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(07-23-2021 04:26 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 04:16 PM)colohank Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 03:38 PM)OKIcat Wrote:  Three random thoughts as this all plays out.

When Huggins was in Cincinnati recently and quoted as saying UC is B12 ready now, should we read more into that retrospectively? One report suggests TX and OK were already plotting their escape months before Huggins' visit here.

Would Mike Bohn and Mick Cronin give UC a "hand up" if called upon to lobby the B12 or ACC? Bohn was deeply involved the last go round on expansion and I didn't get the sense that he left UC with any burning bridges. Mick is an alum and seems to speak positively. A USC A.D. and a Final Four coach would seem to be good allies for Cunningham and Pinto at this time.

If, and that is still a very BIG IF in my mind, this all plays out for B12 expansion one would think the smart money would be on UC and UCF. But since when has the B12 been strategic in its decision making? Will TX tunnel vision kick in and favor Houston and SMU? As I suggested earlier, UC is even a better candidate entering 2021 than in the last beauty contest. Cincy has lots of bona fides institutionally but don't discount the recency effect and the idea of adding a top ten ranked football program certainly has more sizzle than a fast fading Houston one. UCF has been mostly hot for nearly a decade now and adding football crazy FL and OH to the B12 footprint certainly trumps adding markets already exploited in Houston and Dallas.

The good news? This is fast moving and favors the prepared.

The smart money in the B12 might favor UC and UCF, but neither UC nor UCF would be very smart to leave the AAC for a crippled B12. An intact AAC is stronger and more stable than the little sisters left behind by OU's and UT's departure. The AAC could offer a lifeboat to a select few of the little sisters, but beyond that, let's sit this one out.

Bolded, I understand that sentiment too. The thing is, if the TV money was about $10 million more per year than the AAC, even in the short run, wouldn't that be a wise move? There is still some value in the B12 brand--way more equity than the American as we've seen with the halo effect the new Big East has enjoyed. And I'd rather watch West Virginia, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State @ Nippert than ECU, Temple, and Tulane.

But where is that TV money coming from with OU and UT leaving the building? The Kansas schools? Tech, Baylor and TCU? ISU? West Freaking Virginia? If it's true that early this year, Bowlsby approached espn and fox to start renegotiating and they said "nahh...we good...talk to us in two years," that tells you everything you need to know about how valuable the Rump 12 is.

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

It would never come to Ohio State throwing the black ball onto the table. We just don't add a damned thing to the B1G. No new media markets. No new recruiting grounds. No national alumni network and t-shirt fanbase. No AAU membership. Hell, they could make a show for political reasons of supporting our membership in full knowledge that plenty of other schools would be voting against us.

Now, before I duck and cover, we add a good god damned lot to the ACC: new market, new recruiting grounds, academic quality better than a lot of the existing schools, natural built in rivalries waiting to happen. How we're not being mentioned as next man up for the ACC every day right now is beyond me.

Nobody had anything until ou/ Texas were ready for everything to come out but suddenly everyone on Twitter and in every message board has Intel on a million moves each conference is poised to make. Realignment board is back with a vengeance.

(07-23-2021 07:52 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Nobody had anything until ou/ Texas were ready for everything to come out but suddenly everyone on Twitter and in every message board has Intel on a million moves each conference is poised to make. Realignment board is back with a vengeance.

So much more fun than what we talking about at this time last year.

I like what Pete Thamel is saying:

Quote:What's next for the Big 12?
In conversations with sources around the Big 12, there was a resignation in the past 36 hours that Oklahoma and Texas were gone. The focus has shifted to the unwinding and the amount of money it can wring out of OU and Texas.

“Is this a loss for the Big 12, absolutely?” said a high-ranking official “Is it fatal? Absolutely not. We see doors open, and we’ll run right through those doors. I would think that we go big. We have some opportunity for our teams.”

One source put forth a humorous analogy Thursday night: “It’s like a shopping mall lost their two anchor stores, and the rest of the stores are trying to figure out how to stay open.”

How will the Big 12 stay open? Everything will be on the table. One source indicated it could go as large as 16 schools. Could a Western wing with San Diego State, BYU, Boise State and Colorado State be flanked by additions like Houston, Cincinnati, UCF and USF? Those are huge markets and promising programs. The Texas schools in the league – Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU – are expected to try and undercut Houston, but there aren’t many Group of Five programs that have its combination of local population and fertile recruiting ground.

The good news for the Big 12, in a perverse way, is that none of the eight remaining schools in the conference have the market or the cache to emerge as transformative additions for the ACC, Pac-12 or Big Ten. They're certainly not in the same universe that Texas and Oklahoma were for the SEC. Those remaining eight schools don’t have to walk on eggshells anymore around the two alphas, and there’s a feeling that the leadership will be bold and aggressive in re-shaping the league. The league’s best asset is still the state of Texas, perhaps the country’s richest football state. Can they find footholds in others?

More here:

https://sports.yahoo.com/with-ou-and-tex...25168.html

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

(07-23-2021 09:06 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  [
We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

Wouldn't that partially obstruct the field?

#BDF

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

He needs to cut back on drinking!

(07-23-2021 09:06 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

Fickell The Redeemer

Thank you! Awesome.

(07-23-2021 09:58 PM)TubaCat Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 09:06 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

Fickell The Redeemer

Would be better if the photo had the later version of Nippert Stadium but nice nonetheless.

(07-23-2021 09:58 PM)TubaCat Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 09:06 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

Fickell The Redeemer

I mean… Rutgers did get into the Big 10 so there are such things as miracles.

(07-23-2021 06:23 PM)Bearcat 1985 Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

It would never come to Ohio State throwing the black ball onto the table. We just don't add a damned thing to the B1G. No new media markets. No new recruiting grounds. No national alumni network and t-shirt fanbase. No AAU membership. Hell, they could make a show for political reasons of supporting our membership in full knowledge that plenty of other schools wouldh be voting against us.

Now, before I duck and cover, we add a good god damned lot to the ACC: new market, new recruiting grounds, academic quality better than a lot of the existing schools, natural built in rivalries waiting to happen. How we're not being mentioned as next man up for the ACC every day right now is beyond me.

The rest of the Big should favor us. aO$U has long had a significant advantage over many of them—the only Big school in a large population state….which they have exploited well.

Once Ohio State & Michigan move to the SEC we are the natural backfill team in Ohio!

In other news, Finebaum reported that Ford plans to resurrect its once-popular Edsel trademark. "Lonely sheepherders loved the shape of that grill," he said.

(07-23-2021 09:06 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:18 PM)Dannyboy Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:15 PM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  

(07-23-2021 06:00 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Apparently finebaum saying on his show the big 10 is looking at Cincinnati. Realignment speculation is never ending content.

Yeeeeaaaaahhhh...

I don't know who he's talking to, but I just dont see that happening.

Ohio State would never allow it.

We’d need to build a colossus sized statue of Fickell straddling Nippert if that ever happened.

His feet could fit in soccer notches.

I don't mind Finebaum tossing our name around. Yes, we know the B1G hates us; but the more our name is tossed around it may give the BXII or ACC pause to add us before someone else does.