(08-12-2016 08:59 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote:  PrisonMike is the best handle I have ever seen on this site. Congrats sir.

(08-12-2016 08:35 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:28 AM)Pir8inRichmond Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:21 AM)prisonmike Wrote:  http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...-expansion

Only 14 of the 17 schools to be interviewed were listed. Who would the other 3 be?

Temple and SDSU are possibilities I imagine.

Temple is one of the 14 listed. SDSU likely, as you said. The other 2 I have no idea. Ten of 12 AAC schools on the list.

SDSU, UNLV and Northern Illinois would be my best guess.

It's going to be by two schools, if at all.

You can bet your retirement on it. Because that is the compromise the B12 worked out with ESPN and FOX.

Only real questions at this point in time are: i) which two get the votes, and ii) will the networks sign off on them.

(08-12-2016 08:55 AM)a cat but also a bear Wrote:  But the Cincinnati 247 site seems convinced we are already in and have essentially been invited.

There are BYU, Houston, Memphis and UConn sites that think the same thing.

How has no one posted this, from the article???

Quote:Last month, Bowlsby and Oklahoma president David Boren said Bowlsby would be in touch with the schools that initially contacted the Big 12. The league said it hopes to make a decision on expansion by the Big 12's regularly scheduled board of directors meeting in October.

So much for Aug 22-25 announcement!!

It could be the three not announced are private schools that wouldn't have to respond to a FOIA request.

Though listing so many AAC schools makes me think they actually aren't talking to Tulsa. Given that the Big12 already has two "slightly larger" Oklahoma schools, it would make sense to reject Tulsa out of hand.

It's called due diligence. This is a long term decision and the conference needs to get it right. They're not going to make a decision to appease the instant-gratification internet poster crowd. Sorry.

(08-12-2016 08:55 AM)a cat but also a bear Wrote:  But the Cincinnati 247 site seems convinced we are already in and have essentially been invited.

I think Cincy has already been assured a spot and they know it, which is why they've been so quiet lately. It may just be Ono leaving, but the Cincy camp had previously been quite vocal in selling themselves as the best available school. That has ceased from what I can tell, which tells me they've been told to just sit back and relax.

This is just my opinion, could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the B12 stay at 10 and all of this be a 100% money grabbing, negotiating play, at the expense of G5 schools' dreams.

As far as the other three teams not listed:

AAC - Navy is out because it wouldn't join B12 as full members (football-only I doubt if that was ever on the table), and I really doubt Tulsa even bothered to apply, knowing that the conf would never take them along with already having OU and OK St in such a small state.

MWC - Wyoming might like to think of itself as CO St's chief rival and equivalent in most respects, but there's no way the B12 would consider them. Not sure on Air Force, I know they've previously expressed interest in staying with the MWC. We know Hawaii has no interest in joining a Texas league (they left the WAC for that specific reason). Also Utah St, San Jose St, Nevada and Fresno St probably have no chance and/or no interest. UNLV and SDSU would probably be interested if other MWC teams joined.


I think that's pretty much it. I don't think teams from any other G5's are really qualified.


So my best guess is Air Force, UNLV and SDSU.

(08-12-2016 08:37 AM)TopperCard Wrote:  Per McMurphy's twitter:

Big 12 will hold video conferences w/17 schools; Big 12 expanding by 4 “less & less likely,” sources told @ESPN

The "less & less likely" part is very big and very discouraging news to a lot of schools, especially schools like UConn, UCF, USF, and Memphis. I believe Houston and Cincy will ultimately get the invites.

I would not be surprised if the "expand by 12 or 14" and the financial benefits to incumbents of expanding to 14 without giving a full share to the four new schools was an ambit claim to get the networks to agree to 12 and a renegotiation of the pro-rata term of the contract as the final result.

(08-12-2016 09:21 AM)Johnny Incognito Wrote:  It's called due diligence. This is a long term decision and the conference needs to get it right. They're not going to make a decision to appease the instant-gratification internet poster crowd. Sorry.

I'm an attorney, so I have had to defend the indefensible -- like you are unfortunately having to do now with the B12 process.

I'm sorry man, you have to admit this is a circus. B12 has been discussing expansion for over 2 years - there's been plenty of time for due diligence. There is also a time for making things this public - and that time is after you have done your diligence and made your decision. Not before.

Put it this way - if I am assisting a company in making a major acquisition, I do not advise that they go public with it until AFTER the agreements have been executed. Not before.

That is how you wind up with egg on your face.

(08-12-2016 09:21 AM)TopperCard Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:55 AM)a cat but also a bear Wrote:  But the Cincinnati 247 site seems convinced we are already in and have essentially been invited.

I think Cincy has already been assured a spot and they know it, which is why they've been so quiet lately. It may just be Ono leaving, but the Cincy camp had previously been quite vocal in selling themselves as the best available school. That has ceased from what I can tell, which tells me they've been told to just sit back and relax.

This is just my opinion, could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the B12 stay at 10 and all of this be a 100% money grabbing, negotiating play, at the expense of G5 schools' dreams.

It would actually be hilarious if after all this drama if the Big12 simply successfully shakes down the networks for more money to stay at 10.

My guess is the compromise in all of this will be to simply add 2 schools. If BYU is in the mix then probably BYU and UC, if the Big12 does not think BYU passes the smell test then UC and Houston.

(08-12-2016 09:21 AM)TopperCard Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:55 AM)a cat but also a bear Wrote:  But the Cincinnati 247 site seems convinced we are already in and have essentially been invited.

I think Cincy has already been assured a spot and they know it, which is why they've been so quiet lately. It may just be Ono leaving, but the Cincy camp had previously been quite vocal in selling themselves as the best available school. That has ceased from what I can tell, which tells me they've been told to just sit back and relax.

This is just my opinion, could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the B12 stay at 10 and all of this be a 100% money grabbing, negotiating play, at the expense of G5 schools' dreams.

It would actually be hilarious if after all this drama if the Big12 simply successfully shakes down the networks for more money to stay at 10.

My guess is the compromise in all of this will be to simply add 2 schools. If BYU is in the mix then probably BYU and UC, if the Big12 does not think BYU passes the smell test then UC and Houston.

I don't get why being up front with the process is a "clown show". If anything it is better than some of the ways conferences have expanded with secretive meetings and back room deals. Candidates make their case, the conference deliberates on the candidates and the best model, and then everyone moves on.

I don't have to defend anything. The Big XII isn't running on your preferred schedule so that makes them a clown show in your opinion. That's the truth and nothing but.

(08-12-2016 09:12 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:35 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:28 AM)Pir8inRichmond Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:21 AM)prisonmike Wrote:  http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...-expansion

Only 14 of the 17 schools to be interviewed were listed. Who would the other 3 be?

Temple and SDSU are possibilities I imagine.

Temple is one of the 14 listed. SDSU likely, as you said. The other 2 I have no idea. Ten of 12 AAC schools on the list.

SDSU, UNLV and Northern Illinois would be my best guess.

Would be fine by me

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

This is a confused process, but I don't think BYU can get by the stink about their policies. Cincinnati seems the most likely. Then, it's a crap shoot. I hope NIU is in, but that seems a bit of a long shot. None of the other schools stand out. It's worrisome that so many AAC schools want to move.

(08-12-2016 09:48 AM)bigredmachine Wrote:  This is a confused process, but I don't think BYU can get by the stink about their policies. Cincinnati seems the most likely. Then, it's a crap shoot. I hope NIU is in, but that seems a bit of a long shot. None of the other schools stand out. It's worrisome that so many AAC schools want to move.

How so? AAC schools are at leas trying to move into a P5 conference.

It should be more worrisome to you that every member of the MAC (NIU especially), CUSA and SBC are tying to get into the AAC; which is another G5 conference.

(08-12-2016 08:59 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote:  PrisonMike is the best handle I have ever seen on this site. Congrats sir.

Ugh prison is the worst. The grooool and the dementors

(08-12-2016 09:32 AM)ShoreBuc Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 09:21 AM)TopperCard Wrote:  

(08-12-2016 08:55 AM)a cat but also a bear Wrote:  But the Cincinnati 247 site seems convinced we are already in and have essentially been invited.

I think Cincy has already been assured a spot and they know it, which is why they've been so quiet lately. It may just be Ono leaving, but the Cincy camp had previously been quite vocal in selling themselves as the best available school. That has ceased from what I can tell, which tells me they've been told to just sit back and relax.

This is just my opinion, could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the B12 stay at 10 and all of this be a 100% money grabbing, negotiating play, at the expense of G5 schools' dreams.

It would actually be hilarious if after all this drama if the Big12 simply successfully shakes down the networks for more money to stay at 10.

My guess is the compromise in all of this will be to simply add 2 schools. If BYU is in the mix then probably BYU and UC, if the Big12 does not think BYU passes the smell test then UC and Houston.

The response of the networks to the proposed expansion throws a whole new wrinkle into this. If expansion moves forward, as it likely will, I expect that the networks will pick the new members or they will refuse to pony up any new money.

The networks care about markets and not much of anything else. Houston is far and away the best market of any of the proposed candidates with a population of 6.6 million. But a network has to ask how much of that market Houston will actually bring.

1. A&M already has a big chunk of that market.
2. There is already NFL competition in that market.
3. Texas already brings some of that market to the Big XII with its alums who live there.

So what is Houston really adding?

I also have to question whether the networks will view Cincinnati with the same enthusiasm that the Big XII has. The networks really don't care about a bridge to West Virginia. Cincy doesn't bring Ohio; OSU already has that locked up. Cincy brings a corner of Ohio with a population of about 2.1 million, and a corner that has NFL competition to deal with. Compare that to USF with a population almost 50% greater (3 mill) or UConn with a population of 3.7 million and no instate competition from either college or pro. I have a feeling that the networks will like either of them better and won't care about the travel distance to Connecticut. And they won't be bullied by Texas either.