(06-12-2017 08:27 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(06-12-2017 07:22 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-12-2017 06:45 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(06-12-2017 05:29 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Here's the deal. Texas and Oklahoma have the #1 and #4 Top Gross Revenue producing Athletic Departments in the nation. They aren't going to risk that success and their branding by making moves too far away from their current business models.

What are those models? They like to play neighboring state schools and in state rivals. But both athletic departments want more games against name brand schools in their season ticket books.

So what kind of offer is going to entice them away from their own conference? The kind of offer that doesn't require them to change their present successful business models.

The SEC offers Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas A&M. We would have to cover Oklahoma's in state rival and add another friend in Kansas to make it work. Texas would have their fiercest in state rival back and would have one of their oldest SWC rivals back in Arkansas as well. Set A&M up to be the Longhorns permanent crossover rival and it leaves them with two OOC games to schedule: Texas Tech, Baylor, T.C.U. or Rice if they wanted to do so. The rotational divisional games would provide both with the name brands they want in their season ticket books.

They keep and play a core of the same schools they've played for years in both the SWC and Big 12. Missouri is just another familiar face game.

So they keep the look and feel of their present successful games in their current business model, but they gain access to other football first brands regularly. Then their other sports fit ours. That's not true in the PAC or Big 10.

The reason they won't move to the ACC is because it is too radical a departure from their present business model and too far for minor sports. Texas's brand cant afford outlier status and they know it.

But I'm fairly certain that the SEC won't be able to land them without taking two of their friends as well. Kansas is a strong enough brand that when partnered with Texas and Oklahoma they cover OSU's entry nicely.

It's a business and they will run it that way.

What we could do is go to 20. Go to 4 divisions and conference semis...

West: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas

Central: Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss

South: Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina

East: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, West Virginia

-Play your 4 division mates
-Play 1 permanent rival from each of the other divisions
-Play 1 rotating opponent from each of the other divisions

That's 10 games. I like 10 because the only problem with 9 is that the home/away schedule is uneven every year. Play 10 and everyone gets 5 quality home games against name opponents. Also, with this alignment you would play everyone in the league at least once every 4 years.

Everyone, of course, gets 2 OOC games. Some will use it to play an OOC rival and others will use it to play neutral site games. As we move towards the day where Power schools play each other exclusively then we also move to a time where having only 2 OOC games won't limit a school's desire to play quality opponents from around the country. At that, 10 league games makes a lot of sense because more money stays in house.

In this alignment, each division winner plays for the conference title while a large number of key rivalries are preserved.

That would work, but could we make it pay? That's what ESPN would have to decide. And then there is the matter of getting 8 teams placed. By taking these 6 we don't really leave anyone that another might take. Kansas State, Iowa State, Baylor, and T.C.U. would be left.

I think we end up waiting for the GOR to expire anyway.

I could see TCU having a landing spot, but the others are going to have a tough time I think.

It's actually easier to place 7 if we only take 4. I really do believe the PAC would go after Tech and T.C.U. if they were available. So if we took the original 4 I mentioned. That's 6. WVU to the ACC makes 7. If Baylor loses their voting rights as part of the conference's sanctions that might do it. But that's a lot of ifs.