(11-12-2023 08:01 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 07:19 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  I've driven (from San Antonio) to see us play everyone in the SECW, and about half of the SECE. Other than Baylor and Texas, the drives were also very long in the Big 12. Even Texas Tech was kind of a slog compared to the old SWC days from my time in school. Now Texas is following Big Brother to the SEC, and I can get to their stadium in less than 90 minutes even with some traffic. So, no, travel is not the issue for us in the SEC.

I believe you measure ease of travel from the school itself and for the schools currently in the Big12. So, you get: Houston is 1.5 hours away. Baylor is 1.5 hours away. TCU is 2.5 hours away. The only school that close in the SEC is Texas.

College Station is closer to every single SEC school than SA is, so I'm not sure what your point is here.

(11-12-2023 02:20 PM)goofus Wrote:  A&M should bolt for the Big Ten. That way they still get the money.

Texas would go there if the opportunity availed.

(11-12-2023 09:09 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:20 PM)goofus Wrote:  A&M should bolt for the Big Ten. That way they still get the money.

Texas would go there if the opportunity availed.

That opportunity existed for 30 years and Texas said, nyet!

(11-12-2023 08:01 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 07:19 PM)bryanw1995 Wrote:  I've driven (from San Antonio) to see us play everyone in the SECW, and about half of the SECE. Other than Baylor and Texas, the drives were also very long in the Big 12. Even Texas Tech was kind of a slog compared to the old SWC days from my time in school. Now Texas is following Big Brother to the SEC, and I can get to their stadium in less than 90 minutes even with some traffic. So, no, travel is not the issue for us in the SEC.

I believe you measure ease of travel from the school itself and for the schools currently in the Big12. So, you get: Houston is 1.5 hours away. Baylor is 1.5 hours away. TCU is 2.5 hours away. The only school that close in the SEC is Texas.

Just throwing this out there, Stillwater is also approx 6hr drive from CS. Regardless I don’t see A&M going to the B12. That would make it look like they’re running from Texas. What they need to do is go to the Big10 and bring Texas State along as a travel partner

(11-12-2023 10:59 PM)Bobcats2011 Wrote:  ... What they need to do is go to the Big10 and bring Texas State along as a travel partner ...

But is Texas State AAU?

I reckon they should bring travel partner Kansas. Lawrence is only a 10 hour drive away, after all.

If anyone is interested the average travel distance for Texas A&M in the SEC is 675 miles with a median distance of 744 miles. In the B12 it would be 779/940 miles.

$80 million dollar buyouts are covered by 1 year worth of media revenue from the SEC. They can buy out Jimbo and throw $100 mil at their next coach. No problem.

Those things are a problem in the B12.

You can say they don't need money but even aTm can't give up $60 mil a year.

(11-12-2023 09:25 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 09:09 PM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:20 PM)goofus Wrote:  A&M should bolt for the Big Ten. That way they still get the money.

Texas would go there if the opportunity availed.

That opportunity existed for 30 years and Texas said, nyet!

Yeah, I'm not sure why anybody would think that. Texas flirted with every conference EXCEPT the B1G over the years. When they finally had only 2 choices, they still chose someone else. I'm pretty sure they REALLY don't want to join the B1G.

(11-12-2023 02:27 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:06 PM)UIWElite Wrote:  Yeah besides money and prestige, nothing to lose.

And recruiting. Plus, they couldn't chant S-E-C, S-E-C! and live vicariously off the glory of LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee winning championships.

(11-12-2023 02:04 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  They would win more games in all sports. In football, they would probably win 3-4 more games per year. They would make the college football playoffs more often. The travel would be better for their teams and fans. They don't need the extra money from the SEC (they are blowing $80 million on Jimbo). They could pay their coaches less and still get good coaches. Coaches are a huge cost. Just get good, young coaches looking for a good opportunity. A&M could get away from the idea that a coach is a magical creature that can guarantee success. They can again be in a conference without the Texas Longhorns. Being in a conference with the Longhorns is just gross. I don't see a downside to leaving the SEC for the Big12. They'll win more. They'll make the CFP more. The travel is better. They don't need the money.

Woo, Texas 8&4 would become Texas 9&3!

They still wouldn't win s***.

I'm cool with it. We'll give the SEC, uh, West Virginia, I guess?...in return.

(11-12-2023 02:16 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:06 PM)UIWElite Wrote:  Yeah besides money and prestige, nothing to lose.

Yep. All that money they don't need and all that prestige of being an SEC also-ran. That's so much better than winning more and making the CFPs and winning conference championships in the Big12.

yeah but the difference between SEC and B12 payouts aren't chump change even to TAMU.

Thats why TAMU has to stay in the SEC and why FSU would jump even though the path the the postseason is infinitely harder.

if the difference was $10MM even $20MM/yr yeah I could see them wanting to stay in an easier conference for a better path. But when you're talking $50-60MM/yr you can't compete.

(11-15-2023 09:36 AM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:16 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:06 PM)UIWElite Wrote:  Yeah besides money and prestige, nothing to lose.

Yep. All that money they don't need and all that prestige of being an SEC also-ran. That's so much better than winning more and making the CFPs and winning conference championships in the Big12.

yeah but the difference between SEC and B12 payouts aren't chump change even to TAMU.

Thats why TAMU has to stay in the SEC and why FSU would jump even though the path the the postseason is infinitely harder.

if the difference was $10MM even $20MM/yr yeah I could see them wanting to stay in an easier conference for a better path. But when you're talking $50-60MM/yr you can't compete.

I certainly agree with you that the path to being the conference champ is harder in the SEC than the ACC/B12, but I don't know if that the path to the new post season is harder. Once the format changes to 5/7 you really only need to worry about being ranked top 11 to make the playoffs. Between the halo of being in the SEC and having an extra OOC to massage your record it will be easier be grab the last spot from the SEC than the ACC/B12.

A&M is not going to move.

A&M is not leaving the SEC, but if the SEC expands to the point that it has 24 to 32 teams, their division in the SEC will probably have a bunch of SWC/XII teams (Texas, OU, OK State, Kansas, Mizzou, Texas Tech, TCU, Arkansas, Houston, etc.)

(11-15-2023 01:26 PM)WAChsenburggemeinde Wrote:  A&M is not leaving the SEC, but if the SEC expands to the point that it has 24 to 32 teams, their division in the SEC will probably have a bunch of SWC/XII teams (Texas, OU, OK State, Kansas, Mizzou, Texas Tech, TCU, Arkansas, Houston, etc.)

No, not even at 28 which would be really pushing the boundaries.

Kansas is the only remaining school in the New Big 12 that could find a home in the SEC. Let's try a wild number like 28.

Arkansas, Louisiana State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, South Carolina

Kentucky, Louisville, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Why so many ACC schools? Duke, UNC, N.C. State are the research triangle. Pitt is a market add for the SEC and the rivalry with WVU fits. If Notre Dame wanted in totally (a very unlikely scenario) you place them there instead of WVU and it works for them as they would likely win the division most years.

Other than that those are all of the state flagships and few other notables. Each division of 7 would be geographically compact.

At 24 it is a bit more natural:

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State

Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee

Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Grouping the weaker football Northern schools together should help them keep fan interest. The other 3 divisions are tough.

(11-15-2023 09:36 AM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:16 PM)jarmzet Wrote:  

(11-12-2023 02:06 PM)UIWElite Wrote:  Yeah besides money and prestige, nothing to lose.

Yep. All that money they don't need and all that prestige of being an SEC also-ran. That's so much better than winning more and making the CFPs and winning conference championships in the Big12.

yeah but the difference between SEC and B12 payouts aren't chump change even to TAMU.

Thats why TAMU has to stay in the SEC and why FSU would jump even though the path the the postseason is infinitely harder.

if the difference was $10MM even $20MM/yr yeah I could see them wanting to stay in an easier conference for a better path. But when you're talking $50-60MM/yr you can't compete.

Other schools, like FSU for example, might choose the ACC or another Conference for competitive reasons, but A&M has wanted to join the SEC since at least 1990. We just have more in common with the average SEC school than we did with the average SWC or Big 12 school, and even as far back as 1990 it was clear to see that the SEC offered a better path forward for us. If the money was exactly the same in the Big 12 (or SWC), we'd still rather be in the SEC. And despite my UTSA neighbor's claims, travel times/distances in the SEC are mostly similar to what travel times/distances would be for us in the Big 12.

For people saying we'd have a better record in the Big 12, I posted the other day our record from our last 12 years in the Big 12 and our first 12 years in the SEC. We've done MUCH better in the SEC, not only from a money/program/Brand perspective, but in actual Wins and Losses, too. Most have forgotten this now, but when we first moved, the strong consensus was that we'd be destroyed in the SEC. 5-7? That was supposed to be our ceiling, not our floor. We were struggling to keep in the top 20 in revenues back 13 years ago, now our 5 years average is #6 in the country. That money doesn't guarantee championships obviously, as A&M (and many others) prove year in and year out, but it does significantly increase the odds that you'll at least be in the conversation from year to year, and it also means that you're often one good coaching hire or one lucky bounce away from beating Alabama and/or winning the SECW. If we were to move back down to a lower tier Conference, whether that was the Big 12/ACC/old Pac 12/whatever, the donor support wouldn't be as robust, the fan base would feel betrayed, and we'd wither on the vine, or at least fall back into that ~ top 25 type program instead of top 10 type program.

It's like the difference between PSG and Porto. Porto can still have a great season, even win it all, but their average year won't be nearly as good. PSG is a relative newcomer to the biggest stage, and they've never won it all, but they have a whole lot of money and they're pushing hard every year to get over the hump. Neither A&M nor PSG would willingly make a decision that would make it significantly harder to get over that hump.

(11-15-2023 01:44 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(11-15-2023 01:26 PM)WAChsenburggemeinde Wrote:  A&M is not leaving the SEC, but if the SEC expands to the point that it has 24 to 32 teams, their division in the SEC will probably have a bunch of SWC/XII teams (Texas, OU, OK State, Kansas, Mizzou, Texas Tech, TCU, Arkansas, Houston, etc.)

No, not even at 28 which would be really pushing the boundaries.

Kansas is the only remaining school in the New Big 12 that could find a home in the SEC. Let's try a wild number like 28.

Arkansas, Louisiana State, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Miami, North Carolina, South Carolina

Kentucky, Louisville, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Why so many ACC schools? Duke, UNC, N.C. State are the research triangle. Pitt is a market add for the SEC and the rivalry with WVU fits. If Notre Dame wanted in totally (a very unlikely scenario) you place them there instead of WVU and it works for them as they would likely win the division most years.

Other than that those are all of the state flagships and few other notables. Each division of 7 would be geographically compact.

At 24 it is a bit more natural:

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State

Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee

Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Grouping the weaker football Northern schools together should help them keep fan interest. The other 3 divisions are tough.

I think we'd grab Colorado + ASU over a 2nd Virginia and 3rd NC school if we went to 28, but I agree that's a distant prospect. It's hard to predict long term with the massive changes lurking in the shadows of college sports, but if the current system is still in place in 2040, I'd be surprised if we had more than 20 schools by then, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if we had only 18.

Texas joining the league tectonically shifts the autonomy that A&M enjoyed. It will either enhance or detract.

Texas and Texas A&M marriage in the big12 wasn’t a happy one. This won’t be either. Can’t have two bulls in the same pen. The SEC in hiding it’s negotiations with Texas from A&M until the last minute, picked sides.

A&M thrives autonomously and at it’s own pace. I don’t think they maintain that balance and dance in the new SEC.

In the long run, it will be futile. The school will find its own path somewhere else, in the BIG, or in an amalgamation of dissatisfied SEC , ACC, big12 schools

Money isn’t an issue. It will follow A&M where it goes

Texas AM & Florida with both be in Big 10 eventually.