The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Look at the worst team in the history of BYU's new conference kicking the balls in on the best team in the history of BYU's old conference. Time to Rise Up!

[tooblue]

I thought TCU was Ginger.

No, that was just Andy Dalton ... he's now with the Bengals.

[statman]

It would be really beneficial for the PAC to be a first mover on Super Conference expansion. Most view it as an East-to-west movement, with leagues grabbing up teams from the Big (L)East and Big 12 to fill out their rosters to 16 teams. The problem for the PAC is where that leaves them - likely stuck at 12 unless they move first.

the first thing they 'd have to do is decimate the Big 12 - that's who they'd be fighting for schools with. Coring out the heart of the big 12 by bringing UT, OU and USU in-house, would likely kill it dead. the 4th team could be any number of schools - TT, Kansas, KState, Missou, even UNM, AFA, etc.

But BYU actually makes sense. BYU is the borderland for any other conference to take. It's also got appeal from an attendance and TV standpoint. BYU is also a bit dangerous because it has enough appeal, that if coupled with a few other schools - the remains of the Big 12, Boise State, UNM, AFA, UNLV, etc - it could form a new conference that would be reaonably competitive at football and especially at basketball. BYU would offer those schools some geographic identity - and would be a core member of a new competing conference. Taking them over the other schools mentioned would make it more difficult for those other schools to form a conference with any sort of identity. If nothing else, it would be the "Dregs of the Big-12 and a bunch of schools that hate BYU conference"

If the PAC could remove BYU from that mix, take out the new conference's biggest single $ maker, put BYU in a different division from the 'real' PAC teams (with AZ, AZSt, UT, OU, OSU, CU & UU), it would be a real coup. It would get the PAC to 16, it would decimate the Big 12, and it would remove the biggest single money maker from any conference that might form in its wake.

If the powers that be in the PAC can hold their collective noses and let a Mormon team join their interloper new division, adding BYU, UT, OU and OSU would be the smartest move they could possibly make.

But I fear that BYU would constantly struggle to be 3rd or 4th in football in that division. It would rival the SEC West as the toughest division in football. In fact, it would make BOTH divisions of the PAC-16 among the most competitive in football. It would be a BRILLIANT move...

[USUC]

I could see BYU to the PAC-16 under those circumstances. I'm just a little skeptical about why BYU would be that 4th team. I thought Texas politics would ensure TT to be a package deal with Texas. And if not, is there any indication that Texas or the OK schools would push for BYU? What would their reasons be? If this does end up happening it would be awesome.

[tooblue]

I could see BYU to the PAC-16 under those circumstances. I'm just a little skeptical about why BYU would be that final 4th team. I thought Texas politics would ensure TT to be a package deal with Texas. And if not, is there any indication that Texas or the OK schools would push for BYU? What would there reasons be? If this does end up happening it would be awesome.

I think there are some very compelling reasons BYU went independent and independent is what they will remain for some time.

[statman]

I could see BYU to the PAC-16 under those circumstances. I'm just a little skeptical about why BYU would be that final 4th team. I thought Texas politics would ensure TT to be a package deal with Texas. And if not, is there any indication that Texas or the OK schools would push for BYU? What would there reasons be? If this does end up happening it would be awesome.

UT thinks about as much of TT as a pile of Bevos#it.

To them, TT is nothing but a third tier school - a step above a commuter school. Their student body a bunch of engineer wannabes who weren't smart enough to get into UT or A&M. OU is WAY higher on UT's 'care about' list than TT. OSU probably is too. At least they're smart enough to stay out of the panhandle...

The only school the UT really cared about was A&M, and we see how far that got A&M...

[Jarid in Cedar]

OU set a deadline of Sept 15th to make a decision. I hope that decision includes a new OU network and not a new conference.

http://blog.newsok.com/ou/2011/09/02...-in-it-or-out/

Here is the transcript for the interview with OU's Pres.

[San Juan Sun]

Boys, if the PAC wanted BYU, they would have looked at us last year.

These scenarios of BYU in a PAC 16 are simply wishful thinking.

[Coach McGuirk]

It would be really beneficial for the PAC to be a first mover on Super Conference expansion. Most view it as an East-to-west movement, with leagues grabbing up teams from the Big (L)East and Big 12 to fill out their rosters to 16 teams. The problem for the PAC is where that leaves them - likely stuck at 12 unless they move first.

the first thing they 'd have to do is decimate the Big 12 - that's who they'd be fighting for schools with. Coring out the heart of the big 12 by bringing UT, OU and USU in-house, would likely kill it dead. the 4th team could be any number of schools - TT, Kansas, KState, Missou, even UNM, AFA, etc.

But BYU actually makes sense. BYU is the borderland for any other conference to take. It's also got appeal from an attendance and TV standpoint. BYU is also a bit dangerous because it has enough appeal, that if coupled with a few other schools - the remains of the Big 12, Boise State, UNM, AFA, UNLV, etc - it could form a new conference that would be reaonably competitive at football and especially at basketball. BYU would offer those schools some geographic identity - and would be a core member of a new competing conference. Taking them over the other schools mentioned would make it more difficult for those other schools to form a conference with any sort of identity. If nothing else, it would be the "Dregs of the Big-12 and a bunch of schools that hate BYU conference"

If the PAC could remove BYU from that mix, take out the new conference's biggest single $ maker, put BYU in a different division from the 'real' PAC teams (with AZ, AZSt, UT, OU, OSU, CU & UU), it would be a real coup. It would get the PAC to 16, it would decimate the Big 12, and it would remove the biggest single money maker from any conference that might form in its wake.

If the powers that be in the PAC can hold their collective noses and let a Mormon team join their interloper new division, adding BYU, UT, OU and OSU would be the smartest move they could possibly make.

But I fear that BYU would constantly struggle to be 3rd or 4th in football in that division. It would rival the SEC West as the toughest division in football. In fact, it would make BOTH divisions of the PAC-16 among the most competitive in football. It would be a BRILLIANT move...

It will be brilliant. And it won't include byu.


Lord, I hope I'm wrong.

[tooblue]

Boys, if the PAC wanted BYU, they would have looked at us last year.

These scenarios of BYU in a PAC 16 are simply wishful thinking.

You are like a flight attendant providing safety procedure details to passengers as the plane taxis from the gate to the runway ... No body is listening San Juan. Yes, I kinda purposely stole that from an old church video.

[USUC]

Good hell, I can't wait for tomorrow's game. Any sort of distraction from this expansion stuff will be welcome. At least tomorrow night I'll either be elated from a win or trying to cope with a loss.

[statman]

Boys, if the PAC wanted BYU, they would have looked at us last year.

These scenarios of BYU in a PAC 16 are simply wishful thinking.

Yes, they're wishful thinking, but a lot has changed since last year - most notably the SEC has signaled that's actually pursuing Super Conference status (assuming A&M goes to the SEC). Those chips never actually got played last year. Now that they have been, it's a new world...

[shoganai]

The current direction of this thread is pretty solid proof that human nature sees and believes only what it wants to.

[San Juan Sun]

You are like a flight attendant providing safety procedure details to passengers as the plane taxis from the gate to the runway ... No body is listening San Juan. Yes, I kinda purposely stole that from an old church video.

[Shaka]

Speculation is not belief. The PAC deciding what teams to take in a 16 team conference vs what they did last year to get to 12 are entirely different things.

As remote as I think those scenarios are I think there could be a scenario or two where BYU is a viable candidate for the PAC16.