Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe reports West Virginia is the Big 12's top target once Missouri leaves for the SEC. According to sources in the Big 12 and Big East, the Big 12 expansion will hold at ten teams for the time being. West Virginia will not be available to the Big 12 until the 2014 season because the Big East will enforce the 27 month departure rule for any member leaving. ESPN also reporting WV likely next target with BYU next, followed by Louisville and Cincinnati. If true, we will be operating with only nine members until 2014 (unless the Big-12 invites schools outside of the Big East). WV to Big 12, not Louisville?
This comports with what I'm reading.BYU is very likely going to have to reverse its refusal to play sports on Sundays, authorize Tier 1 and 2 sharing, and work with TV with respect to football replay time-frames. But yea: WV, BYU, Louisville keep coming in 1, 2 and 3 (although the order changes from time-to-time). If not BYU, then I'm guessing Cincinnati or Tulane, probably Cincinnati. I would like Rutgers or USF in this spot, however. Since Texas absolutely refuses to join the SEC or B1G, then I would like the B2 to add WV and 'Ville, go to 14, stay in the East, and add all 3 of Tulane, USF, and Rutgers. Going past 12, though, is exceedingly unlikely, due to unacceptable dilution of each school's share of Tier 1 and 2 revenue. I just personally like the idea of the Big Easy, making inroads into Florida recruiting (which, by the way, WV basically depends on), and the NYC market. Again, here is the list of the most likely additions, as well as the most discussed possibilities, ranked by 2010 NCAA attendance numbers: 14. Notre Dame: 80,795 27. BYU: 61,381 34. West Virginia: 56,325 42. Louisville: 50,648 44. East Carolina: 49,665 50. Rutgers: 46,195 56. Texas Christian: 42,466 (35,000 for 2011) 58. South Florida: 40,849 59. Air Force: 40,093 (claim to have rejected B2 inquiries) 63. Central Florida: 39,614 66. Connecticut: 38,248 69. Cincinnati: 35,067 73. Boise State: 33,269 75. Houston: 31,728 82. Rice: 25,571 85. SMU: 23,515 86. Tulane: 23,220 87. Colorado State: 22,400 89. New Mexico: 20,888 91. UNLV: 20,612 95. FIU: 19,808 If the Domers want to associate their non-football sports, fine. BTW, Rutgers would give the Domers incrementally further incentive to associate their non-football sports since Rutgers is far east, and ND basketball is eastern dependent.
The only issue I can see that would keep WV from being next is the 27 months required by the Big East. If Missouri stays through the 2012 season than it's possible for WV to be next, otherwise I'd assume the Big XII will go after BYU first. Other than getting in their own way, BYU doesn't have anything keeping them from joining immediately if Missouri leaves right away.
WVU doesn't add anything to the conference. Since there are not any good choices (unless the B12 can lure Iowa out of the B1G), go for recruiting and academics by adding Tulane and/or Rice.
Seems obvious to add WVU, BYU, Louisville and in that order of preference. Although BYU maybe first time wise. Missouri staying plus Louisville and WVU would have made some geographic sense.
Please no Rice or Tulane. I mean, nawlins is nice and all that, but come on!!! And Houston is a ********.
I'm confused, I thought Deloss said that the Big 12 was concerned about academics, but yet talks to West Virginia, not exactly AAU status.
All of this highlights where UT is going to further f**k themselves up. There is NO WAY students are going to go to any of those away games in any significant numbers. Even if they could afford the trip financially, they can't afford the time. Maybe Tulane. UH and TCU? Yes. Alums would go to Tulane, but not Utah, Cinci or Louisville. Does the state of Kentucky even have an airport? They're just really ****** locations. Lubbuttock and Collie Station and Misery and CornLite are ****** also so why add shitier locales where you have to spend north of 1k/person to watch a football game? Waco is doable by car and so is Ft Worth without planes and hotels and rent cars for two days in a ******** with nothing else to do. Provo? It's probably dry and I know it's boring. Cinci probably is mildly interesting if you want to go to the WKRP museum and Louisville probably has some decent non-Texas BBQ, but c'mon. My son is at school in Tuscaloosa and I have no intention of going to watch a game there even if it was against UT. The students would not even be able to get there without skipping class on Friday (no way to make the trip on Saturday) and would therefore have to pay for 2 hotel nights if they could even find one willing to rent to someone that age. Stay local or deal with no fans at the games and that doesn't really help the team perform up to their underperforming level.
Umm... if losing means bringing in teams that have been to BCS bowls rather than losing teams that haven't.... I guess I'll take it. Name only goes so far. Nebraska, used to have a good one.. after the conference re-alignment deal I think they took a hit. Aggie... honestly only reason SEC wants them is to recruit Texas better... they have Nothing to contribute. CU... I mean really, they are now just a doormat for another conference. If/when Mizzou... really? honestly... not a loss in my eyes
We need to leave the Big 12 even if we explore other conference options on our own. The LHN be damned! I am sick of Texas getting the shaft by staying in a dying conference and while we're at it, DeLoss Dodds needs to go!
I hope we are forced to add these distant universities to the Big-12. We've managed to lose universities with large fan bases and/or TV audiences and are replacing them with less attractive options. We will see how these changes play out when the Big-12 renegotiates their TV contract. Hopefully, this will speed up Texas' move to a superior conference (Big Ten).
It shouldn't surprise me that the Texas fan base would flip out much like they are over being 4-2 with mostly freshman and sophomores playing. Mizzou has not won anything in the two major sports, football and basketball, since the inception of the Big XII. We also don't lose any market by losing them to the SEC. Kansas and Kansas St already bring us the Kansas City market. Meanwhile, WVU is a huge upgrade in both football and basketball. Academics don't mean anything when it comes to conference affiliation. I haven't heard anyone complaining the entire time Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State have been in the conference. All of them are horrid academically. Research money and top students are not going to make a decision on whether to go to Texas because we play WVU every year in football.
You are fooling yourself if you think academics don't matter. Academics are why OU couldn't get in the Big 1G and why WVU has not been able to get in the SEC or ACC (much less the Big 1G). A big part of academic rankings are reputation based and if the Big 12 is rapidly going downhill reputation wise. It is going from a school that recently had 7 AAU schools to potentially only having 3, with 2 of those being fringe AAU in KU and Iowa State. The average USN Ranking is dropping like a rock and adding a complete turd in WVU (which would be one of the lowest rated schools in any AQ conference) is not a good thing. WVU is also in a small state with a declining population, no major markets, and is generally very poor. Their fan behavior is as bad as anyone in the country, they nearly killed some LSU folks up there for their game this year and literally had special patrols sent out to make sure no couches were left outdoors because they have such a propensity to burn them. That ignores the fact they are a very long distance away, there is no easy way to get there, and they have absolutely nothing in common culturally with any other school in the Big 12. Louisville and Cincy aren't much better unfortunately. There really aren't many pretty dance partners out there.
Did anybody in the Austin area catch what Chip Brown was saying around 6:15 today? I got interrupted and missed a slice of it, but when I got back to it the trailing words were about Notre Dame.... yes, Notre Dame... bringing all NON-football sports into the Big 12. For that to make sense they would be weary of hanging around too long in the Big East, and if they think the Big 12 is a suitable place to go it could be for two reason; one or the other, maybe both, or neither, as follows: 1) Don't really want to mix with any of the other majors within shouting distance 2).... the far-out reason... if and when it comes time to finally land with a football conference, then something is being talked about very privately that being in a conference with Texas is the one "player" that makes the most sense to be aligned with. I have felt all along that no matter what Notre Dame says outwardly, privately they would consider joining Texas, in any kind of scenario. I think Notre Dame sees that where their Independence was the thing to do in the 20th century, being aligned with TEXAS is the way to do it in the 21st century. I even privately think a main reason Texas' leadership has held to the Big 12 all this time, is that they see the need to be in a US-centric part of the country for a focus of conference members, and they have reason to believe a Notre Dame alliance will one day be part of that. Chip Brown commented that with all non-football in the conference, it would make sense for Texas (I would think may Oklahoma) to get on Notre Dame's yearly schedule on a rather permanent basis (ala, Michigan and USC). So... I don't see that on Orangebloods right now (but I'm not an inside member so can only see topics on the home page). Anyone got wind of this kind of talk? By the way, I don't like West Virginia being in the conference. WAY way way to far out of the picture. I would go Louisville for long term. I could care less about the cyclic football success. A coaching hire will show up as soon as they are in the Big 12, and I prefer them in basketball, and I would rather go to Louisville than to Morgantown. I'm not into the all the marketing mumbo-jumbo on tv markets, seating capacity, record and all that. None of these programs has a track record to bank on in that manner. Though I get it, I just don't think like it.
The best situation to try and appeal to ND would be for Mizzou to commit to B2, WV gets taken be SEC (it could happen) and Big East is reduced further, but not by Texas and B2. Let OU and Texas play ND (UT-ND T-Day FTW) and they can keep the rest of their schedule.
There appears to be a spike in rumors of ND to the B2 for non-football athletics. If we can't go to the SEC or B1G, and if the rumors have substance, then I hope ND lends some guidance to the B2 looking east, and going to at least 12. WV (poor sports that they are), Louisville and Cincinnati. With ND strengthing the midwest. ND's important recruiting grounds, especially for basketball, is the far east. Maybe Rutgers, possibly Connecticut?
ND in non-football athletics only won't save a conference, just look at the current state of the Big East. ND needs to be all in because at the end of the day, it's football that all of the decisions are based upon.
If this Notre Dame rumor is true, it would be amazing for the Big-12. Imagine what A&M and Missouri would think if Notre Dame joined in non-football and then later joined in all sports (still unlikely).
The Chronicle is not the only ones reporting the WV story. So is USA Today and the New York Post. NY Post USA Today
I agree with Santafe and Pogo: If the B2 can pull off Notre Dame + 6 conference football games, then that will be an astounding coup. If that happens, then ND may very well join the B2 down the road for all sports (god knows when). To help corral ND, we need to think 12 teams, probably all in the east, and the further east, the better. Think maybe 14 teams including either or both of Rutgers and Connecticut.
Agreed XOVER. The sinking ship analogy will be used by the fleeing rats and others who don't see the big picture. There is a reason Texas, OU, BYU, and ND have already put each other on their schedules for the coming years. A conference anchored by those 4 isn't going anywhere, especially when things like Kansas basketball are included.
How exactly is ND going to join the Big 12 considering that Hockey and Mens and Women's Lacrosse are major sports for them? Just curious.
Well, aggressor, I guess Texas will just have to build a hockey stadium. More seriously, there are independent college hockey leagues out there, which ND has been a member of for years. In other words, ND has not been a member of the Big East for hockey in the past. Ditto lacrosse. Pogo: Both Louisville and WV play some pretty good bb from time-to-time also. If ND even associates for non-football + several conference games, the whole equation changes. ND is a "10", as is Texas. Add OU, and maybe BYU, and yea, you've got a pretty good conference again.
