More Realignment Possibilities

untjim1995 · May 4, 2016

Sounds like the Big XII is finally realizing that having a couple of other teams would really help their chances at getting a playoff berth for other teams in their league not named OU or UT.

The regular names are coming up: BYU, Cincy, Memphis, UCF, USF, UConn, Boise State, Colorado State, and UH. I don't see UH getting in, so I'll take them off the list, but they would be really smart to take BYU and Cincy, IMO. Boise is too far west, especially with WVU in the conference. UConn is too far to the NE. Colorado State isn't that big and the Florida schools look a lot like UH, good schools, good programs, not enough value for a power conference.

Obviously, BYU gives you a national name and high value in revenue sports. The Big XII could easily get around the whole bit of avoiding Sunday games for them.

If the AAC loses Cincy, it will be interesting to see who they get to replace them. This may be where the MAC gets hit, as I could easily see NIU being the replacement. That would save CUSA from losing anybody, which would be good for UNT. I doubt that the MAC would replace them with anyone else, since they would still be at 12 teams.

I also saw on cbssports.com that Wichita State wants the MWC to consider them as a member, since Hawaii only plays football in the MWC, but everything else is in the Big West. But because they don't have football, the MWC commissioner doesn't seem too interested. The article mentions UTEP as a possibility to the MWC because of familiarity with the schools in the MWC as former conference mates. I still contend they will go that way only if the MWC adds other Texas schools. If the MWC ever splits with Hawaii, I could very easily see them adding in three schools to get to 14, which would be UTEP, Rice, and either us or UTSA. If we could build up our program ahead of UTSA significantly, we could overcome their location advantage fairly easily. As I've posted before, I truly believe that the MWC and AAC are going to be leagues that the power conferences will allow to stay aligned with them in the future, not as equals, but like they currently are, as leagues that will be allowed to play them in OOC games and give them a chance at earning a BCS Bowl berth. I figure we have about 5 years to get things built up and to garner attention of the MWC for this possibility, since SMU in the AAC stops our chances to ever go there. But so does UTSA, too...

DeepGreen · May 4, 2016

"If we could build up our program ahead of UTSA significantly, we could overcome their location advantage fairly easily."

untjim1995, wish I could believe this were true, but sadly our time for a move up has come and gone. Bad hires in football led to terrible records over the 10 year span. And poor attendance. With our current leadership, from the Chancellor, BOR, President, and Athletic Director, we will be stuck where we are forever. I see no upward move in conferences for UNT. Ever.

Mean Green 93-98 · May 4, 2016

45 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

I also saw on cbssports.com that Wichita State wants the MWC to consider them as a member, since Hawaii only plays football in the MWC, but everything else is in the Big West. But because they don't have football, the MWC commissioner doesn't seem too interested.

Wichita State is also talking about bringing back football. I don't know if that would be enough to bring around Craig Thompson and the MWC, but it certainly increases their chances.

untjim1995 · May 4, 2016

37 minutes ago, DeepGreen said:

"If we could build up our program ahead of UTSA significantly, we could overcome their location advantage fairly easily."

untjim1995, wish I could believe this were true, but sadly our time for a move up has come and gone. Bad hires in football led to terrible records over the 10 year span. And poor attendance. With our current leadership, from the Chancellor, BOR, President, and Athletic Director, we will be stuck where we are forever. I see no upward move in conferences for UNT. Ever.

I pretty much agree, Deep, but the possibility does exist that we could do it. Can you imagine the embarrassment that we will feel if UTEP, Rice, and UTSA go to the MWC, allowing them to stay in the FBS level, while we get dropped back to a lower level? Of course, we are in the 2% that care, so it really would only embarrass us...

22 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

Wichita State is also talking about bringing back football. I don't know if that would be enough to bring around Craig Thompson and the MWC, but it certainly increases their chances.

If WSU brings football back (big stretch) and their basketball program stays at the level they have been in the last 5 years, they will get invited upward, but I believe it would be CUSA or the MAC at best for them for football, which really doesn't help them as much, since the MVC is a better basketball league. Now, if the MWC says to them that they will gain admittance as is, with the reality that they will be full conference mates once their football program gets up and running, ala South Florida in the old CUSA, that investment would probably be worth it, if only because it would let them be in a FBS league with staying power way above the MAC, CUSA, and SBC.

forevereagle · May 4, 2016

If Boise is too far west, then wouldn't BYU also be?

untjim1995 · May 4, 2016

9 minutes ago, forevereagle said:

If Boise is too far west, then wouldn't BYU also be?

Apparently not...

Edited May 4, 2016 by untjim1995

Greenrex · May 4, 2016

8 minutes ago, forevereagle said:

If Boise is too far west, then wouldn't BYU also be?

Well...there's Boise west...then there's BYU west. See the difference?

forevereagle · May 4, 2016

23 minutes ago, Greenrex said:

Well...there's Boise west...then there's BYU west. See the difference?

Slightly.

untjim1995 · May 4, 2016

My guess is that the difference in mileage between travel to Provo, Utah and Boise State is substantially less than eyeballs of millions of Mormons that BYU brings against the massive media market known as Boise, Idaho...

oldguystudent · May 4, 2016

Compromise. BYU Idaho.

Wag Tag · May 5, 2016

18 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Sounds like the Big XII is finally realizing that having a couple of other teams would really help their chances at getting a playoff berth for other teams in their league not named OU or UT.

The regular names are coming up: BYU, Cincy, Memphis, UCF, USF, UConn, Boise State, Colorado State, and UH. I don't see UH getting in, so I'll take them off the list, but they would be really smart to take BYU and Cincy, IMO. Boise is too far west, especially with WVU in the conference. UConn is too far to the NE. Colorado State isn't that big and the Florida schools look a lot like UH, good schools, good programs, not enough value for a power conference.

Obviously, BYU gives you a national name and high value in revenue sports. The Big XII could easily get around the whole bit of avoiding Sunday games for them.

If the AAC loses Cincy, it will be interesting to see who they get to replace them. This may be where the MAC gets hit, as I could easily see NIU being the replacement. That would save CUSA from losing anybody, which would be good for UNT. I doubt that the MAC would replace them with anyone else, since they would still be at 12 teams.

I also saw on cbssports.com that Wichita State wants the MWC to consider them as a member, since Hawaii only plays football in the MWC, but everything else is in the Big West. But because they don't have football, the MWC commissioner doesn't seem too interested. The article mentions UTEP as a possibility to the MWC because of familiarity with the schools in the MWC as former conference mates. I still contend they will go that way only if the MWC adds other Texas schools. If the MWC ever splits with Hawaii, I could very easily see them adding in three schools to get to 14, which would be UTEP, Rice, and either us or UTSA. If we could build up our program ahead of UTSA significantly, we could overcome their location advantage fairly easily. As I've posted before, I truly believe that the MWC and AAC are going to be leagues that the power conferences will allow to stay aligned with them in the future, not as equals, but like they currently are, as leagues that will be allowed to play them in OOC games and give them a chance at earning a BCS Bowl berth. I figure we have about 5 years to get things built up and to garner attention of the MWC for this possibility, since SMU in the AAC stops our chances to ever go there. But so does UTSA, too...

Man I wonder how UT & OU look at the adding of lower tier teams? Sounds familiar! Look for OU, UT and OSU to move to other conferences!

Ben Gooding · May 5, 2016

I think UNT is going to the big12. I feel it in my veins.

UNTLifer · May 5, 2016

Aaaannnndddd, welcome to the time of year where nothing else is going on.

Harry · May 5, 2016

1 hour ago, Wag Tag said:

Man I wonder how UT & OU look at the adding of lower tier teams? Sounds familiar! Look for OU, UT and OSU to move to other conferences!

I tend to agree with you. There just aren't any great teams left. UT may have to bite their pride and join the SEC.

DeepGreen · May 5, 2016

Ironically, most of the demise of the Big 12 was due to that Longwhorn network ut created for itself.

Army of Dad · May 5, 2016

25 minutes ago, Harry said:

I tend to agree with you. There just aren't any great teams left. UT may have to bite their pride and join the SEC.

I don't think the SEC would take them. I'm sure A&M would like to block them from joining...

Cerebus · May 5, 2016

45 minutes ago, Harry said:

UT may have to bite their pride and join the SEC.

More likely (IMHO) that UT and OUT end up in the PAC12.

Harry · May 5, 2016

4 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

More likely (IMHO) that UT and OUT end up in the PAC12.

That's certainly possible. Program size and Budget wise they seem to be a better fit with the SEC. And OU seems to follow them where ever they go.

Wag Tag · May 5, 2016

27 minutes ago, Harry said:

That's certainly possible. Program size and Budget wise they seem to be a better fit with the SEC. And OU seems to follow them where ever they go.

Where OU goes OSU will have to go. It will have to be a package deal otherwise politics will get involved.

untjim1995 · May 5, 2016

2 hours ago, Wag Tag said:

Man I wonder how UT & OU look at the adding of lower tier teams? Sounds familiar! Look for OU, UT and OSU to move to other conferences!

Basically, the Big XII has three pieces that have major value to other power conferences: UT (everything), OU (sports), and KU (basketball, AAU membership). After that, WVU carries some value in sports, but carries poor academics. OSU, Tech, and KSU are similar, but share the states with big brother. ISU has AAU membership, but that's about it. And the two private schools, TCU and Baylor, don't carry much value to other power conferences at all.

I still believe that the Pac, B1G, and the ACC are the conferences that will absorb a lot of the Big XII when its all said and done. The SEC will go east to get ACC schools in states they don't have a presence, such as Va Tech and NC State, meaning WVU and UConn will probably end up in the ACC. The Pac will probably get the Texoma Four together. the B1G will add KU and another ACC school that is also an AAU member (Ga Tech, UVa, or UNC).

The 4 leftovers, KSU,ISU, TCU, and Baylor, will fill into the MWC and AAC.

forevereagle · May 5, 2016

44 minutes ago, Harry said:

And OU seems to follow them where ever they go.

Not sure I follow this. UT was in the SWC prior to the Big 12. The Big 8 became the Big 12 when A&M, UT, Tech, and Baylor joined. OU was already a member of the Big 8. It seems that UT followed OU, not the other way around.

VideoEagle · May 5, 2016

What I've heard through my Baylor sources is expansion isn't a certainly. While OU has lead the push to evaluate expansion, they are less than thrilled with the options available. If there was a choice that would have made sense to 2/3 of the members then they would have already expanded! The big evaluation is does adding a championship game really add to the chances of getting into the playoff or not. Then, does adding more teams add to the chances of getting into the playoffs. The conference commission a group to study all of the options. Breaking up the conference is a possibility, but the last study they did showed they did better together as the Big XII then any individually would do in another conference including UT.

By the way, I always found the big irony of the Longhorn network is that it was an idea from A&M. They built facilities for "12th Man Productions" with the idea it would be the core of an Aggie Network. But ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC all passed on it as the Aggies just did draw that much outside of East Texas. The Aggies push got ESPN and then UT thinking about who COULD drive a network which lead to the Longhorn Network. The Aggies got furious because UT pulled off what they could not! So they took their ball and joined the SEC. Now it looks like they going to be a middle or lower football team in that league for the next few years baring the second coming of a Johnny Football-type player. Those guys don't come around often.