Continued Conference Realignment

[StevensTechU]

Rumors swirling that Oklahoma and Texas are looking to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. That would put the SEC at 18 teams.

The Big 12 would have 8 teams left, with very little cache remaining among any of the schools that remain. Biggest brand left is.. TCU? Okie State? Yikes.

[karlhungis]

Seems like a strange move. It has to be a financial decision but my understanding was that both Texas and Oklahoma are doing just fine financially. This move will make it more difficult for the programs to win and make the path to the title much harder than it would have been if they remained in their current conference.

[lukeyrid13]

Texas denied the Pac-16 because they wanted to be the clear top dog (yet haven't won the conference since 09 now!) and get the Longhorn Network. They got their own network and the Big12 kowtowed to their every want....and then they just want to follow in the footsteps of Texas AM and shake up the entire college football landscape again.

Cool.

[Eksynyt]

This will almost assuredly compel the Pac12 to expand. Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas & Kansas State.

Would be a very good basketball conference with 2 blue bloods.

[buckmarkduck]

Texas denied the Pac-16 because they wanted to be the clear top dog (yet haven't won the conference since 09 now!) and get the Longhorn Network. They got their own network and the Big12 kowtowed to their every want....and then they just want to follow in the footsteps of Texas AM and shake up the entire college football landscape again.

Cool.

Not totally true. CU and UU blocked Texas and OU.

[Phalanx]

I don't know why the Pac 12 would let schools from Texas and Kansas in when everyone knows they would eventually leave in a future realignment anyway. Nobody cares about basketball except for briefly in March, and with the possible exception of OK State, they don't add anything in football.

[lukeyrid13]

I don't know why the Pac 12 would let schools from Texas and Kansas in when everyone knows they would eventually leave in a future realignment anyway. Nobody cares about basketball except for briefly in March, and with the possible exception of OK State, they don't add anything in football.

I think assumption would be trying to keep up with the Jones' on "needing" a 16 team conference.

Will be interesting what if any affect this would have on the 12 team playoff.

[StevensTechU]

Recency of football wins should be way down the list of most important items to consider here. If I'm a decision maker, the biggest considerations are brand size/marketability (this directly translates into TV dollars, which is the lifeblood of college athletics) and local talent, as that is second only to money in determining sustained success.

So with that, I would add Houston, TCU or SMU (probably not both, but one gives you presence in the Dallas market), and OkSU. I would put out a feeler with Nebraska, and if it's a no, my 4th is either UNLV or Texas Tech.

[buckmarkduck]

Any religious institutions will be a instant no go for left coast presidents. So then youre left with OK State, TTU, Houston and UNLV. Not bad, but also not moving the needle.

[lukeyrid13]

Any religious institutions will be a instant no go for left coast presidents. So then youre left with OK State, TTU, Houston and UNLV. Not bad, but also not moving the needle.

Very "open minded" of them.

[Everythingsducky]

Isn’t the conference caveat, a school has to be a ‘research’ university? The market size is a huge part of it (unless the school is in the SEC). Two reasons Boise State wouldn’t be invited?

[StevensTechU]

I think the market size thing is extremely misunderstood. People seem to be associating it with population of the town the college is in, which is totally inaccurate. It's "how many fans or potential fans do you have?" Notre Dame is in BFE, but is one of the biggest brands in the country. Such outsized marketability that they have their own TV deal. Most people couldn't tell you Fordham's mascot, on the other hand.

Iowa State is a terrible option because they're the second biggest brand in the state of f'ing Iowa. Despite their recent success, they do nothing to move the needle for a TV deal.

Alabama has more fans than UCLA because they have rabid dedication from non-alumni and alumni alike. At UCLA, they hardly care, in all actuality.

Think of market as # of people who will tune in on TV and show up to sit their asses in seats at the home stadium. It's that, not college town population.

[OregonFan4Life]

247Sports reporting Texas and Oklahoma are leaving the Big 12, no mention of what conference they’re joining but everything points to the SEC. Will this only strengthen the SEC bias or not have any impact on it?

[buckmarkduck]

At some point Miss St, ole Miss and Arkansas have to get sick of being the sisters of the poor in the SEC. all 3 would be top tier teams in the Big 12 without OU and Texas.

[ducks5ever]

Well isn't that nice. All the Pac-12 haters might finally leave us alone for a while since we're no longer the worst conference in CFB lol. When's the last time there was a major football conference that didn't have any bluebloods in it?