The PAC 10 expansion groundswell

[SteelBlue]

When the folks from the Big 12 South move, there will be no more Big 12 at all. Utah most likely takes the spot A&M had. The MWC is left trying to fight over Kansas, KSU and Missouri with ConferenceUSA.

You've misunderstood my point. Utah fans have gone from the idea of playing USC, Oregon, Cal, Stanford every year to playing against the teams of what will be the former Big 12 South and only meeting the West teams every few years. That's a big switch and I was wondering how Ute fans feel about it.

[Uncle Ted]

Utah in a Pac 16 with Texas. BYU left out. Yeah, that could be a death blow.

Who says that A&M will not follow Texas into the Pac-10 (if that happens) or the Pac-10 will not pick up Kansas instead? How does Utah compare to Kansas, BTW?

[jay santos]

I've stated before I'm a bit of a Utah college sports bigamist. My team is BYU. It will always be BYU. However I can be objective about Utah. I've always said if they were invited to join the PAC 10 They'd be crazy not to go. Of course that was contingent on the fact that Utah was joining along with Colorado and they would be closely associated with the West coast teams. A PAC 16 changes all of that. Unless somehow Utah ends up in the West division as the expense of UA and AS. If they end up in the up in a PAC 16 east division they effectively become the new Baylor.

Oregon State, Washington State, ASU, Arizona, and Stanford trade off being last in the Pac, yet we're always losing top recruits to these schools, with the stated reason usually being that they want to play in the Pac. In the Pac 16 west, Utah will have a hard time rising above mid to bottom, but that's not the point.

[cougjunkie]

Nebraska Chancellor says Big12/ Pac 10 merger is a go.

ESPN reporting that Texas will announce their decision by Monday at the latest.

[jay santos]

Who says that A&M will not follow Texas into the Pac-10 (if that happens) or the Pac-10 will not pick up Kansas instead? How does Utah compare to Kansas, BTW?

I brought this exact point up. Utah to Pac 16 is far from done deal it appears. But in the event it does happen, it would be death blow to BYU.

[jay santos]

Texas A&M has chance to cement its place as most hated team. Killing Ty Detmer, two NCAA games, and now they have chance to gift wrap Utah to the Pac.

[TheAzzuri]

FWIW, and I know that's basically nothing, but I have a close friend who is tapped into the aTm network very closely. He said right now that it could go either way, but that the general feeling is that for all the banter and yelling and screaming, Texas and TAMU are tied at the hip and one won't go anywhere without the other.

They believe TAMU to the PACX when it's all said and done.

[SteelBlue]

Nebraska Chancellor says Big12/ Pac 10 merger is a go.

ESPN reporting that Texas will announce their decision by Monday at the latest.

So now we wait and see if A&M stays or goes. Chip just tweeted while I was typing:

Big 12 South schools headed for Pac-10 in 2012 caught off guard by Neb move to B10 in 2011

[smokymountainrain]

Who says that A&M will not follow Texas into the Pac-10 (if that happens) or the Pac-10 will not pick up Kansas instead? How does Utah compare to Kansas, BTW?

For one, isn't A&M to the SEC close to being a done deal - again, as with everything else - based on what we're hearing?

I have more hope Texas will demand Baylor be included than I do aTm will follow them over.

[tooblue]

Oregon State, Washington State, ASU, Arizona, and Stanford trade off being last in the Pac, yet we're always losing top recruits to these schools, with the stated reason usually being that they want to play in the Pac. In the Pac 16 west, Utah will have a hard time rising above mid to bottom, but that's not the point.

It is the point. The gain for Utah here was the association with the west coast PAC 10 teams. It would've raised the profile of the school academically and been a boon to the University on the whole. Now all of a sudden this is just move for the sake of sports and quite frankly Salt Lake City is still Salt Lake City.

[SteelBlue]

For one, isn't A&M to the SEC close to being a done deal - again, as with everything else - based on what we're hearing?

No, I don't think anyone has gone that far with it.

[jay santos]

It is the point. The gain for Utah here was the association with the west coast PAC 10 teams. It would've raised the profile of the school academically and been a boon to the University on the whole. Now all of a sudden this is just move for the sake of sports and quite frankly Salt Lake City is still Salt Lake City.

So the end game is to keep Utah down academically?

[DU Ute]

It is the point. The gain for Utah here was the association with the west coast PAC 10 teams. It would've raised the profile of the school academically and been a boon to the University on the whole. Now all of a sudden this is just move for the sake of sports and quite frankly Salt Lake City is still Salt Lake City.

Yeah, this was all just about academics for us. Even if it was Texas academics > BYU academics.

[LA Ute]

Kansas v. Utah:

The State of Kansas has almost 100,000 more people than Utah (KS population 2,881,747 vs. UT 2,784,572) so in terms of TV eyeballs I am not sure there's much difference.

Travel is easy to Salt Lake City. There are few, if any, direct flights to Lawrence.

Kansas is a legendary basketball power year in and year out. Utah has a great hoops tradition but is a tier below the Jayhawks.

In football Utah is simply better and has been for 20 years.

Beyond that I can't say. I think it might be a close call for the PAC.

[smokymountainrain]

Kansas v. Utah:

The State of Kansas has almost 100,000 more people than Utah (KS population 2,881,747 vs. UT 2,784,572) so in terms of TV eyeballs I am not sure there's much difference.

Travel is easy to Salt Lake City. There are few, if any, direct flights to Lawrence.

Kansas is a legendary basketball power year in and year out. Utah has a great hoops tradition but is a tier below the Jayhawks.

In basketball Kansas is simply better and has been for 50 years.

In football Utah is simply better and has been for 20 years.

Beyond that I can't say. I think it might be a close call for the PAC.

Fixed.