Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:54 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:54 pmNEW YORK -- A person involved in the discussions tells The Associated Press that school and conference officials from the Big East and Big 12 have been discussing ways to merge what's left of the two leagues if Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12.
The person, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk publicly about what is going on behind the scenes, said Monday there has been dialogue between athletic directors and high-level officials in the conference offices.
Syracuse and Pittsburgh have announced they will be leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Texas and Oklahoma are both trying to decide whether to leave the Big 12 for the Pac-12, taking Oklahoma State and Texas Tech with them.
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:56 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:00 pm
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:00 pmCoxMustangFan wrote:IMO, worst possible outcome for SMU. They get left behind.
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:03 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:23 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:26 pmCharleston Pony wrote:SEC still needs one member and the ACC is just defending themselves. The SEC, ACC, PAC 12 and Big 10 are in position to destroy what is left of the Big East and Big XII
There are still opportunities for SMU and hopefully when the dust settles, we will be reunited with Baylor and TCU
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:06 pmCoxMustangFan wrote:IMO, worst possible outcome for SMU. They get left behind.
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:16 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:16 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:25 pmCharleston Pony wrote:SEC still needs one member and the ACC is just defending themselves. The SEC, ACC, PAC 12 and Big 10 are in position to destroy what is left of the Big East and Big XII
There are still opportunities for SMU and hopefully when the dust settles, we will be reunited with Baylor and TCU
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:38 pm3. What will happen to the Big East and Big 12? If Connecticut and Rutgers leave for the ACC, it's hard to imagine the Big East surviving. Then again, if the aforementioned Big 12 teams leave for the Pac-12 and Texas A&M joins the SEC, it's even more difficult to believe that the Big 12 would survive. In the end, the Big 12 or Big East might survive by feeding off the carnage of the other.
The Big East's remaining football-playing schools -- Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, TCU (which is set to join the Big East in 2012) and West Virginia -- might be absorbed by what's left of the Big 12. The Big 12 then could add Texas-based schools such as Houston and SMU as well as BYU or Boise State to reach 12 teams.
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:45 pmPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:29 pmStallion wrote:This is the scenario where the Big East and Big 12 survive in some form. Good for SMU. Just remember the Coaches of the remnants of the Big 12 desperately want to retain access to Texas recruiting. Look at their rosters. Although SMU will likely be the 4th in line, Dallas might be their most important recruiting base. When push comes to shove do these schools want an East based Conference or a Texas based conference. TCU has the same issue to resolve. The worst scenario is a TCU/Houston/ Baylor coalition that blocks SMU from the Best Leftovers Conference