After much thought, my best-case, realistic realignment scenario.

[MeanDean]

This looked good until it got to "4th best". Get rid of the Whackos in Waco and don't add the Weirdos in Provo.

I'd prefer to stay at 10 with BYU and Cincy.

Go to 12 if it gets to that? Add UCF and Memphis.

Don't want Houston at all. Too much Texas content is toxic.

 

[cysmiley]

Don't know if this has been posted, what a bunch of BS, go to SEC to pursue an AAU goal.

July 30, 2021 Dear OU Family, I’m pleased to share that the University of Oklahoma will join the SEC in the 2025 fall athletics season. This is an exciting moment for our university, and I want to take the opportunity to explain why we’ve come to this decision. It’s no secret the landscape of college athletics is shifting and will continue to for the foreseeable future. With that as our reality, it’s our obligation as stewards of our institution to ensure that OU has a conference home that will best position us to honor, preserve, and continue our tradition of athletic excellence for decades to come. We are confident that this transition will reap extraordinary success for our athletics program. We will be able to continue to attract top student-athlete talent from across the country. We’ll provide an even greater world-class fan experience. All told, we’ll set up our programs for even greater success – and be able to better tell the life-changing OU story all across the country. Without this bold move, we risk seriously weakening our athletics program – even to the point of needing to look to the academic arm of the university, or our state government, to subsidize athletics. We refuse to let that happen. While this decision most obviously affects OU Athletics, it’s not just about our sports programs. We know this decision will benefit our entire university, advancing our purpose and important work. This move positions OU for success in fulfilling our Strategic Plan. Much of our plan speaks to our aspiration to become an AAU-caliber institution, with benchmarks based on the criteria by which AAU institutions are judged. A move into a conference with more AAU institutions provides us the chance to align OU further and more closely to the standards we will need to meet to reach our goal. Our Strategic Plan is ambitious and certainly requires a conference alignment that affords us the opportunity to aggressively invest in our academic mission. We take immense pride in our time as a member of the Big 12, and the many successes we have enjoyed and the traditions we have built over the past 25 years. Included during that period are 20 national team championships, 101 conference championships and, in football, four Heisman Trophy winners and 113 NFL Draft picks. We are grateful to our colleagues in the Big 12 for the remarkable time we have spent together as fellow conference members. We look forward to our remaining seasons as a member of the Big 12, and the fierce athletic competition they will bring. It’s our hope that some of our great rivalries within the Big 12 – particularly with Oklahoma State University – will live on for many more years to come. We also look with excitement to the days ahead as we join the SEC. We believe the special Sooner Magic that we will bring to the SEC will only make us, and our new conference rivals, stronger. We eagerly anticipate facing off each year, in every NCAA sport, against some of the nation’s highest-caliber opponents. There are, no doubt, several details to be considered and finalized over the coming months. But it’s with you, our OU family, that we move ahead confidently into a new chapter with eager anticipation for the future of the University of Oklahoma and OU Athletics. Live On, University, Joseph Harroz, Jr. President The University of Oklahoma | 660 Parrington Oval Norman, OK 73019-0390 Unsubscribe ReplyForward

 

[cysmiley]

Wonder if we could sponsor Okie Lite for AAU membership, F**k OU,

 

[MeanDean]

Wonder if we could sponsor Okie Lite for AAU membership, F**k OU,

I bet the Okie State fans love that 6th paragraph. "You Can't Spell **** YOU without OU."

 

[Ace000087]

Best case: Big10 takes ISU and KU
2nd Best: PAC takes ISU and a combination of Big12 teams
3rd Best: Big10 takes top PAC schools and the Big12 takes 4-6 of the best remaining PAC schools
4th Best: All other conferences stay put. Big12 adds BYU, Houston, UCF, and whoever.
Armageddon: Big10 takes KU and Mizzou, SEC takes OSU, PAC takes TTU and TCU. ACC takes WVU and ND. AAC takes ISU, KSU, TCU, and Baylor.

I don't think the Armageddon has much chance of happening, but as bad as that is even a slight chance is too much for me.

This is exactly what I'm thinking and what I've heard others say.

 

[isucy86]

The remaining 8 members of the Big 12 should stay as a league, collect the balance of TV revenue due them over the next 4 years and take their time in figuring out their next moves. Don't throw a guaranteed contract + $150 million from OK & TX away. ESPN, TX and OK are banking on the remaining schools joining other conferences to allow them out of the contract and the fees. If we add any team, add Cincy. 9 teams, 8 league games + 4 other games. Each year the league champion will get in the playoffs. Prove our worth standing alone.

The Big12 remnants and Pac12 schools need to figure things out in the next year or so. But that doesn't stop ISU and other Big12 remnants from lining up their next home, just after 2025.

The Big 10 TV rights agreement expires in 2023 and Pac12 in 2024. I would expect the Big10 is going to want to have a new contract finalized in 2022.

It could be an interesting few years as a number of media rights deals are up for renewal- NFL, MLB, CFB, NASCAR, etc

 

[Cyforce]

I was actually relieved the SEC voted UT in. Feared a scenario where Ou pulled Okie st with them to the SEC, the UT Packaged an all Texas bundle to the Pac and we get screwed when the BiG stands pat.

 

[Dandy]

What does it take to qualify as a “power” conference? There are obviously things you need to differ between G5 and P5.

Anyone know those?

If we can keep the 8 and add 2-4 teams from AAC like Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati and SMU will we stay P5?

If yes, that’s the move and we’d absolutely dominate it.

If no, pray the B1G expands and we’re Golden there too.

If no to that hope the PAC goes 16 and they want us.

 

[83cy]

What does it take to qualify as a “power” conference? There are obviously things you need to differ between G5 and P5.

Anyone know those?

If we can keep the 8 and add 2-4 teams from AAC like Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati and SMU will we stay P5?

If yes, that’s the move and we’d absolutely dominate it.

If no, pray the B1G expands and we’re Golden there too.

If no to that hope the PAC goes 16 and they want us.

There is no money in the above example. Did you see the stats, OU and/or TX were in 37 of 41 most watched Big 12 games.

 

[CycloneBamaFan]

Best Case: Big 10
Worst Case: Revamped Big XII

Best case is pretty easy to see. ACC would be better than the PAC, PAC would be better than a revamped Big XII, which would pretty much be the floor.

I don't see Big XII members going to the AAC if there's any more than four left without a conference. I could see max two AAC members being added if the remaining 8 stick together, given that former Big XII investigations into expansion showed nobody put the conference on better financial footing. Adding more than two just continues to dilute the value. If this is the eventual outcome, the conference will perpetually be a target of further expansion talks as the Big 10, ACC and PAC hurtle towards further consolidation.

Worst case is MWC, AAC, MAC, etc.

 

[CyclonesMoney]

Not so fast, other Conferences are trying to hold/wait on expanding play-offs to 12 teams. They are also trying to see if ESPN and Greg Sankey are trying to monopolize this whole thing. Sankey will be investigated in this whole thing. This is the USA. A country of laws.
The remaining 8 teams just need to hold on, stay calm and remain together. We break, we fall.
I also liked Tim Brando’s take on Sicem365 radio today. He’s said the remaining 8 teams just need to calm down and not rush. There’s a lot of money out there owed to us.Other than the greedy SEC, nobody wants ESPN to monopolize this whole thing. Fox,B1G and other media won’t just bow down to the greediness going on here. With Gene Smith saying they should hold on to playoff expansion, it would be nice to leave it at 4 for 10 yrs as that would mean Oklahoma and Texas become more irrelevant. Imagine ISU in the playoffs and Oklahoma and Texas watching ISU vs Alabama. Lol

 

[Mesaclone1]

What does it take to qualify as a “power” conference? There are obviously things you need to differ between G5 and P5.

Anyone know those?

If we can keep the 8 and add 2-4 teams from AAC like Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati and SMU will we stay P5?

If yes, that’s the move and we’d absolutely dominate it.

If no, pray the B1G expands and we’re Golden there too.

If no to that hope the PAC goes 16 and they want us.

There's no real "criteria", its more a perception...and if you're invited to the big boy meetings.

 

[2speedy1]

PAC-12 goes with safety in #'s and adds remaining Big members (minus West Va) + BYU to form the PAC-20

They do 5, 4-team PODS that look something like this:
Oregon, Oregon St, Wash, Wash St
USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford
CU, BYU, Utah, & Kansas
Texas Tech, TCU, Arizona, ASU
Baylor, Iowa St, Kansas St, Okie St

You'd have to get a FOX Sports TV deal and all sign an astronomically long (20+ years) and penalty filled Grant of Rights to build trust and stability.

Then, your FB schedule looks something like: Play everyone in your pod (3 games) Play 2 other pods (8 games) every other year Play 1 FCS game. Iowa games goes away. It sucks but we need long-term stability more than that game. The scheduling is workable. Maybe you play 1.5 pods every year so you play 9 conferences games. Whatever.

11 conference games is a lot but it makes scheduling easier and creates unity and a unique brand. "We're going to play each other." Embrace PAC-20 after dark and get auto bid plus 1 at-large every year into 12 team playoff. Avoid irrelevancy.

Championship game in Vegas.

Discuss....

This scenario you could also do 4 pods of 5 teams.
TTU,TCU, BU,ASU,AU
ISU, KU, KSU, OSU, CU

then split BYU and Utah 1 to the North schools In Oregon and Washington,
and 1 to the California schools.

 

[2speedy1]

I have seen comments before they can get around this if booster money is shifted to cover the cost. That may or may not be true.

If the B1G said fine we will take USC, Stanford, Or., UW, AZ or ASU & Colorado that may get rectified real quick.

Yeah I didnt think about it either, but Im sure they just switch what funds are used for what. Its all just accounting paperwork. While its all coming from the same piggy bank, they just allocate funds from different sources for travel to get around it.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

I increased my donations by 50%. I hope everyone will consider increasing theirs too, even if only by 10%.

Agreed. But we lack donors, we need more fans and alumni to start to donate. When this topic comes up it gets quiet around here. In another thread a poster shared KU donors and asked for ours, which I’ve shared here before. I expected shock and a call to arms. Crickets instead. I’ll keep beating this drum, but we have always been last in the B12 in donors, it doesn’t get better comparing it to other conferences either. We are on our third realignment crisis and just won the Fiesta Bowl. What will it take?

 

[StPaulCyclone]

Wonder if we could sponsor Okie Lite for AAU membership, F**k OU,

Half the original B12 were AAU members. What have they been waiting for? SEC going to help them cheat their way in?

 

[Beyerball]

So listening to KXNO today and a caller I thought had a really good idea...

Big 8 + add Cinnci, Memphis, BYU and San Diego st for all sports

For basketball those 12 teams + Witchita State and Creighton for bball only..

12 team fball and 14 team bball conf.

This would be an unreal bball conf and easily best bball conf and it wouldn't be close..


It would be must watch TV bball conf and could certainly help increase revenue lost on fball side

 

[Cyclad]

The two most appealing teams left for the BIG or Pac are Iowa State and Kansas.

Somewhat true.
Problem - nobody lives in either state.
Leagues may want into the Texas market - 2nd most populous state.
We have AAU, as does KU. They have basketball. We have currently good football.
Not sure either meet the $ criteria.

 

[cytor]

If Fox wanted to make counter powerplay, they'd try and get some of the teams from the ACC to leave to the Big 12 with a new fat Fox media deal. Get eight ACC schools with eight Big 12 to form a new 16 team conference. With eight schools leaving the ACC, would that be enough to end the ACC grant of rights?

Imagine the basketball in a conference like this. Holy crap.

 

[scyclonekid]

IMO, the old Big 12 was perfect. Geography worked, good mix of blue bloods with everyone else. I feel it was better for Nebraska, Missouri, CU, and Texas A and M. I know Mizzou fans and the shine is off on the SEC. Anyway, it is to bad they couldn't get along, destabilizing the old Big 12 open the door to ruin college football forever. Fkn Texas and thier GD longhorn network.

Lived in college station for 2 years, there’s a reason I don’t go to Texas. Never met worse people in my life. Yah everything is bigger in Texas blah blah so are the ********.