Utah and Colorado to Pac-10, according to ESPNRadio

[CalallenStang]

there is a small glimmer of longshot hope TCU gets in - if Colorado goes to PAC 10, and both Nebraska and Missouri go to the Big 10 and Texas doesn't want to go to the SEC 14 or PAC 16. Then I can see BYU, and 2 or 3 of whatever is left- TCU or Boise or Colorado St or New Mexico. But doesn't UT just look elsewhere in this scenario. In that scenario I would see a PAC 16 with a Southwest Division of

UT
A&M
Tech

Why Tech? They dont' really add anything. Seems like TCU would be a better choice for the conference. Not much TV in Lubbottock and with TCU at least the conference schools get to play in the DFW recruiting hotbed.

Tech has a larger alumni base. Larger alumni base = more TV sets.

[DiamondM75]

But we have a huge problem. No men's track and no baseball. What major conference is going to look at SMU without these sports. Football isn't everything.

So keep dreaming SMU nation. I don't see us in the mix for any major conference for a long time.

[CalallenStang]

But we have a huge problem. No men's track and no baseball. What major conference is going to look at SMU without these sports. Football isn't everything.

So keep dreaming SMU nation. I don't see us in the mix for any major conference for a long time.

Several teams in major conferences don't have those sports. Iowa State and Colorado are two Big XII teams that don't have baseball, for instance.

[couch 'em]

All the conference changes are already worked out, including SMU's spot. We just need to wait and see.

[ponyboy]

Oh I don't see us being in the mix for a top tier conference like today's Big 12 or the PAC 10 or the SEC. But we can improve our situation.

[Terry Webster]

Article up here is giving dire warning to the Big East--which may be the biggest loser in all of this--especially Cincinnati and Louisville.

[DiamondM75]

Oh I don't see us being in the mix for a top tier conference like today's Big 12 or the PAC 10 or the SEC. But we can improve our situation.

How, to where? I don't think a move to the WAC or the MWC is an improvement over CUSA. Now, if somehow this strengthens CUSA, that would be great.

The best scenaio I see is for the BSC cartel to add another bowl and two conferences to fill that bowl. Then with a stronger CUSA, we could hope those two conferences are CUSA and MWC. Now we have the money to fund baseball or men's track or BOTH.

[ponyboy]

Well, look at Stallion's scenario above where we join a division with Baylor, OSU, etc.

[smuuth]

I don't think it has as much to do with how good each program competes as much as it does with what your school can offer and bring to the table when it comes to money, especiaaly tv dollars and facilities. TCU has shown they can compete on an occassional basis with some teams from the big 12 in football and baseball but what about every weekend? Last year was the only year they have had the support and it took a Top 5 national ranking for that to happen. They have had very good teams for the last decade with only lukewarm support. I don't think BYU would be left out of the mix with the support they have. What happened to the Mizzou to the Big 10 talk?

[Stallion]

TCU's support is not "lukewarm". It has been outstanding for a very small private school for over 10 years. Their attendance based on student/attendance ratio is one of the best in the country. That criticism is the typical unfair criticism of a private school with 6,000 students. Averaging in the range of 32-38,000 over a 10 year period in a confgerence without local state schools inflating the numbers is outstanding for any small private school. If TCU's support is "lukewarm" what would you call SMU's support? "Iceburg Cold"

As for the scenario above-the MWC remnants could opt to stay west with a mixture of MWC and the best of the WAC schools Still there should be schools like Baylor, Iowa St, Kansas St and maybe even Kansas, Tech and Oklahomas St. that could get left behind

[CalallenStang]

TCU's support is not "lukewarm". It has been outstanding for a very small private school for over 10 years. Their attendance based on student/attendance ratio is one of the best in the country. That criticism is the typical unfair criticism of a private school with 6,000 students. Averaging in the range of 32-38,000 over a 10 year period in a confgerence without local state schools inflating the numbers is outstanding for any small private school. If TCU's support is "lukewarm" what would you call SMU's support? "Iceburg Cold"

As for the scenario above-the MWC remnants could opt to stay west with a mixture of MWC and the best of the WAC schools

They have 8,700 students, not 6,000. I think it's about 7,200 undergrads, 1,500 grad students.

EDIT: For what Wikipedia is worth, they have 8,800 students, 7,700 of which are undergraduates.

[go4it]

Here’s some insight on TV revenue for college sports. Big Ten schools clear $9 to $10 million more annually in TV revenue than Big 12 schools. Every SEC and Big Ten school receives a larger annual conference payout than Texas gets from the Big 12. Yes, that includes Vanderbilt and Northwestern. This last season (2009) marked the beginning of a new 15-year, $2.25 billion SEC contract with ESPN, which coincides with a 15-year, $825 million deal with CBS. The SEC is now the richest conference (per year revenue) in college sports. See link for details:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... index.html

No school will leave the SEC; The Big XII needs to do something to strengthen appeal and compete with Big Ten, PAC 10 and SEC. Money will drive all decisions on conference membership.

[davidpaul123]

If any of those teams from the Big 12 north rumored to leave (including Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, etc) would they still be able to recruit Texas as easily?

Especially if Big 12 reloads by adding teams like TCU, SMU, UH, Rice to form some semblence of another Southwest Conference. If the kids can stay closer to home, play in Texas in a BCS league wouldnt they?

And if a majority of them do doesnt that inherrently mean with the talent in the state the league should be very competitive against the other teams nationally (even if people dont think much of the schools I mentioned above)?

Since 15-35% of the players on the Big 12 North teams are from the state of Texas you have to wonder how good they could be without the players they bring in from here....

[West Coast Johnny]

The Big 12 (especially the north) doesn't want TCU, but they might have to settle for the Frogs.

BYU is the Big 12's "Plan A" - But not being able to schedule Sunday events hurts, and the holy rollers that run BYU don't even want a high profile athletics program in spite of their fans.

Will Arkansas leave a stable and rich SEC to join the Big 12 sinking ship? If you believe they will, I have some swamp land to sell.

TCU will be thrown into the pool of "other" candidates. Memphis adds a quality basketball program. Colorado State replarces CU in that market but is a liability in terms of Athletic quality. Who else is there? Tulsa? New Mexico?

TCU might go to the Big 12 because they are the best of the unwanted rest.

[EastStang]

If this happens, does the Big Ten expand to 12 or 14 as has been asked? If they expand to 12, then do they go with ND (if they'll go) or Missouri, or a Big East team (like Syracuse or Pitt)? Or do they go to 14 and do they go after UT and A&M and OU and Nebraska. Or some other mixture. Does the ACC or SEC make a defensive move to 14? (Which I doubt will happen with the SEC). If you're KY, SC, GA, do you want to give up a home date with LSU, Alabama or Arkansas for a home date with UT or A&M which would be the result of a move to 14? And if you're LSU do you want to make it harder to reach the SEC title game? Its only if there is a significant price being paid to add UT to the SEC. The Big Ten with their own network would want to add UT because of the extra cable systems that will pick up their network if UT joins. If no one moves to 14, and if the Big XII has two holes to fill. BYU makes sense, but who else, AFA, TCU, Louisville (basketball contract and tourney units get better with them)? If they only have one, they ask BYU no question on that. Lots of issues out there. More kittens will die and we'll watch and see where we end up after the dust settles.