CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT and SMU

[Samurai Stang]

It they go to the PAC 10 or Big 10, the SEC schools will make a bigger impact in recruiting in Texas. Might not be much, but it will happen. The recruits would certainly factor in weather and/or the travel for their families.

If UT went to the SEC, with or without A&M and the others, the same thing would happen with recruiting, only worse.

Don't see UT ever going to the SEC. They can lean on that "it's not up to our academic standards" all they want. They'd see too many 9 - 3 seasons and Peach Bowls.

Unfortunately you have fallen under the mistaken belief that anything can stop Texas. Texas out-recruited every school in the SWC, and did so again in the Big 12. Nothing will ever prevent them from getting the greatest recruits each year. Such a fear would be for lesser schools such as Texas Tech, which would be competing with Arkansas, but never for Texas.

Texas would also dominate in football. Alabama and Florida would prove to be no more worrisome than Nebraska and Oklahoma were. There would be those years in which Texas is defeated, but Texas would continue to recruit the greatest talent, meaning that they would continue to win the greatest number of contests.

Texas considers itself above the SEC, though. Independence is its future.

[mrydel]

If Texas were to go independent what is to keep the other top schools from not scheduling them. That would bring them to their knees overnight. If they could only get the Rice's or SFAs or NTSUs to schedule them and the top level schools just said to heck with them would that not end their existance?

[Samurai Stang]

If Texas were to go independent what is to keep the other top schools from not scheduling them. That would bring them to their knees overnight. If they could only get the Rice's or SFAs or NTSUs to schedule them and the top level schools just said to heck with them would that not end their existance?

Except that Texas would then have its own television network and would bring a great deal of money to any team that would play them. It is the same reason that Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas Tech remain obedient servants to Texas. The money is simply too great for any capitalist to allow his personal feelings to get in the way. They would have no shortage of quality opponents.

[EastStang]

Only thing that would stop Texas is if they got a coach would couldn't recruit, couldn't assess talent and got caught in bed with a live boy.

[peruna81]

Texas can and will get any recruit that it chooses.

We are far from being anywhere close to TCU in relevance to the realignment scenarios...we need to win on the field FIRST, and make it a habit before anything else.

Texas will no more go independent than SMU will...there is the guarantee conference/TV of money, as well as the promise of a pre-determined and assumed rating of opponents that help BCS ranking. The only way that Texas goes independent is if it is FORCED to by a binding contract that would not allow conference universities to have private TV networks...one of the hangups in negotiating with the Big Ten perhaps? Following the line of revenue is the key to determining Dodd's (read Texas) path...and he is good at protecting that revenue path.