Yes this is just for the giggles...

Anyway, Big 12, if you're listening. Go and send invites to;

Cincinnati, Memphis, East Carolina, South Florida, Central Florida and Tulane. This would leave no islands. There would be no outliers to whine about needing a travel partner, (Not that anyone is).

It would also double the size of the Conferences Footprint. The Big 12 is in only 5 States. You would be adding Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. These would be added to the present, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and West Virginia.

Drop the LHN and get a real network so the conference can be truly strong and united.

For kicks and giggles, we can talk about this. I don't think the Big 12 has any desire to grow to 16 but if they did they have plenty of options. It all depends on priorities. Do they want the strongest football programs? The strongest athletic programs? The best markets? The best academics? What's important to them because their number one choice would have such a domino effect for the other one to five targets. If getting help up towards West Virginia was a priority, go for Cincinnati, Memphis, maybe UConn.

If I were in charge, I'd see if getting UCF and ECU would be workable. The idea would be to invade upon SEC and ACC territory as they (mostly the SEC) have invaded upon yours. Having Texas and Florida recruiting grounds is huge (although overrated in my opinion) and, if I remember correctly, UCF has a large undergraduate program who could grow the Big 12 brand. UCF and ECU wouldn't be poached by other conferences so they would be stable members who have high potential. From there you could go towards WVU or west towards California.

Four Divisions
NORTH
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

LONE STAR
Baylor
Texas Tech
TCU
Texas

CENTRAL
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Memphis
Tulane

EAST
West Virginia
East Carolina
UCF
South Florida

(10-01-2014 08:47 PM)USFRamenu Wrote:  Yes this is just for the giggles...

Anyway, Big 12, if you're listening. Go and send invites to;

Cincinnati, Memphis, East Carolina, South Florida, Central Florida and Tulane. This would leave no islands. There would be no outliers to whine about needing a travel partner, (Not that anyone is).

It would also double the size of the Conferences Footprint. The Big 12 is in only 5 States. You would be adding Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. These would be added to the present, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and West Virginia.

Drop the LHN and get a real network so the conference can be truly strong and united.

They don't need to add 3 average and 2 below average football programs. They're fine the way they currently are imo.

NIU

Does West Virginia really cry about being on an island?
All they have to do is turn their head and look at what became of the Big East and realize it should be happy and not complain.

The island / geography talk is ridiculous. TV markets are the driving force behind expansion.

Big12 will only add 2 teams to make it to 12 again.

U_F + Cincy = highest accessible tv markets. UCF/USF will have to battle it out again for the 1 expansion spot again. Neither will complain about the island its being put on because the alternative of staying in the American pales in comparison. USF should be used to it after being the Big East island for so long. UCF wouldn't care because for the first time it would be a member of the big boy table.

(10-01-2014 11:30 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Does West Virginia really cry about being on an island?
All they have to do is turn their head and look at what became of the Big East and realize it should be happy and not complain.

The island / geography talk is ridiculous. TV markets are the driving force behind expansion.

Big12 will only add 2 teams to make it to 12 again.

U_F + Cincy = highest accessible tv markets. UCF/USF will have to battle it out again for the 1 expansion spot again. Neither will complain about the island its being put on because the alternative of staying in the American pales in comparison. USF should be used to it after being the Big East island for so long. UCF wouldn't care because for the first time it would be a member of the big boy table.

Correction: 2nd time as the AAC Was AQ last year and UCF made the Most of it beating Baylor in it's only BCS appearance.

Thanks to the collapse of the B1G, the Big12 champ will, most likely, get a playoff invitation.

In the future though, I expect the Big12 to be punished for not having a championship game - which will start the next round of realignments - and it may not be limited to just the Big12.

If the goal was a large and stable conference, even distribution and divisions that make sense, with a significant footprint, this would be a brilliant idea. Unfortuantely the goal is profit. So for reasons well-discussed on other threads, the Big 12 won't expand.

It's too bad really, because it leaves open the possibility of a constriction to a 'power 4', which has also been discussed on other threads. It's a simple fact that the B12 has been poached by multiple other power conferences, and that Tex/Ok were close (to some degree) to jumping westward, and the destabilizing LHN almost directly pushed TAM to the SEC. Sure the GOR fixes it for now, but time moves very quickly. Even today on Texas sports radio, hosts are discussing the 'what will UT do...' topic, so options are hardly dead for UT to make some move. The Big East made the mistake (one of many, to be sure...) of sticking at a laughable 8 football members, instead of expanding football and stabilizing a bit... The B12 *may* be making the same mistake.

No thanks. The B12 is perfectly fine as it stands. Any of the schools you mention would only reduce the payout per school, providing incentive for the main B12 anchors to leave for greener pastures.

The B12 is currently the only conference that provides a round robin schedule in every sport every season. Nobody avoids anybody during the season. So there are no unequal schedules, as you find in other P5 conferences. The B12 is perfectly fine as the only conference that is setup like a conference should be setup.

I do realize that most of the people posting have a vested interest in seeing their school gain a ticket to the party. But it's not in the B12's interest to provide that ticket.

(10-02-2014 08:48 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  No thanks. The B12 is perfectly fine as it stands. Any of the schools you mention would only reduce the payout per school, providing incentive for the main B12 anchors to leave for greener pastures.

The B12 is currently the only conference that provides a round robin schedule in every sport every season. Nobody avoids anybody during the season. So there are no unequal schedules, as you find in other P5 conferences. The B12 is perfectly fine as the only conference that is setup like a conference should be setup.

I do realize that most of the people posting have a vested interest in seeing their school gain a ticket to the party. But it's not in the B12's interest to provide that ticket.

It's hard to argue with that. If anything, I think the Big 12 would have been better off staying at nine members, rather than adding TCU. That gives an ideal eight game round robin schedule (and double round robin in hoops).

In the event the B1G should expand again and poach Kansas, they don't need to replace them, IMO. The danger there would be that if the B1G were also able to persuade Mizzou to join them to round out at 16 members, then the SEC might cast covetous eyes on the Big 12 once again, and this time there would be serious pain involved.

But that's a bridge that hasn't been reached yet, much less crossed.

(10-01-2014 09:18 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Four Divisions
NORTH
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

LONE STAR
Baylor
Texas Tech
TCU
Texas

CENTRAL
Iowa State
Cincinnati
Memphis
Tulane

EAST
West Virginia
East Carolina
UCF
South Florida

Good grief!!! No!!!

Give up annually playing Texas schools where OU and OSU primarily recruit and where most out of state OU and OSU alumni live? Crazy!

All the B12 needs to do is strengthen their nonconference schedule rather than expand. For example, OU beat Tennessee and jumped up in the polls. Oklahoma State played Florida State and lost...but OSU's strong performance started the Cowboys moving up in the polls.

Why travel to the east coast to play ECU? If a B12 school is going to travel to a coast, why not instead travel to the Pacific Coast and play UCLA or Southern Cal?

(10-02-2014 08:48 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  No thanks. The B12 is perfectly fine as it stands. Any of the schools you mention would only reduce the payout per school, providing incentive for the main B12 anchors to leave for greener pastures.

The B12 is currently the only conference that provides a round robin schedule in every sport every season. Nobody avoids anybody during the season. So there are no unequal schedules, as you find in other P5 conferences. The B12 is perfectly fine as the only conference that is setup like a conference should be setup.

I do realize that most of the people posting have a vested interest in seeing their school gain a ticket to the party. But it's not in the B12's interest to provide that ticket.

And even if the payouts were guaranteed or even increased, why would schools like ISU and WVU voluntarily choose the number of visits from the Longhorns and Sooner?

(10-02-2014 08:48 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  No thanks. The B12 is perfectly fine as it stands. Any of the schools you mention would only reduce the payout per school, providing incentive for the main B12 anchors to leave for greener pastures.

The B12 is currently the only conference that provides a round robin schedule in every sport every season. Nobody avoids anybody during the season. So there are no unequal schedules, as you find in other P5 conferences. The B12 is perfectly fine as the only conference that is setup like a conference should be setup.

I do realize that most of the people posting have a vested interest in seeing their school gain a ticket to the party. But it's not in the B12's interest to provide that ticket.

I agree with you. But I will add that at some point the Big 12 will go to 12 teams and I would think when the current TV contract nears the end this talk will pick up. The Big 12 will also have several options at their disposal so will be interesting to see which direction they head in regard to adding two additional teams.

BYU and Cincinnati are obvious choices but I would think a school like ECU could be a darkhouse if they can continue their success for the next couple of years. I just don't see the Big 12 venturing into Florida and expanding their footprint that wide. Right now, the conference goes west/east and adding an UC or ECU would maintain that footprint.

What a journey it's been!

Big 12 2011:

"Fine! That's no big deal! We're gonna get Notre Dame, Arkansas and LSU to join!"

Big 12 2012:

"Florida State and Clemson are really serious about joining us! Heck we might just take the whole ACC South if we feel like it!"

Big 12 Today:

BYU is never gonna work out, maybe East Carolina or South Florida or some other American team is available....

(10-01-2014 11:30 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Does West Virginia really cry about being on an island?
All they have to do is turn their head and look at what became of the Big East and realize it should be happy and not complain.

The island / geography talk is ridiculous. TV markets are the driving force behind expansion.

Big12 will only add 2 teams to make it to 12 again.

U_F + Cincy = highest accessible tv markets. UCF/USF will have to battle it out again for the 1 expansion spot again. Neither will complain about the island its being put on because the alternative of staying in the American pales in comparison. USF should be used to it after being the Big East island for so long. UCF wouldn't care because for the first time it would be a member of the big boy table.

As we have learned from the old Big East, USF/UCF are much more valuable together than apart. I highly doubt they'll be separated again...ever. The BE should have added UCF, ECU, etc. a long time ago and possibly would be still around today.

(10-02-2014 07:38 AM)mac6115cd Wrote:  Thanks to the collapse of the B1G, the Big12 champ will, most likely, get a playoff invitation.

In the future though, I expect the Big12 to be punished for not having a championship game - which will start the next round of realignments - and it may not be limited to just the Big12.

Yep that is how I see it. Its not going to be one data point (2014 season) that will force realignment but several years of disagreeable results forcing it.

The main driver I think for the B12 is extending the TV contract past the expiration of the ACC contract in 2026-27. While they are at it they should pick up a couple more schools and become a regular championship game P5 conference.

The real fun is going to be when about 3-4 years before the B12 GOR comes up, Baylor, ISU, TCU, KSU all start pushing for an early re-up from KU/OU and UT.

(10-02-2014 11:03 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  The real fun is going to be when about 3-4 years before the B12 GOR comes up, Baylor, ISU, TCU, KSU all start pushing for an early re-up from KU/OU and UT.

That's just wishful thinking, dude. By that time the SEC East will be dominant, and A&M will be in the basement. Texas will also be back in the spotlight, throwing their shadow over the Aggies, thanks to Charlie Strong.

(10-02-2014 11:15 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 11:03 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  The real fun is going to be when about 3-4 years before the B12 GOR comes up, Baylor, ISU, TCU, KSU all start pushing for an early re-up from KU/OU and UT.

That's just wishful thinking, dude. By that time the SEC East will be dominant, and A&M will be in the basement. Texas will also be back in the spotlight, throwing their shadow over the Aggies, thanks to Charlie Strong.

speaking of....

(and you almost had it till you said "thanks to Charlie Strong")

Curious though, why is it wishful thinking to say that there is a strong chance those 4 will push for an early re-up of the GOR. It makes absolute sense for them not to wait till the 11th hour to find out where the others stand. That takes away any advantage they might have.