful to frame their inclusion as whether they would sell the P12N to SD. If I understand the contracts correctly, the cable companies in places like San Diego, Sacramento and Santa Barbara are allowed put P12N on their 'preferred' tier which is one above basic. That really cuts the number of subs down. So SDSU moving p12n from preferred to basic could very well be worth a whole lot more money than a Colorado State adds because in the Denver metro, P12N is already on basic.

ColoradoBear1;842540576 said:

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Or TV $$ for BTN. Sure Maryland and Rutgers don't draw much in the NYC or DC markets, but once you start adding in schools that have a lot of transplants tothose two metro areas... Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State to start it out, they get well over the critical mass to get the network on basic cable at a high rate. Same is true with the P12 choosing schools (if that even happens)... you either have to get new markets or increase the share in current markets. UCLA and USC are big in LA, but there are enough transplants from the other ten P12 schools to get a higher rate than the LA schools alone. Same (and probably more so) in the Bay Area. And it's somewhat binary too - not enough interest, and it's not a lower rate but no contract.

One thing not discussed yet is whether a school like kansas (+ a few others) would tip the needle in LA? Because we don't have full buy in there yet either. Obviously Texas/OU tip the needle anywhere...

Since we are having this thread on SDSU weekend, and they would be #1 if taking a California school were advantageous, it might be useful to frame their inclusion as whether they would sell the P12N to SD. If I understand the contracts correctly, the cable companies in places like San Diego, Sacramento and Santa Barbara are allowed put P12N on their 'preferred' tier which is one above basic. That really cuts the number of subs down. So SDSU moving p12n from preferred to basic could very well be worth a whole lot more money than a Colorado State adds because in the Denver metro, P12N is already on basic.

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I agree. If the BIG controls the Midwest and expands down the Atlantic seaboard into ACC territory, they pick up a lot of new media markets. Of course it raises another question: as these networks overlap they may reach a critical mass where they are just cannibalizing each other with decreased marginal revenue. Another reason for consolidation

OaktownBear;842540538 said:

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Personally, I think the religious affiliation issue is stupid.

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It may be, but it also a reality.

It matters for a number of reasons. First, it matters because the alumni say it matters, and they give the money. Second, those universities all sit together on the Pac 12 / 14 / 16 board and they share more than just athletic revenues - the school presidents get together to tell each other how great they all are, how lousy everyone else is, and that we are the conference of champions. The UCs will never let the CSUs in.

Third, there really is academic collaboration among the universities. Cal and stanford collaborate a bunch of a number of things academically - like the Mt Hamilton astronomy facility, etc.

So there are things that the schools do together that matter to the schools. Universities are clubs, and it is important to them who they let into the club. It is old fashioned and snooty - just the way we like it. The Pac 12 and it predecessors were founded to as part of the AAU in the early 1900s to combat the influence of the german universities and to show that UC universities were the best in the world. Athletic prowess was part of that, and it was looked at as more clubby and gentlemanly than the rote learning of the trade schools. Originally all of the Big 10 and Pac 12 members were members of the AAU. That is still part of the fabric of the association, and it does matter.

The rest of the issue is that there is no reasons to expand in California, or in lowly populated western states. We need to bring in populations that drive TV expansion to drive revenue. That is Texas, and possibly Oklahoma, or Kansas, or all three. Bringing in OK, Kansas, Texas and one other (texas tech or OK tech) would drive huge revenue and expansion into the middle of the country. You would have colorado, Utah (both good hoops schools) playing those other very good hoops schools. For football, you would have some pretty decent teams coming in. It is additive to the brand. San Diego State and Boise and Fresno, etc are not additive to the brand - they are drags on the brand.

Oski87;842540938 said:

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It matters for a number of reasons. First, it matters because the alumni say it matters, and they give the money. Second, those universities all sit together on the Pac 12 / 14 / 16 board and they share more than just athletic revenues - the school presidents get together to tell each other how great they all are, how lousy everyone else is, and that we are the conference of champions. The UCs will never let the CSUs in.

Third, there really is academic collaboration among the universities. Cal and stanford collaborate a bunch of a number of things academically - like the Mt Hamilton astronomy facility, etc.

So there are things that the schools do together that matter to the schools. Universities are clubs, and it is important to them who they let into the club. It is old fashioned and snooty - just the way we like it. The Pac 12 and it predecessors were founded to as part of the AAU in the early 1900s to combat the influence of the german universities and to show that UC universities were the best in the world. Athletic prowess was part of that, and it was looked at as more clubby and gentlemanly than the rote learning of the trade schools. Originally all of the Big 10 and Pac 12 members were members of the AAU. That is still part of the fabric of the association, and it does matter.

The rest of the issue is that there is no reasons to expand in California, or in lowly populated western states. We need to bring in populations that drive TV expansion to drive revenue. That is Texas, and possibly Oklahoma, or Kansas, or all three. Bringing in OK, Kansas, Texas and one other (texas tech or OK tech) would drive huge revenue and expansion into the middle of the country. You would have colorado, Utah (both good hoops schools) playing those other very good hoops schools. For football, you would have some pretty decent teams coming in. It is additive to the brand. San Diego State and Boise and Fresno, etc are not additive to the brand - they are drags on the brand.

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Hear, hear.

Well said, indeed, sir.

I've suggested this several years ago but I'd love to see UBC join the NCAA and build up their teams enough to be competitive. They'd be appealing in every consideration (geographic, academic, financial) except competitively, which IMO is the easiest to fix.