Geographical Distances Between Texas and Oklahoma and Other Conferences
There has been a lot of discussion on this board about Texas and/or Oklahoma moving to new conferences. This thread discusses the geographical aspect.
I used Google maps to measure the road distance between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma and the other members of each of the other P5 conferences and then calculated an average mileage and a median mileage for each conference. Then I calculated a probable division that Oklahoma and Texas would be placed in and calculated an average and median for the division. The divisions were as follows:
SEC: Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi State
Big Ten: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois
ACC: Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest (had to choose someone from North Carolina for the "South").
Pac 12 (or 14): Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, USC, Utah (Some "pair" had to be split so the only one that made sense was Colorado and Utah since they weren't in the same state and Colorado went to the "North").
SEC: 479.1666667
Big 10: 1075
ACC: 1098.666667
Pac 12: 1192.4
Division Median:
SEC: 509
ACC: 1090
Big 10: 1106.5
Pac 12: 1292
Pretty clear cut SEC. The ACC wasn't that far behind the Big Ten and the Pac 12 wasn't that far behind the Big Ten or ACC although if you go by median the Big 10 is over 100 miles ahead. When you go to divisions and take out the Atlantic schools, it gets even better for UT in the SEC and the Pac-12 becomes closer to the Big 10 and ACC (and this is with Colorado not in UT's division, Colorado is the 2nd P12 closest school to Austin, Arizona is the closest). Fun fact: The 2nd closest Big 10 school to Texas? Illinois!
The SEC is still ahead but the gap is a lot more narrower than it was for Texas. Here the gap between the Big Ten and the ACC is a lot wider than it was for Texas.
Assuming UT and OU as a pair, geographically the SEC is by far the best geographical fit. Of course you all knew that. I guess the ACC is reasonable if the Big 10 and Pac 12 are reasonable. The Pac 12 isn't as bad as you think it is and if the Big 10 is reasonable the ACC and Pac 12 aren't "that bad".
The one advantage the Big 10 has over the ACC and Pac 12 is time zones. The Big 10 has six schools in the Central Time Zone. If the Big Ten did divisions the assumption is that Texas and Oklahoma would be placed in the division with the other six Central Time Zone teams. Meanwhile the ACC and Pac 12 have no teams in the Central Time Zone. The SEC has nine and UT and OU I assume would also be placed in a division of all CT teams if they kept divisions.
Does "Texas to the SEC and Oklahoma to the Big 10" make sense? Geographically yes. Academically as judged by the USN&WR rankings and by the AAU the better fit would be the other way around although IMO what's the point in splitting the two schools, keep them together.
RE: Geographical Distances Between Texas and Oklahoma and Other Conferences
(03-29-2021 07:21 AM)schmolik Wrote: There has been a lot of discussion on this board about Texas and/or Oklahoma moving to new conferences. This thread discusses the geographical aspect.
I used Google maps to measure the road distance between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma and the other members of each of the other P5 conferences and then calculated an average mileage and a median mileage for each conference. Then I calculated a probable division that Oklahoma and Texas would be placed in and calculated an average and median for the division. The divisions were as follows:
SEC: Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi State
Big Ten: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Illinois
ACC: Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Louisville, Wake Forest (had to choose someone from North Carolina for the "South").
Pac 12 (or 14): Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, USC, Utah (Some "pair" had to be split so the only one that made sense was Colorado and Utah since they weren't in the same state and Colorado went to the "North").
SEC: 479.1666667
Big 10: 1075
ACC: 1098.666667
Pac 12: 1192.4
Division Median:
SEC: 509
ACC: 1090
Big 10: 1106.5
Pac 12: 1292
Pretty clear cut SEC. The ACC wasn't that far behind the Big Ten and the Pac 12 wasn't that far behind the Big Ten or ACC although if you go by median the Big 10 is over 100 miles ahead. When you go to divisions and take out the Atlantic schools, it gets even better for UT in the SEC and the Pac-12 becomes closer to the Big 10 and ACC (and this is with Colorado not in UT's division, Colorado is the 2nd P12 closest school to Austin, Arizona is the closest). Fun fact: The 2nd closest Big 10 school to Texas? Illinois!
The SEC is still ahead but the gap is a lot more narrower than it was for Texas. Here the gap between the Big Ten and the ACC is a lot wider than it was for Texas.
Assuming UT and OU as a pair, geographically the SEC is by far the best geographical fit. Of course you all knew that. I guess the ACC is reasonable if the Big 10 and Pac 12 are reasonable. The Pac 12 isn't as bad as you think it is and if the Big 10 is reasonable the ACC and Pac 12 aren't "that bad".
The one advantage the Big 10 has over the ACC and Pac 12 is time zones. The Big 10 has six schools in the Central Time Zone. If the Big Ten did divisions the assumption is that Texas and Oklahoma would be placed in the division with the other six Central Time Zone teams. Meanwhile the ACC and Pac 12 have no teams in the Central Time Zone. The SEC has nine and UT and OU I assume would also be placed in a division of all CT teams if they kept divisions.
Does "Texas to the SEC and Oklahoma to the Big 10" make sense? Geographically yes. Academically as judged by the USN&WR rankings and by the AAU the better fit would be the other way around although IMO what's the point in splitting the two schools, keep them together.
West Florida and Western Kentucky are in the central time zone. Chicagoland is in the CTZ. When the ball is kicked off in Tally at Noon, it's 11 AM in Pensacola.