(01-22-2015 03:47 PM)GoodOwl Wrote: (01-22-2015 03:10 PM)Afflicted Wrote: (01-22-2015 01:03 PM)GoodOwl Wrote: (01-22-2015 12:54 PM)Afflicted Wrote: It'll never happen guys.
What? We'll never get a Signature Win?
Invited to a P5. We'll always get our share of signature wins here and there.
Ok. I wasn't completely sure which you were saying.
But you really feel that's it, Rice will never again get invited to play in a P5-type conference?
To say never is a dire and unnecessary position to take. The last time I checked you guys were in Houston, have excellent academic standing, have maintained cordial and cooperative relations with Texas, were AAU, fielded a stellar baseball program, and as a second to Texas would solve some essential issues.
Should Texas ever commit to a major conference (other than the SEC which has a large piece of the Houston market via A&M) your pairing with Texas would be a plus. Tech is not Big 10 material. They may become acceptable to the PAC as bridge into your state from the west, but I couldn't see them ever logistically fitting into the ACC. However for a conference looking to gain access to Texas markets without taking the Longhorns T.C.U. and Rice would have to be considered for access to two key city markets. For conferences needing a pair of AAU candidates for expansion (the Big 10, and possibly the ACC) Rice becomes a very nice pairing for the Horns.
Does that make you guys a slam dunk? Far from it. But the improvement of facilities can only raise your profile. Academically there is not a rival for consideration outside of Texas. But, you aren't really looking to compete with them, just compliment them.
Eventually the major pieces of realignment will be decided. Let's assume the Big 12 is parsed after, or near, the expiration of the present GOR. Kansas is a natural fit for the Big 10. Oklahoma has open options. Texas can pick and choose. West Virginia reconnects the ACC's footprint and compliments Pitt and Louisville. Outside of that everything is up in the air. If the SEC lands one of the Oklahoma's they don't need T.C.U. to gain DFW. They may need a second school to pair with their Oklahoma school and if West Virginia is claimed by the ACC (which in spite of history their addition makes sense) then perhaps the SEC looks to Baylor. The Bears are the oldest school in the Lone Star state, they have a rivalry with A&M, and they are competitive in all areas of sports while being a slight upgrade to the SEC's academic mean.
That means that anyone seeking Texas will likely want a second Texas school. So here are the options that I see.
If the Big 10 lands Kansas and Texas and wants Oklahoma, in spite of their academic deficiencies, who else would they ask? Rice would compliment not only Texas but Northwestern.
If the ACC wants into Texas and offers Texas the much ballyhooed Notre Dame deal and the Horns want travel mates then perhaps T.C.U. and Rice join in full to round out the ACC at 16 full members and two partials.
If the PAC doesn't land the Horns and wants into the Texas market then taking T.C.U., Texas Tech, and a Houston based team makes sense for them if they are to cover the markets within the state. If that's the case the Rice is in a direct competition with the Cougars. All things being equal and the PAC's preference for academic standing that places you guys back into the mix.
So while these scenarios may have some degree of likelihood in playing out in this or some similar manner Rice has its hat in the ring. Whatever you can do to maximize your profile will be a big plus, but either way you aren't in dire straights either. Of the remaining P4 conferences (should the Big 12 be absorbed) only the SEC is probably out of the realm of possibility for you Owls.
The only scenario in which I see you fail to make consideration for a P5 position is if the Big 12 holds and or possibly expands. The Big 12 is a Texas saturated conference like the old SWC and there it wouldn't be good business to make further additions from the state.