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Message: [QUOTE="sufan, post: 144570, member: 262"] ------------------ As I said in my post: "My guess is unless Big 12 does something, however, the ACC and Big 10 will consolidate their expansions and not expand for several years till the next triggering event. The recent Big 10 and PAC 12 scheduling deal strongly implies the Big 10 is not planning to expand east." To expand: all the conferences are conservative and expansion requires an incentive: 1) the Big 12 is very close geographically, with 6 schoools in Texas and OK. They just lost their midwest/northern teams that had an opportunity to leave. They are unlikely to add RU or UConn. 2) The Big 10 just signed a scheduling agreement with the PAC creating a combined conference/PAC schedule of 9 games a year. Prior to that, they were considering expanding to 9 conference games. So that is a strong signal they are not planning any additional expansion east short of ND. The PAC in creating this scheduling also sent a strong signal they don't plan on any additional expansion short of UT. 3) The ACC expansion was motivated by the opportunity to reopen their media deal by adding 2 teams that fit their profile. It was also done at a time when there was discussion that the Big 12 might offer Pitt a spot and was perhaps also influenced by the possibility the SEC might consider expanding east. FSU was supposed to have set up a committee to consider expansion options. [COLOR=#ff0000]So what might be possible triggering events in the years ahead:[/COLOR] I believe the Big 10 renegotiates its media deal in 2016. The PAC 12 and Big 10 networks will be well established and may be even more of a cash machine for their members. That may influence the SEC or Big 12 or ACC in their thoughts about a network of their own. When a conference owns a network, that has a strong impact on how they want to position themselves. More to the point, the ACC is now a north-south coastal conference but it has 4 teams in NC and is unlikely to add any team now in the SEC or Big 10. If they decide to create their own network to keep up with the Big 10 and PAC 12 and the hugely successful SEC, they may well decide their only real option is to maximize the potential of the northeast markets by adding RU and possibly UConn assuming ND wants to stay independent. RU is a state school that meets the ACC academic profile and geographically reinforces the ACC footprint in the northeast. It doesn't subtract but rather adds to the concept of the ACC as a north-south coastal conference/market. And in my opinion additionally adds an interesting regional game for SU in football. [/QUOTE]

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