Colorado to make announcement

on wed. June 9 according to orangebloods



http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1092201



"There is growing speculation from other Big 12 members that Tuesday night's meeting among Colorado University leaders is to discuss the legality of bolting the Big 12 right now to accept an invitation from another conference, two sources told Orangebloods.com.



Could Colorado and Dan Hawkins already be preparing for a move to the Pac-10?

Colorado is expected to have a major announcement on Wednesday, sources said.



If the specualation is true, Colorado could be preparing to accept a bid from the Pac-10 Conference, which has targeted the Buffaloes for expansion.



The move would undercut an attempt by Baylor to sway the Texas Legislature into helping the Bears get an invite ahead of Colorado.



It would also guarantee that the Pac-10 probably pulls off at least one of its plans presented to league presidents and chancellors at meetings over the weekend in San Francisco.



One of the proposals made by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott to league heads was to expand the league by two schools - Colorado and Utah.



As Orangebloods.com first reported last Thursday, Scott's preference is to expand the Pac-10 by six schools. That original list included Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado.



But Colorado, which has the same June 15 deadline to declare its intensions in the Big 12, could be looking to bolt now - whether the Big 12 holds together or not.



The question is could Colorado afford it?



The price to get out of the Big 12 is a $10 million buyout, and it would take a vote of nine members of the Big 12 to dissolve the league and eliminate any buyout penalties, according to one league source.



Sources say Colorado's athletic department is not in strong financial condition, and the school doesn't have the kind of money right now to buy its freedom.



What affect a decision by Colorado to leave the Big 12 would have on the other fragile fabric of college athletics right now would remain to be seen.



Scott didn't immediately return attempts to reach him by Orangebloods.com.



If Scott has extended an invitation to Colorado it could signal one of two things: that the tea leaves appear to be pointing toward Nebraska and Missouri leaving for the Big Ten already and that the Big 12 will come apart.



Or it could signal that the Pac-10 is unsure about the future of the Big 12 and wants to end up with some kind of expansion heading into its expected conference network negotiations in 2011.



The biggest lynchpin in potential college realignment appears to be in South Bend, Ind., right now.



And we could know that future in the next seven days.



Brian Kelly and ND officials have said how much the Irish value their independence.

In the next week, we could know if all the brilliant hustling by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was for naught.



If all the posturing toward the Big Ten by Nebraska and Missouri was for naught.



And if all the other preliminary conversations likely being had by the SEC as well as the ACC/Big East about how they might respond were for naught.



If Notre Dame moves into the Big Ten, and that conference closes ranks at 12 schools, college athletics would take a deep breath, take some Maalox and try to repair whatever damage has been done to the relationships with its co-workers.



If Notre Dame remains independent, it could be the first step towards complete upheaval.



And you thought Boise State's upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl was big.



An athletic director with knowledge of the Big Ten's plans told Orangebloods.com on Monday that Notre Dame is seriously considering the Big Ten, despite its cherished independence and lucrative contract with NBC/Comcast, because it fears four super conferences being formed without them.



"Notre Dame may be on the clock as well," the athletic director said, referring to the Irish's invitation from the Big Ten.



Orangebloods.com reported on Sunday that Notre Dame was seriously considering the Big Ten and that if the Irish agreed to join the league, the Big Ten would stop its expansion at one school.



OB reported that if Notre Dame and the Big Ten could get on the same page, Nebraska and Missouri would be left out of the Big Ten's plans, and the Big 12 would survive.



There would likely be three disgruntled members - Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado - and a disappointed visionary commissioner in the Pac-10. But the Big 12 would survive to see its cable TV package renegotiation in 2011.



But the longer we have to wait for white smoke to come out of the chimneys in South Bend, the more you start to wonder if Notre Dame will remain its own brand. Joe Schad of ESPN reported Monday that Notre Dame didn't appear budging.



If Notre Dame didn't budge, we'd learn if the Big Ten was ready to follow through on the move that could change college athletics forever - expanding by three or five (most likely including Nebraska, Missouri and some raiding of the Big East).



So we wait.



Each day gives Baylor another opportunity to marshal its political forces and gives Colorado another day to float silly scenarios like eyeing a jump to the Mountain West.



Each day gives Missouri and Nebraska fans more time to hope Notre Dame decides by June 15 to stand alone so they can say they finally stuck it to Texas.



The worst-case scenario for Nebraska would be to say no thanks to the Big 12, allow the Big 12 South schools to start negotiating with the Pac-10, only to see Notre Dame ultimately change its mind, land in the Big Ten, and leave Nebraska with the not-so-unthinkable scenario of joining Missouri, Colorado, Kansas and Kansas State in the Mountain West.



The Mountain West's decision to stand pat Monday was telling. Why make a commitment to Boise State right now, when that league, which is desperately trying to become a BCS conference, can wait a week and see if there are bigger trophies to be had.

One of the proposals made by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott to league heads was to expand the league by two schools - Colorado and Utah.

This may be wishful thinking, but if this is true and it does happen, then our date with Texas in 2011 could be an early conference game, or at least a preview, depending on the expansion timeline. I like our chances of an invite from the Big 12, if it's Colorado and Utah that move to the Pac 10.

crazycougar84601 wrote:

But the longer we have to wait for white smoke to come out of the chimneys in South Bend, the more you start to wonder if Notre Dame will remain its own brand.

Anyone else catch this Roman Catholic quote?



Great metaophor to Vatican. lol!

BYUgrad03 wrote:

One of the proposals made by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott to league heads was to expand the league by two schools - Colorado and Utah.

This may be wishful thinking, but if this is true and it does happen, then our date with Texas in 2011 could be an early conference game, or at least a preview, depending on the expansion timeline. I like our chances of an invite from the Big 12, if it's Colorado and Utah that move to the Pac 10.

I wish I shared your optimism. I think the Big 12 would be more likely to look East - Louisville, maybe? Cincinnati?



BYU would be the most viable option, WITHOUT the Sunday play issue...which whether any of us like it or not, is a big issue.

I wish I shared your optimism. I think the Big 12 would be more likely to look East - Louisville, maybe? Cincinnati?



BYU would be the most viable option, WITHOUT the Sunday play issue...which whether any of us like it or not, is a big issue.

You may be right, I guess we can only hope.

Mars wrote:


Remember, BYU's TV Ratings are approximately 64% higher than Utah's! http://www.cougarcorner.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3248

True, which only supports the fact that should the Pac-0 ultimately decide to take :utard: over BYU, that it is due to religious bigotry, not economics.



My question would be - who has better TV ratings, better market share, better drawing power, etc - BYU, TCU, Louisville, Cincinnati, or someone else that would make geographical sense for the Big 12?

BYU is the biggest non-AQ fish to be had, other than ND--period. We draw more, we bring more fans, we push the dial on viewership more, and on and on. If the Big 12 stays together, it is foolishness to not add BYU. Sunday play is a non-issue with football, which is what drives this whole engine, so the other sports and deals which bring in MUCH less $$, can be adjusted. sunday play is not that huge of an issue because it is not a football related issue, and football is what all of this is about, and only football.

Lawboy wrote:
BYU is the biggest non-AQ fish to be had, other than ND--period. We draw more, we bring more fans, we push the dial on viewership more, and on and on. If the Big 12 stays together, it is foolishness to not add BYU. Sunday play is a non-issue with football, which is what drives this whole engine, so the other sports and deals which bring in MUCH less $$, can be adjusted. sunday play is not that huge of an issue because it is not a football related issue, and football is what all of this is about, and only football.

Sure, we're the biggest non-AQ fish - unless you're the Pac-0 ( :utard: :utard: :utard: ) Didn't do us much good there.



And who says the Big-12 has to go for a non-AQ to replace a CU? Louisville would also be a geographical fit, probably a better one than BYU (Utah doesn't border any Big-12 states, assuming CU leaves, while Kentucky does - unless, of course, Missouri bolts to the Big 10, which would probably be just one small domino in the destruction of the Big 12, making this whole post irrelevant). And whether you want to admit it or not, Sunday Play IS an issue. If the Big-12 thinks that BYU and some other team are equal, or close to equal, the Sunday Play issue will be what makes the ultimate decision. For sunday play to NOT be an issue, BYU would have to be head and shoulders above any other school the Big 12 considers.



So, again, my question is this - who is a better fit/candidate for the Big 12 - BYU, Louisville, or some other team?

Easiest to eliminate the pretenders. TCU, SMU, Houston and Rice are out. As is Tulsa. Those schools add nothing to the footprint of the conference, so they add no new revenue. Plus, the SWC schools dumped most of those guys previously, so I do not see them back in. CSU is also out. That is like adding Utah over BYU. Dumb. UNM adds nothing, except hoops, and this is a football discussion. LSU and Arkansas would not join, unless the new Big 12 deal gives them much more $$$, and it won't. No other Missouri school makes sense, no other Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas schools are happening, either. And Cincinnati is in the same state as tOSU, which dominates that state, like BYU does here. Honestly, it would be like adding Utah State to the MWC.



So really, it is BYU or Louisville. And considering BYU was on the Big 12 radar before, has football tradition, national name recognition and branding, and is an easy place to travel to, dominates its market (Louisville is #2 in Kentucky), I think financially, BYU makes the most sense.

Number of students always gives a decent idea of how many "eyes" are out there following the program as the more students you have the more your alumni base grows exponentially. Market size doesn't always tell the whole story. TCU for instance is in a big market. But they don't dominate the market for a number of reasons. One, they have a small enrollment size. Two, they became irrelevant on the football scene thanks to the BCS and the diehard fans of other state schools like UT, A&M to a lesser extent Tech, and even OU. Recent success may have turned their fan following around some but they will never rule the market with such a small alumni base.



Cincinnati has about 40,000 students, which I would have never guessed. I would have said at best 20K. I always figured them for a small eastern school. But Cincinnati (#33) is actually below Salt Lake City (#31) for media markets. And the majority of the state probably follows/roots/associates with the Buckeyes, even many within the city of Cincinnati.



Louisville has about 20,000 students and is even further back on the list of markets (#49). Again, the majority of the fans in Kentucky probably associate themselves as UK fans.



BYU has about 34,000 students, but of course also has a large chunk of the Mormon population that associate with and follow the Cougars. There are very few teams in the country who travel as well as BYU (fanwise). BYU has the majority share of fans in its state They have a strong presence in the west as well as a national presence on a smaller scale.

Oh, one other thing. BYU has a long standing tradition in football unlike the relatively "recent" success at places like Louisville and Cincy. While it may be true that most Cougar fans don't live and die with their team, aren't spending their whole weekend tailgating, etc., BYU's long-standing success has created a loyal fanbase that has pretty consistently sold out the stadium through thick and thin. Even during the down years of the Crowton regime, we still managed to hit over 85% capacity in LES and we travel well to bowl games. Cincinatti and Louisville may have acquired some fans through their recent success but as soon as they see a dip in success (Louisville already has), most of those fans will move on because they have no emotional ties to the program per se. And we don't know if the new HC at Cincy will be able to keep things going or if the new HC at Louisville will turn it around.

gmj81 wrote:
Cincinnati has about 40,000 students, which I would have never guessed. I would have said at best 20K. I always figured them for a small eastern school. But Cincinnati (#33) is actually below Salt Lake City (#31) for media markets. And the majority of the state probably follows/roots/associates with the Buckeyes, even many within the city of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati is the school I think is the most realistic (other than BYU). Large school, decent TV market, and Ohio is a huge recruiting ground for football. The concentration of FBS football programs in Ohio is amazing--more than any other state except Texas--and while only two are in BCS conferences, it shows to illustrate the depth of Ohio football. I know the upper Midwest Big Ten schools like Minnesota and Wisconsin make concerted efforts to recruit Ohio.



While Cincinnati is without a doubt a distant #2 behind Ohio State, adding a decent team from a deep football state could pay decent dividends to the Big 12.

"BIG 12’s FINAL SUPPER ON JUNE 14?



Two different executives in the Big 12 confirmed to Orangebloods.com on Wednesday morning that the hard deadline for Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado and the entire Big 12 to pledge their allegiance to each other is Monday, June 14.



A high-level executive at a Big 12 institution said there have been informal conversations about who to add to the Big 12 if schools start to leave. Those schools have included BYU and Air Force.



But that same executive, as well as others in the Big 12, have told Orangebloods.com that the conference will not survive if Nebraska leaves - no matter who else stays or goes.



If Nebraska were to stay in the Big 12 and Missouri and Colorado were to leave, for example, the sense is the Big 12 could attempt to add schools like BYU and Air Force to the Big 12 North and move ahead."



http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news;_ylt=AuS1hsylN6Z0yefqWytgxhIcvrYF?slug=rivals-379547



Same article discusses Colorado's "announcement"



"COLORADO’S BAD TIMING



In another development, one source inside the Big 12 told Orangebloods.com on Tuesday that Colorado was expected to have a major announcement as early as Wednesday. But that announcement turned out to be with regard to scholarship reductions for the Colorado football and basketball programs because of substandard NCAA APR (Academic Progress Rates).



According to information obtained by OB, Colorado will have scholarships reduced for football and basketball when the report is released by the NCAA on Wednesday.



CU is the only BCS football program to be sanctioned with scholarship reductions and is one of only two BCS basketball programs to get sanctioned, OB has learned.



The timing is poor considering the school’s possible courtship with some of the more high-minded academic institutions in the Pac-10.



The Boulder Daily Camera reported a regents meeting at CU on Tuesday night produced nothing more than legal advice about different scenarios. CU officials said they have not yet received an invitation from the Pac-10, according to the report.



Despite that claim, speculation continues to swirl that Colorado could be preparing to accept a bid from the Pac-10 Conference, which has targeted the Buffaloes for expansion.



As Orangebloods.com first reported last Thursday, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott’s preference is to expand the Pac-10 by six schools. That original list was Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado."