The Big Ten will add Georgia Tech, as early as Monday, and Notre Dame in the near future, to completely revamp the landscape of college athletics and completely dissolve the ACC and Big East conferences. We have heard from a top source that Georgia Tech will accept an invitation to join the Big Ten, potentially on Monday.
When that takes place, mayhem will ensue, resulting in 4 football super-conferences starting in 2014. Here is how we see it going down, in order:
Monday Dec 3, 2012: Georgia Tech joins Big Ten
Looking to expand into SEC territory, the Big Ten adds Georgia Tech, securing the biggest market in the south-Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets will accept to join the conference in 2014.
Mid-December: Big 12 makes a fast move to grab top ACC teams
In an effort to ensure their survival, the Big 12 makes an offer to join the conference to ACC football powers Florida State and Clemson in December. Knowing that the ACC is falling apart and the $50M exit fee won't be enforced, both schools accept.
January 2013: SEC ends the ACC as Duke, North Carolina join SEC
Knowing that football isn't their strong suit, Duke and North Carolina agree to jointly accelerate talks with the SEC, talks that have been quietly going on for 3 years. Even with knowledge that the other North Carolina schools will be left without a conference, the 2 basketball powers jump ship, leaving the ACC scrambling for survival. The SEC is now full at 16 members.
February 2013: Pac 12 invades the Big 12
With the clear message that conferences will need 16 teams to stay viable, the Pac 12 does it's best to secure schools in the Big 12 that aren't happy with Texas getting the lions share of revenue in conference. The day after National Signing Day, the Pac 12 accepts 4 schools, Kansas, Kansas State, Texax Tech and TCU. This move still leaves the Big 12 sitting fairly strong, with Texas and Oklahoma as anchors. Now that 4 schools have left (and 8 total in a 2 year period) the remaining Big 12 teams meet to discuss the future of the conference. The consensus: Move now to add 8 teams to the current 8 that remain.
March 2013: After 3 weeks of negotiations and conversations, the Big 12 adds 8 teams in one day, completely dissolving the ACC
Hoping for as much national distribution as possible, potentially even becoming the true "national conference" the Big 12 adds 8 teams from the (now former) ACC and Big East conferences.
Syracuse, Louisville, Pitt, Miami (FL), Boston College, UConn, Virginia and Virginia Tech are now members of the Big 12, bringing the league to 16 teams.
Cincinnati, Wake Forest, NC State and South Florida are left out in the cold and, together, join Conference USA.
June 2013: Big Ten needs a 16th team, adds Notre Dame with incentives
Knowing that there is only one viable team to add, and after missing out on adding Virginia when they left to go to Big 12, the Big Ten adds BCS National Champion Notre Dame as a 16th member, but sells its soul to the devil to do so.
Notre Dame demands, and is given, special rights in football: An additional 20% of TV revenue on Big Ten Network over the remainder of the conference and Bowl Game preference over all other teams if they finish with a 9-3 record or better but don't make the 4-team playoff system.
Results?
New PAC 12:
| University of Arizona |
| Arizona State University |
| University of California, Berkeley |
| University of Colorado |
| University of Oregon |
| Oregon State University |
| Stanford University |
| UCLA |
| University of Southern California |
| University of Utah |
| University of Washington |
| Washington State University |
| University of Kansas |
| Kansas State University |
| Texas Christian University |
| Texas Tech University |
New Big Ten:
| University of Illinois |
| Indiana University |
| University of Iowa |
| University of Michigan |
| Michigan State University |
| University of Minnesota |
| University of Nebraska |
| Northwestern University |
| Ohio State University |
| Pennsylvania State University |
| Purdue University |
| University of Wisconsin |
| University of Maryland |
| Rutgers University |
| Georgia Tech |
| Notre Dame |
New Big 16 (formerly 12):
| Baylor University |
| Iowa State University |
| University of Oklahoma |
| Oklahoma State University |
| University of Texas |
| West Virginia |
| Clemson University |
| Florida State University |
| University of South Florida |
| Syracuse University |
| University of Louisville |
| University of Pittsburgh |
| University of Miami |
| University of Connecticut |
| University of Virginia |
| Virginia Tech |
New SEC:
| University of Florida |
| University of Georgia |
| University of Kentucky |
| University of Missouri |
| University of South Carolina |
| University of Tennessee |
| Vanderbilt University |
| University of Alabama |
| University of Arkansas |
| Auburn University |
| LSU |
| Mississippi State University |
| University of Mississippi |
| Texas A&M University |
| Duke University |
| University of North Carolina |
Stay tuned to Chat Sports, THE #1 source for college football rumors in the coming days for further details.
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