The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Gaffords]

That is hilarious. I have little exposure to the Texan version of Aggies, but they seem to be pretty unintentionally amusing. I recently saw a thread somewhere with Aggies screwing up simple multiplication. It was great.

They write their own jokes!

Meanwhile back at the horns hangout we have this:

Conference Realignmentpocalypse Part 17 - IN MS PAINT

I will not post the entire pic set due to.. well obvious reasons but I will add the thread if anyone wants to brave forward...

But here are some highlights!

OOPS!! SORRY forgot about the map so removed!

We make fun of ourselves also!

Warning Not intended for small children!
http://www.shaggybevo.com/board/show...17-IN-MS-PAINT

[Uncle Ted]

This is latest from Ketch at OB's...

BIG 12 SEARCH: Pittsburgh and BYU continue to be schools of interest for the Big 12 in the wake of Texas A&M’s announced withdrawal from the conference.

Louisville is also on the radar, two sources said Thursday. And if Pittsburgh and Louisville were to express interest in joining the Big 12, there could be a domino effect that could lead back to Notre Dame, the sources said.

Sources said if the Big East started to become unstable because of movement by other conferences, it could force Notre Dame to put all of its sports - other than football (which all currently reside in the Big East) in another conference.

Sources in the Big 12 say Notre Dame could move those sports into the Big 12 and remain independent in football.

All of this could happen if the Southeastern Conference admits Texas A&M as the 13th member and then possibly Virginia Tech as the 14th school in the SEC. A&M sources have told Orangebloods.com they were told by the SEC the plan was for that league to grow to 16.

But sources close to the SEC have also indicated the presidents don’t want to be responsible for collapsing other conferences. That’s why the SEC won’t touch Missouri, a source said, because it could bring down the Big 12.

But if Virginia Tech leaves the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the ACC were to start looking around to grow to 12, 14 or 16 and looked at schools such as UConn, Syracuse and Rutgers, then the Big East could be very vulnerable, forcing Notre Dame to move its non-football sports to another league. And the Big 12 would be receptive.

Texas AD DeLoss Dodds told me last summer he suggested to ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick he move the Irish’s other sports to the Big 12.

One of the reasons Pittsburgh is such a hot candidate for the Big 12 is Pitt AD Steve Pederson. He has already been an AD in the Big 12 (he was at Nebraska before Tom Osborne returned). And Pederson is a close friend of DeLoss Dodds. There’s a comfort there between Pederson and the Big 12.

When I reached out to Pederson for a comment, he respectfully declined. (Brown)

******************

WHAT ABOUT THE PAC-12: All eyes are on Oklahoma to see if the Sooners will remain committed to the Big 12 or if OU will possibly reconnect with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and head west.

Sources across the Big 12 believe OU is still committed to its current conference. Athletic director Joe Castiglione is part of the five-member, Big 12 expansion team, along with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds.

Talked to an industry source Thursday about how difficult it would be to turn the Longhorn Network into a regional network in the Pac-12 should Texas and Oklahoma decide that's the best course of action.

"Very difficult," the source said.

"Impossible?" I replied.

"After the last year, I don't subscribe to that word anymore," the source said.

The source said it didn’t appear that was the direction being considered at the current time. A Big 12 administrator put the odds at 70 percent that the Big 12 would be held together by replacing Texas A&M with schools such as Pittsburgh, BYU and/or Louisville and then possibly getting Notre Dame to place its non-football sports in the Big 12. And that source put 30 percent odds on Texas, OU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech ending up in the Pac-12. (Brown)

Hmm... TCU may need to make yet another conference move. SEC?

[myboynoah]

This is latest from Ketch at OB's...



Hmm... TCU may need to make yet another conference move. SEC?

Interesting. As best I can tell, Pitt is not denying talking to the Big 12 and not denying interest in the idea. I don't know about Louisville.

[Uncle Ted]

Chip Brown is saying the same thing... most likely the same source:

Some other things have to happen, such as the Big East getting picked apart and ND having no place to put its other sports.

[Green Monstah]

Don't know where he's getting it from, so take it with a huge grain of salt, but heard from a friend that BYU invite to B12 is football only.

[Uncle Ted]

Don't know where he's getting it from, so take it with a huge grain of salt, but heard from a friend that BYU invite to B12 is football only for now.

FIFY

[Mormon Red Death]

FIFY

Until Texas & Oklahoma leave for the Pac-16

[Uncle Ted]

Some thought from (or, more like, panic in) Big Ten Country...

Drew Sharp: Big Ten can't hesitate to get bigger if chance arise

[...]

Delany doesn't want to come off as a corporate raider eagerly pouncing on the vulnerable. He must portray himself as politically correct and respectful of the rules of combat even though that rulebook changes on the fly. The Big Ten (Plus Two) is following the Texas A&M developments closely because if a garage sale of Big 12 teams occurs in the coming weeks, it will have to act quickly or risk getting stuck with programs that add little to nothing to the growing Big Ten Network national footprint.

Whenever there's expansion talk involving the Big Ten (Plus Two), Notre Dame will always get mentioned. The Irish would make the Big Ten Network one of the premier sports broadcasting entities in the country. It's a perfect marriage. But the truly smart move would be going after Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and placing them in their own four-team division -- even if that means accepting Texas' independent Longhorn Network. The state of Texas remains a television gold mine.

Delany must keep them from going to the Pac-12. If he fails, then the Big Ten (Plus Two) loses even more national relevance in football.

Whoever gets Texas wins the arms race.

That was true last summer when Delany thought he pulled off a heist in snatching Nebraska from the Big 12. It's true now, especially considering how the 12-team super conference is now considered passé.

[shoganai]

This is latest from Ketch at OB's...



Hmm... TCU may need to make yet another conference move. SEC?

The only thing i took from that article is that BYU is probably the only school that has actually expressed any interest. Apparently neither Pitt or Louisville have, and the plot to sway Notre Dame has now turned into a plot to force Notre Dame.

Does that mean the B12's best interested option after BYU is... Air Force?

I think BYU might have more leverage in this situation than any of us thought.

[Guest]

This is latest from Ketch at OB's...



Hmm... TCU may need to make yet another conference move. SEC?

I have been trying to sort out the continual mention of ND. Not sure if it is solely an effort to sell more newspapers (i.e., internet hits) or if there is something more.

Normally, I would lean toward something less, but BYU's continued talk about "relationships" and "partners" and the mention of ND keeps pulling my brain back into a non stop spin cycle.

I really don't believe that ND would abandon independence, barring some metamorphic change. I always wondered about packaging their other sports and having a scheduling alliance in football with the B12 (e.g., rotating games - I even wondered about a Texas ND game on Thanksgiving, but not sure if South Bend Indiana (weather) on Thanksgiving gets anyone excited up there?).

What do you guys think about the possibility of ND leaving the Big Least in their other sports? It doesn't make sense to me, so maybe someone has another perspective that demonstrates higher possibility?

Also - the other thing I don't get yet - as I understand it, the SEC is locked into their TV contracts for 25 years. If they add more teams, doesn't everyone else get less money? I guess renegotiation is always possible...that must be the answer - am I missing something?

[shoganai]

Some thought from (or, more like, panic in) Big Ten Country...

You heard it here first. If super conferences form, neither independence nor the Big 12 will save BYU.

Unless the Pac-16 has a drastic change of heart, the only chance at salvation BYU will have is the last or second-to-last spot in the B1G.

[Uncle Ted]

Until Texas & Oklahoma leave for the Pac-16

Ol' Larry have a change of heart about Texas bringing and keeping its $300M LHN? Texas isn't going to share that with OU. You can just forget about that idea now.

I can see Larry's jet heading to Boise any time now.

[Surfah]

You heard it here first. If super conferences form, neither independence nor the Big 12 will save BYU.

Unless the Pac-16 has a drastic change of heart, the only chance at salvation BYU will have is the last or second-to-last spot in the B1G.

You're my favorite wet blanket!

[shoganai]

Ol' Larry have a change of heart about Texas bringing and keeping its $300M LHN? Texas isn't going to share that with OU. You can just forget about that idea now.

Why not? Apparently they originally offered to share it with Texas A&M. Why not OU or even Tech?

[Jeff Lebowski]

You're my favorite wet blanket!

What's the Japanese word for buzz-kill?