Decent article...Perhaps it will happen? http://www.stakingtheplains.com/2015/08/03/texas-longhorns-leave-the-big-12/
Nothing is stopping the Big XII from starting their own network - except no one would watch it. ou has their own Fox Sports deal and which sand aggy was to have but there evidently isn't any one willing to pay a sponsor. No everyone wants to sponge off of Texas.
Not to be an independent! Then UT would be just like ND which we have complained about for decades regarding their "holier than thou" attitude and unfair advantages in college football rankings.
I'd rather start small for immediate results, and demand Big 12 schools schedule better OOC foes. Baylor: SMU, Lamar, and Rice TCU: Minnesota, SFA, and SMU KSU: South Dakota, UTSA, and La Tech That's flat out chickensh*t scheduling to all but guarantee an undefeated OOC slate. TEXAS: Notre Dame, Rice, Cal We're doing things the right way now by scheduling tough OOC opponents. But if these other chumps keep scheduling all patsies, it's a huge disadvantage. There needs to be at least one higher profile OOC opponent for every school. Week 4 polls won't care if you're 2-1 against Notre Dame, Rice, and Cal. They'll always favor the still undefeated OOC teams that started in the top 25. Sure we all play each other, but if there's a 3-way conference tie at the end, the team with the tough OOC extra loss gets screwed. If we had Baylor's schedule next year we'd all think Strong was the rebuilding king sitting at 3-0 before conference. If we keep scheduling a very tough OOC opponent and others don't, every year we'll either have to beat that OOC team or run the table in conference. Lose an OOC game and then a conference game, playoffs are most likely out of reach. That's not the case for the others if they roll their OOC patsies and then lose a conference game just like us. Sure we'd have the advantage the years we beat our better OOC opponents, but the task is far more daunting and doing so will be inconsistent. The others will consistently handle their OOC cakewalk and have an easier path to playoffs. Either we have to adjust OOC difficulty back down or others must step it up. But since the ultimate goal is the playoffs, one or the other has to change to even the playing field for teams in the Big 12.
Texas, OU, Baylor, and the Pokes Should Bolt To The Pac 12 Either That Or Merge With One Of The Smaller Confrences
I would add BYU and Notre Dame or steal Clemson & FSU cuz they are football schools in a basketball conference. We have the most badass AD, so make it happen Steve
A few items: As long as our media rights (and other schools are as well) tied to the Big XII / other conferences, no teams should be leaving their current major conferences before the contracts expire. UT could easily go Indy in football, perhaps basketball and baseball. This doesn't consider women's sports and obviously they would have to be accounted for. If we went Indy just in football, it would be easy: 1. Schedule 10 year deals with OU (at the State Fair), Tech and A&M on Tgiving (yes, I think so although they left us / the Big XII). 2. Get Notre Dame and perhaps BYU to sign long-term home and home deals, perhaps playing in Austin, South Bend, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago, etc.). 3. Schedule short-term (think 5 or 7 year deals - 4 in Austin and 3 on the road) with: Baylor, OK State, TCU, etc. 4. Agree to play 12 (or 14) year schedules with a home and home with every team from the Pac 12, ACC, Big 10 and / or SEC. This means we are also part of their TV packages as each conference gets to host one UT game every year. We would hit all of the powerhouses and also the patsies of each conference and host and visit every team in conferences that we align with. 5. Fill the schedules with Rice, North Texas, UTEP, etc. We play Texas teams and should win most of these games and play in Houston (Reliant Stadium) and around the state on 2 / 3 home games per one road game. A typical schedule could be: Rice Cal At Maryland Notre Dame at Duke OU Michigan State North Texas Tech at OK State Miami at Zona at A&M on Tgiving (yes, this is 13 games, but you get the idea). This would be a truly national schedule and would feature 9 or 10 Power 5 / major Indy programs every year - which is what we are currently doing. It would hurt basketball and baseball to not have auto bids from conferences, but the same concept could be applied to other sports as well (playing teams from different conferences home and home).
Baylor should be embarrassed. SMU was 1-11 last season. Lamar and Rice did have winning records but they not tough OCC opponents.
We have the worst AD in college football and its not even close! No one could screw the alumni worse than $teve.
I don't understand why we spend so much time talking about conference realignment. If anything does happen it won't be until 8 or 9 years from now. There's no telling what will happen, that's a long time from now.
It is part of the reason we all hate the off season... we always end up talking about it, including me. ND is not interested and I really don't think BYU really is either. After those 2 program, the appeal of the choices available drop WAY off for the B12. I agree it will probably take some time before the B12 adds anyone or there is another conference realignment.
I didn't want to see the SWC go away, but nobody listened to me and they did it anyway. Ah, the good ol' days when I could pick up an HEB End Zone general admission ticket for $5.00, drive to one of the nearby neighborhoods and park the car, walk to Memorial Stadium and watch the Horns dismantle an overmatched Rice or TCU team. But no, we had to join the Big 12, had to invite all these people to live in Austin, had to enlarge the stadium, had to put the band in the end zone, and had to charge $70 a ticket for a game. Sorry, rant over.....
Whoa, Nelly. Let's not get the cart before the horse. First thing we have to do is prove that we could win the Conference USA championship if we had the chance. If this season turns out to be better than 4-8, we'll be surprising a lot of people.
