College Conference Courtship

Although the World Cup is certainly sporting news du jour, I wanted to take some time out to discuss some other important sporting news (sorry NBA Finals, it’s not about you).  No, this news item is near and dear to my heart as a raging Michigan fan. 

The Pac-10, Big Ten and other behemoths of college sports have sent out the notes (do you like me? Check yes, no or maybe) and teams are beginning to answer the call.  Nebraska eagerly accepted the Big Ten’s invite; their first date will be on July 1, 2011.  Colorado just jumped in bed with the Pac-10 for 2012.  What happens next will likely be a domino-like fall-out akin to the crazy world of teenage romance.  We still like you Big-12, but I’m with xx now.

Now let’s not kid ourselves, while the conference mash-up will likely improve competition in the major conferences and certainly shake up how the BCS is managed (can we please go to a playoff system?); this is about money.  As it always is.  Super conferences rake in super dough.  This is about television contracts.  This is why the Big Ten is so hot to trot for Notre Dame.  It would be great to get on that alluring NBC coverage.

What happens next, no one knows for sure.  There’s bound to be a lot of heartbreak, many new relationships, but one thing is for sure: the college sports world will never be quite the same.

Photo courtesy of AP via Boston.com