RE: Big 12 Expansion Index - nice breakdown by FrankThe Tank
This was a good right up on candidates Frank both from the East and West but if you look at the B12's move to add WVU I think its pretty clear they want to stay East with expansion because that is where the better recruiting grounds and national TV points are.
One of the questions I have is does 12 work for the B12 or would they be better served adding 4 schools and trying to make it the B14? If all the Texas/OK schools want to stick together the divisions don't seem right in a 12 team model.
North: Kansas, K-State, ISU, WVU, USF, UCF
South: OSU, OU, Texas, TT, Baylor, TCU
I guess you could switch K-State and TCU for better balance. However let's say you do that and go to 14 adding two more heavy BB schools in Memphis and Cincinnati.
East: Kansas, ISU, Memphis, Cincinnati, WVU, USF, UCF
West: OSU, OU, Texas, TT, Baylor, TCU, K-State
At this point its creating more of an ACC metro market feel to the league where the B14 has metro markets in the East that isn't representing the ACC. Its makes the league feel more like a major basketball conference instead of a TX/OK based football conference.
I don't see the point of the B12 expanding until the next contract in 2020 when the CFP could be expanded to 8 teams/8 bowl games. The disadvantages of not having a conference championship game will become evident and also having a hard time filling bowl obligations at only 10 members if 3 make a CFP game.
The B12 needs to go strong in one direction. Trying to do something like BYU in the West and Cincinnati in the East doesn't help the league as much as going heavily in one direction (like the suggestion of adding both USF and UCF).
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