In the early 1980s, Penn St was 1 vote shy of being added to the Big East. Preferably sourced, but not a requirement, does anyone have any other “almost added” stories of schools being just shy of joining another conference?

I don't know that there was ever a vote, but BYU was seriously considered when the Big 12 formed, which would've required a 14th and they even trademarked "Big 14." Ultimately, there wasn't a 14th they wanted badly enough but supposedly New Mexico was the closest to getting the spot if they had.

https://www.vivathematadors.com/2016/7/2...almost-was

Missouri edged out West Virginia as TAMU's tagalong beginning in 2012

This seems to be forgotten a lot, but BYU and Louisville were very close to being added at the same time as WVU to the Big 12 in the 2011-12 timeframe. They were far enough along that there were open complaints within the Big 12 about the demands from BYU’s lawyers. (One can see the downstream effects where UConn would have later ended up as Maryland’s replacement in the ACC if the Big 12 expansion/backfilling had gone with its original plan.)

(04-19-2024 09:54 AM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Missouri edged out West Virginia as TAMU's tagalong beginning in 2012

It wasn’t an edge out other than in the minds of WVU Internet personalities like The Dude. The SEC was looking for pure cable households for the soon-to-be-launched SEC Network (just like the Big Ten adding Rutgers and Maryland a year later) and Mizzou provided those households.

Didn't Creighton outmaneuver Dayton to get spot #10 in the Big East in 2013?

One of the most famous "almost added" votes was the ACC in 2003. The ACC needed three additional members to be able to hold a conference championship game (and get more media payouts). Miami was the key target, and the Hurricanes wanted BC and Syracuse in their move.

UNC and Duke were publicly against any expansion, meaning that one additional "no" vote would derail any invitations. UVa voted no on expansion until VT & Miami were bundled in the same expansion vote.

BC got an invitation in 2004. Syracuse waited nearly a decade.

(04-19-2024 08:48 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  In the early 1980s, Penn St was 1 vote shy of being added to the Big East. Preferably sourced, but not a requirement, does anyone have any other “almost added” stories of schools being just shy of joining another conference?

Texas was 1 vote shy of joining the PAC in 1989. Stanford acquiesced a few weeks later, but it was too late and Texas had made other plans by that point.

https://www.ruleoftree.com/2011/6/23/223...2-stanford

That article says early 90s instead of 89.

(04-19-2024 10:26 AM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  

(04-19-2024 08:48 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  In the early 1980s, Penn St was 1 vote shy of being added to the Big East. Preferably sourced, but not a requirement, does anyone have any other “almost added” stories of schools being just shy of joining another conference?

Texas was 1 vote shy of joining the PAC in 1989. Stanford acquiesced a few weeks later, but it was too late and Texas had made other plans by that point.

https://www.ruleoftree.com/2011/6/23/223...2-stanford

That article says early 90s instead of 89.

They're confused. Stanford vetoed in 1990 before reversing a few weeks later. In 1994, Texas had a "Tech" problem and so the Pac talks never got very far. The Pac looked at Texas Tech and decided they weren't interested. I would imagine Stanford was not alone in opposing Texas Tech.

(04-19-2024 10:03 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  This seems to be forgotten a lot, but BYU and Louisville were very close to being added at the same time as WVU to the Big 12 in the 2011-12 timeframe. They were far enough along that there were open complaints within the Big 12 about the demands from BYU’s lawyers. (One can see the downstream effects where UConn would have later ended up as Maryland’s replacement in the ACC if the Big 12 expansion/backfilling had gone with its original plan.)

I had always heard this but with Cincinnati instead of BYU. But that may have been realignment weenie wishcasting.

Michigan State to the Big 10 over Pitt in 1949.

Everyone seems to have missed "the big one" of the Pac-16 being a go until the last possible second. So that would have been Texas, Tech, A&M, Oklahoma and OSU going to the PAC with Colorado while Utah stayed behind in the MWC. And then who knows what happens to the rump schools, Nebraska was already set on the Big Ten by that point but people were speculating about an emergency tie-up with the Big East for the five remaining schools.

...well, all you Noles on here could explain how everything went down with the FSU/SEC 'near miss' when they chose the ACC instead... ...of course, the story goes (at least what I've heard over the years) that Bobby B simply didn't want to be in the SEC as it was a tougher football conference than the ACC - hard to argue, especially back in the 80's or whenever the move was made...

JUST throwing this one in for posterity - please don't throw TOO many flaming spears my way...

(04-19-2024 11:36 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(04-19-2024 10:03 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  This seems to be forgotten a lot, but BYU and Louisville were very close to being added at the same time as WVU to the Big 12 in the 2011-12 timeframe. They were far enough along that there were open complaints within the Big 12 about the demands from BYU’s lawyers. (One can see the downstream effects where UConn would have later ended up as Maryland’s replacement in the ACC if the Big 12 expansion/backfilling had gone with its original plan.)

I had always heard this but with Cincinnati instead of BYU. But that may have been realignment weenie wishcasting.

Could some poster please cleverly deploy that phrase in a limerick so that Uncle Dazzy can have a cheap chuckle before he starts his weekend of boozing and delighting the ladies with ribaldry and tomfoolery.

SDSU to the PAC, lmao. We almost got in there before it turned to dust. It worked out, I guess.

(04-19-2024 12:42 PM)AztecEmpire Wrote:  SDSU to the PAC, lmao. We almost got in there before it turned to dust. It worked out, I guess.

And SMU. SMU was in if 10 stayed and if 8 stayed. If 9 stayed, I don't know if both would have gotten in or just SDSU.

(04-19-2024 12:25 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  ...well, all you Noles on here could explain how everything went down with the FSU/SEC 'near miss' when they chose the ACC instead... ...of course, the story goes (at least what I've heard over the years) that Bobby B simply didn't want to be in the SEC as it was a tougher football conference than the ACC - hard to argue, especially back in the 80's or whenever the move was made...

Bowden saw an easier path to success in the ACC. FSU's president liked the ACC's academic prestige and certainly wasn't going to go against the preference of a successful and beloved football coach.

Meanwhile, ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan outschmoozed outhustled his SEC counterpart Roy Kramer, who (understandably) assumed FSU was a done deal since the Noles has applied to join the SEC numerous times dating back to the 1950's.

Miami was the backup plan, which bruised the egos of a few UM administrators who weren't convinced the SEC was a good institutional fit in the first place.

South Carolina equaled "Hey those guys are available. Just go get get them and be done with it."

(04-19-2024 10:20 AM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  One of the most famous "almost added" votes was the ACC in 2003. The ACC needed three additional members to be able to hold a conference championship game (and get more media payouts). Miami was the key target, and the Hurricanes wanted BC and Syracuse in their move.

UNC and Duke were publicly against any expansion, meaning that one additional "no" vote would derail any invitations. UVa voted no on expansion until VT & Miami were bundled in the same expansion vote.

BC got an invitation in 2004. Syracuse waited nearly a decade.

Later in the process (i.e., after Miami and Virginia Tech were admitted, but before BC was), Notre Dame was the favorite to land the 12th spot.

This is pure speculation on my part, but based on what went down afterward, I believe the following to be true:

ND and the ACC had a deal in principal for ND to join the ACC as a full member. The deal provided for ND to join the ACC immediately in all sports but football, and football membership to be delayed. The deal was contingent upon the ACC being able to hold a CCG in the interim.

The ACC applied to the NCAA for a waiver to hold a championship game with 11 members and was denied. At that time, I believe the ND-ACC deal fell apart when the two sides could not agree as to a time for ND to enter in football. As a result, the ACC went with BC.

Does ND voting down the Big Ten in 1999 after the latter issued a formal, public invitation to ND count as "almost added" ??

(04-19-2024 12:16 PM)The Beaver Wrote:  Everyone seems to have missed "the big one" of the Pac-16 being a go until the last possible second. So that would have been Texas, Tech, A&M, Oklahoma and OSU going to the PAC with Colorado while Utah stayed behind in the MWC. And then who knows what happens to the rump schools, Nebraska was already set on the Big Ten by that point but people were speculating about an emergency tie-up with the Big East for the five remaining schools.

As I understood it (and I could be wrong), the Pac-16 was derailed primarily because A&M preferred the SEC to the PAC. If that's the case, I'm somewhat surprised that they didn't simply replace A&M in this lineup with either Utah or Kansas. It would have been a step back, but not a drastic one. A&M was hardly the straw that stirred the drink.