Case in point. Texas is pushing a message out that they only want 10, but "they will be good conference mates and do what everyone else wants". Texas knows where everyone in the conference stands on this issue. What do they gain by expressing a lone opinion to any press outlet that will print it? While you think about that, you can read my answer above. They are setting themselves up to "lose" on the issue and show the conference isn't being run by them. Checkers and chess.
I would be happy with keeping the league at 10 teams -- easier path to the championship and still making incredilble revenue. Problem is that the push seems to be for 4 large conferences, and if the Big XII wants to be the fourth, it will have to expand and UT will have to go along.
Expansion with quality programs like FSU is a must if the Big 12 wants to keep it together for the long haul. Clemson I'm not too sure about but they may be a slight upgrade from mizzou or aggy from a football standpoint.
What are the chances of getting ND into the Big 12? Staying independent is not going to help them become a power house again. At this point they have to make a move.
Technically the CCG is played in October, in Dallas. Short of the Colorado debacle over a decade ago, it's played in the Cotton Bowl. So we have played one. I think what he does not like about them is what I don't like about them. You have a chance to play a team that really isn't the second, sometimes not even third or fourth best team in the conference with all to lose if you are Texas or Oklahoma. That team, they shouldn't be there so they are playing with the banks money. That type of CCG sucks. Think about how many times a K State, Mizzou or insert North team here got a chance to play in a BCS game but only had to win one game. Were they in the South they may not even have been bowl eligible. CCG, as they are now, suck. I am not a fan.
Same situation as before. You have to beat Colorado. You have to beat TT to get to the title game. Basicly if you are the best you have to beat the best of the rest.
Some people dodge the draft, the Huskers dodge competition and teams that beat them regularly. When the new conference does the same they will move somewhere else. They are cowards and now not very good at the football.
CCGs are dumb. The round robin we have set up now is perfect. Playoffs are coming and the money is going to be large. Lets split it 10 ways. The other conferences are dumb to be expanding to 12+. It's more mouths to feed, and more teams going for the same playoff spot. Staying smaller will be a big advantage in the new playoff era. We are already the #2 conference in football overall. Don't add any more teams. It is unnecessary and actually detrimental to our goals.
I agree and am a big fan of the round robin. It eliminates questions and what if's when teams all play one another. There are those years when there are a couple teams in the other bracket that you don't play and people speculate too much one way or another. No, play everybody every year. Decide it on the field head to head in one game, no do overs or try agains.
I like the Round Robin Schedule vs. the divisional schedule much better. While I like the 10 team conference, I don't think it is feasible, we will need to add 2 more teams, but I say be patient and choose the right schools not the first one that jumps out at us.
I unanimously oppose expansion for the Big12, particularly if it is just to get to 12 and have a CCG. That is just plain dumb. We should stay at 10. Invite ND to park their oly sports with us in exchange for 3-4 football games with Big12 teams and that is it. We should only expand past 10 teams if the new teams add real value. Florida State is the only team in the mix that does that. VT is a distant second. We should not add/consider Clemson or UL or GT. Notre Dame will NEVER join the Big12 in Football. NEVER. They will remain independent and if they do join, it will be the B1G. 1. Do NOT Expand 2. If you must expand, add FSU and STOP 3. If you must get to 12 - add FSU and VT.
I don't have any "assets" or "big cigars"...but the tea leaves I'm reading lead me to believe that FSU and Clemson are close to mortal locks to be joining the Big XII before the end of the summer. I'm like several others in that I kinda like the round robin schedule, but I think the will of most of the Big XII administrators is to move back to twelve teams, and a conference championship game. There's supposed to be several millions of dollars riding on doing that. Notre Dame? If anything, they may park their olympic sports in the Big XII, contingent on some agreement for them to play games against three or four Big XII teams a year as an affiliated member allowed to keep their independence. Of course, if they lose their "Notre Dame exemption" into the championship playoffs, they may get more serious about joining a conference. In any event, I think UT is cooking up some kind of regular game with Notre Dame, maybe to partly fill the Thanksgiving spot left open by agricultural.
FSU appears to be a certain "in" Not so sure about Clemson. I hear GT, VT and Miami are competing with Clemson for the 12 spot and this is a fight Clemson should lose for the benefit of the Big12. I'd rather have GT, VT or Miami than Clemson.
Might as well take them all now or they will go somewhere else. If not all then best scenario, FSU and VT and hopefully GT and Clemson. I don't think Miami would be a good fit. Of course ND would be nice but that seems to be such a long shot. I really think they are making a mistake by not being in a conference.
They can go somewhere else unless they generate $. Unless they bring value ($), adding teams means less money for the existing members of the conference. That does not make sense. FSU, VT, Miami and GT are solid brands but only FSU and VT have been consistent. Clemson had a great 2011 and that is all.
Clemson had a great 2011 and that is all....that can probably be said about many teams over the course of time.... To get to 12 / 14 I add in order of preference ND, FSU, GT and VT then Clemson.....not Miami or Louisville....what happened to BYU in all these discussions
What the Big 12 needs is stability so others don't bail. These additions will do that and also make for a better overall schedule for everyone. We thankfully got rid of the 2 big whiners, didn't care much for cu, mizzou has only been recently good. The Big 12 will soon be so much better than it ever was. poor nu, they will never be top gun again especially with Urban Meyer at osu, of course aggy will never be a power in football unless they cheat like the 80's and they got rid of the guy that made them relevant in the other sports. cu is a black hole, mizzou is the only program of the ones who left that has a shot of doing anything.
Everything anybody reads out there right now is rumor, speculation, the reading of tea leaves...anybody who says he or she knows exactly how this is going down is talking out of the back end. All of that being said, this is what I tend to believe from reading various sources, some of whom I tend to trust. Miami has way too much NCAA and reputation luggage, and I believe reports that they intend to deemphasize athletics, to a degree. I think Miami to the Big XII is a non-starter. BYU? A non-starter. They're located in the wrong part of the country, and they have Church of Latter Day Saints issues as far as playing on Sunday, plus other issues that make them not attractive to the Big XII. I think they're headed to the Big (L)east. Louisville? They may still be an option, but not much of one. Louisville's probably leaving the Big (L)east, but headed to the new watered-down ACC, which is headed to being even more of a basketball-first conference. Va. Tech? A good option, but (1) I believe they're in serious talks with the SEC, more so than the Big XII, and (2) They are tied to UVA. They won't be going anywhere that would leave UVA stuck in a reduced ACC. Georgia Tech? They seem to have a renewed interest in talking to the Big XII since the ACC TV deal was announced a week ago, but there's a lot of thought that their first target in a move would be to go to the B1G. FSU and Clemson? FSU is the obvious attraction, but don't dismiss Clemson. They may not have a heavyweight football reputation, but they fill their stadium and travel well, and their football program is on the upswing under Swinney, the last Orange Bowl notwithstanding. I really believe both of those schools and the Big XII are pretty far along the road on them being added. Notre Dame? I said it above...I look for them to cut some kind of deal with the Big XII where they put their olympic sports in the Big XII, and agree to play some games every year with Big XII schools. I think they get some kind of regular game going with UT, and in turn, the Big XII lets them keep their Independence until/if/when they feel the need to join somebody's conference. None of these come with any guarantees...like I said, there's just a lot of speculation out there. However, the way I read the tea leaves, these things seem to be true...for today anyway.
