BIG EXPANSION NEWS ON RIVALS

[RGV Pony]

two best cases for SMU would be if MWC wants to go to 16 or if CUSA can nab some of the Big XII leftovers. I still think a conference with ISU, KU, K-State, Baylor, Memphis is a great start.

[NavyCrimson]

Hmmmmm.

ISU, KS, KS, et al. going from bcs-BS, top of the hill, to the outhouse??? I wonder how this will sit with the politicians in Kansas & Iowa??? No one has ever done this before.

Being thrown out??? Not making the cut???

Perhaps the lawsuits will finally start flying??? Hmmmmmm

[Water Pony]

Kansas will survive by joining the Big Ten, along with MO and NE along with Rutger and Pitt or Syracuse, unless ND finally wakes up. The Jayhawks are too good a brand to be demoted, especially in BB.

That would cut K State, IA State and Baylor adrift, when the Pac10 take the other six schools in OK and Texas.

[huskerpony]

Chip Brown doesn't roll with this story unless he had some big time sources-now he could be being used by Texas bigwigs to put Missouri and Nebraska in their place and force their hands to commit without reservation to the Big 12-I kinda could see that possibility but if Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado have indicated they have one foot out the door-then I think this story is the very likely scenario.

Same sentiments I am hearing. Everyone seems to trust Chip Brown's reporting, but some think it might have been leaked by Texas. The reaction of the OU AD would be consistent with the latter, but I don't see how that would make sense--threatening to take everyone to the Pac-10 would make Nebraska and Missouri want to leave more. Nebraska's main issue is not wanting to be in an unstable conference and stuck with no options when it implodes. Interesting that in the middle of this tonight, Charlie McBride (former DC under Osborne) posted on Facebook he thinks Osborne is leaning toward the Big Ten.

....And everyone, can we please stop posting random Bleacher Report blogs? Anyone off the street can write those for them. I don't think there is much credibility to an author who can't even bother to google the population of two states before he puts it in his article.

[huskerpony]

Another thought--if this was a leak intended to force someone's hand, perhaps it wasn't Texas trying to pressure the North teams, but could this have been a move by the entire Big 12 to try to force Notre Dame's hand into the Big Ten and stop the expansion at 12?

[East Coast Mustang]

I, too, am confounded by Tech being included in these Pac-10 expansion rumors rather than Utah. Utah would add the SLC market, whereas TT doesn't add anything that Texas, A&M, and OU don't already bring. Does Tech have enough influence that the state pols wouldn't let them get left behind?

[BUTitan]

I have the feeling that TCU will try to keep Baylor out of the MWC...

[Water Pony]

Another thought--if this was a leak intended to force someone's hand, perhaps it wasn't Texas trying to pressure the North teams, but could this have been a move by the entire Big 12 to try to force Notre Dame's hand into the Big Ten and stop the expansion at 12?

Creating chaos is the implied threat of the BigTen/11, perhaps to present ND with its one and only option to reduce the possibility of Super Conferences,which might isolate the Irish in all other sports, if they remain independent in FB.

However, if PAC10/six field Big XII combo happens first, then the BigTen invites NE, MO and KS and puts ND on the clock. Join now or we take two others from the BE.

Carpe diem, ND

[Stallion]

Texas Tech getting in is kind of like a Fraternity with a 1 blackball system. Brother Billy knows that Brother Tommy doesn't like his prized Phikeia(pledge) Litt' Jimmy Joe so Brother Billy tells Brother Tommy that if he blackballs Phikeia Litt' Jimmie Joe that Brother Billy will blackball his legacy cousin Eddie. They both get in. Look Stanford and Cal can blackball who they want but in fact the survival of the PAC on the main stage requires that they both get in-Texas in fact has the leverage in this case to form an Eastern Division composed of the school it wants to play. This is more merger than expansion.

[Water Pony]

The logic for the PAC10 to prefer TT and OSU,for that matter, is to have a regional eight team division (including AZ and ASU) that emphasizes Texas and OK. In this way, TX is not isolated.

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

Bringing the conversation back to SMU, it is really hard to devine how all of this will affect our school. I do take comfort in one thing though. . .SMU has seen this movie twice before in the past 20 years. We got caught napping when the SWC split up and again when the Super-WAC split up. Whether or not we have any control over our destiny here, I am confident that President Turner, Steve Orsini, and the Board are being as proactive as they can to make sure SMU doesn't get hosed again. One thing that has consistently impressed me about SMU over the years is the ability of our school to achive very impressive things when we don't have our collective heads up our asses. When fully mobilized, SMU can bring some heavy artillery to the table. At the very least, our powerful and wealthy alumni network has shown that it can punch above its weight when needed (see Ford Stadium, Steve Orsini, June Jones, etc.).

Am I nervous?. . .hell yes I am. But I also take comfort in knowing that our current President, Board, and AD are top notch and firing on all cylinders. That's something we could not say for SMU in the previous rounds of conference realignment.

Go Mustangs!

[East Coast Mustang]

Bringing the conversation back to SMU, it is really hard to devine how all of this will affect our school. I do take comfort in one thing though. . .SMU has seen this movie twice before in the past 20 years. We got caught napping when the SWC split up and again when the Super-WAC split up. Whether or not we have any control over our destiny here, I am confident that President Turner, Steve Orsini, and the Board are being as proactive as they can to make sure SMU doesn't get hosed again. One thing that has consistently impressed me about SMU over the years is the ability of our school to achive very impressive things when we don't have our collective heads up our asses. When fully mobilized, SMU can bring some heavy artillery to the table. At the very least, our powerful and wealthy alumni network has shown that it can punch above its weight when needed (see Ford Stadium, Steve Orsini, June Jones, etc.).

Am I nervous?. . .hell yes I am. But I also take comfort in knowing that our current President, Board, and AD are top notch and firing on all cylinders. That's something we could not say for SMU in the previous rounds of conference realignment.

Go Mustangs!

I agree, but in the end, will our wealthy alumni make up for our lack of a fanbase and presence in the DFW market?

Is Carl Sewell going to cut a $20 million check to the MWC?

[ponyinNC]

and we have the Bush Library...

[NavyCrimson]

Good point.

But commitment (by the school) will equal that success on the field & the stands we're looking for. The last 20 years, that commitment has been the "thing" that's been missing.

[smupony94]

and we have the Bush Library...

and a womens golf team