(12-01-2020 09:43 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: (12-01-2020 09:23 PM)JRsec Wrote: (12-01-2020 09:06 PM)esayem Wrote: The divisions could have been something like this:
ND—————-Michigan State
PSU————--Iowa
Purdue———-Wisconsin
Indiana———-Minnesota
N’western——Michigan
Illinois———-Ohio St.
If the Big 10 then adds Nebraska in 2011 perhaps they take Oklahoma with them.
The SEC then picks up Texas, Kansas, Missouri and A&M and both stand at 16.
I’m torn on the Nebraska in 2011 add because that move was made specifically because A) The Big Ten wanted a CCG B ) The Big Ten had made their desire to expand months prior C) Nebraska was nervous over the PAC 16, pissed at Texas, and moving to the Big Ten for both parties’ needs.
I’m not sure if Nebraska cold calls Jim Delany in June 2010, after a decade of successful Big Ten CCGs, and says hey can I join that we see Nebraska playing Big Ten football in 2011.
The 2012 season is a different story. If TAMU and the SEC have already crossed the 12 member Rubicon and are looking at 14 I can definitely see Nebraska and the Big Ten making a move then. I tend to think that the Missouri Tigers are the Big 10’s #14. Oklahoma would be nice but I’m not sure that would have happened. Oklahoma to the SEC that year? That could be interesting. If they take Oklahoma at 14 and the Big 10’s grabbed 2 that leaves a Big 12 of Iowa St, Kansas, Kansas St, Oklahoma St, Texas, TTU, Baylor, and probably TCU. If you take the Oklahoma schools as 14 and 15 as a package the pressure is on Texas to be #16 or get left behind.
I see your point about the time line. However Missouri had been in talks with the SEC for 2 years by the time they finally joined. ESPN was interested in them. ESPN was also interested in Kansas and Texas. Oklahoma is a nice piece for the Mouse but not a priority in 2010-2. Oklahoma was more of an SEC priority than a network priority. I'm sure CBS would have been fine with the Sooners. But since ESPN controlled the renegotiation clause of the SEC contract and Missouri and A&M satisfied it, only ESPN could have sweetened the deal in order to get Texas and Kansas and I believe that would have been more their desire than Oklahoma.
Now the interesting question would be if Oklahoma doesn't join the Big 10 with Nebraska (which was quite the football coup back then) then does Texas even bite at all on movement? I think not. It would take the Big 10 getting Oklahoma to set any Texas move in motion.
Besides what not to like about these:
Big 10 West: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio Sate, Oklahoma, Wisconsin
Big 10 East: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers
SEC West: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M
SEC East: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt