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Why won't they be in shape? It's no different than a player getting hurt and returning after 5 weeks. Just because they're not practicing with the team, doesn't mean they're not training on their own.

That is tough travel for basketball teams.

It is past time for conference leaders to get creative and come up with conference names that do NOT include numbers. Big 12 and PAC-12 need new names, but I think Big Ten is iconic enough to stay as is.

I disagree with the SMU and TCU taking potential market share. Their fan bases really aren't very big, especially SMU which is basically non existent. The real market share were losing are all of the UT and OU T-shirt fans, but your point still stands. Fundamentally we have a cultural problem that has been around for decades. If only a tiny fraction of our alumni base are willing to represent the brand, there's zero chance of taking share from the average T-shirt fan. Because of the PUF, the only 2 universities that your average normie likes to rep is UT and A&M. I know for certain that "stolen prestige" is a massive reason why these people exist. They get to walk around with UT shirts while having no affiliation with the school to feel good about accomplishments they've never earned. We all know these people. I'm skeptical its even possible to tap into this crowd anytime soon, but until our own graduates show pride, its a non-starter to start taking their share. I am optimistic though about slow change thanks to the TUF, perceptions should slowly improve. The problem is UNT's perception as second choice commuter school is deeply ingrained in the minds of most of these people we're trying to take share from. Why associate with a "loser" when you can just buy a t-shirt from wal-mart and be a winner Most the large programs have monster budgets not because of their alums, its the t-shirt fan viewership driving the media dollars and by extension, conference realignment. (unless you are bankrolled by billionaires)