(11-05-2013 10:44 PM)JRsec Wrote:  In light of the Big 12's declining a pro growth Oliver Luck and taking a house cleaning Steve Patterson who has not only Texas ties, but is coming from the PAC let's assume that a partition of the Big 12 is possible in the coming months. I have only found 1 reasonable solution to this problem and one less reasonable alternative.

The Big 10 may be interested in Kansas and possibly Connecticut.
There are some in the ACC (and it is somewhat conflicted) that might be interested in West Virginia.
If Texas went to the PAC and the SEC added Oklahoma and Kansas State it would only take Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech to make it happen.

If the ACC reneged on West Virginia the SEC might be able to make it happen by going to 18 and taking West Virginia and one other, possibly from the Big 12, or possibly not.

Indeed, I've been letting the air clear on the main board about the Texas decision for Patterson. Some of the theories probably have some validity, but it is more nuanced than they are presenting. Patterson= Texas to the PAC is too simplistic, but I think it does signal a change in approach from Texas. If there is any truth to the reports that Patterson was chosen over Luck because he is willing to be the hatchet man on Brown and Barnes, it does signal what we knew: the Texas administration knows what needs to be done but is too cowardly to do it themselves. There is a whole segment of "streamlining" consultants in this country that are in lucrative careers because corporations act the same way.

Jimmy Sexton, of course, is using this to get Saban a pay raise, and it does not hurt for the Texas Regents to have a true insider to understand the PAC and their true strategy moving forward. Larry Scott is probably disappointed in this move because Patterson knows what they have been planning to lure Texas, so UT can now up the ante.

West Virginia to the ACC is probably making more sense to them based on recent developments. The ACC lost the academic prestige card when they added Louisville, so adding an academic peer for Louisville is a secondary issue at this point. WVU is a tremendous buddy for Louisville, and they have some bad blood with Pitt and Va. Tech, which will help people give a darn about ACC northern football.