The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Jarid in Cedar]

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thinks Arkansas would ever join the Big 12. Didn't they go to a BCS bowl last year? The SEC is as solid as a rock because power is more distributed in that conference. Why would they go to the Big 12 where they'd just get their chain yanked by Texas?

Also, and I've stated this before, everyone keeps on talking about how this Dodds character is playing everyone for fools. Besides getting the LHN started, here's what he's accomplished:

1. Running Nebraska off.

2. Running aTm off.

Sorry, but that's idiotic. The Big 12 was in the position to become a super conference but now it's in the position where it may disband as the Big 10, SEC and perhaps the Pac 10 become super conferences. If such a scenario occurs, then Texas may be forced to join one of them on much less favorable terms than it could have achieved had it done enough to keep Nebraska and aTm around (then again, maybe that was impossible given their respective petulant natures).

There aren't very many conference (or would be conference) anchors in college football. Here they are by my count (in no particular order):

1. Notre Dame
2. USC
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. Florida
7. Michigan
8. Nebraska
9. Oklahoma
10. Penn State

There are only ten of them. Texas ran off one of them. If Dodds was what the Texas fans claim he is, he would have succeeded in only passing off its sloppy seconds to the Pac and then found someone else to better shore up the north.

I agree with that list and I would add Florida St. They have had some down years recently, but they are one of the most successful programs of the last 30-40 years.

[happyone]

Yea, I am looking for the reappearance of Army and Navy.

You and I might live to see Navy reappear, but as much as I hate to say this, I don't think either you or I will live long enough to see Army make much of a splash

Sorry Goat.

[beefytee]

Yea, I am looking for the reappearance of Army and Navy.

I'm not. Army and Navy's success is strongly correlated to world wars.

[Blueintheface]

Lighten up, Francis.

[happyone]

I'm not. Army and Navy's success is strongly correlated to world wars.

It seems to me that the Army football team is much more successful when we don't have a shooting war going on

[Uncle Ted]

Not likely this year for my Black Knights. That early season stretch of NIU, Northwestern and Cal State San Diego looks daunting!

Bummer. I was hoping to see them at the Armed Forces Bowl again matched up with BYU this time. I didn't like sitting with all those SMU snobs and was happy when Army put the ponies in their place.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Yea, I am looking for the reappearance of Army and Navy.

You mean Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

[Goatnapper'96]

Bummer. I was hoping to see them at the Armed Forces Bowl again matched up with BYU this time. I didn't like sitting with all those SMU snobs and was happy when Army put the ponies in their place.

That was a fun bowl win and very classical type of Academy type of win. Do enough to allow your opponent to beat itself. If Army can steal one of its first 3 games, I don't think another 6 win season is out of the question, but if they start 0-3, not sure I see them winning 6 of the their final 9 with Vandy, Navy, Air Force and Rutgers on the schedule.

[LA Ute]

I see what you did there.

.

[Paperback Writer]

In 2001, USC was playing Utah in the Vegas Bowl. Alabama went through the Mike Price fiasco, where were they back around 04-05? Oklahoma was lost in the wilderness back in the 90s.

The point is that great programs seem to find ways to come back.

Totally agree - college football can be cyclical as coaching staffs change. Nebraska has been more stable than most as they had Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne in place from 1962-1997. But the Huskers have been humbled since. Is Nebraska back? Perhaps; at least they are headed in the right direction. It wasn't that long ago that I was spouting: "I'll believe OU is back when they can get within 3 TDs of Nebraska". That changed somewhere in the second quarter of the 2000 OU-Nebraska game.

As far as Nebraska generating fan interest, I think their difficult Big Ten schedule will come along way in sparking fan interest (or re-interest) in Nebraska. Recently, I read a column from ESPN or SI where writers picked the college games they were most looking foward to. All of them agreed on two games: LSU-Oregon and Nebraska-Wisconsin. Some analysts are even picking Nebraska to win the Big Ten in their debut season. That would go a long way to recapturing fan interest.

The season is about to start, so we'll see if Nebraska is really back. Personally, I'm somewhat reserved. At least until Nebraska proves it has a viable offense.

[SoCalCoug]

There aren't very many conference (or would be conference) anchors in college football. Here they are by my count (in no particular order):

1. Notre Dame
2. USC
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Ohio State
6. Florida
7. Michigan
8. Nebraska
9. Oklahoma
10. Penn State

You left Utah off the list.

[Uncle Ted]

You left Utah off the list.

Yes, it seems kind of unfair that the Pac-12 only has one anchor.

[Uncle Ted]

As far as Nebraska generating fan interest, I think their difficult Big Ten schedule will come along way in sparking fan interest (or re-interest) in Nebraska. Recently, I read a column from ESPN or SI where writers picked the college games they were most looking foward to. All of them agreed on two games: LSU-Oregon and Nebraska-Wisconsin. Some analysts are even picking Nebraska to win the Big Ten in their debut season. That would go a long way to recapturing fan interest.

Given that Nebraska doesn't have to get past Texas this year I can see that.

[TripletDaddy]

You left Utah off the list.

Utah is not eligible to anchor the PAC 12 until they are a full member. Check back in 3 years.

[byu71]

Given that Nebraska doesn't have to get past Texas this year I can see that.

It is quite possible that the BIG10 er 11 is more overrated than the PAC12.

I don't think a team from the BIG10 er 11 could win the MWC this year.