The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[TripletDaddy]

jake Trotter finally comes around. The groundswell is happening!

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_...hould-be-added

Jake Trotter: I'm not a huge fan of any of the available options at the moment. But my first call would be to BYU. I know many Big 12 leaders wouldn't feel the same. BYU rubbed the Big 12 the wrong way when the two sides discussed possible inclusion a few years ago. That said, BYU brings the most to the table, both in terms of football tradition and fanbase. Adding BYU would also expand the conference's footprint into another state. Sure, BYU would be a proximity nightmare. And the Cougars have proven to be high maintenance. But they have a quality program (just ask Texas and Oklahoma, both of whom BYU has vanquished in recent years). And on a list of not-so-great options, BYU stands out.

Interesting how it is no longer a private secret that both sides met the first time around. What is now at issue is whether BYU annoyed someone (neinas says no, everyone else, including common sense, says yes).

[TripletDaddy]

Berry Tramel: why is 10 > 12?

http://newsok.com/berry-tramel-pleas...rticle/5431793

Why? Why does the Big 12 have to flounder with only 10 schools? That’s not a rhetorical question. That’s not me being sarcastic, trying to make a case against expansion. It’s a legitimate question.Why can’t the Big 12 thrive with 10 schools? What would two schools add, especially two imperfect-fit schools, which are the only kind available at the moment? Again, dead-serious question. What would 12 provide that 10 doesn’t?
Divisional play and a championship game? Maybe that’s what the Big 12 needs. Particularly the championship game. But the NCAA is about to declare that the Big 12 could play a title game without divisional play. Does divisional play suddenly carry something magical that I’m missing? Hasn’t divisional play been harmed by the 14-team formats of the Big Ten and SEC, where now some schools rarely play each other? Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012; Georgia’s first football trip to College Station comes in 2024.
Television strength? Brigham Young moves the television needle. No other candidate does. Not in terms of enhanced traditional network bounty or potential conference network arrangement.
The appearance of progress? Maybe. New blood often is a spark. But is new blood a tonic? A cure-all for whatever ails a conference? I don’t know. Have Utah and Colorado transformed the Pac-12? If so, it’s not apparent here east of the Rockies.

[TripletDaddy]

Berry Tramel: But just in case, let's look at the candidates....

http://newsok.com/analyzing-the-stre...rticle/5431792

BRIGHAM YOUNGAthletic budget: $40 million (estimate)
Enrollment: 29,672
Market: Greater Salt Lake City population of 2.42 million. Utah population 2.94 million.
Football stadium: Lavell Edwards Stadium opened in 1964; 1982 upgrade almost doubled capacity. Now seats 63,470.
Fan base: Strong, but slipping. BYU has sold out just seven of 25 games since turning independent in 2011. The Cougars routinely sold out earlier in the 2000s.
Television attraction: Strong. BYU is another national brand, which is hard to find outside the Power-5 conferences.
Geography: Problematic. Provo, Utah, is only 382 miles from Boise. BYU would stretch the conference.
Academic standing: Strong. BYU is ranked 62nd nationally; only Texas, 53rd, is higher among Big 12 schools. However, BYU’s affiliation with the Mormon Church causes some angst among academicians.
Football prowess: Strong. The Cougars won the 1984 national title, helped usher in the passing era and have established a strong tradition.
Other sports: Strong. BYU is an NCAA Tournament regular in basketball and is nationally competitive in a variety of other sports.

[TripletDaddy]

Lubbock TV station (home of Texas Tech) joins the groundswell, names BYU as B12's top expansion candidate!

http://www.everythinglubbock.com/spo...p-5-candidates

[TripletDaddy]

Not so fast, (Houston) Cougars! No expansion for you.

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/not...h-fans-7566731

[falafel]

Not so fast, (Houston) Cougars! No expansion for you.

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/not...h-fans-7566731

Then there’s a program like BYU which has flirted with joining a major conference in the past, but always chosen to remain on its own.

That's not how I remember it.

[Uncle Ted]

Panel of EPSN analysts were asked... BYU Cougars were the overwhelming choice!

http://www.foxsports.com/college-foo...expands-070615

[TripletDaddy]

That's not how I remember it.

At one point or another, BYU has been an expansion target for the PAC 10, the Big 12, and the Big East.

[TripletDaddy]

VII for XII

http://www.sportingnews.com/list/464...-boise-memphis

[Commando]

VII for XII

http://www.sportingnews.com/list/464...-boise-memphis

^^^

[YOhio]

The Dude of WV is still VERY pessimistic about the Big Twelve expanding. Read his timeline. He's literally sick of always having to explain it to people who don't see the big picture or know all the considerations.

https://twitter.com/theDudeofWV

[TripletDaddy]

where is his timeline? i would like to read it.

[YOhio]

where is his timeline? i would like to read it.

It's on twitter. The link is posted.

[TripletDaddy]

It's on twitter. The link is posted.

i guess i dont know what you mean by "timeline."

in related news, tuxedo yoda said as recently as last week that BYU is in (football only)

Embedded Tweet

this is really great news, even if only for football.

[YOhio]

i guess i dont know what you mean by "timeline."

It means all of his tweets.

https://support.twitter.com/articles...itter-timeline