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I am excited about the Big East, but think we should keep our eye on joining a conference that is in our back yard (Big 12 or SEC). Lets go out and prove we can compete with the local schools.

If SMU were to move up in the next five years the ACC is probably the most likely destination. Simply because they're the most likely to get poached and need replacements.

Or if the BE gets a ridiculously large TV contract - Pitt, et al. the others may find their way back into the group & we'll stay. Who knows anymore!!!

ACC is in big need of an expanded geography - especially with 4 teams all grouped into one smallish TV market - (NC) that is going to hurt them long term if not fixed - one solution might be to maybe add a couple of Texas teams.

gostangs wrote:ACC is in big need of an expanded geography - especially with 4 teams all grouped into one smallish TV market - (NC) that is going to hurt them long term if not fixed - one solution might be to maybe add a couple of Texas teams.

especially if Clemson and Fla State bolt for the Big 12.

I still think our best bet in an expansion is the SEC.

1) While the SEC already have a foothold in Texas with the Aggies, the Big 12 teams are going to avoid playing OOC games with the SEC and the Aggies are persona non grata.

2) the Big 12 teams have all pledged their TV rights for eternity and cannot be poached unless the hole thing collapses.

3) While SMU doesn't have an enormous fanbase, schools like Arkansas, A&M, LSU have huge fanbases in the Metroplex. Regular games in Dallas would keep that group very happy.

4) The SEC would like to be a majar player in the Dallas and Houston media market. A&M probably gets them Houston, but the Big 12 owns the DFW market with Texas, Baylor and TCU. Elevating SMU to SEC level would get the entire league more exposure.

5) Adding SMU to the mix would mean a SEC team would be playing a game in Dallas every other week in football. In Basketball, same thing. Gotta love having a game in a Top TV market.

6) With Ford, the Cotton Bowl, Jerryworld, Moody, and the AAC, SMU has no facility problems of any kind.

7) If SMU were in the SEC, it would be plausible to host a SEC BB or FB championship in the AAC or Jerryworld.

Digetydog wrote:I still think our best bet in an expansion is the SEC.

1) While the SEC already have a foothold in Texas with the Aggies, the Big 12 teams are going to avoid playing OOC games with the SEC and the Aggies are persona non grata.

2) the Big 12 teams have all pledged their TV rights for eternity and cannot be poached unless the hole thing collapses.

3) While SMU doesn't have an enormous fanbase, schools like Arkansas, A&M, LSU have huge fanbases in the Metroplex. Regular games in Dallas would keep that group very happy.

4) The SEC would like to be a majar player in the Dallas and Houston media market. A&M probably gets them Houston, but the Big 12 owns the DFW market with Texas, Baylor and TCU. Elevating SMU to SEC level would get the entire league more exposure.

5) Adding SMU to the mix would mean a SEC team would be playing a game in Dallas every other week in football. In Basketball, same thing. Gotta love having a game in a Top TV market.

6) With Ford, the Cotton Bowl, Jerryworld, Moody, and the AAC, SMU has no facility problems of any kind.

7) If SMU were in the SEC, it would be plausible to host a SEC BB or FB championship in the AAC or Jerryworld.

If the SEC expands they're likely going to go after big state schools.

zimo wrote:

Digetydog wrote:I still think our best bet in an expansion is the SEC.

1) While the SEC already have a foothold in Texas with the Aggies, the Big 12 teams are going to avoid playing OOC games with the SEC and the Aggies are persona non grata.

2) the Big 12 teams have all pledged their TV rights for eternity and cannot be poached unless the hole thing collapses.

3) While SMU doesn't have an enormous fanbase, schools like Arkansas, A&M, LSU have huge fanbases in the Metroplex. Regular games in Dallas would keep that group very happy.

4) The SEC would like to be a majar player in the Dallas and Houston media market. A&M probably gets them Houston, but the Big 12 owns the DFW market with Texas, Baylor and TCU. Elevating SMU to SEC level would get the entire league more exposure.

5) Adding SMU to the mix would mean a SEC team would be playing a game in Dallas every other week in football. In Basketball, same thing. Gotta love having a game in a Top TV market.

6) With Ford, the Cotton Bowl, Jerryworld, Moody, and the AAC, SMU has no facility problems of any kind.

7) If SMU were in the SEC, it would be plausible to host a SEC BB or FB championship in the AAC or Jerryworld.

If the SEC expands they're likely going to go after big state schools.[/quote]

While I would normally agree with you, I don't think that there are any "big state schools" available.
1) Because of the rights deal, the Big 12 teams are pretty much locked in as long as the league is viable.
2) Big 10 teams aren't going to leave.
3) Pac 12 Schools wouldn't be interested.
4) That leaves the ACC and the Big East
5) While there are some desirable FB schools in the ACC (Clemson and Florida State), they don't really add much to the SEC's TV footprint. Schools like UNC and UVA might be nice, but would they be allowed to leave NCSt and VT behind? Would UNC leave Duke behind b/c of BB?
6) That leaves the Big East and a few private independants:

a) Rutgers - the NYC market would be nice, but the travel costs for non-revenue sports would be huge. Plus, NJ is flat broke. They aren't investing big money in college sports.
b) Uconn - don't own the NYC market (or any TV market) and is really a BB school. Our state is broke. We aren't investing big money in football.
c) Cinci, Memphis and LV - not really "Big State Schools" - decent TV markets and reasonable drive from many SEC Schools.
d) Temple - medium sized state school in Big TV market.
e) Western Schools - far far away
f) Houston -medium sized state school in Big TV market that A&M already has big presense in.

I think they'd most likely go after North Carolina and Virginia Tech. That would add to the footprint, balance the SEC East and West, and add a national power in football and basketball. Of course were all just guessing.

viginia tech does not add anything in the way of media market - that would be like adding texas tech to the Pac 10 (12 - whatever)

The SEC in Dallas could tip the balance of power in 2;3 of the state. It is a longshot, but not as impossible as it might seem. There is a lot of money in this market

First the SEC is not going to add Louisville or Memphis (Kentucky, Tennessee and Vandy would go nuts). They aren't going to add UNC because their football is about to be whacked by the NCAA and their hoops is nice, but so is the rest of the ACC hoops. FSU and Clemson make sense but I suspect that UF and SC would veto their cousins coming into the SEC. VT would add a strong Virginia following. I live here and I see lots of orange and maroon and turkeys all over the place and it gives you an entre into the DC market area as well as Richmond and Tidewater. Virginia's population is larger than Alabama, Arkanasas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina. Its slightly smaller than North Carolina's, Florida's and Georgia's. So, I could see VT being attractive. UVA has a more elite reputation and a smaller following as a result. But Virginia has a very strong education system and schools like JMU, GMU, VCU, W&M, Radford, Mary Washington, ODU, VMI, not to mention privates like Richmond, Regent, Liberty, W&L, HS, RM, and others makes loyalties very divided in this state.