(06-24-2015 06:42 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I would have thought the only other Texas school to have a shot at the Big XII was Rice. They seem aimless, but who knows.

Aimless? Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard came to us from Stanford, and is one of the Sports Business Journal's 40 Under 40 best and brightest across all sports, including pro.

Tudor Fieldhouse has been renovated in a $30M project. Rice hired Mike Rhoades from Shaka Smart's VCU staff, and we stepped up and retained him when VCU came looking after Shaka went to Texas. The future basketball recruits committed to Rice are eye-opening.

Football is in a $32M end zone facility construction that starts the stadium renovations. Texas A&M, Baylor, Stanford, Wake Forest and Boise State are on future home schedules. All 12 2015 games will be televised, and the Owls are among the favorites in C-USA.

We just built a new $8M tennis facility, and the University is spending $3M on a new track stadium.

The aim is to elevate Rice University to a place of broadly recognized excellence and distinction.

http://www.rice.edu/athleticsvision/

Plenty to be excited about at Rice.

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

(06-23-2015 08:41 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Today, Cincy announced an $80M renovation of Fifth Third Arena to begin as soon as the season ends in March of 2016. Will be ready for the 2017-18 season.

This year, Cincy opens the renovated Nippert at a price tag of $86M.

Do they know something we don't?

We know we need the revenue streams in the cash-poor AAC. THAT's what we know.

It's all about the luxury boxes.

(06-24-2015 06:16 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:35 PM)RaiderRed Wrote:  Houston is doing the same thing.

To be fair, the entire American conference has invested heavily in facilities. In recent years:

SMU, UConn, UCF, Tulane, Houston have built entirely new football stadiums while Cincy and ECU have spent a ton of money expanding their stadiums.

SMU, UConn, ECU and Houston have built dedicated new basketball practice facilities.

UCF and Tulsa built new basketball arenas while USF, SMU and Cincy spent a ton of money on major renovations. Houston plans a renovation as well.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some. And I have not kept track of all the indoor football facilities, etc.

"The Conference" hasn't invested in ANYTHING. This is the work of individual members.

I really don't see how you can't grasp this.

This is the closest thing to the Louisville approach that Cincy can possibly pull off within the confines of campus. Invest in the programs/facilities and the revenue will eventually follow. It's long term thinking in a short term thinking world.

(06-24-2015 06:55 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 11:21 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  UC has a firm grip on the Cincinnati market, something OSU hasn't been able to obtain even though they control the rest of the state. For that to continue upgrades like these have to continue for UC, especially now that they're G5, but they've picked up enough of a following over the years that fan support should stay steady at the minimum.

This

People outside of OH look at tO$U and assume every square inch of Ohio belongs to them. They do own the state, but they are not huge inside the 275 belt that is Cincy. In fact its just well known that the Buckeyes are not not as popular in Cincinnati as the Bearcats are. The Bucks have fans in Cincy, sure. So does UK, UofL, ND etc. But by in large Cincy is for the Bearcats. This is echoed in every poll the local radio stations/paper does, it is echoed on the local talk shows. Most recently a sports writer wrote an article asking why Ohio State isn't as popular in Cincy as it is in the rest of the state. In short, Cincy is not a Buckeye town. The town is Bengals, Reds, Bearcats and then XU. That's how it is. Now, that alone may not be enough for the B12 to care. UC does not carry the state, that is true. But as far as our own city goes, UC is #1.

Frankly that's the way it should be, support your own.

80mil should make that place sparkle. Congrats to the Bearcats fans. At a minimum it will help with recruiting and bring in big time money from the luxery boxes.

(06-23-2015 08:49 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  If nothing else, they know that it's better to be PROactive as oppose to REactive....

They learned it from Louisville. Unfortunately they learned it a little too late.

(06-24-2015 06:16 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:35 PM)RaiderRed Wrote:  Houston is doing the same thing.

To be fair, the entire American conference has invested heavily in facilities. In recent years:

SMU, UConn, UCF, Tulane, Houston have built entirely new football stadiums while Cincy and ECU have spent a ton of money expanding their stadiums.

SMU, UConn, ECU and Houston have built dedicated new basketball practice facilities.

UCF and Tulsa built new basketball arenas while USF, SMU and Cincy spent a ton of money on major renovations. Houston plans a renovation as well.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some. And I have not kept track of all the indoor football facilities, etc.

Good post. Yes - it seems all schools are investing in athletic facilities.

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

You Do realize a lot of P5 schools Today would Not be in a P5 Conferences had They not been grandfathered into the System 40 to 100 years ago out of convenience, availability, or Geography. Actually We were only passed over 1 time and by the Big 12 with WVU. We never applied to The B1G, Pac 12 or the SEC. WVU was passed over by both ACC and SEC. Syracuse and Pitt were on the B1G and ACC radar for a long time. Your Slap at Louisville and Cincinnati Markets are mostly unfounded. Actually Louisville has a much larger control over the Kentucky regional Market than USF has or ever will have with UF, FSU, Miami and UCF all pulling in shares ahead of USF.

(06-24-2015 08:49 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

You Do realize a lot of P5 schools Today would Not be in a P5 Conferences had They not been grandfathered into the System 40 to 100 years ago out of convenience, availability, or Geography. Actually We were only passed over 1 time and by the Big 12 with WVU. We never applied to The B1G, Pac 12 or the SEC. WVU was passed over by both ACC and SEC. Syracuse and Pitt were on the B1G and ACC radar for a long time. Your Slap at Louisville and Cincinnati Markets are mostly unfounded. Actually Louisville has a much larger control over the Kentucky regional Market than USF has or ever will have with UF, FSU, Miami and UCF all pulling in shares ahead of USF.

word

(06-23-2015 10:55 PM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:36 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  I'd love to see Houston land on their feet, but I just can't imagine the BigXII taking yet ANOTHER Texas school...

Some people seem to think that the Big 12 needs new TV markets and if that's the case there are only 2 schools in the g-5 who actually own the TV's in their state. BYU and UConn.

I'd probably rather have Cinci and Houston to be honest. Lots of Big 12 alum in the Houston area so that stadium would be filled. Both have had past success in their AD including BCS games (Cinci) and a Heisman (Houston). Both have recently remodeled stadiums and I'm not sure about Houston but I know Cinci is spending P-% money on TT. I guess I think they are both a better fit than BYU, UConn, or a Florida directional.

We don't get paid per viewer for a conference network so adding highly populated states is really not that important to the BIi 12 as evidence when they added TCU and WVU adding less than 2 million viewers total while other conferences with networks looked to add highly populated states. Hell Boise is probably as valuable to us as anybody available as they have some national appeal.

I'd rather take on 2 schools, 8 conference games, and a CCG than have a 10 team conference playing a 9 game RR with 2 champions. I'm not a big fan of our leaderships long term planning, if there actually is any.

This point is moot, as there are plenty P5 teams that don't completely own their respective markets. There are also G5 schools that own large portions of their market to be lucrative to break into that DMA for conference television contracts, Cincinnati being one of them.

(06-24-2015 08:49 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

You Do realize a lot of P5 schools Today would Not be in a P5 Conferences had They not been grandfathered into the System 40 to 100 years ago out of convenience, availability, or Geography. Actually We were only passed over 1 time and by the Big 12 with WVU. We never applied to The B1G, Pac 12 or the SEC. WVU was passed over by both ACC and SEC. Syracuse and Pitt were on the B1G and ACC radar for a long time. Your Slap at Louisville and Cincinnati Markets are mostly unfounded. Actually Louisville has a much larger control over the Kentucky regional Market than USF has or ever will have with UF, FSU, Miami and UCF all pulling in shares ahead of USF.

That is true, and now the interesting item is that Louisville, when you look at Football / Basketball / and Oly, is upper tier in the ACC. Maybe looking at all sports Ville is the best overall. UK has the bluenecks and wal mart fans across the state by over the last 10 years Ville has cut into that pie.
And Ville has very good facilites, highest bball revenue in the usa.

UC certainly is positioned for growth.

(06-24-2015 09:07 AM)jaredf29 Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 10:55 PM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:36 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  I'd love to see Houston land on their feet, but I just can't imagine the BigXII taking yet ANOTHER Texas school...

Some people seem to think that the Big 12 needs new TV markets and if that's the case there are only 2 schools in the g-5 who actually own the TV's in their state. BYU and UConn.

I'd probably rather have Cinci and Houston to be honest. Lots of Big 12 alum in the Houston area so that stadium would be filled. Both have had past success in their AD including BCS games (Cinci) and a Heisman (Houston). Both have recently remodeled stadiums and I'm not sure about Houston but I know Cinci is spending P-% money on TT. I guess I think they are both a better fit than BYU, UConn, or a Florida directional.

We don't get paid per viewer for a conference network so adding highly populated states is really not that important to the BIi 12 as evidence when they added TCU and WVU adding less than 2 million viewers total while other conferences with networks looked to add highly populated states. Hell Boise is probably as valuable to us as anybody available as they have some national appeal.

I'd rather take on 2 schools, 8 conference games, and a CCG than have a 10 team conference playing a 9 game RR with 2 champions. I'm not a big fan of our leaderships long term planning, if there actually is any.

This point is moot, as there are plenty P5 teams that don't completely own their respective markets. There are also G5 schools that own large portions of their market to be lucrative to break into that DMA for conference television contracts, Cincinnati being one of them.

Never said there wasn't. The only g-5 schools who are #1 in their state are BYU and UConn. Everyone else in the g-5 including Cinci is #2 or worse in their state.

Actually that's not 100% true. I suppose there are a few others like Boise who might bring the entire state. But the state has no real value.

(06-24-2015 08:49 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

You Do realize a lot of P5 schools Today would Not be in a P5 Conferences had They not been grandfathered into the System 40 to 100 years ago out of convenience, availability, or Geography.

I absolutely realize that, and nothing I said in the post you responded to indicated otherwise.

Quote: Actually We were only passed over 1 time and by the Big 12 with WVU. We never applied to The B1G, Pac 12 or the SEC.

My bad - you were actually passed over FIVE times, not six.

"Application"? Everyone knew UofL was 100% available to any of the other Power conferences, all they had to do was invite you.

And yet nobody did. They invited five Big East schools - TCU, WVU, Pitt, Cuse, Rutgers, before they invited you. So you guys were far down the list in terms of attractiveness, and obviously Cincy has even less of that than you guys did.

Quote:Your Slap at Louisville and Cincinnati Markets are mostly unfounded.

Totally founded. But Cincy is in even worse shape than UofL was. UofL is hemmed in by UK fans, but only really in basketball. UK's historical lack of interest in football has given UofL space to grow your football program, and you've done that. But Cincy is hemmed in by the Buckeyes in both basketball and football.

And they don't even 'control' Cincy because that is foremost a Pro sports town. Interest in the Bearcats lags way behind Bengals and Reds. At least UofL is the Big Kahuna within the UofL city limits, Cincy isn't even that.

(06-24-2015 08:49 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

You Do realize a lot of P5 schools Today would Not be in a P5 Conferences had They not been grandfathered into the System 40 to 100 years ago out of convenience, availability, or Geography. Actually We were only passed over 1 time and by the Big 12 with WVU. We never applied to The B1G, Pac 12 or the SEC. WVU was passed over by both ACC and SEC. Syracuse and Pitt were on the B1G and ACC radar for a long time. Your Slap at Louisville and Cincinnati Markets are mostly unfounded. Actually Louisville has a much larger control over the Kentucky regional Market than USF has or ever will have with UF, FSU, Miami and UCF all pulling in shares ahead of USF.

Agreed on that. USF will never go anywhere even if they build an OCS. I like when ECU travels to USF and plays in a pirate ship stadium because it feels like home. Dowdy South. I hope for that reason USF keeps playing in the NFL stadium...but it doesn't matter anyway because USF will only NOT be playing in an NFL stadium if the Bucs leave Tampa. Even then USF will not play in an OCS, they would drop football because it's too expensive for them to build one. I understand and feel bad for their fans. Same with Temple, another school ECU will never play a true away game against because they will never build an OCS. Kudos to Tulane and UCF for building their OCS....I'd rather play them for away games in the Citrus dump and the NO dome / then whatever you call it, but they stepped up, and now we have to play them in true road games. Cheers

(06-24-2015 07:24 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 04:15 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Good for UC. They deserve to be in a P5 League. The Big 12 would be foolish not to take them.

Cincy is very much like Louisville, a big factor in a semi-big city but basically nothing outside that city and otherwise adrift in an ocean of fans of other P5 teams.

And remember, despite UofL's amazing facilities - better than Cincy will have even after these renovations - and better success on the field, UofL only got a P5 bid when Maryland dumped the ACC. Before that, they were passed over 6 times in favor of other Big East teams.

Cincy doesn't bring a lot to the table for the Big 12. They aren't a football brand name and given Bucks dominance everywhere around them, their growth potential is essentially nil. I don't expect the Big 12 to ever proactively want them.

Cincy fans shouldn't expect a P5 invite unless a raid by another P5 forces a P5 conference to backfill, like the ACC did with UofL. Absent that, it never happens.

Kudos to Cincy for gamely making these investments. Doesn't hurt to be dressed up for the prom in case someone else loses their date and makes a call.

As usual you spout negative nonsense without a fact to back it up. No growth potential? Based on what? You know nothing about the reasons UC would be invited to any conference, as a matter of fact UC compares very nicely to BIG XII schools in many measurables. You are very tiresome with this inane palaver.

(06-24-2015 09:41 AM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 09:07 AM)jaredf29 Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 10:55 PM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:36 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  I'd love to see Houston land on their feet, but I just can't imagine the BigXII taking yet ANOTHER Texas school...

Some people seem to think that the Big 12 needs new TV markets and if that's the case there are only 2 schools in the g-5 who actually own the TV's in their state. BYU and UConn.

I'd probably rather have Cinci and Houston to be honest. Lots of Big 12 alum in the Houston area so that stadium would be filled. Both have had past success in their AD including BCS games (Cinci) and a Heisman (Houston). Both have recently remodeled stadiums and I'm not sure about Houston but I know Cinci is spending P-% money on TT. I guess I think they are both a better fit than BYU, UConn, or a Florida directional.

We don't get paid per viewer for a conference network so adding highly populated states is really not that important to the BIi 12 as evidence when they added TCU and WVU adding less than 2 million viewers total while other conferences with networks looked to add highly populated states. Hell Boise is probably as valuable to us as anybody available as they have some national appeal.

I'd rather take on 2 schools, 8 conference games, and a CCG than have a 10 team conference playing a 9 game RR with 2 champions. I'm not a big fan of our leaderships long term planning, if there actually is any.

This point is moot, as there are plenty P5 teams that don't completely own their respective markets. There are also G5 schools that own large portions of their market to be lucrative to break into that DMA for conference television contracts, Cincinnati being one of them.

Never said there wasn't. The only g-5 schools who are #1 in their state are BYU and UConn. Everyone else in the g-5 including Cinci is #2 or worse in their state.

Actually that's not 100% true. I suppose there are a few others like Boise who might bring the entire state. But the state has no real value.

Actually there's several states with no P5's or pro teams: *Connecticut, Maine, R.I.
New Hampshire, Vermont, Delaware, Idaho, Hawaii, New Mexico, Wyoming. Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska. Am I forgetting any? I think out of those 15 only UCONN & the 5 MWC states have FBS programs, the other 5 New England states have FCS programs, the Dakotas and Montana the same, and I think Alaska is the only state out of our 50 with no football program that's at least FCS. *Connecticut has WNBA
Can Anyone verify this? Cheers!

(06-24-2015 08:20 AM)BIgCatonProwl Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 06:55 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  This

People outside of OH look at tO$U and assume every square inch of Ohio belongs to them. They do own the state, but they are not huge inside the 275 belt that is Cincy. In fact its just well known that the Buckeyes are not not as popular in Cincinnati as the Bearcats are. The Bucks have fans in Cincy, sure. So does UK, UofL, ND etc. But by in large Cincy is for the Bearcats. This is echoed in every poll the local radio stations/paper does, it is echoed on the local talk shows. Most recently a sports writer wrote an article asking why Ohio State isn't as popular in Cincy as it is in the rest of the state. In short, Cincy is not a Buckeye town. The town is Bengals, Reds, Bearcats and then XU. That's how it is. Now, that alone may not be enough for the B12 to care. UC does not carry the state, that is true. But as far as our own city goes, UC is #1.

Frankly that's the way it should be, support your own.

I agree, but the big problem is how public universities are distributed around Ohio. UC was a municipal college all by itself for many years, which is why they were initially able to get a lot of support to help get where they are today. Toledo and Akron (also municipal schools) had to split their respective regions with BG and Kent State/Cleveland State/Youngstown State, Wright State is a minor commuter school, and Miami/OU are in tiny towns with limited reach. OSU has Columbus, the capitol, all by itself and has been able to take advantage of its funding and flagship status to lock down the rest of Ohio. The result is a bunch of Walmart Buckeyes outside of Cincinnati, plus a lot of MAC alums who were OSU fans from birth and cheer for the Buckeyes since they grew up with them and they're always good.

(06-24-2015 09:41 AM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-24-2015 09:07 AM)jaredf29 Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 10:55 PM)Okielite Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 09:36 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  I'd love to see Houston land on their feet, but I just can't imagine the BigXII taking yet ANOTHER Texas school...

Some people seem to think that the Big 12 needs new TV markets and if that's the case there are only 2 schools in the g-5 who actually own the TV's in their state. BYU and UConn.

I'd probably rather have Cinci and Houston to be honest. Lots of Big 12 alum in the Houston area so that stadium would be filled. Both have had past success in their AD including BCS games (Cinci) and a Heisman (Houston). Both have recently remodeled stadiums and I'm not sure about Houston but I know Cinci is spending P-% money on TT. I guess I think they are both a better fit than BYU, UConn, or a Florida directional.

We don't get paid per viewer for a conference network so adding highly populated states is really not that important to the BIi 12 as evidence when they added TCU and WVU adding less than 2 million viewers total while other conferences with networks looked to add highly populated states. Hell Boise is probably as valuable to us as anybody available as they have some national appeal.

I'd rather take on 2 schools, 8 conference games, and a CCG than have a 10 team conference playing a 9 game RR with 2 champions. I'm not a big fan of our leaderships long term planning, if there actually is any.

This point is moot, as there are plenty P5 teams that don't completely own their respective markets. There are also G5 schools that own large portions of their market to be lucrative to break into that DMA for conference television contracts, Cincinnati being one of them.

Never said there wasn't. The only g-5 schools who are #1 in their state are BYU and UConn. Everyone else in the g-5 including Cinci is #2 or worse in their state.

Actually that's not 100% true. I suppose there are a few others like Boise who might bring the entire state. But the state has no real value.

Would you include NIU in that ?

Illinois has a large blend of fans, but according to this:


https://homes.yahoo.com/news/cool-map-th...04359.html


NIU takes the cake.