(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

In 1994, there wasn't nearly as much difference between the Big 8/old WAC as there is now between the P5/G5. But, there was a difference. Just ask TCU, who wandered in the wilderness for 17 years after being left out of the original Big 12. New Mexico needed to make that move if the opportunity presented itself.

It wouldn't have been that much of a stretch for 1990's New Mexico to build a program to compete at a Big 12 level, especially outside of football. They're the only thing in Albuquerque and the biggest thing in the state.

Fast forward to 2017. The gulf between the Big 12 and New Mexico is much bigger, relatively speaking.

What could have been.....

(05-09-2017 10:16 PM)johnintx Wrote:  In 1994, there wasn't nearly as much difference between the Big 8/old WAC as there is now between the P5/G5. But, there was a difference. Just ask TCU, who wandered in the wilderness for 17 years after being left out of the original Big 12. New Mexico needed to make that move if the opportunity presented itself.

It wouldn't have been that much of a stretch for 1990's New Mexico to build a program to compete at a Big 12 level, especially outside of football. They're the only thing in Albuquerque and the biggest thing in the state.

Fast forward to 2017. The gulf between the Big 12 and New Mexico is much bigger, relatively speaking.

What could have been.....

Times were different then, yes. Basketball mattered nearly just as much as football in the early 90s. And UNM (being first and foremost a basketball school, of course) was in a better basketball conference vs the SWC (especially after Arkansas left):

WAC (tournament bids by year, 1990-1996): 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2
SWC (tournament bids by year, 1990-1996): 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2

However, the Big Eight was still indisputably superior on the hardwood:

Big 8 (tournament bids by year, 1990-1996): 4, 3, 6, 6, 4, 5, 4

(05-09-2017 12:12 PM)YNot Wrote:  New Mexico is still a state flagship and owns the Albuquerque market. Decent academics and research. #48 market with a little under 700K TV households (comparable to Louisville and Jacksonville, ahead of New Orleans, Memphis).

Great basketball attendance, even in down years.

The move in the timeframe discussed (early 90's) would be doable too before the big budget run ups. New Mexico didn't even make the cut as a finalist in the B12 discussion last year.

It would have been more logical I believe to have Mountain time zone representation in the B12 at the start of the BCS era than for it to be a near complete fly over (aside from Arizona, Arizona St, Colorado).

(05-09-2017 10:49 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Another article on the Big 14 that almost happened in 1994, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BYU and New Mexico
Interesting quote, "Several sources have identified Brigham Young and New Mexico as the primary focus of talks regarding the future expansion. Houston, as well as the other SWC leftovers, would not be reconsidered, said one prominent Big 8 official."

*I linked two different articles but I'm only seeing one, I'm trying to make article smaller to fit it.

I remember both BYU and New Mexico being mentioned as potential members of a SWC/Big8 merger in a Houston Chronicle article from Dec of 1993. If you can find it, that article is very interesting as it talks quite a bit about how meetings were still going on in an attempt to find an acceptable formula to proceed with a full merger of the SWC with the Big8.

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

Interesting that it sets a marker for value at that time, Big12 teams were looking at 90 million over 5 years (that's 18 million a year, or 1.5 million per team annually).

(05-10-2017 01:52 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:49 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Another article on the Big 14 that almost happened in 1994, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BYU and New Mexico
Interesting quote, "Several sources have identified Brigham Young and New Mexico as the primary focus of talks regarding the future expansion. Houston, as well as the other SWC leftovers, would not be reconsidered, said one prominent Big 8 official."

*I linked two different articles but I'm only seeing one, I'm trying to make article smaller to fit it.

I remember both BYU and New Mexico being mentioned as potential members of a SWC/Big8 merger in a Houston Chronicle article from Dec of 1993. If you can find it, that article is very interesting as it talks quite a bit about how meetings were still going on in an attempt to find an acceptable formula to proceed with a full merger of the SWC with the Big8.

This too ^. The first major conference realignment in my lifetime was this SWC/WAC/Big 8/CUSA/Metro situation. I had moved with my parents from Iowa a few years before that so the idea that Iowa St and Texas Tech were in the same conference was crazy to me at the time. It was crazy that a conference could stretch that far. I love info on this topic. Articles from 1994 on any of the 5 conferences.

(05-10-2017 01:57 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

Interesting that it sets a marker for value at that time, Big12 teams were looking at 90 million over 5 years (that's 18 million a year, or 1.5 million per team annually).

1.5 million a similar to what they were earning under the CFA contract.

When the MWC was formed it started with 1 million per school a year with significant exposure in the mountain region on ABC regional. They were treated as a quasi power conference.

But the BCS/non-BCS thing ruined recruiting at MWC and CUSA who quickly fell behind their former CFA counterparts in on the field strength.

(05-10-2017 07:16 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:57 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

Interesting that it sets a marker for value at that time, Big12 teams were looking at 90 million over 5 years (that's 18 million a year, or 1.5 million per team annually).

1.5 million a similar to what they were earning under the CFA contract.

When the MWC was formed it started with 1 million per school a year with significant exposure in the mountain region on ABC regional. They were treated as a quasi power conference.

But the BCS/non-BCS thing ruined recruiting at MWC and CUSA who quickly fell behind their former CFA counterparts in on the field strength.

The label "BCS" did more to ruin college football than anything else because every other word that came out of the ESPN talking heads was "BCS" ESPN destroyed the WAC/MWC and the major Indy's that formed CUSA. Conversely, ESPN propped up the Big East football schools and the ACC with the "BCS" label....I'll never forgive ESPN for what they did to my school.......Sorry for the rant.

(05-10-2017 07:40 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 07:16 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:57 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

Interesting that it sets a marker for value at that time, Big12 teams were looking at 90 million over 5 years (that's 18 million a year, or 1.5 million per team annually).

1.5 million a similar to what they were earning under the CFA contract.

When the MWC was formed it started with 1 million per school a year with significant exposure in the mountain region on ABC regional. They were treated as a quasi power conference.

But the BCS/non-BCS thing ruined recruiting at MWC and CUSA who quickly fell behind their former CFA counterparts in on the field strength.

The label "BCS" did more to ruin college football than anything else because every other word that came out of the ESPN talking heads was "BCS" ESPN destroyed the WAC/MWC and the major Indy's that formed CUSA. Conversely, ESPN propped up the Big East football schools and the ACC with the "BCS" label....I'll never forgive ESPN for what they did to my school.......Sorry for the rant.

Yeah, I'm enjoying ESPN's demise for the way we have been treated over the years.

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

This post makes me think of other realignment mistakes as well:

• Rutgers not joining the Big East on inception in 1978. Would have permanently altered the football-basketball balance. If Rutgers joins, Seton Hall doesn't.
• The Big East not inviting Penn State. Again maybe this vote goes differently if Rutgers is in, though I believe Seton Hall voted for PSU. Not positive.
• Metro 16 football conference getting beaten to the punch by ACC and Big East expansions in 1990/1991. Another potentially huge impact, would have had South Carolina, the Metro football playing schools and Big East football playing schools in teh same conference. Not necessarily a mistake like UNM not going to the Big 12 though.
  

(05-09-2017 05:10 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 04:32 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 12:50 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 12:07 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Why Colorado ever agreed to wait it out at all when they had a PAC-10 invite is beyond me.

About the 1994 invitation: CU's chancellor and AD had been very involved in bringing in the Texas schools to form the Big 12, and told the CU regents that they would lose a lot of credibility if CU left for the Pac before the Texas schools officially joined. Most of the regents gave in to them.

Great link. So PAC invites Colorado 6 months after Big 8 plus SWC 4 and Colorado says no. Nebraska guy says PAC is shady for trying to steal Colorado a few days before Christmas. If that were today, CU is gone.

I don't know. I think Colorado had a legitimate gripe, but they really wanted to stay with their traditional rivals.

Colorado could have bluntly said, "add BYU and New Mexico or we're leaving." I think the Big 8/Texas would have caved in.

It really was a different time back then. Cable wasn't as extensive/saturated/available, you didn't have centralization/consolidation of product by any one network, and there was a different attitude about working relationships between the institutions. Specifically, this wasn't the derivative, wannabe-business it is today.

The Big XII was bound to be a failure. Even before the political forcing of Tech and Baylor at the expense of more western schools, "the one that got away," Arkansas, gave the SEC the momentum to carve into that geographical area all three of the SEC, SWC, and Big 8 valued. Disregarding the west thereafter for more Texas territory, and probably the wrong Texas schools. The decision to split six of the eight Big 8 teams from OU and Texas. The mistakes kept coming.

Keep in mind that both the Big Ten and PAC were ready for this to all fall apart. Colorado and Texas had invitations to the PAC, and the Big Ten had approached Nebraska, with some kind of plan to include Colorado, Kansas, and/or Missouri should it have come to it.

Colorado was a hot commodity back then. Crazy to think about that now.

Colorado is back!

The Big 12, similarly, made a decision during this past cycle in not taking West Virginia/TCU/Louisville/Cincinnati in one swoop after losing A&M/Nebraska/Colorado/Mizzou. It would have added a Midwestern/Eastern presence, which could have then added UConn/BYU.

As usual, Texas politics prevent the conference from reaching full potential.

(05-10-2017 09:15 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  The Big 12, similarly, made a decision during this past cycle in not taking West Virginia/TCU/Louisville/Cincinnati in one swoop after losing A&M/Nebraska/Colorado/Mizzou. It would have added a Midwestern/Eastern presence, which could have then added UConn/BYU.

As usual, Texas politics prevent the conference from reaching full potential.

Yep. The Big 12 made another mistake by not taking Louisville with West Virginia

(05-10-2017 08:56 AM)megadrone Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

This post makes me think of other realignment mistakes as well:

• Rutgers not joining the Big East on inception in 1978. Would have permanently altered the football-basketball balance. If Rutgers joins, Seton Hall doesn't.
• The Big East not inviting Penn State. Again maybe this vote goes differently if Rutgers is in, though I believe Seton Hall voted for PSU. Not positive.
• Metro 16 football conference getting beaten to the punch by ACC and Big East expansions in 1990/1991. Another potentially huge impact, would have had South Carolina, the Metro football playing schools and Big East football playing schools in teh same conference. Not necessarily a mistake like UNM not going to the Big 12 though.
  

The Big 8 turning down Arkansas was a huge one.

http://www.thegazette.com/2012/01/09/wha...y-happened

(05-11-2017 02:46 PM)Mav Wrote:  http://www.thegazette.com/2012/01/09/wha...y-happened

Neinas himself probably killed that one, simply by being professional and collegial with his colleagues in the Southwest Conference.

Maybe it was different enough back then. It's not a clear issue, considering the Big Ten was working with Penn State, and that was done completely in secret for nearly a decade before PSU blabbed about the upcoming vote.

(05-11-2017 02:46 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 08:56 AM)megadrone Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

This post makes me think of other realignment mistakes as well:

• Rutgers not joining the Big East on inception in 1978. Would have permanently altered the football-basketball balance. If Rutgers joins, Seton Hall doesn't.
• The Big East not inviting Penn State. Again maybe this vote goes differently if Rutgers is in, though I believe Seton Hall voted for PSU. Not positive.
• Metro 16 football conference getting beaten to the punch by ACC and Big East expansions in 1990/1991. Another potentially huge impact, would have had South Carolina, the Metro football playing schools and Big East football playing schools in teh same conference. Not necessarily a mistake like UNM not going to the Big 12 though.
  

The Big 8 turning down Arkansas was a huge one.

http://www.thegazette.com/2012/01/09/wha...y-happened

Goes further than that.

A few years after Neinas left the Big 8 and the NCAA lost the TV lawsuit, UA Athletic Director Frank Broyles orchestrated a meeting with Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU, Missouri and Nebraska to try to form a new conference. Broyles argued they would be better off concentrating good TV value in one league and negotiating their own TV deal instead of working through the CFA.

There wasn't much interest but LSU went back to the SEC Commissioner Harvey Schiller and reported on the meeting and the idea of breaking from the CFA.

(05-11-2017 02:46 PM)Mav Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 08:56 AM)megadrone Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 10:02 PM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 06:49 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I'm trying to find something else to add to this:It's a quote from former Houston AD and then New Mexico AD, Rudy Davolos. He was one of the WAC AD's who pushed for Rice, TCU and SMU to go to the WAC. Sometime in 94 or 95 during the rumors of BYU and UNM to the Big 14, Davolos made statements about New Mexico staying in the WAC and not being interested in leaving. I also want to know if there was a vote by the Big 8/12 to add BYU/UNM or if the two backed out. If they did, they made the greatest mistake in conference realignment history IMHO.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/33840...EXICO.html

Rudy Davalos, New Mexico athletic director, reaffirmed the school's commitment to the WAC and questioned why Big Eight officials would consider expansion when they have a five-year, $60 million offer from ABC (with $30 million more from ESPN) for a 12-team league.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they need to expand? They've got their TV deal," Davalos said.

------------

Nowhere does it say that UNM actually had an invite from the Big 8/Big XII. But their AD basically saying "why the hell do you want us anyway, we don't add anything!" is truly bizarre in retrospect.

This post makes me think of other realignment mistakes as well:

• Rutgers not joining the Big East on inception in 1978. Would have permanently altered the football-basketball balance. If Rutgers joins, Seton Hall doesn't.
• The Big East not inviting Penn State. Again maybe this vote goes differently if Rutgers is in, though I believe Seton Hall voted for PSU. Not positive.
• Metro 16 football conference getting beaten to the punch by ACC and Big East expansions in 1990/1991. Another potentially huge impact, would have had South Carolina, the Metro football playing schools and Big East football playing schools in teh same conference. Not necessarily a mistake like UNM not going to the Big 12 though.
  

The Big 8 turning down Arkansas was a huge one.

http://www.thegazette.com/2012/01/09/wha...y-happened

Yep. Arky probably would have been joined by Texas, AtM and another a few years after joking the Big 8. Arkansas fit great with the old big 8...

(05-10-2017 09:15 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  The Big 12, similarly, made a decision during this past cycle in not taking West Virginia/TCU/Louisville/Cincinnati in one swoop after losing A&M/Nebraska/Colorado/Mizzou. It would have added a Midwestern/Eastern presence, which could have then added UConn/BYU.

As usual, Texas politics prevent the conference from reaching full potential.

That I agree with.