Big 12 Expansion Project

[J.B. TexasEx]

*sigh*

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[longhorn_mig]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

Thanks for the post. Makes a good argument for both of those teams. BYU and Houston would definitely be in my top 3, with the other being Cincy. Although, I think the Cincy add is more for the basketball side of things and a nod to WVU. LOL, that and I'd love to see Tubby's first game in Lubbock.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Thanks for the post. Makes a good argument for both of those teams. BYU and Houston would definitely be in my top 3, with the other being Cincy. Although, I think the Cincy add is more for the basketball side of things and a nod to WVU. LOL, that and I'd love to see Tubby's first game in Lubbock.

Not to be redundant, but my preferences are:

Big 12 = UH & Cincy

Big 14 = UH, Cincy, BYU, & CSU

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Cincinnati: The Queen of Diamonds

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[longhorn_mig]

LOL, errbody...

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

LOL, errbody...

17???

Hell, I can't name more than 8 who should even be seriously considered. I guess most are just a courtesy call. But, I envision the Big 12's selection meeting after the video conferences going something like this...

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Sirhornsalot]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

Anyone else thinking like me here? OU would go from having an easy path to the playoffs to probably seldom ever making it out of the conference division, assuming they are put into the West division.

Let them go. We were never married to them via conference. And they would never let the RRS go away. So whatever. If the Big 12 was dead, it was dead before an OU departure.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Anyone else thinking like me here? OU would go from having an easy path to the playoffs to probably seldom ever making it out of the conference division, assuming they are put into the West division.

Let them go. We were never married to them via conference. And they would never let the RRS go away. So whatever. If the Big 12 was dead, it was dead before an OU departure.

I can't see the SEC wanting both OU and OSU, but never say never.

Will the OK state legislature even let OU bail on little brother? Furthermore, only the idiot faction of their fan base (yes, I realize that's a high percentage) are clamoring to leave the Big 12. I don't think their administration thinks the SEC is a better spot for them.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Can you say, "Super-Conference"?

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Can you say, "Super-Conference"?

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

Sure, but what is the source of this trouble in the Big 12? Where is the crisis? Looks much like the same Big 12 we've seen for years. We're about to expand, but somehow the Big 12 isn't "stable?"

Maybe its OU that isn't stable. Most of us know where we want to be. OU suddenly can't figure that out.

I'm sorry, but OU is monumentally stupid (who here would argue? lol). To leave a place where they are at least partially "boss" to a place where they will never be called boss . . .  . leaving a place where they can contend for national titles every year, . to go to a place where they'll seldom rise out of the pack. Less exposure in their best recruiting grounds. . . I don't see the "win" there.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Sure, but what is the source of this trouble in the Big 12? Where is the crisis? Looks much like the same Big 12 we've seen for years. We're about to expand, but somehow the Big 12 isn't "stable?"

Maybe its OU that isn't stable. Most of us know where we want to be. OU suddenly can't figure that out.

I'm sorry, but OU is monumentally stupid (who here would argue? lol). To leave a place where they are at least partially "boss" to a place where they will never be called boss . . .  . leaving a place where they can contend for national titles every year, . to go to a place where they'll seldom rise out of the pack. Less exposure in their best recruiting grounds. . . I don't see the "win" there.

No argument.

OU's fan base is monumentally, aggie-level stupid, but Boren stirred the pot earlier this summer. I don't think their administration or more astute BMDs want to leave the Big12. But, I do think they really wanna add two teams and go to an 8-game league schedule. This will give them flexibility to host another high-profile OOC opponent annually.

Unless, of course, FOX & ESPN money-whip the hell outta us to stay at 10 this summer. When you get down to it, FOX wants us to expand east because they lack CST & EST game inventory. ESPN wants us to stand pat because they're hemorrhaging money and would rather not be on the hook for our contractual pro rata increases.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Houston: Tale of Two Cities

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

...and a counter-point to @TheNumberMonkey's anti-UH column thoughtfully written by another Big12Fanatic poster, SoonerLawyer29

Just a couple of nitpicks on the UH article:

Houston is within 500 miles of half the current membership (including both Oklahoma schools.) Tech - school #6 - is about 520 miles away. That's over half the league within a 7 hour car ride of UH. Arguing that the geography is bad for UH is absurd. It's bad for WVU and ISU? Sure. But the rest of the conference? Not so much. Saying otherwise is just using statistics to mislead. Cincinnati - conversely - is bad for everyone except maybe WVU and ISU. The more important issue for me and geography is that any new member be within a fanbase overlap of another. That's how you build rivalries. Cincinnati might do that with WVU which is why it's important to add them. Houston absolutely does that with half the Big 12. 

Second, the "national ratings" argument to detract from UH doing well inside their home market is also off base. National ratings are attached to conference membership, TV windows, and quality of team. If UH does well in Houston, and is competitive, then they'll have national ratings that perform well once they get a B12 patch on their jerseys. That's true for everyone we're talking about. We care about pulling home markets and winning. The national numbers will follow. Last year, UH had as many top 10 most watched games in their market as the entire Big 12. Their only two games on ABC are the two that did so well. They played Navy and Temple in those two games. We don't think they'd do a lot better in their home market against Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, etc? Downplaying their numbers on ESPNU is like everyone who comes to this board downplaying Big 12 numbers because we're on FS1.

Casual fans don't watch games on ESPN2 or ESPNU. AAC teams get very, very few games that aren't on the lower tier. This is the same kind of argument that was made about TCU a few years back, too. "Nobody watches them nationally." Guess what? When the Frogs got a Big 12 patch on their jersey, won games, and got better TV windows, their national numbers went up. Their DFW remained high - which is what was important even with other member schools that also did well in DFW. Monkey is (wittingly or unwittingly) trying to lay a subtle narrative here that the only teams worth adding are blue bloods.

Monkey also threw out there that UH was being talked about due to one good year in 2015. They came up as a major candidate prior to last season because they've been consistently averaging around 9 wins per year for a decade, with recent P5 wins over UCLA, Miss State, Tech, OSU, Penn State, Pitt, and a couple others. Last year they beat Vandy, Louisville, and Florida State. Other than BYU, no candidate has close to UH's football history.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Connecticut: The Northern Passage

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

 

[Embrey]

http://www.campusrush.com/big-12-conference-oral-history-swc-merger-1974972078.html

Oral history of the SWC merger with the Big 8.