OT OT OT- more realignment talk

[BLIKNS]

Wanted to make sure this was under Off Topic.....

I won`t mention the Valley, oh wait guess I just did

With Baylor and TCU not getting into the 4 spots for the college football playoff, thoughts of not having a championship game may/ may not have hurt the BigXII.

Seeing speculation that they may expand. Seeing talk of adding 2 or 4 teams. Reports say Cincinnati and Memphis will get invited after schiool year. Also UCF, USF, Colorado State, Boise State, East Carolina and BYU mentioned. If everything plays out in today`s conference name the Big XII should have either 10 ,14 or 16. That make since, like the 14 member A-10.

Also where will UAB land? Personally I hope they go to the Atlantic Sun. I know that would be a huge step down, but the conference does not play football, and would be a geographical fit. That being said living in Fort Myers, home of FGCU they would be a great get. Plus talk of North Alabama joining the conference, but looking for home for their football team.

Is the A-10 an option for UAB? Think it was on the A-10 board where someone mentioned it. Personally I think 15 works as well as 14. 3-5 team divisions, play division twice , everyone else once, 18 game league schedule. .

Any thoughts?

[Box and Won]

UAB in the A10?

[kwyjibo]

UAB leaving Conf-USA will likely have an effect on the A-10 but it would be in forcing UMass to move all sports. I am not saying Conf USA is a good fit for UMass (it isn't and would hurt their basketball team) and they want to be in the AAC. But Conf USA is going to demand all sports so UMass could decide to go that route if the AAC does not want them. IF the AAC loses teams to the Big 12 and they look UMass's way, UMass is gone in all sports. Football was a terrible decision for UMass but the people who made that decision are not going to admit that and they will double down, even if that means their basketball team gets exiled to Conf USA. Charlotte is going back to Conf USA in all sports next year and Southern Miss is still there but nothing else remains from when SLU was a member.

[Pistol]

I can't believe more people thought that with five power football conferences, a four-team playoff was the answer. It was never going to end well.

FWIW, UC fans I had lunch with yesterday think they're getting invited to the Big XII in very short order. Seems like the best fit if the ACC isn't expanding any further.

[Cowboy]

-i didn;t see this thread before my post in the Big 10 bball tourney thread

-not sure how it will impact SLU or the A10, but if I am the Big10 or SEC I am trying to poach from the Big12 today with the argument being 'any school you add to the Big12 will only further weaken it, come with us and have a chance in football' and I am not talking about Texas as I can't see them giving up their network to meld with the Big10 or SEC unless they feel they will be left so far behind by any other moves they have to give up some control

-again, bball is second tier in these discussions, football drives the bus

[brianstl]

-i didn;t see this thread before my post in the Big 10 bball tourney thread

-not sure how it will impact SLU or the A10, but if I am the Big10 or SEC I am trying to poach from the Big12 today with the argument being 'any school you add to the Big12 will only further weaken it, come with us and have a chance in football' and I am not talking about Texas as I can't see them giving up their network to meld with the Big10 or SEC unless they feel they will be left so far behind by any other moves they have to give up some control

-again, bball is second tier in these discussions, football drives the bus

If you are in the Big 12 do you want to go to the Big 10, really?

If improving your football program is the goal, it is going to be tough. Where are the football players going to come from? It is the problem Nebraska is facing. They are never going to be the program they once were because their isn't enough good football recruits in the Big 10 football footprint.

You would lose any chance to recruit players in Texas and not get any other southern states.

The bad news for those Big 12 schools is the SEC isn't interested in them. If the SEC poaches any teams it is going to be from the ACC.

[slu72]

Makes sense for the B12 to go after UC and Memphis. Nice fit for WVU. There was talk of them grabbing Clemson and FSU, but it was never gonna happen.

[brianstl]

Makes sense for the B12 to go after UC and Memphis. Nice fit for WVU. There was talk of them grabbing Clemson and FSU, but it was never gonna happen.

Memphis and UC makes sense I guess. They are a further step down the ladder for what was once a great conference. Cincy gets you into the Ohio market for recruiting and Memphis gets you into Tennessee and Arkansas. CIncy is the second best program in it's state and Memphis is only the third best program in it's own state. I just don't see the top kids in either state choosing the Big 12 over the Big 10 or the SEC.

Big 12 made a big mistake when it bypassed Louisville for West Virginia and TCU.

[HoosierPal]

This rumor was started by a talk show host in Nashville.

“I am being told that Fred Smith [Memphis-based FedEx CEO] is opening up his checkbook and helping easy this process along,” said Darren McFarland, host of a sports talk show on ESPN radio in Nashville.

This may be equivalent to someone like Randy Karraker saying something like "I am being told that SLU is going to the Valley". Would we believe him?

[Cowboy]

If you are in the Big 12 do you want to go to the Big 10, really?

If improving your football program is the goal, it is going to be tough. Where are the football players going to come from? It is the problem Nebraska is facing. They are never going to be the program they once were because their isn't enough good football recruits in the Big 10 football footprint.

You would lose any chance to recruit players in Texas and not get any other southern states.

The bad news for those Big 12 schools is the SEC isn't interested in them. If the SEC poaches any teams it is going to be from the ACC.

-if I am in the Big12 I don't want to go to the Big10 but I want a chance to compete for the football crown; if the SEC calls I certainly at least answer the phone

-if I am the Big10 I would not mind an entry into the south, specifically the state of Texas

[brianstl]

-if I am in the Big12 I don't want to go to the Big10 but I want a chance to compete for the football crown; if the SEC calls I certainly at least answer the phone

-if I am the Big10 I would not mind an entry into the south, specifically the state of Texas

The Big 10 would love UT, but I don't see UT being intrested. If UT goes anywhere I think it would be the PAC. Would the Big 10 be interested in Baylor, Tech, or TCU? I don't know about that.

[Bizziken]

If I'm in the Big 12 I want a Championship Game ASAP.

[JMM28]

This scenario doesn't happen that often. If I were the Big12 I wouldn't want to water down the league because of a fluke year.

[brianstl]

When you look at expansion targets for the Big 10 and the SEC look at the AAU schools that aren't in those two conferences or the Pac 12. I think you can dump Tulane and Rice from the lists of possible targets. That leaves you with Duke, GA Tech, Iowa St, Kansas, North Carolina, Pitt, Texas and Virginia. The Big 10 would almost assuredly make an exception for ND, but members schools are supposedly upset that Nebraska lost AAU status.

I know many people think the AAU thing wouldn't be important to the SEC, but both A&M and Mizzou are AAU members. The SEC is in a position to be picky about who they go after and members can use it to try to raise the academic profile of all their schools.

[JMM28]

Hehehe academics matter. This is division one football!!

[mrjoelabs]

UAB in the A10 would be fine especially if we could trade out Fordham or Mason.

[HoosierPal]

The Big 12 may NOT have to expand to have a conference playoff. Current NCAA bylaws require teams to have a minimum of six teams in each division to stage a championship game. It is believed to be a non-controversial change to rescind that rule if the Big 12 wanted to stage such a game with 10 teams. With the new P5 autonomy, that would be a slam dunk.

[HoosierPal]

https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/status/542135213871362048

"Every person I spoke to today that’s from Big 12 or Big 12 school: league is not expanding"

[kshoe]

This scenario doesn't happen that often. If I were the Big12 I wouldn't want to water down the league because of a fluke year.

Exactly. If Georgia tech and Wisconsin had won on Saturday the big 12 would have gotten two teams and the narrative would have been that they had a huge advantage in not having a championship game.

You don't expand with the likes of cinci and Memphis football based on one season.

[Clock_Tower]

The Big 10 would love UT, but I don't see UT being intrested. If UT goes anywhere I think it would be the PAC. Would the Big 10 be interested in Baylor, Tech, or TCU? I don't know about that.

These past few years have certainly not gone as UT had envisioned. The Longhorn Network doesn't work so well with a mediocre team. Short term, they would have been better off in the Big 10 or the Pac 10 these past few years. . I don't know, but presume, that UT still believes that long term, they have the opportunity to dominate the Big XII and that their potential there is unlimited as compared to in other conferences.

[Deutschkind]

Exactly. If Georgia tech and Wisconsin had won on Saturday the big 12 would have gotten two teams and the narrative would have been that they had a huge advantage in not having a championship game.

You don't expand with the likes of cinci and Memphis football based on one season.

Probably best not to use hypotheticals that involved reversing a 59-0 drubbing.

Ugh. frickin Ohio State. At least the Badgers only fell to the Outback. But 0% chance Gordon gets the Heisman after that performance

[JMM28]

You can reverse whatever games you want to. Any 1 loss by Florida State or Ohio State late in the year would have soldified at least one of TCU/Baylor in the playoff. You can't add some junk programs because of 2 games that didn't go your way.