So the Governor is a Republican, which believes on small government. Yet he says that a private athletic conference cannot expand unless a certain school is invited? That makes no sense. Well, it is Texas so I guess thats the only part that makes sense.

(07-22-2016 11:43 AM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  So the Governor is a Republican, which believes on small government. Yet he says that a private athletic conference cannot expand unless a certain school is invited? That makes no sense. Well, it is Texas so I guess thats the only part that makes sense.

When does anything in realignment ever really make sense?

WVU over UL still probably the dumbest decision in the history of realignment. WVU would have been sitting fat and pretty in the ACC had they taken UL instead as UoM replacement, or all three (with UC) together.

Anyhow, got to be UC and UConn if the Big 12 has an out for Houston. Otherwise UConn gets ****ed over yet again. Sorry Husky fans. You guys are on an island. Hope the B1G invite comes sooner rather than later for ya.

(07-22-2016 02:00 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  WVU over UL still probably the dumbest decision in the history of realignment. WVU would have been sitting fat and pretty in the ACC had they taken UL instead as UoM replacement, or all three (with UC) together.

Anyhow, got to be UC and UConn if the Big 12 has an out for Houston. Otherwise UConn gets ****ed over yet again. Sorry Husky fans. You guys are on an island. Hope the B1G invite comes sooner rather than later for ya.

What happened yesterday is done and over with.

In keeping additional tv foot print in mind for the Big12 this expansion however is a bit different... The Big12 has to take ownership of Houston market back and away from the SEC... Adding UH, Houston's home program and provide them with a Big12 flag to wave around most definitely helps reduce that mind grain headache go away.

Republican, Democrat or whatever, has nothing to do with it.

If you're the Gov of Texas, then the buck stops with you for a state budget of $112 BILLION.

That's a lot of money to throw around at people.


Politics is politics.

(07-22-2016 03:12 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Republican, Democrat or whatever, has nothing to do with it.

If you're the Gov of Texas, then the buck stops with you for a state budget of $112 BILLION.

That's a lot of money to throw around at people.


Politics is politics.

But one side preaches small government. Thats the point. Getting involved with conference membership is the complete opposite of that. It's called hypocrisy.

(07-21-2016 02:29 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:00 PM)TodgeRodge Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 11:48 AM)EvilVodka Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 11:40 AM)SouthernBlue Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 11:27 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Really? How about this from the Governor. (FYI: He is an alum of UT)

Greg Abbott ‏@GregAbbott_TX · 43m43 minutes ago

Big 12 expansion is a non-starter unless it includes University of Houston. @UHouston

Does the governor have a vote?

That's not the question, the question is if he has the power to make things messy

Good news for Houston IMO

yes he has the power to make things "messy" as in "we are not interested in your Texas politics and your Texas higher ed politics in the Big 12 so we will look at other candidates"

It worked for Baylor when Baylor Alum Ann Richards was the Texas Governor to join a newly formed Big 12. She use some political muscle to get Baylor in the Big 12. Otherwise, UH might be in now instead of Baylor.

No, try Bob Bullock and he did it for Baylor and Tech.

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(07-21-2016 02:34 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:29 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:00 PM)TodgeRodge Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 11:48 AM)EvilVodka Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 11:40 AM)SouthernBlue Wrote:  Does the governor have a vote?

That's not the question, the question is if he has the power to make things messy

Good news for Houston IMO

yes he has the power to make things "messy" as in "we are not interested in your Texas politics and your Texas higher ed politics in the Big 12 so we will look at other candidates"

It worked for Baylor when Baylor Alum Ann Richards was the Texas Governor to join a newly formed Big 12. She use some political muscle to get Baylor in the Big 12. Otherwise, UH might be in now instead of Baylor.

Different situation. UT and A&M wanted to leave and join the Big 8. She had the muscle to prevent that unless she got what she wanted. It was "no Baylor then no SWC blowup". This time around the governor is trying to tell 8 schools he has no control whatsoever over how to vote. Many of those schools have been against the idea and would be put off by a govenor from another state telling them what to do. He can't even control how Fenves votes other than threaten funding (which will never happen).

Bob Bullock and add Tech...Ann Richards didn’t do crap.

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(07-21-2016 10:10 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 09:52 PM)memtigbb Wrote:  What is happening with the conferences is really a terrible thing to most universities across the U.S.
If the world were fair, something would be done to stop it.

Whether Memphis gets in or not, I agree with you 100%.

Which is why nobody should complain if Houston gets political help to get in a conference. Had SWC implosion happened 4 years earlier before they got on probation and ticked off their fans, reducing attendance, they would have been in somewhere, probably the SEC. And their sports history surpasses anyone else even if their fan support is somewhat weak. They've been a power in football, basketball, golf and track.

(07-21-2016 03:03 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:58 PM)EvilVodka Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:44 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:40 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:34 PM)KUGR Wrote:  Different situation. UT and A&M wanted to leave and join the Big 8. She had the muscle to prevent that unless she got what she wanted. It was "no Baylor then no SWC blowup". This time around the governor is trying to tell 8 schools he has no control whatsoever over how to vote. Many of those schools have been against the idea and would be put off by a govenor from another state telling them what to do. He can't even control how Fenves votes other than threaten funding (which will never happen).

Actually with the division split up, I think all the other Big 12 schools actually want Houston. The political muscle from the Longhorn Alum to help keep the Texas schools from dissing UH from the get go.

That's not what sources say according to Davis and others. Some outside Texas feel the B12 has "enough Texas" in the conference and has nothing to gain by adding another school from the state.. You think the Texas governor trying to tell them what to do is going to make them more pro-Texas(the state) or more anti-Texas? LOL.

I don't know what your sources are, but Oklahoma loves Houston, and I can imagine the non-Texas schools LOVE road trips to Texas for recruiting

Are you a BYU fan? Just shut up and keep checking your mailbox for the Big 12 invite lol

I think Brian Davis from the American Austin Statesman is a pretty good source on what the thinking is in Austin. He has been in the past. I don't think he would tweet it out unless that's what he was hearing. I guess you have better sources?

There are sources saying the Texas schools don't want Houston. There are sources saying the non-Texas schools don't want Houston. There are sources saying there is a mix of Texas and non-Texas schools that don't want Houston.
None of these sources really know and some of them are wrong.

(07-21-2016 03:51 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 03:15 PM)Kronke Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:20 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 12:08 PM)Kronke Wrote:  Our endorsements are beginning to rack up. Abbott, Tilman Fertitta, Red McCombs, the most Big 12 coaches of any other candidate.

I'm not sure I would call those "endorsements". Red McCombs has no say and is looked at as a senile, old, rich man now. He was throwing a fit when news broke that UT was looking to hire Charlie Strong. He has no voice. Fertitta is your regent. Nothing there.

And your forgot one school you did not get more votes from with the coaches :)

(07-21-2016 12:08 PM)Kronke Wrote:  Does that mean we'll get in, no, but I'm beginning to feel a little better about it in that at least it appears that those in political power won't actively be against us this time around.

I actually think the whole thing will backfire. Brian Davis tweeted out yesterday that the schools outside Texas were not excited in adding another Texas school. You think they will like the Texas governor trying to tell them how to do business? LOL. They'll just dig their heels in deeper. Abbott can tweet....but he can do nothing to force the B12 to vote. Yes, the legislature may control some funding to UT and Tech but to cut funds over conference expansion decisions would lead to major backlash. Simply won't happen. Abbott would have been better suited to tout the positives of UH and not act like he somehow could force the issue. That's my two cents.

Eh, I'm not sure you really think that. I think it's more likely that you're just (attempting to) spin something out of someone else's favor, which in turn improves BYU's chances.

Senile or not, I'm sure McCombs' checks still cash the same, so I'd bet he still has some pull in Austin. Fertitta is indeed our BOR Chair, but he is also a very influential public figure in Texas (beyond the scope of his duties with UH's BOR), and is going to do everything in his power to make it happen. Abbott is a skilled politician, and I can't see him jumping out in front of something like this, only to see it backfire in his face. Chip Brown's comments today ("UT won't block UH") echo that sentiment. Abbott could have very easily kept quiet and said nothing.

Regardless if you want to call them "endorsements" or not, can we not agree that having two Texas billionaires and the UT-alumnus, sitting governor of Texas in our corner is better than not having them in our corner?

There is nothing wrong with having the "governor in your corner". The problem is when he tweets out that he controls B12 expansion and calls it a "non-starter" unless he gets what he wants. Brian Davis just tweeted again that the non-Texas schools aren't keen on the idea of another Texas school.

Now, if you were pro-expansion but against expansion in another state where you felt your conference had enough of a profile how would you respond if that governor of that state tweeted out he could control your decisions unless you did what he wanted? That is harmful to UH's chances. If you can't see that then you are blind. It's harmful because in reality he has no say....and secondly he is acting like he can force something some in the conference do not want. Bad combination.

Wishful thinking on your part. It only takes 3 no votes to sink an admission. That type of thing got Virginia Tech in the ACC. Governor Abbott has people who work for him with two votes. And he has influence on two more votes.

So if you really want expansion, you almost certainly need Gov. Abbott's votes.

(07-21-2016 09:13 PM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  I see attempts by some to take what seemingly seems to be a positive news and try to twist and make it a negative. If people come out in support of you, mind you powerful people, it's a good thing , it doesn't mean any deal is done or will done based on what they think. But it better to have the public comments than none. Ok you haters come and get your hate on.

It probably increased the probability of a 4 team expansion.
It also increased the probability of no expansion at all.
But it definitely improved Houston's chances.

(07-22-2016 11:43 AM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  So the Governor is a Republican, which believes on small government. Yet he says that a private athletic conference cannot expand unless a certain school is invited? That makes no sense. Well, it is Texas so I guess thats the only part that makes sense.

Why should a governor not promote one of his universities? Why should he allow people who work for him to vote in a way that harms one of his universities? Why should he allow one of his universities, that he needs to promote research and job creation, to be harmed?

Just be thankful Rutgers was in the right place at the right time. Houston wasn't in 1994.

(07-22-2016 08:47 AM)orangefan Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  ESPN's top candidates are:

UConn
Cincinnati
UCF
Memphis
Houston
Colorado State
UCF
Boise State

The two I don't see getting invites right now are Houston (pushback of having a 5th Texas school in the conference) and BYU (booting victims of rape out of school saying they broke their rule of conduct.)

That leaves Boise State, UCF, Colorado State, Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn.

It appears that Texas now wants Houston included. Texas has been the most powerful opponent to expansion. Look for them to get their way.

Well if true, then UT and UH need 7 more votes...just 3 schools can kill them and I could see KU, KSU, and ISU for self preservation purposes voting no unless there is a sweetener added.

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(07-22-2016 11:22 PM)bearforce Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:47 AM)orangefan Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  ESPN's top candidates are:

UConn
Cincinnati
UCF
Memphis
Houston
Colorado State
UCF
Boise State

The two I don't see getting invites right now are Houston (pushback of having a 5th Texas school in the conference) and BYU (booting victims of rape out of school saying they broke their rule of conduct.)

That leaves Boise State, UCF, Colorado State, Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn.

It appears that Texas now wants Houston included. Texas has been the most powerful opponent to expansion. Look for them to get their way.

Well if true, then UT and UH need 7 more votes...just 3 schools can kill them and I could see KU, KSU, and ISU for self preservation purposes voting no unless there is a sweetener added.

It's not that simple. There have to be at least 8 yes votes for any school to get an invitation. So if UT and TTU vote no on any expansion proposal that doesn't include Houston, then it just takes one more no vote out of the other 8 schools to block all expansion candidates.

It would then take the other 8 schools all being aligned against UT and TTU and all 8 agreeing on the same candidates for any expansion to happen. And on top of that, all 8 would have to be willing to expand over the objection of the most powerful and valuable member of the conference, knowing that if they do all vote against UT they might kill off any possibility that UT would remain in the Big 12 after the GOR expires.

So, if other members of the Big 12 genuinely want to expand (and we don't really know whether or not they do), then the easiest way to get that done, by far, will be to invite a group of schools that includes Houston.

RutgersGuy,

I don't care what a party pretends it preaches, $112B is truck load of money. The Gov is in charge and the Gov is going to get his way on this one -- IF the Big 12 wants to expand this year.

If not, then there won't be any expansion. That may well still be what happens.


But it's clear to everyone that the Big 12, and the U of Texas, stand to gain a significant amount of value by expanding. No one questions that.

(07-22-2016 11:54 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 11:22 PM)bearforce Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:47 AM)orangefan Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  ESPN's top candidates are:

UConn
Cincinnati
UCF
Memphis
Houston
Colorado State
UCF
Boise State

The two I don't see getting invites right now are Houston (pushback of having a 5th Texas school in the conference) and BYU (booting victims of rape out of school saying they broke their rule of conduct.)

That leaves Boise State, UCF, Colorado State, Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn.

It appears that Texas now wants Houston included. Texas has been the most powerful opponent to expansion. Look for them to get their way.

Well if true, then UT and UH need 7 more votes...just 3 schools can kill them and I could see KU, KSU, and ISU for self preservation purposes voting no unless there is a sweetener added.

It's not that simple. There have to be at least 8 yes votes for any school to get an invitation. So if UT and TTU vote no on any expansion proposal that doesn't include Houston, then it just takes one more no vote out of the other 8 schools to block all expansion candidates.

It would then take the other 8 schools all being aligned against UT and TTU and all 8 agreeing on the same candidates for any expansion to happen. And on top of that, all 8 would have to be willing to expand over the objection of the most powerful and valuable member of the conference, knowing that if they do all vote against UT they might kill off any possibility that UT would remain in the Big 12 after the GOR expires.

So, if other members of the Big 12 genuinely want to expand (and we don't really know whether or not they do), then the easiest way to get that done, by far, will be to invite a group of schools that includes Houston.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

Houston will likely need some horse trading to happen to get in. That's probably why the Big12 went from adding 2 to adding 4. They couldn't get a consensus on two, but by adding 4, every school gets the candidate they were most interested in.

(07-23-2016 12:31 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 11:54 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 11:22 PM)bearforce Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:47 AM)orangefan Wrote:  

(07-22-2016 08:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  ESPN's top candidates are:

UConn
Cincinnati
UCF
Memphis
Houston
Colorado State
UCF
Boise State

The two I don't see getting invites right now are Houston (pushback of having a 5th Texas school in the conference) and BYU (booting victims of rape out of school saying they broke their rule of conduct.)

That leaves Boise State, UCF, Colorado State, Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn.

It appears that Texas now wants Houston included. Texas has been the most powerful opponent to expansion. Look for them to get their way.

Well if true, then UT and UH need 7 more votes...just 3 schools can kill them and I could see KU, KSU, and ISU for self preservation purposes voting no unless there is a sweetener added.

It's not that simple. There have to be at least 8 yes votes for any school to get an invitation. So if UT and TTU vote no on any expansion proposal that doesn't include Houston, then it just takes one more no vote out of the other 8 schools to block all expansion candidates.

It would then take the other 8 schools all being aligned against UT and TTU and all 8 agreeing on the same candidates for any expansion to happen. And on top of that, all 8 would have to be willing to expand over the objection of the most powerful and valuable member of the conference, knowing that if they do all vote against UT they might kill off any possibility that UT would remain in the Big 12 after the GOR expires.

So, if other members of the Big 12 genuinely want to expand (and we don't really know whether or not they do), then the easiest way to get that done, by far, will be to invite a group of schools that includes Houston.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

Houston will likely need some horse trading to happen to get in. That's probably why the Big12 went from adding 2 to adding 4. They couldn't get a consensus on two, but by adding 4, every school gets the candidate they were most interested in.

Thus why I said a sweetener in my post

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(07-22-2016 10:42 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 03:03 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:58 PM)EvilVodka Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:44 PM)KUGR Wrote:  

(07-21-2016 02:40 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Actually with the division split up, I think all the other Big 12 schools actually want Houston. The political muscle from the Longhorn Alum to help keep the Texas schools from dissing UH from the get go.

That's not what sources say according to Davis and others. Some outside Texas feel the B12 has "enough Texas" in the conference and has nothing to gain by adding another school from the state.. You think the Texas governor trying to tell them what to do is going to make them more pro-Texas(the state) or more anti-Texas? LOL.

I don't know what your sources are, but Oklahoma loves Houston, and I can imagine the non-Texas schools LOVE road trips to Texas for recruiting

Are you a BYU fan? Just shut up and keep checking your mailbox for the Big 12 invite lol

I think Brian Davis from the American Austin Statesman is a pretty good source on what the thinking is in Austin. He has been in the past. I don't think he would tweet it out unless that's what he was hearing. I guess you have better sources?

There are sources saying the Texas schools don't want Houston. There are sources saying the non-Texas schools don't want Houston. There are sources saying there is a mix of Texas and non-Texas schools that don't want Houston.
None of these sources really know and some of them are wrong.

I know one non-Texas school against Houston. I can guess a couple more. Not aware of any Texas school opposition, but I'm aware UH fans have thought that forever.