Texas to the Big 10?

[huskerpony]

1. I have heard ZERO mention of Nebraska going to the Pac-10--although I like that thought far better than the Big 10 talk (and that is very unlikely unless there is major chaos.)

2. There is NO rivalry between Nebraska and Colorado. Colorado thinks there is, but there is not.

3. Don't count out Oklahoma's willingness to move to the North. I think it is unlikely, but they have shown before that they are more interested in winning national championships than they are about maintaining rivalries. (There could also be a scenario where they move north but adopt an SEC format to keep the UT game. Although they have repeatedly said they would only play Nebraska and Texas every year if one of them can count as a non-conference game.)

4. If there are 2 Big 12 vacancies, the first attempt will be Arkansas, but will likely be unsuccessful. Then it is probably to BYU and CSU, if Utah is unavailable. This round of realignments is all about TV markets and they will try to keep the Denver market or add the Salt Lake market, which is surprisingly large.

5. Dan Bebe is an idiot and should be replaced before the conference gets shredded.

[lwjr]

Nice take on the Texas to Big 10,11 from the Barking Carnival website. It is a UT fan website, but they have some really good writers and they write some of the funniest articles I have read.


http://barkingcarnival.fantake.com/2010 ... expansion/

PONY UP!!!!

[Topper]

if ut goes to the big 10 this is going to cause a massive shakeup in conferences where regions don't matter anymore.

i predict smu to the sec or big east.

texas leads the nation in d1 recruits followed by florida and california. no one else is even close. we could be be a valuable commodity. #5 tv markt in the country.

Nacho, I have been saying SMU to the SEC for years. But the common wisdom of Ponyfans is that I am completely insane. Of course the SEC would rather have UT and A&M than SMU and Houston,(the main argument against a possible invite), but UT and A&M aren't going to any conference they cannot control. Believe me, they couldnt control the SEC and the powers that be (Georgia, Tennessee) don't want to share influence with the big Texas schools.

SMU and Houston are not big flagship state schools, but the exposure the SEC would get in the Dallas and Houston TV markets would be huge, not to mention the recruiting that would go with it.

[abezontar]

if ut goes to the big 10 this is going to cause a massive shakeup in conferences where regions don't matter anymore.

i predict smu to the sec or big east.

texas leads the nation in d1 recruits followed by florida and california. no one else is even close. we could be be a valuable commodity. #5 tv markt in the country.

Nacho, I have been saying SMU to the SEC for years. But the common wisdom of Ponyfans is that I am completely insane. Of course the SEC would rather have UT and A&M than SMU and Houston,(the main argument against a possible invite), but UT and A&M aren't going to any conference they cannot control. Believe me, they couldnt control the SEC and the powers that be (Georgia, Tennessee) don't want to share influence with the big Texas schools.

SMU and Houston are not big flagship state schools, but the exposure the SEC would get in the Dallas and Houston TV markets would be huge, not to mention the recruiting that would go with it.

While it would be cool to be part of the SEC, I can't see how this would be anything more than a dream.

[PonyKai]

if ut goes to the big 10 this is going to cause a massive shakeup in conferences where regions don't matter anymore.

i predict smu to the sec or big east.

texas leads the nation in d1 recruits followed by florida and california. no one else is even close. we could be be a valuable commodity. #5 tv markt in the country.

Nacho, I have been saying SMU to the SEC for years. But the common wisdom of Ponyfans is that I am completely insane. Of course the SEC would rather have UT and A&M than SMU and Houston,(the main argument against a possible invite), but UT and A&M aren't going to any conference they cannot control. Believe me, they couldnt control the SEC and the powers that be (Georgia, Tennessee) don't want to share influence with the big Texas schools.

SMU and Houston are not big flagship state schools, but the exposure the SEC would get in the Dallas and Houston TV markets would be huge, not to mention the recruiting that would go with it.

While it would be cool to be part of the SEC, I can't see how this would be anything more than a dream.

Sometimes, dreams do come true. I'll just leave it at that.

[kent dorfman]

It would at least force Big 10 to expand by 2 schools. A&M will never be permitted to separate from Texas, particularly given the state of Texas politics. With television contracts up for renewal, and with the Big 10 already possessing its own television network, Texas and A&M will not simply open up a market in Texas, they will provide instant ownership of the state.

Missouri or Rutgers still might be taken at this point by the Big 10 for added television revenue or to provide an even number of teams.

If such expansion happens (and it will if Texas wishes it so), then the Big 12 is no longer the Big 12, what with the loss of Colorado to the Pac-10 already looming.

Look to see whether the expansion by the Big 10 to a possible 13 or 14 is the only one of its kind, or if it will spread to other conferences.

Here is my assessment on a possible UT to the Big 10 scenario:

Given my relatively limited knowledge on the politics of this stuff and the relative talent levels of the Big 12 vs Big 10 (I'm just a regular joe fan), it seems to me from a competitive standpoint, this move would hurt UT and help A&M. What I mean is this: UT has been a regular top 5 team for the past several years. A&M is a middling team in the Big 12. Granted, we don't know what is going to happen with tech. Also, OU may be on their way down a bit. But if I'm A&M, I know that pretty much every season I'm losing to UT and OU. Okay. But would you not rather play teams like minnesota, indiana, illinois, northwestern and michigan state than tech, oklahoma state, kansas, nebraska, etc? It just seems to me that top to bottom, the big 12 has more depth than the big 10. I could be wrong but if I am not, trends change all the time.

But from UT's point of view, they have been regular national title contenders. Lately they have been the #1 force in the big 12. It seems to me that if they were to go to the big 10, they would lose more games just because they have to go up to madison, wisconsin or happy valley late in the season in the cold weather, with almost no fan support.

But with A&M, they will still lose a certain number of games but they will have more winnable games.

Any thoughts?

[RGV Pony]

Wonder how different things might have been had a) Mackovic and James Brown not pulled off the stunner v Nebraska in the first Big XII title game, and had Phil Bennett and Michael Bishop been able to out perform Dat Nguyen and company.

[CA Mustang]

The next Big 12 meeting should be interesting.

That leaves Missouri, in a state that shares a border with Iowa and Illinois, homes of Big Ten schools. In addition, it has been rather public about its academic profile being more of a match for the Big Ten the Big 12. That fact wasn't lost on Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

"I'm not going to say anything bad about the Big 12," Nixon was quoted as saying in December, "but when you compare Oklahoma State to Northwestern, when you compare Texas Tech to Wisconsin, I mean, you begin looking at educational possibilities that are worth looking at."

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... disruption

[expony18]

journalism used to be respectable

[Water Pony]

Big Ten commissioner denies schools contacted

Delany shoots down reports conference officials reached out to Pittsburgh and Texas

By Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune reporter

February 12, 2010

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said Friday the league has not contacted any institutions regarding possible expansion.

Seeking to shoot down reports that conference officials reached out to Pittsburgh and Texas, Delany said during an interview on WSCR-AM 670: "We haven't had any formal or informal interface with any institution. … We hope that by spring or summer, we will have an idea of what we'd like to do, if anything."

Delany said league officials remain in the first step of the process: Studying the pros and cons of expansion.

"So much of the speculation and reporting will not win a Pulitzer," Delany said. "If (contacts with schools) are occurring, they are occurring outside of my knowledge and awareness."

Co-host Terry Boers then told Delany that after rumors flourished Thursday about Texas, following a report in the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World, the phone lines at the Score lit up for hours.

"I get that part of it," Delany said. "I know it gets ratings and puts the Big Ten out there in a public way, but it's not even a subset of what we're trying to achieve."

Delany, who has declined newspaper requests for comment, did not discuss the likelihood of expansion — or speculate about how large the league might grow. But he did imply the Big Ten would keep its focus on the Midwest, or at least the general area.

"I think the conference will continue to have a pretty significant geographic connectivity to it," he said.

[email protected]

[Topper]

The next Big 12 meeting should be interesting.

That leaves Missouri, in a state that shares a border with Iowa and Illinois, homes of Big Ten schools. In addition, it has been rather public about its academic profile being more of a match for the Big Ten the Big 12. That fact wasn't lost on Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

"I'm not going to say anything bad about the Big 12," Nixon was quoted as saying in December, "but when you compare Oklahoma State to Northwestern, when you compare Texas Tech to Wisconsin, I mean, you begin looking at educational possibilities that are worth looking at."

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... disruption

MO has wanted to be in the Big 10 for years. They never felt comfortable in the Big 8, and other than Kansas, they have no real rivalries in the Big 12. CO has fancied itself in the PAC 10 since the 80s. Like MO, they have nothing to tie them to the Big 12. And as Nixons ays, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and OSU really drag the conference down if you figure academics into the mix. ( I would argue Baylor also drags the conference down academically given that it is little more than a vacation bible school for middle class Baptists, but that is another thread for another group).

[mr. pony]

Won't happen. Notre Dame will not give up its independent affiliation any time in the near future, either.

And the SWC would never break up.
Texas respects tradition?? Since win?
The Big 12 is, what, 15 years old?

[CalallenStang]

Won't happen. Notre Dame will not give up its independent affiliation any time in the near future, either.

And the SWC would never break up.
Texas respects tradition?? Since win?
The Big 12 is, what, 15 years old?

The SWC broke up because it couldn't secure a top-flight TV contract.

Notre Dame won't give up its independent affiliation because it can secure a top-flight TV contract by itself - and it doesn't have to share that money with anyone else.

If Texas leaves the Big XII it will be because they are unhappy with revenue.

[Samurai Stang]

Texas is not currently being considered by the Big 10, although this does not rule them out as a future target.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/02/texas-not-on-list-of-initial-candidates-for-big-ten-expansion/1