Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Hmm....those seem like 2 pairs in very different positions atm.
Or are they?

ND getting a vote makes me realize how pathetic the ACC is.

The B1G TV deal runs for 8-9 years, I think.

What if Fox, NBC and CBS go to the B1G wonks and demand that the dead weight be cut?

Medina talks about not having two schools in one state. That takes out IU or PU*, UM or MSU, UI or NU. Obviously, there's a Rutgers issue too, and maybe an Oregon issue once Uncle Phil is no longer a factor.

* Or both, should ND come.

Question--does the B1G have a GOR that restricts schools from leaving without massive penalties? I understand the SEC doesn't, right? The ACC does, which is a big sticking point in trying to raid them. 

I think utee is correct. Cutting dead weight is likely a legal non-starter. It will cost more than the top schools leaving even if there are big penalties for leaving. But the top schools leaving, assuming there are not major penalties, is a lot easier than either. 

I see cutting dead weight as a bad idea, due to wins and losses.  
OSU and UM et al are what they are because they tend to win the most games year-in and year-out.  Part of the reason is that they beat up on the lesser programs.  
Without lesser programs, some of those OSU and UM wins turn to losses.  Year over year.  And when your peak programs have extra losses here and there, the elite of your conference isn't as elite.

So it winds up being good for the conference/TV wallet to keep those programs around.  They help your elite teams remain elite.  They serve a purpose.  

Imagine some super conference with only top 30 programs (not teams per se, but programs) and no OOC games.  What would the record of the "best team" be typically?  Probably 9-3 maybe 10-2.

Yeah, you need some pastries on the schedule, it's not like the NFL where the worst team is still modestly capable.  You don't see 35+ point spreads in the NFL (usually).

And then, why try to make a deal with the PAC? If you make a deal with the PAC, you end up with all the crappy PAC schools that you were holding your nose to pay off in order to get the few schools you want.

If you have already made a B12 deal, it's a lot better for the B12 and B1G to dismember the PAC and take the valuable properties so you can cut the dead weight.

You make the deal with the B12. Then you don't offer the PAC anything, in the hopes that the lack of an offer causes what we saw--the exodus of the best properties to the B12 and B1G.

On May 25, 1929, Iowa was expelled from the Big Ten effective January 1, 1930 for what is believed to have been a player compensation issue. Iowa Stadium, n/k/a Kinnick Stadium opened October 5, 1929 in what would have been Iowa's last year in the conference. On December 11, 1929, Iowa disqualified 27 players.

On February 1, 1930, the Big Ten Faculty Committee unanimously voted to reinstate Iowa after a one-month expulsion. During the 1929-30 basketball season, no Big Ten teams were on Iowa's schedule. 1929-1930 Season Summary for Iowa Hawkeyes | basketball - Summary of Iowa football and basketball games (hawkeyerecap.com) Iowa played several Big Ten teams in the 1930-31 season, so there was some effect to the expulsion in 1930.

I mention this because misconduct could require the Big Ten to suspend or expel a member. Shortly after Rutgers joined I thought they might be expelled after its athletic director was accused of abusing players as a coach, and after its basketball coach Mike Rice was captured on video shoving, grabbing, and throwing balls at players, and using gay slurs, but Rutgers took action. What an auspicious start in the Big Ten.

Now Northwestern has a player hazing / sexual misconduct controversy on its football team, and while the head coach was fired, all the assistants seem to have retained their jobs, and it appears no players involved have been disciplined.

The bar is high for expulsion, but the bar is somewhere.