The Big 12 Expansion Sham

[Smulaw90]

To most of us, the opportunity to join the Big 12 was never realistic. Most people believed that UH (given its recent football success) was a much more probable choice. Coupled with the fact that UT wanted to expand its medical school into Houston, there was talk of a quid-pro-quo. UH would withdraw any opposition to expansion, and UT would throw its weight to support UH's inclusion.

Earlier today the chairman of the UH Board of Regents made the following comment regarding the sham regarding Big 12 expansion. It makes one wonder if the real intent was to deflect/diffuse the oncoming Baylor fiasco.

Chairman Fertitta: "You know when I knew we were in trouble?" Fertitta said. "There were three [university] presidents who were on the [Big 12 expansion] committee and when we went to the interview, they weren't even part of the interview process. I walked out of that meeting and said 'Wow, this is a sham. There's no intention of doing anything.'

"It was one of the great shams in college football, and college athletics, and just college period. ... It was a total sham and I sit here today and I laugh at the Big 12 and their leadership."

It's disappointing that the University of Texas -- who wants to open a campus in Houston and said they would never do anything to harm the University of Houston, with all the football coaches in America, who said that they would stand up for us to get into the Big 12 and then didn't even vote for us when they met with the commissioner and all the schools.

[Pony81]

There has always been lots of bad blood between UT and UH. I remember in the early 2000 UT and UH had a football home and home . UH thrashed UT at home and acted like classless idiots on the field afterward. Really stuck in the craw of UT. The next year, the understanding was that the game in Houston would be played at the pro football stadium (Reliant?) but it wasn't in writing. UH forced the game to be played at Robertson Field so they could have the might UT play at their small home stadium. UT was pissed because they got almost no ticket sales as opposed to what they would have gotten at Reliant.
Last home and home needless to say. UT is the big dog and 2nd tier state school don't poke the big dog.

Now UH has a reason to hate UT. I never believed all the UT love being reported. The UT boosters I know think UH is a dinky dink 3rd tier classless institution.

[East Coast Mustang]

The next year, the understanding was that the game in Houston would be played at the pro football stadium (Reliant?) but it wasn't in writing. UH forced the game to be played at Robertson Field so they could have the might UT play at their small home stadium. UT was pissed because they got almost no ticket sales as opposed to what they would have gotten at Reliant.

Sounds like Texas had the worst attorneys imaginable drafting their scheduling agreements

[SMUPhil]

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2001-09-18-houston-stadium.htm

This is the 2001 Robertson Stadium fiasco.

[Pony81]

That's it.

Rice or the Astrodome could have hosted the game - and sold more seats - but UH refused.

[CalallenStang]

There has always been lots of bad blood between UT and UH. I remember in the early 2000 UT and UH had a football home and home . UH thrashed UT at home and acted like classless idiots on the field afterward.

1) it was a 2-for-1
2) UT won all three games: 48-0 in Austin in 2000 in the game you reference.
3) They did play the 2002 game in Austin after the 2001 Robertson Stadium fiasco
4) I believe DeLoss Dodds said something along the lines of Texas would never play the Cougars in Houston again after the Robertson Stadium fiasco

[Digetydog]

Maybe the Coogs could have spoken to our people prior to the meetings? When I spoke to someone in our athletic department, he told me they did NOT expect the B12 to expand.

[AustinPerson]

I don't think UT was trying to add a medical school to Houston - UT already has a medical school in Houston.

UT is trying to create a UT-Dallas in Houston. That's the big battle with Cougar High. UH thinks it's a university. But UT thinks that it's a high school. Baylor is a bible college.

[mustangxc]

The University of Houston wants to add a medical school. The University of Texas wants to add an undergraduate campus in Houston.

[HubbaHubba]

I think some of the B12 wanted to expand. When they go to a conference championship game they would benefit from having more teams and lessening the chance of the same 2 teams playing back to back games. Coog middle school was an obvious choice given its location in a big market and recent football success. The bonus was to deflect attention from the criminal perverts in Waco to the conference expansion discussion. The emasculated bovines and their pals in Okie land didn't want to share the wealth and wouldn't play along. The bonus bonus to ut was it would be easier to poach the coach from a G5 school than from their new conference mate. Now if the Big 12 gets shut out of the playoffs this year and next they may rethink this expansion thing.

[smusportspage]

UT is a bully and a whiney bxxstxrd. Not a pretty look and not much to like about them at the moment.

[Charleston Pony]

If the Big XII was serious about expansion, no Texas school would be on their list. I thought all along that Cincy, UCF & USF were the most viable candidates

[BleedSMUPride]

If the Big XII was serious about expansion, no Texas school would be on their list. I thought all along that Cincy, UCF & USF were the most viable candidates

Why would they expand in Florida? CIncy makes sense as it is also a major city and can form a rivalry with WV. UCF and USF are in the middle of ACC and SEC territory and don't add any excitement to the conference. Houston is an SEC city but the fact its in Texas means Big 12 would win it back and UH was a playoff contender while being in our conference, so imagine what they could do by being in the Big 12. UH and Cincy should definitely have gotten in over anyone else

[Charleston Pony]

If the Big XII was serious about expansion, no Texas school would be on their list. I thought all along that Cincy, UCF & USF were the most viable candidates

Why would they expand in Florida? CIncy makes sense as it is also a major city and can form a rivalry with WV. UCF and USF are in the middle of ACC and SEC territory and don't add any excitement to the conference. Houston is an SEC city but the fact its in Texas means Big 12 would win it back and UH was a playoff contender while being in our conference, so imagine what they could do by being in the Big 12. UH and Cincy should definitely have gotten in over anyone else

Expansion is about EXPANDING your footprint and marketability. Big XII has already captured Texas. Houston doesn't help that and expansion is NOT about bringing someone else in to steal UT or OU's thunder. UCF & USF are among the largest school in the country and have tremendous potential...not to mention being in the eastern time zone where West Virginia would like some company. Obviously, Cincy and Ohio would be a better fit/mate for WV, if only one school in the eastern time zone was being considered.

[mustangxc]

To me the most logical thing would be for the Big XII to replace Baylor with Houston and add Cincinnati and Memphis.