One thing that might force ND to go to a conference is the fact that teams are expanding to 9 game conference seasons which will make it harder for them to schedule their usual teams like Mich, Mich St. etc.
*****The Super, Mega, Huge Big 12 Expansion Thread*****
- Thread starter CloneFan4
- Start date
- Status
Really Boomer? You know better than this. The quality of play in the Big 12, even at 9 teams, is miles ahead of the Big East.
Why is there this perception that more members = greater relevance?
Outside of the SEC, no conference has more than a couple of powerhouses. You could argue that the Big East and ACC don't have any.
That said, I think the Big 12 will expand. Does this expansion have to be today, or would the Big 12 slow down, be rational and say "we have until this date to expand"?
Yes. I've heard from a number of online rumor mills that, ultimately, Delaney wants to nab a couple of ACC teams to that the ACC raids the Big East and destroys it, which will in turn leave ND without a home for its non revenue sports.
I think the dissolution of the Big East forces ND into a conference. No other conference is going to give ND the sweetheart deal it currently has with the Big East.
Agreed. The big east has little national relevance not because they dont have 12 teams. Its been because while they havent been really bad, they just havent had any national powers. If you have OU, Texas, and any 7 other teams, you have a nationally relevant conference.
If A&M goes I think they should just freeze them out, what I mean by this is say sorry, you are leaving the big12 and we will not allow you to compete in our conference this season. Flip that s**t on 'em.
In fact, I think the Big 12 HAS to show some stability for a year or two before expanding. It gives them time to work the back channels and erode the public perception of infighting.
This might be a reason we are slow playing expansion - wait till the big boy is ready.
Right. A&M hasn't done any more on the field the past decade than we have, really. They are not a key to relevance. They have one bowl win since 1991 or something like that. Just ridiculous.
The idea that the loss of a school that's won 51% of it's conference games ever is some huge blow to relevance is ridiculous.
http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/pubomquery$omquery.queryview?P_OM_ID=136885&Z_CHK=33600
Item #15 from that agenda
This comes after the SEC presidents apparently are meeting on Sunday.
Item #15 from that agenda
This comes after the SEC presidents apparently are meeting on Sunday.
Agreed that a 9 team Big 12 is MILES ahead of the Big East in terms of competitiveness.
If TAMU leaves, the Big 12 needs to expand soon, until they do, there will be a perceived weakness and Larry Scott will continue to pursue the Texas/Tech/OU/OSU quartet. That will keep the rumors coming and continue the realignment hysteria in the Big 12.
The Big 12 needs to get to a point where no members want to leave. Until that happens, there will be instability.
The problem for UT/OU at this point is that a weakened Big 12 can be held against them if they have an undefeated team vying for a spot in the NC game....that is why those two schools may potentially be looking elsewhere.
I think the Big 12 might be at the point where no members want to leave, with A&M gone. "Might".
UT/OU can take care of that perceived weakness by adding a good OOC game with that extra slot.
I think the Big 12 will expand, but it can't be hasty. Obviously needs to be done by 2015, but they don't want to just throw themselves at schools like Houston.
And really, losing A&M doesn't drastically change OU and UT's SOS.
If the big east collapses, there would be 8 nonfootball schools (including ND) looking for a new conference. I could see those 8 starting a new conference. It would be:
ND
Marquette
St Johns
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Providence
I know there is an 8th, but I can't think of it right now.
They are most, if not all catholic schools too, so they could expand to 10 or 12 if they wanted with Xavier, Dayton, St Joes, St Louis, etc.
Historically speaking, A&M is a big loss, though it may not appear so currently.
A&M is the 24th winningest program all time. The next closest in the Big 12 is Texas Tech at 47...that's a pretty significant gap, historically speaking. Instead of having a top 25 program after two top 10 programs (OU/UT), you end up with your next strongest program barely being inside the top 50 all time.
I think the other Big XII schools will always be snooping around until Beebe adds at least one more school, if not 3 more. I probably will never feel safe in this conference if it only has 9 schools.
Missing DePaul.
And like has been said multiple times, Beebe can only do what the Presidents let him. If the Presidents trust each other and say they're in this thing, they aren't going to tell Beebe to do anything.
I don't know the peckng order in Texas, but, the A&M Regents meeting on the 15th might not be as significant as the legislative committee hearing on the 16th. Based on the folowing in the Statesman, there is a legitimate concern about the consequences for other Texas institutions. Beebe's involvment suggests a concern about potential impact on the conference, suggesting they think the conference will persevere. Or, the legislature could just be engaged in meaningless posturing.
The House Higher Education Committee announced today that it will meet Tuesday to discuss the implications of a possible move by Texas A&M University from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference.
The panel’s chairman, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said the Legislature’s focus is to ensure that whatever happens regarding A&M’s athletic affiliation “is in the best interests of the state of Texas.â€
“I’ve got a lot of members who have some questions about the possibility of A&M departing for a different athletic conference, the SEC,†Branch said.
“It’s a large public institution,†he said of A&M. “It could affect the other public institutions like UT and Texas Tech, as well as some of the private institutions in the state and their athletic programs.â€
A&M President R. Bowen Loftin, regents’ Chairman Richard Box, Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive have been invited to the hearing, Branch said.
The panel’s chairman, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said the Legislature’s focus is to ensure that whatever happens regarding A&M’s athletic affiliation “is in the best interests of the state of Texas.â€
“I’ve got a lot of members who have some questions about the possibility of A&M departing for a different athletic conference, the SEC,†Branch said.
“It’s a large public institution,†he said of A&M. “It could affect the other public institutions like UT and Texas Tech, as well as some of the private institutions in the state and their athletic programs.â€
A&M President R. Bowen Loftin, regents’ Chairman Richard Box, Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive have been invited to the hearing, Branch said.
Just some information about Texas and their take on what is going down today. This was from Shaggybevo and courtesy of OrangeBloods....
The latest on Texas A&M, including comments from DeLoss Dodds
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said today if Texas A&M leaves the Big 12 to join the SEC, his hope will be that the Big 12 stays together.
Dodds' statement came in response to a question during a luncheon speech at the Young Men's Business League of Austin.
Dodds also said if it meant peace in the Big 12, the Longhorn Network would never air a high school football game.
Dodds asked how many Aggies were in the crowd. When one of the Aggies asked if airing high school games on the Longhorn Network would be an unfair advantage for Texas, Dodds asked the Aggie about the state 7-on-7 tournament featuring high school players on the College Station campus every summer.
Dodds smiled and asked, "Do you know how we feel about that tournament being in College Station?" Then he smiled and said, "You probably don't because we never talk about it."
If Texas A&M was to leave, Dodds said the Big 12 might seek to bring in another school. Dodds also said if there was not sentiment to hold the Big 12 together by the remaining members that Texas and possibly Notre Dame could join forces to create a new conference.
Dodds gave no indication that Texas would pursue the possibility of becoming an independent.
A top administrator at another Big 12 school said the possibility of some Big 12 schools talking to the Pac-12 could become a reality again if Texas A&M was to bolt for the SEC.
In short, everyone in the Big 12 is back in scramble mode until Texas A&M makes clear what its intentions are.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday, "I'll be real honest with you. I just read about it the same time as y'all did. ... As far as I know, conversations are being had. That's frankly all I know. I just refer you to the university and the decision makers over there."
A Texas A&M source with direct knowledge of the Aggies' situation told Orangebloods.com the TAMU regents will be meeting later this month - possibly as early as Aug. 22 - to introduce a new chancellor and deliberate a potential move to the SEC.
A&M president Bowen Loftin has told reporters there is "uncertainty" about the Aggies' future in the Big 12.
The SEC has been largely silent on Texas A&M. And according to one SEC source, the Aggies will have to basically submit an application for acceptance into the SEC (that is expected to be rubber stamped in no time). That process allows members of the SEC to have plausible deniability about any move until A&M's application is submitted.
Two sources in the Big 12 said they've heard the SEC is also interested in adding Florida State to the SEC East.
Sources in the Big 12 say the same political forces that tried to slow down the breakup of the conference last summer are already trying to get answers from A&M about its intentions.
The Texas Legislature is no longer in session. But I was told Wednesday, "the legislators will have something to say about this."
For those wondering how Gov. Rick Perry might factor into all of this, Perry is weighing a run for the White House in 2012.
One source told me a move to the SEC by Texas A&M might help Perry, an A&M graduate and former yell leader, with voters in SEC states.
That's because a move by the Aggies into that conference would help the SEC get into Texas for recruiting purposes. Couldn't quite tell if the source was half-joking. Sadly, the source is probably right.
Several sources thought out loud about why Texas A&M would trade being in the more winnable Big 12, which has an easier path to a national title without a league title game, for a place in the SEC West with the likes of Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Auburn.
"Texas A&M should be in the top three of the Big 12 in football every year," one Big 12 source said. "In the SEC, they'll fight to be in the top half of the conference every year."
But sources close to Texas A&M say the Aggies are losing faith in the Big 12 as it is currently constructed and have serious issues with Texas and the Longhorn Network.
The latest on Texas A&M, including comments from DeLoss Dodds
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said today if Texas A&M leaves the Big 12 to join the SEC, his hope will be that the Big 12 stays together.
Dodds' statement came in response to a question during a luncheon speech at the Young Men's Business League of Austin.
Dodds also said if it meant peace in the Big 12, the Longhorn Network would never air a high school football game.
Dodds asked how many Aggies were in the crowd. When one of the Aggies asked if airing high school games on the Longhorn Network would be an unfair advantage for Texas, Dodds asked the Aggie about the state 7-on-7 tournament featuring high school players on the College Station campus every summer.
Dodds smiled and asked, "Do you know how we feel about that tournament being in College Station?" Then he smiled and said, "You probably don't because we never talk about it."
If Texas A&M was to leave, Dodds said the Big 12 might seek to bring in another school. Dodds also said if there was not sentiment to hold the Big 12 together by the remaining members that Texas and possibly Notre Dame could join forces to create a new conference.
Dodds gave no indication that Texas would pursue the possibility of becoming an independent.
A top administrator at another Big 12 school said the possibility of some Big 12 schools talking to the Pac-12 could become a reality again if Texas A&M was to bolt for the SEC.
In short, everyone in the Big 12 is back in scramble mode until Texas A&M makes clear what its intentions are.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday, "I'll be real honest with you. I just read about it the same time as y'all did. ... As far as I know, conversations are being had. That's frankly all I know. I just refer you to the university and the decision makers over there."
A Texas A&M source with direct knowledge of the Aggies' situation told Orangebloods.com the TAMU regents will be meeting later this month - possibly as early as Aug. 22 - to introduce a new chancellor and deliberate a potential move to the SEC.
A&M president Bowen Loftin has told reporters there is "uncertainty" about the Aggies' future in the Big 12.
The SEC has been largely silent on Texas A&M. And according to one SEC source, the Aggies will have to basically submit an application for acceptance into the SEC (that is expected to be rubber stamped in no time). That process allows members of the SEC to have plausible deniability about any move until A&M's application is submitted.
Two sources in the Big 12 said they've heard the SEC is also interested in adding Florida State to the SEC East.
Sources in the Big 12 say the same political forces that tried to slow down the breakup of the conference last summer are already trying to get answers from A&M about its intentions.
The Texas Legislature is no longer in session. But I was told Wednesday, "the legislators will have something to say about this."
For those wondering how Gov. Rick Perry might factor into all of this, Perry is weighing a run for the White House in 2012.
One source told me a move to the SEC by Texas A&M might help Perry, an A&M graduate and former yell leader, with voters in SEC states.
That's because a move by the Aggies into that conference would help the SEC get into Texas for recruiting purposes. Couldn't quite tell if the source was half-joking. Sadly, the source is probably right.
Several sources thought out loud about why Texas A&M would trade being in the more winnable Big 12, which has an easier path to a national title without a league title game, for a place in the SEC West with the likes of Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Auburn.
"Texas A&M should be in the top three of the Big 12 in football every year," one Big 12 source said. "In the SEC, they'll fight to be in the top half of the conference every year."
But sources close to Texas A&M say the Aggies are losing faith in the Big 12 as it is currently constructed and have serious issues with Texas and the Longhorn Network.
I think the Big 12 might be at the point where no members want to leave, with A&M gone. "Might".
UT/OU can take care of that perceived weakness by adding a good OOC game with that extra slot.
I think the Big 12 will expand, but it can't be hasty. Obviously needs to be done by 2015, but they don't want to just throw themselves at schools like Houston.
And really, losing A&M doesn't drastically change OU and UT's SOS.
- Status