*****The Super, Mega, Huge Big 12 Expansion Thread*****

[cyman05]

New Pete Thamel-NY Times article...seems to be insinuating 2 things:

1. If Louisville/WV get invited to B12 both will bolt
2. Navy/Air Force will not accept their invites until they see how things play out the next couple weeks....which could cause the exit fee increase trigger to fail if one of them declines their invite.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/s...ts-football-fate-others-control-the-ball.html

The Big East is muddling through the Big Wait. Everything hinges on how the Big 12 reacts after Missouri’s expected move to the Southeastern Conference. The Big 12 will not sit at nine teams, and will consider growing to 10 or 12. That would leave Marinatto hoping that the Big East does not get raided again. Louisville and West Virginia are prime Big 12 targets. Losing both could be fatal for the league, as it would then be down to four football programs. Neither would hesitate to go.

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The Big East prefers to add Central Florida, Southern Methodist and Houston for all sports and Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only.
“We’re just sitting back watching,” Air Force Athletic Director Hans Mueh said Tuesday. “We’re pretty happy in the Mountain West Conference. There’s no real impetus to do anything but sit back and watch.”
The Big East has voted to increase its exit fee to $10 million from $5 million if Navy or Air Force joins. Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said that was a “tangible sign of a unified front by those remaining schools.” But he said there are other issues that Navy needs to see resolved, including the caliber of the Big East’s future television deal, which it will negotiate within the next year, and the status of its Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying bid. West Virginia is critical to both, as it is the league’s football backbone and a proven television commodity.
“What I see is Navy making a decision when Navy is confident that the Big East Conference is stable and that we have clearly identified who is in and who is out,” Gladchuk said Tuesday.

 

[cyman05]

Don't know if you guys saw this, but Arkansas AD confirms that gentleman's agreement to not expand into existing states is in effect...basically reducing expansion choice to Mizzou or West Virginia since no ACC schools are biting.

Long has news on A&M, SEC | Arkansas News

During his speech, Long said the SEC is preparing a 13-team schedule for 2012, but he is still hopeful the league can add a 14th team. The deadline for doing so is “coming quickly,â€￾ but he would not elaborate.
It is imperative, he told the audience, that the league get to 14 teams. Otherwise, there will be inequities in the schedule, he said. “We won’t stay long as a 13-team conference,â€￾ he said.
Leaders of other SEC schools have made similar statements.
Long told the Touchdown Club that there are a “number of institutions interestedâ€￾ in the SEC. In a brief news conference after the luncheon, he would not name names. Nobody expected him to do so.
He did acknowledge a gentleman’s agreement of sorts that the SEC would not invite a school from a state that already has a school in the league. Such an agreement would preclude Clemson, Florida State, and Georgia Tech, among others. A 14th member also must be a geographic fit, he said,
“There are not a whole lot of options out there,â€￾ he said. The SEC is “being cautious and rightfully so.â€￾

 

[Al_4_State]

Schools always deny that something is done until its done. A&M said they were a happy member of the Big 12 until the day they were accepted. You never burn bridges because you never know what will happen.

The person who said it, "wasn't true" was a university official speaking on behalf of the Chancellor. Schools have to lie about the truth until the paperwork is done.

Now, does that mean its possible the spokesman was telling the truth? Yes, its possible, but schools have lied more than they've told the truth in order to avoid even more legal issues than are already involved.

Ummm, no they didn't.

 

[cyman05]

Ummm, no they didn't.

I'm talking about public statements from the university. Yes, there were PLENTY of grumblings, but Loftin had nothing bad to say about the Big 12 until after they were conditionally accepted by the SEC.

 

[Al_4_State]

It's interesting because I don't know anyone who has interacted with a Mizzou fan face to face (not on internet) and said Mizzou fan wanted to go to the SEC. Maybe they are two faced or I don't know what??

Perhaps because the Mizzou fans most of us know are more Northern Mizzou and all the SEC homers are South of I70??

I think it's just a case of the majority of the fanbase not being the guys clamoring for this on the internet.

I think one of the articles said that the Mizzou AD had received around 200 emails, all for the SEC, but last weekend there were 71,000 people in Faurot Field, a good 66,000 of whom were Mizzou fans.

Just a very vocal minority. People content with the status quo rarely voice their opinion.

 

[alarson]

I think the pro SEC faction of the Mizzou fanbase is a vocal minority. Very vocal, but very minor.

Its funny how there's such a disconnect between fans and their schools sometimes. Aside from this example, i talked to several texas fans at that game... most of them didnt like how their school wasnt being a team player much of the time, and wished they'd gone in with a b12 network. Not all of them of course, but most.

 

[cyman05]

New Frank the Tank article...

He doesn't really say anything new, but makes some awesome points. His biggest point is that when the Big 10 courted Nebraska it was super secret and behind the scenes. Same with TCU to Big 12.

Then he writes this...

The SEC, though, doesn’t play that way. Clandestine expansion operations? Pfffffft. Oh sure, Mike Slive will continuously issue official statements that “The SEC is happy right now and it isn’t inviting any school that’s already a member of another conference.†Of course, that SEC position means that it fully expects and requires any school that wants to join the league to publicly break up with its current conference just like in The Confrontation in Cheaters before applying. This seems to more than just a legal technicality. For all of the CYA tactics that Slive and the SEC presidents used prior to admitting Texas A&M, I honestly think that they get a kick out of public institutions openly going through a divorce with their current leagues. As a result, we have a fairly unprecedented situation where two different schools (Texas A&M and now Missouri) have gone through extremely long, public and acrimonious processes just to get to the point of applying to the SEC. I can’t really tell you whether this is really the right or wrong approach compared to the Big Ten’s Operation Purple Book Cat, but one thing should be clear: the SEC doesn’t do any super secret invites. Thus, forget about the thought that the SEC might be targeting West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida State and/or Clemson. It’s all about Missouri right now.

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Another interesting point:

If there’s been one constant in conference realignment, it’s been that whenever a weaker conference starts thinking that it can attack a wounded stronger conference, that stronger conference slaps the weaker conference back to the stone age. It’s hard to remember now, but there was about a week in Summer 2010 when the WAC was actually thinking that it could raid the MWC after BYU declared its independence. MWC commissioner Craig Thompson then proceeded to go off on the WAC like Sonny Corleone on Carlo Rizzi by essentially grabbing everyone except for poor Utah State. A lot of Big East fans back in August were having thoughts of absorbing a number of Big 12 schools such as Kansas or even raiding the ACC with the promise of a new lucrative TV deal. That led to the ACC taking two old line Big East members and the Big 12 grabbing didn’t-even-get-a-chance-to-play-in-the-Big-East member TCU while continuing to swarm like a vulture. We now see the Big East will always be in the position of raidee instead of the raider compared to the other AQ conferences.

Will Missouri End Realignment Rumor Misery? « FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT

 

[QBUMizzou]

I was in Columbia this weekend, and the overwhelming sentiment among everyone I talked to was pro-Big 12. I did not talk to one person who was pro-SEC. Not one.

I think the pro SEC faction of the Mizzou fanbase is a vocal minority. Very vocal, but very minor.

I'm not predicting what Mizzou will do, but I see them as 50/50. I feel like no one in power really wants to move, but like A&M (and maybe even to a greater degree because all jizz jarers wanted to move) the inmates are running the asylum.

Oh please. :skeptical:

I love how you guys just pull numbers out of your @#!@##$.

No one on this board knows the sentiments of the Mizzou fan base, including me, and I am a Mizzou lifer.

All of my personal friends and family want anything but the Big 12 because the implosion isn't over. OU and TU are going to come to blows eventually and then our friends from KU, ISU and State are going to understand why the move to the SEC was Mizzou's golden parachute.

Look, I have said from the very beginning that I do not believe Mizzou is going to the SEC, and I still have trouble believing they will. But I have no idea how anyone could blame them if they do. This conference is a one-armed, two-headed, freak show.

 

[QBUMizzou]

I also love how the national media is body-slamming Mizzou for shopping around.

Especially when it's perfectly acceptable for everyone else to do so.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Missouri - The Conference *****

Est. Dec 2009

 

[cyman05]

This conference is a one-armed, two-headed, freak show.

And Missouri is now the only member with two long and drawn out courtships with other conferences. Missouri leads the pack in dysfunctionality.

 

[CyCrazy]

Oh please. :skeptical:

I love how you guys just pull numbers out of your @#!@##$.

No one on this board knows the sentiments of the Mizzou fan base, including me, and I am a Mizzou lifer.

All of my personal friends and family want anything but the Big 12 because the implosion isn't over. OU and TU are going to come to blows eventually and then our friends from KU, ISU and State are going to understand why the move to the SEC was Mizzou's golden parachute.

Look, I have said from the very beginning that I do not believe Mizzou is going to the SEC, and I still have trouble believing they will. But I have no idea how anyone could blame them if they do. This conference is a one-armed, two-headed, freak show.

Im glad your friends and family think that way. Now move along so we can add Louisville.

 

[Al_4_State]

Its funny how there's such a disconnect between fans and their schools sometimes. Aside from this example, i talked to several texas fans at that game... most of them didnt like how their school wasnt being a team player much of the time, and wished they'd gone in with a b12 network. Not all of them of course, but most.

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me much.

The only fanbase of a misbehaving school that I've really seen back said school was A&M's. They've been wanting the SEC for awhile now it seems in the face of about any rational argument one can make, and by all accounts it sounds like the administration did not want to leave but did so to avoid a full scale fan mutiny. Letting the inmates run the asylum.

 

[CyCrazy]

I also love how the national media is body-slamming Mizzou for shopping around.

Especially when it's perfectly acceptable for everyone else to do so.

 

[CrossCyed]

I also love how the national media is body-slamming Mizzou for shopping around.

Especially when it's perfectly acceptable for everyone else to do so.

You're asking people why they aren't leaving the burning house when you started the fire.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

Oh please. :skeptical:

I love how you guys just pull numbers out of your @#!@##$.

No one on this board knows the sentiments of the Mizzou fan base, including me, and I am a Mizzou lifer.

All of my personal friends and family want anything but the Big 12 because the implosion isn't over. OU and TU are going to come to blows eventually and then our friends from KU, ISU and State are going to understand why the move to the SEC was Mizzou's golden parachute.

Look, I have said from the very beginning that I do not believe Mizzou is going to the SEC, and I still have trouble believing they will. But I have no idea how anyone could blame them if they do. This conference is a one-armed, two-headed, freak show.

IT'S YOUR FAULT

 

[Al_4_State]

Oh please. :skeptical:

I love how you guys just pull numbers out of your @#!@##$.

No one on this board knows the sentiments of the Mizzou fan base, including me, and I am a Mizzou lifer.

All of my personal friends and family want anything but the Big 12 because the implosion isn't over. OU and TU are going to come to blows eventually and then our friends from KU, ISU and State are going to understand why the move to the SEC was Mizzou's golden parachute.

Look, I have said from the very beginning that I do not believe Mizzou is going to the SEC, and I still have trouble believing they will. But I have no idea how anyone could blame them if they do. This conference is a one-armed, two-headed, freak show.

The idea that UT and OU are going to leave, at this point, is not based in reality. They don't gain anything in the Pac, and the Pac has said that door is closed. The focus is on growing the Big 12.

Keep justifying how the internet jihadistic wing of your fanbase is trying to blow your program up in the name of some dumb chant.

You guys are turning this into some self fulfilling prophecy, and and are justifying the potential SEC move based on circular logic. "We're leaving the Big 12 because it's unstable" but it's your school's attempted moves that are creating a lot of the instability.

Now please, **** or get off the pot. I like Columbia and real-life Mizzou fans, but I'd like to see the Big 12 back at 12. If that means you guys getting the f*ck out, then by all means: get the f*ck out. You're holding the whole damn process up. Make up your damn minds one way or the other. We'd like you to stay, but we sure don't need it.

 

[QBUMizzou]

Missouri - The Conference *****

Est. Dec 2009

Using your lingo, if Mizzou is a conference ***** then ISU is the Big 12's slut.

ISU does "it" for nothing. At least Mizzou is about to get paid.

 

[QBUMizzou]

Im glad your friends and family think that way. Now move along so we can add Louisville.

Yes, that is such an upgrade. lol.

 

[Al_4_State]

Using your lingo, if Mizzou is a conference ***** then ISU is the Big 12's slut.

ISU does "it" for nothing. At least Mizzou is about to get paid.

Mizzou would get paid in the Big 12. You aren't making much more money. All you're gaining is telling people how you're in the nation's best conference and a few more losses each year.

If the people I had met this weekend were as stupid as you are, I would have left Columbia with a much more negative opinion. I feel bad for the rational majority of your fanbase that the vocal idiots are driving the bus off the cliff, chanting "SEC" all the way.