Pitt fans, how do you feel about possibly joining the Big Ten?

[Nadroj 20]

Originally Posted by SteelersinCA

There are typically 2 sports that generate money for athletic departments. Men's football and men's basketball. Most every school loses money in other sports. A potential 10 mil influx of cash is nothing to balk at. I mean how much more money could womens field hockey lose in the big 10 vs the big east?

Im basically saying when it comes down to it Pitt is more successful at basketball and Big East basketball is the best conferance in basketball, imo changing would hurt them that way....maybe it wont but it could

I do know that alot of people including Pittsburgh's Head basketball coach in Jamie Dixon does not think it would be a smart move for the program....not my words...there his

This is a good article about it...........

Dixon praises Big East conferenceComment Email Print Share Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- Leaving the Big East for the Big Ten would be a big mistake for Pittsburgh, according to men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon.

Dixon calls the Big East "the best conference in college basketball history" and said it wouldn't benefit Pitt or any other conference member to switch leagues.

Big Ten officials plan to spend the next year to 18 months exploring whether to add a 12th member. Pitt has been mentioned as a likely candidate because it offers a large TV market, excellent academics and a prime location. The Panthers could renew their lapsed rivalry with Penn State and form a new one with nearby Ohio State.


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Dixon needs to hear a lot more reasons than those.

"I can't see how any team would improve where they're at by movement," Dixon said Thursday. "Every situation, you have to look at why you're doing it to improve yourselves. And I can't see how moving from the best conference in college basketball history would be a good thing for anybody."

While Pitt football might have more to gain than the basketball team by joining the Big Ten, Dixon doesn't believe the move would significantly benefit coach Dave Wannstedt's program, either.

"We've got [football] bowl tie-ins greater than any other conference, as far as percentages, so what would we have to change for?" Dixon said. "This thing just keeps getting better."

Dixon mentioned no schools by name. However, abandoning longtime Big East rivalries with Syracuse, Georgetown and Connecticut and replacing them with Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- distant schools with no ties or significant attraction to Pitt -- could erode interest in Panthers basketball.

Pitt built a new, on-campus basketball arena seven years ago largely because of the demand for Big East tickets. About 3,000 are on a waiting list for season tickets at the 12,508-seat Petersen Events Center.

To Dixon, the Big East became the envy of other basketball conferences when Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, DePaul and South Florida joined in 2005. Fifteen of the Big East's 16 basketball-playing schools have made at least one Final Four appearance.

"We don't have to change, because things are heading in the right direction," Dixon said. "Other conferences might have to change to gain momentum, but our momentum has been consistent since the expansion itself. So, it's exciting to hear about it and talk about it, but at the end of the day who's really going to improve their position from our conference? Nobody."

Dixon's comments Thursday were the first by any Pitt coach or administrator since the Big Ten signaled its plans on Tuesday. Pitt chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg has been a strong Big East proponent, leading the expansion drive that kept the conference together after Boston College and Miami left for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005.

Notre Dame, a Big East member in most sports except football, turned down the Big Ten in 1999.

Dixon also doesn't believe the NCAA basketball tournament will expand from 65 to 96 teams, a move that would create an extra weekend of play and allow far more mid-major schools to participate.

"I just don't see it changing," Dixon said. "I think it probably needs to be changed, but I don't think it can be."

Pitt has played in the last eight NCAA tournaments, the longest current streak of any Big East team.

"I think our numbers indicate how tough it is to make the NCAA tournament when we have by far the longest streak in the best conference in the country," Dixon said. "It just goes to show how tough it's become, especially in our conference, but I just don't know how they're going to change those things around."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4752834

[RoethlisBURGHer]

Originally Posted by revefsreleets

I definitely disagree....if Pitt is asked, they'll lietrally JUMP at the offer. The Big Ten is >>> Big East as far as status, overall $$$, legacy and prestige.

But like I said, moving to the Big 10 would mean that their football program would go from the top tier of the conference to the second tier of the Big 10.

In the Big East, they are a dominant force in football and basketball. That might mean something to Pitt.

Not to mention I see Penn State fighting adding Pitt. Paterno doesn't want to play them, and if they joined the Big 10 then the two schools would be in the same division and playing every season.

[SteelerNation12]

Pretty sure Iowa State is gonna get the nod.

[SteelersinCA]

Originally Posted by Nadroj 20

Im basically saying when it comes down to it Pitt is more successful at basketball and Big East basketball is the best conferance in basketball, imo changing would hurt them that way....maybe it wont but it could

I do know that alot of people including Pittsburgh's Head basketball coach in Jamie Dixon does not think it would be a smart move for the program....not my words...there his

This is a good article about it...........



http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4752834

Money will make their decision, nothing else. If they will make more money in the Big 10 they will move.

[revefsreleets]

Originally Posted by SteelersinCA

Money will make their decision, nothing else. If they will make more money in the Big 10 they will move.

And they will make more money.

[Nadroj 20]

Originally Posted by SteelersinCA

Money will make their decision, nothing else. If they will make more money in the Big 10 they will move.

True but well have to just see

[revefsreleets]

If asked, Pitt will make the move. It's a stone cold iron clad 100% sure lock.

It's actually quite an honor. Notre Dame is still the better fit. They have the far higher pedigree, and would be a fine addition. With Michigan, PSU, OSU and Notre dame under one conference banner, they'd have 4 of the most storied football programs in college football history. NO other conference would have a deeper or more glorified legacy.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...6241081.column

For the good of the Notre Dame community, somebody athletic director Jack Swarbrick respects should open his office door and urge him to open his mind regarding possible Big Ten membership.

Swarbrick responded to the conference's announced interest in expansion by telling the Tribune: "Independence is a big part of the tradition of the program and our identity. We sure would like to try to maintain it."

The only thing Domers are prouder of than their distinction as a football independent is their devotion to that status. Almost every discussion of what Notre Dame football is circles back to what Notre Dame football was.

In a way, Swarbrick sounded like the guy everyone knows who doesn't have an e-mail address because he hasn't yet embraced the Internet. The world has changed dramatically since 1999, the last time Notre Dame seriously discussed the pros and cons of Big Ten affiliation.

It's time for another conversation.

Notre Dame cannot risk ignoring this opportunity to explore making a historic move. Likewise, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany cannot risk the conference getting snubbed again. The Irish need to pick up the phone. Don't make the Big Ten wait because Delany won't.

With due respect to Missouri, Pittsburgh and Rutgers, no potential additional member benefits the Big Ten more than Notre Dame. It would be naive for Swarbrick, on the job just 17 months, to dismiss how mutually beneficial that relationship might be.

The recent coaching search suggested the Notre Dame football program has a realistic view of what it is. And, of more importance, what it isn't. Brian Kelly represented the ideal, compatible choice after it was determined neither Urban Meyer nor Bob Stoops would drop everything just to coach Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame that Swarbrick and other idealists describe is a place where no coach could have resisted the chance to walk the same sideline Rockne and Leahy and Parseghian walked. But it hasn't been that place since Davie and Willingham and Weis walked there too. That's the point.

University leaders need to learn from the lesson of hiring Kelly and let it guide them in deciding whether to pursue Big Ten membership. Out with self-aggrandizement, in with self-awareness.

It won't be easy. One Notre Dame professor contacted Thursday said he polled his class of 75 students about joining the Big Ten. Only three students were for it. Alumni sentiments likely would reflect that opposition. Everyone minors in nostalgia at Notre Dame.

There is no guarantee the faculty would support the move either. But Notre Dame needs to discuss this for reasons that have little to do with academic consortiums or alumni clubs.

Don't kid yourself. This is solely a football argument.

Those under the Golden Dome who cling to the idea that Notre Dame is independent overlook that the university has belonged to the Big East for 15 years. That philosophical bridge has been crossed.

A key thing Notre Dame must consider: Realistically, the Irish could gain easier access to the Bowl Championship Series games as a member of the Big Ten than as an independent.

"The BCS redefined success at Notre Dame," said Gerry DiNardo, a former Notre Dame All-American who is an analyst for the Big Ten Network. "Prior to BCS it was national championship or bust for Notre Dame. Not now."

Now, a middle ground exists that not every Irish fan or alumnus wants to acknowledge. As DiNardo pointed out, an independent Notre Dame team with two losses by midseason -- the rule more than the exception lately -- struggles to find motivation. A Big Ten team with two losses by midseason after expansion would have a shot to win its division and play in the lucrative conference title game.

Other issues that influenced Notre Dame's decision in 1999 no longer appear to be deal-breakers. Its exclusive NBC contract runs through 2015, but nobody can predict what the future holds now that the network has been sold. Besides, Big Ten affiliation would generate even more TV revenue for the university.

Fears of losing traditional rivals USC and Navy from the schedule seem unnecessary as Notre Dame still will have to play at least two nonconference games.

The biggest obstacle remains identity.

When Notre Dame looks in the mirror, it sees the image it desperately wants to see. As its football program enters a new age with the Big Ten offering this rare opportunity, it behooves Notre Dame to take a second look.

At this juncture in history, Notre Dame may need the Big Ten more than the Big Ten needs Notre Dame.