(07-24-2021 08:20 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 08:01 AM)bigowlsfan Wrote:  Now how it works when Alabama has almost no one left to play, I do not know.

Like any other pro league. You don't see the NBA or NHL playing out of league games, do you?

You will have basically 24 teams divided into two conferences, playing a round robin schedule, and the two conference champs will meet for the national title.

The rest of us will be playing college football.

So what are those 24?

Florida, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, Nebraska, OU, Clemson, Auburn ND I think are obvious

Past that, who am I missing?
Georgia? Tenn? Wisconsin? UCLA? Stanford? NC, Miami, Wash

(07-24-2021 08:54 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 08:20 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 08:01 AM)bigowlsfan Wrote:  Now how it works when Alabama has almost no one left to play, I do not know.

Like any other pro league. You don't see the NBA or NHL playing out of league games, do you?

You will have basically 24 teams divided into two conferences, playing a round robin schedule, and the two conference champs will meet for the national title.

The rest of us will be playing college football.

So what are those 24?

Florida, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, Nebraska, OU, Clemson, Auburn ND I think are obvious

Past that, who am I missing?
Georgia? Tenn? Wisconsin? UCLA? Stanford? NC, Miami, Wash

Georgia for sure. They need some more west coast teams, and a few who, without being obvious pushovers, are 'breathers" in the schedule.

So (maybe) UCLA, Washington, Oregon, UNC, Miami, Ole Miss, BYU. That leaves 30 teams vying for 4 spots.

I see this a football first and last conference.

(07-24-2021 08:54 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  So what are those 24?

Florida, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, Nebraska, OU, Clemson, Auburn ND I think are obvious

Past that, who am I missing?
Georgia? Tenn? Wisconsin? UCLA? Stanford? NC, Miami, Wash

Texas A&M

More rumors

https://rubbingtherock.com/2021/07/24/cl...-join-sec/

This could open up spots in the BIG and ACC.

Just think how much money Vandy has made by riding on the coattails of the SEC. And they hold up their end of the bargain by being good in baseball, sometimes basketball, and women's and Olympic sports.

(07-24-2021 09:45 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Just think how much money Vandy has made by riding on the coattails of the SEC. And they hold up their end of the bargain by being good in baseball, sometimes basketball, and women's and Olympic sports.

Baseball and baseball alone (and only for the past 10 years). Do tell when Vandy has been good in basketball or any of the women's sports?

Possible earthquake in the making.

https://rubbingtherock.com/2021/07/24/cl...mpete-sec/

We need someone who is energetic, skilled at persuasion, and can think out of the box to represent Rice in what seems to be a coming earthquake in college athletics.

(07-24-2021 08:20 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Like any other pro league. You don't see the NBA or NHL playing out of league games, do you?

Sure you do. MLB teams play their minor league affiliates in pre-season play …. wait, Bailiff was right!

(07-24-2021 08:20 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  The rest of us will be playing college football.

I suspect that's been the hope and plan for at least the last 15 years.

(07-24-2021 09:52 AM)Ranger Wrote:  Possible earthquake in the making.

https://rubbingtherock.com/2021/07/24/cl...mpete-sec/

We need someone who is energetic, skilled at persuasion, and can think out of the box to represent Rice in what seems to be a coming earthquake in college athletics.

It wouldn't matter. Rice has done nothing to even be considered as a contributing member of CUSA. Football, basketball, and baseball have been lousy for years. Don't get your hopes up. No matter what happens, Rice will be on the outside looking in. Everyone needs to get on their knees tonight and pray that we are just included in a weakened AAC after all this shakes out.

(07-24-2021 09:52 AM)Ranger Wrote:  Possible earthquake in the making.
https://rubbingtherock.com/2021/07/24/cl...mpete-sec/
We need someone who is energetic, skilled at persuasion, and can think out of the box to represent Rice in what seems to be a coming earthquake in college athletics.

What we need is to have won more than 16 football games over the last 6 years.

Our timing with football has been uncanny. Every time there has been a major upheaval in conference alignments (since the SWC breakup), we seem to find a way to be terrible right before it (2-10, 4-8, and 4-8 in 2009-11, and 3-9, 1-11, 2-11, 3-9, 2-3 in 2016-2020). And neither time did there ever appear to have been any urgency about our situation. We are killing (if we have not already killed) our brand.

I hear that the Texas legislature might get involved and either prevent UT from going or require it to take the other Texas schools with it. Not sure if the legislature will do it.

(07-24-2021 12:51 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 09:52 AM)Ranger Wrote:  Possible earthquake in the making.
https://rubbingtherock.com/2021/07/24/cl...mpete-sec/
We need someone who is energetic, skilled at persuasion, and can think out of the box to represent Rice in what seems to be a coming earthquake in college athletics.

What we need is to have won more than 16 football games over the last 6 years.

Our timing with football has been uncanny. Every time there has been a major upheaval in conference alignments (since the SWC breakup), we seem to find a way to be terrible right before it (2-10, 4-8, and 4-8 in 2009-11, and 3-9, 1-11, 2-11, 3-9, 2-3 in 2016-2020). And neither time did there ever appear to have been any urgency about our situation. We are killing (if we have not already killed) our brand.

Correct, it has not worked out well, but we tried. Brought in a supposedly somewhat big time coach; he should be able to mop up in such a weak conference; Unfortunately, he tries putting square pegs in round holes. I am hoping he is learning to use his talent better and that with Luke McC things will improve.

(07-24-2021 09:49 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 09:45 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Just think how much money Vandy has made by riding on the coattails of the SEC. And they hold up their end of the bargain by being good in baseball, sometimes basketball, and women's and Olympic sports.

Baseball and baseball alone (and only for the past 10 years). Do tell when Vandy has been good in basketball or any of the women's sports?

They’ve been to two sweet 16s since 2004. They are certainly nothing to write home about, but they are way ahead of Rice

Seems to me that there are two main scenarios that could play out:
1. Big 12 (now 8) ceases to exist, and:
West Va to ACC would bring them to 16
TT, BU, TCU, OK St, Iowa St to MWC would bring them to 16
Kansas and K State to Big 10 would bring them to 16

2. Big 12 draws down the AAC and others.
AAC draws down CUSA and others.
To Big 12: Louisiana, UTSA, UH, SMU, Memphis, BYU, Cincin, one other?
To AAC: UAB, Marshall, La Tech, MTSU, USM, WKU, FAU, FIU
Remnant Texas CUSA schools then merge with Sunbelt: Rice, UTEP, UNT
In this case we may just decide to call it quits and go DIII.

I think #2 may be more likely. If so, as a previous poster said, we need to pray to get into AAC with Tulsa and Tulane.
If scenario #2, could Rice possibly be that last, 16th, other to Big 12?? We might hope there still exists alittle lingering SWC nostalgia...

(07-24-2021 09:27 AM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(07-24-2021 08:54 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  So what are those 24?

Florida, LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio St, Michigan, USC, Nebraska, OU, Clemson, Auburn ND I think are obvious

Past that, who am I missing?
Georgia? Tenn? Wisconsin? UCLA? Stanford? NC, Miami, Wash

Texas A&M

ahh of course-geesh

As much as my dream would be to go to the PAC, we should try BIG as well. It has 14 members, 13 of which are AAU members. That would allow them to take two schools ( four if Michigan and OSU depart for the SEC) to get to 16. They have previously taken other AAU schools in big markets (Rutgers and Maryland), neither of which had impressive athletics programs, especially in football. With the presidents running the show, being an AAU school in a big market might work. With 64 US AAU schools (13 in BIG, 9 in PAC, 8 inn Ivy, and many in DIII or without football). there would be few to choose from, like Rice, UC Davis and Buffalo. BIG is not great shakes, but it would get us with schools that are closer to peers with us.

Also, in the rumor mill, AAC wants to absorb the remaining XII members.

(07-24-2021 02:14 PM)Barney Wrote:  I think #2 may be more likely. If so, as a previous poster said, we need to pray to get into AAC with Tulsa and Tulane.
If scenario #2, could Rice possibly be that last, 16th, other to Big 12?? We might hope there still exists alittle lingering SWC nostalgia...

I posted earlier in this thread about one positive attribute that Rice might have to offer, but really... that was a mistake. Rice is completely outside of the big-time athletics universe now. I don't know what is going to happen to sports at Rice in the future, but we aren't going to be part of anything that is happening with the big boys. In the long run, that might be a blessing in disguise, but for the time being I think we are going to have to forfeit any remaining sliver of FBS optimism and start acting to place ourselves favorably within a completely different (and fundamentally separate) athletics continuum.

Nobody in the FBS takes Rice seriously because we failed to take ourselves seriously. It's time to prepare for the fallout.

(07-24-2021 02:14 PM)Barney Wrote:  Seems to me that there are two main scenarios that could play out:
1. Big 12 (now 8) ceases to exist, and:
West Va to ACC would bring them to 16
TT, BU, TCU, OK St, Iowa St to MWC would bring them to 16
Kansas and K State to Big 10 would bring them to 16

2. Big 12 draws down the AAC and others.
AAC draws down CUSA and others.
To Big 12: Louisiana, UTSA, UH, SMU, Memphis, BYU, Cincin, one other?
To AAC: UAB, Marshall, La Tech, MTSU, USM, WKU, FAU, FIU
Remnant Texas CUSA schools then merge with Sunbelt: Rice, UTEP, UNT
In this case we may just decide to call it quits and go DIII.

I think #2 may be more likely. If so, as a previous poster said, we need to pray to get into AAC with Tulsa and Tulane.
If scenario #2, could Rice possibly be that last, 16th, other to Big 12?? We might hope there still exists alittle lingering SWC nostalgia...

If we do not end up in a conference with at least one of BU/TCU/Tulane/SMU, we seriously need to drop football and/or go to D-III. There is no point to college football without rivalries, and we will *never* have even a semblance of a rivalry with any open-admission public school. Sorry if that sounds elitist but the attendance at our CUSA games has proven it beyond a doubt.

Well, at least one guy has Rice in the Big 12...

https://twitter.com/kyleumlang/status/14...8961678339