New Big 12 Super Conference
- Thread starter ljhlax
- Start date
Outside of the old Big 8, The top 3 schools Nebraska has played the most in school history are in the Big 10, the next two are ND and Pitt, and then another Big 10. The Big 10 if they expand again would probably first extend invitations to ND and Pitt, so yeah, that is the most natural Rivalry conference for Nebraska.
As for Colorado, I was just giving examples from the last ten years. Their history is littered with interest and games out west. I think it is pretty solid. It fits with the NFL conference allignment and MLB allignment. When you travel to a city to watch the Rockies or Broncos play, I think you are pretty comfortable traveling there to watch the Buffs as well.
Reinventing the SWC is a bad idea, but the SWC as part of a much larger conference isn't.
Houston has 10 Conference Championships (and some of those came when playing against Texas and Texas A&M), 20 Bowl Appearances, 18 All-Americans and a Heisman and Davey O'Brien winner. They have a 32,000 seat stadium of their own and a potential NFL stadium for big Rival games.
SMU is coming from Death. It is hard to look at recent numbers, but it doesn't mean a return isn't possible. Again they seat 32,000 in their stadium, but have potential to play in an NFL Stadium for a big Rivalry game. They have 13 bowls, 3 National Championships, and 11 Conference titles (again against the likes of teams we still haven't won a conference title against). Most of all they "had" donors that were willing to create a payroll system for their players. Some very notable politicians included. Turn that energy into a positive alumni that builds facilities and expands stadiums in a major conference (in a legal fashion) and their return is inevitable.
UNLV...well...no history...at all, but it is still cheaper for me to fly to Vegas to watch the Cyclones every year than to fly to Des Moines and either rent a car or borrow a family car to see the Cyclones at home. Its actually cheaper for me to see the Cyclones in Vegas than in the majority of Big 12 cities. I've made the trip before and I'd love to do it again. I think if it was marketed and packaged well with the rest of the Big 12, it would be a hit.
The Urban Meyer talk is to be expected. Couldn't one also make the argument that during his national championships there were two teams that didn't even get the shot at a National Championship game, yet beat teams from major conferences in their bowl and finished with 14 wins? I would want to secure my legacy too if I were him and also make sure I didn't speak bad about a Conference I might rejoin as a coach someday. I take it for what it is a very singular and very biased opinion that can't really be proven.
Nebraska biggest rival of all times is Oklahoma. If rivalries meant a damn thing, they wouldn't have left. It is that simple. Nebraska doesn't have "traditional rivalries" with the big 10. They play games against them.
I get what potential SMU and Houston have. I will not refute it. But what you don't understand is what they do to the current members. They DO NOT pay for themselves because they are already in a currently held TV market. They make recruiting tougher for every school not named Texas and if successful, they can compete with Texas. They put more power in the State of Texas which the North/old Big 8 schools will not like. As soon as SMU and Houston can out compete ISU for recruits then ISU is right back where we started...On theBCS bubble except there are more teams in better markets in the way. I won't even mention the corruption that was involved in the SWC.
In short no current Big 12 team will benefit by adding SMU/Houston unless they have no other options in which case we are so desperate it won't matter.
UNLV doesn't bring anything to the table
So you'd play all but one team in your division.
That just doesn't seem like a very good idea.
If you believe in a world of Super Conferences that will have control of their own networks, then yes UNLV brings something to the table. In that kind of a scenario, it delivers the TV sets in the Vegas market, which is a top50 market with no major professional sports presence.
It's true that it fails to deliver based on ratings alone in any "Add One" milieu, but I think it has relevance in a Super Conference scenario. It would be a key thrust in the western portion of a Super Conference strategy. That kind of plan would seek to create an effective Mountain time zone blockade from PAC-12 expansion, assuming conference network creation in in the mix (which it very very likely would be in just about any Super Conference setup).
For similar reasons, you could add New Mexico to the mix, with the Albequerque market. Air Force Academy brings the Denver market as well as Armed Forces Network coverage. I think one of the service academies would need to be thrown a bone in the Super Conference race and AFA is most likely.
Cheers
They'll come about as close as CU does.
Their attendance was only a few thousand less last year.
Not sure UNLV delivers a market that doesn't care about college sports. Air Force most certainly doesn't deliver Denver. Denver is a pro sports town full of transplants. Denver cares about the Broncos, Avalanche, CU, CSU and Air Force in that order. It is like the Big East schools. sure they are in big markets but they don't delver the markets. New Mexico delivers Alberquerque but UNLV doesn't deliver Las Vegas and Air Force doesn't deliver Denver.
Lived in Denver for 6+ years. The only time Air Force was mentioned on talk radio or in any other medium was when they played CSU. Other than that the market is Broncos, Avalanche/Nuggets, transplants, and then CU. It is a pro sports town filled with transplants
Oh, I would agree with the above in any "Add One" scenario for BigXII expansion. They clearly do not deliver them based on ratings in a BigXII "survival" expansion.
However, in a Super Conference 'race' scenario, looking to build 16+ team conferences with divisions they could be serious considerations. I think the Super Conferences would absolutely look to gain more control the distribution of their product with their own network (BigTen and Pac-12 are doing this already) and then the markets would be in-play not for ratings but because of subscription numbers and potential subscribers. That's how I see it.
They clearly don't deliver the ratings in the markets, but in a game of capturing TV sets like the BigTen network has done, I think it's something that could be in the mix.
Cheers
Seems like everyone on here is speculating, or creating their own wish list of schools.
I might as well do the same. I wouldn't mind seeing invitations sent to:
- BYU
and then two of the following 3
- WVU
- Louisville
- Pitt
Pros for Big 12
- 12 team conference with Championship game
- Strong television markets with new footprint for Big 12
- Addition of good fan bases with some recent football and mbb success
Pros for incoming teams
- More $$
- Keep some current rivals
- Opens TX recruiting for them
Don't get me wrong there are cons with everything, one would definitely be travel as this would put the conference in three time zones. But, I just don't get the reasoning in adding SMU, TCU, Houston, or any other TX school - UT, TAMU, TT, BU - probably deliver 80-90 % of the tvs in the state, and this would only hurt ISU in recruiting against these schools.
Just my take in this, which doesn't count for much
CS
FYI. I thought it was funny listening to Jamie Pollard last night on 1600 address this issue (or not) when John Walters posed it to him. Basically told John he wasn't even comfortable addressing who was part of the expansion committee. We know we won't find any info from our boy Pollard until the plans are signed and sealed. Which is probably a good thing.
I might as well do the same. I wouldn't mind seeing invitations sent to:
- BYU
and then two of the following 3
- WVU
- Louisville
- Pitt
Pros for Big 12
- 12 team conference with Championship game
- Strong television markets with new footprint for Big 12
- Addition of good fan bases with some recent football and mbb success
Pros for incoming teams
- More $$
- Keep some current rivals
- Opens TX recruiting for them
Don't get me wrong there are cons with everything, one would definitely be travel as this would put the conference in three time zones. But, I just don't get the reasoning in adding SMU, TCU, Houston, or any other TX school - UT, TAMU, TT, BU - probably deliver 80-90 % of the tvs in the state, and this would only hurt ISU in recruiting against these schools.
Just my take in this, which doesn't count for much
CS
FYI. I thought it was funny listening to Jamie Pollard last night on 1600 address this issue (or not) when John Walters posed it to him. Basically told John he wasn't even comfortable addressing who was part of the expansion committee. We know we won't find any info from our boy Pollard until the plans are signed and sealed. Which is probably a good thing.
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B12 is currently at 10 teams. TAMU leaving means 9. Plus the 4 you suggest gets us to 13. Apparently the goal for superconferences is to get to 16 so you are short 3 teams. I would love to see ND join but I think they'd be more likely to go to the B10. As might Pitt.
I think that if this does go down (move to 16 teams) it is likely some of the teams will not be a great fit but will be necessary anyhow. So I think teams like UNLV would be in the mix as would Memphis. Other other teams from the east wouldn't be ruled out. And I would think San Diego State might be considered as well; gets some exposure to CA and would balance UNLV, BYU out west. And people are ruling the other Texas schools out but I wouldn't be surprised if at least 1 of Houston, TCU, SMU would get in. I highly doubt all would; as others have said, it smells too much like the old SW Conf.
Given the shakeup that looks to be imminent there is going to be a scramble for the best teams. Face it, the B12's record so far hasn't been the greatest. So I think we end up with a mix of teams that are a good fit and some that are not so good. Just my 2ct.
More proof that rivalries don't mean anything
http://www.baylorbears.com/genrel/083111aaa.html
Baylor and a$m have been rivals for 100+ years. Same with Texas. Those rivalries are gone.
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I don't think it's that bad of an idea. What amazes me is how many people on this board think we could bring in higher quality teams than that. The Big 12 is that last choice for any major BCS team. It's the worst run conference in America. Even Oklahoma isn't happy with it.
IMO, the Big 12 is not really the last choice of any major BCS team. If that was the case then the Forgotten Five would have jumped at the chance to join the Big East and said good-bye to the Big 12.
IMO, It is the SEC. And then Big 10. They have the TV's and they have tradition. Big 12's problem has been stability caused by the infighting. Crybaby Nebraska is gone. Colorado panicked. And Jealous aTm is gone now too.
BYU should jump at the chance. Not much different going there as it was to Colorado. Louisville is intriguing as well. And Pitt. I say we add one at this point. If all 3 would want to join then go to 12.
I believe that BYU and Pitt have wrestling as well. Which is good for us.
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