Big 12 votes to pursue expansion

[tomtom80]

TCU Source: Big 12 Expansion Is Complicated at Best For JimOllie.

What a see saw... maybe best to just ignore this and avoid the worry... but like the B12 CRACK ADDICTs we have all turned into... sounds like more dominoes will fall when B12 does their shakeup.. Here is today's fix

"...But, when it is all said and done, my source believes that simplicity is likely to win out. While some of the bigger solutions may look sexy, the likelihood that eight Big 12 Presidents agree on all the components of a big move is unlikely. As it stands today, Cincinnati is likely the easy 11th member while the debate over the 12th member will center around UCONN and Houston. My source believed, despite reservations, that Houston would win out. Also: "I wouldn't be surprised to see UCONN find a home in a power 5 conference before the Big 12's process is concluded."

 

[methodology]

For the 27th time...

The "huge enrollment" is split over 13 commuter campuses.

Commuter students in Daytona, Cocoa Beach, South Lake, etc., are not going to turn into some massive UCF fan base. It hasn't happened because it won't happen.

In a state with Florida, Florida State and Miami, there is no pent-up demand for UCF athletics - they are the fourth nipple of Florida college athletics.

The commuter campuses are all within an hour of the main campus right. Have you lived in Orlando before because traffic in that city is quite awful which is why they probably set up the commuter campuses outside of the city of Orlando. They are also attempting to build a new main campus in downtown Orlando (not sure what stage they are in with getting state backing).

And yes if they had a respectable team in a power conference they would get the support from their alumni and residents of Orlando area and the surrounding areas. A lot of Florida residents hate Miami they look at it as an uppity private school that thinks they are better because they are in Miami. Florida and FSU are the dominant teams but UCF if they delivered a product in a league on par with those would pull their fair share of support.

As I said dont sleep on the potential of UCF. They have long term potential if their school president and the state back them to build the downtown campus and try to get more students to live on campus rather than having about 75% living off campus

 

[donyell34]

Cautiously optimistic. Don't see another landing place for us in the near future.

 

[upstater]

The commuter campuses are all within an hour of the main campus right. Have you lived in Orlando before because traffic in that city is quite awful which is why they probably set up the commuter campuses outside of the city of Orlando. They are also attempting to build a new main campus in downtown Orlando (not sure what stage they are in with getting state backing).

And yes if they had a respectable team in a power conference they would get the support from their alumni and residents of Orlando area and the surrounding areas. A lot of Florida residents hate Miami they look at it as an uppity private school that thinks they are better because they are in Miami. Florida and FSU are the dominant teams but UCF if they delivered a product in a league on par with those would pull their fair share of support.

As I said dont sleep on the potential of UCF. They have long term potential if their school president and the state back them to build the downtown campus and try to get more students to live on campus rather than having about 75% living off campus

In this era, building big campuses from scratch seems like a pipe dream. As state legislatures slash higher ed budgets, were are they going to find the $2B it would cost to build a big campus?

 

[Fishy]

They didn't set up the commuter campuses outside of Orlando because of traffic. Jesus.

They set them up outside of Orlando because they are commuter campuses. They serve non-traditional college students who can't/won't/don't want to live in a college campus and yet want an education.

The 63,000 number is great, but misleading.

 

[methodology]

@upstater I believe their plan was for a $200 million dollar campus in downtown to go along with their current main campus in Orlando. I think they were going to partner up with Valencia college to build the campus while paying for half the cost through private donations and the other half being funded by the state. I haven't read up on it since it was introduced last fall. I have a feeling it didnt get traction but UCF is looking to expand their current campus and get more students on campus. If I'm not mistaken they also built a new football stadium and basketball arena in the past decade.

They are in an easy to get to location (travel wise) and have a ton of attractions around them and within an hour drive. Lots of potential with UCF if you are forward thinking and not just looking at the here and now.

Just look at UConn football as an example. Before UConn made the jump to FBS most residents of CT and even UConn students were fans of other football teams (Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami, USC, Penn St, etc). If UCF is in a power conference they will get their alumni and the local residents to back them just like UConn football got the state of Connecticut to back them when they made the jump to FBS

 

[upstater]

@upstater I believe their plan was for a $200 million dollar campus in downtown to go along with their current main campus in Orlando. I think they were going to partner up with Valencia college to build the campus while paying for half the cost through private donations and the other half being funded by the state. I haven't read up on it since it was introduced last fall. I have a feeling it didnt get traction but UCF is looking to expand their current campus and get more students on campus. If I'm not mistaken they also built a new football stadium and basketball arena in the past decade.

They are in an easy to get to location (travel wise) and have a ton of attractions around them and within an hour drive. Lots of potential with UCF if you are forward thinking and not just looking at the here and now.

Just look at UConn football as an example. Before UConn made the jump to FBS most residents of CT and even UConn students were fans of other football teams (Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami, USC, Penn St, etc). If UCF is in a power conference they will get their alumni and the local residents to back them just like UConn football got the state of Connecticut to back them when they made the jump to FBS

That sounds like a minor deal though. Campuses these days cost $5B and up. A single tech building downtown here in Buffalo was in the $100m range.

 

[uconnbill]

It is cheaper to build in Florida but then again are they going to build a big ole trailer park for the students

 

[QDOG5]

It may sound like blasphemy but I hope UConn doesn't get a bid into the Big12. We have no rivalries except Cincy and W. Virg. My hope is that Diaco puts a winning program on the field and in two years the ACC expands to 16 teams and we get a bid. Is that a pipe dream of mine? BTW I have absolutely zero sources.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Has anyone met JimOllie? He's just an alt handle for Chief, right?

 

[Yankees32123]

It may sound like blasphemy but I hope UConn doesn't get a bid into the Big12. We have no rivalries except Cincy and W. Virg. My hope is that Diaco puts a winning program on the field and in two years the ACC expands to 16 teams and we get a bid. Is that a pipe dream of mine? BTW I have absolutely zero sources.

It's a pipe dream because there is no guarantee the ACC expands, especially given Notre Dame's reluctance to not be stuck up. The Big 12 will be our band-aid, while staying in the AAC without any of Cincy, Houston, Memphis, UCF , etc will be suicide. For me, it's Big 12 or bust, and if it's a bust we just hope and pray that your pipe dream comes to fruition sooner rather than later.

 

[tcf15]

Big 12 contacts Connecticut to discuss possible interest in expansion

 

[krinklecut]

Big 12 contacts Connecticut to discuss possible interest in expansion

Do we have a list of schools that the Big 12 has contacted and is officially in talks with? There are a number of schools, ie ECU, that really don't need to be a part of the conversation and are just muddying the waters.

 

[JimHurley]

Do we have a list of schools that the Big 12 has contacted and is officially in talks with? There are a number of schools, ie ECU, that really don't need to be a part of the conversation and are just muddying the waters.

BYU, Houston, UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis, Colorado State, Tulane, and UCF

 

[KemBuckets21]

BYU, Houston, UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis, Colorado State, Tulane, and UCF

Any news from your contact? Can't imagine the big 12 can find 4 better programs from that scrap heap (other than Uconn).

 

[CallMeBruce]

Any news from your contact? Can't imagine the big 12 can find 4 better programs from that scrap heap (other than Uconn).

Don't encourage him.

 

[Yankees32123]

I just think the 4 to expand with are so obvious.

 

[B1GEast]

Looks like it's ESPN standing in our way as usual and Fox pushing expansion.

FOX Continues Support for Big 12 Expansion with G5 Teams

FOX has been one of the leading proponents of Big 12 expansion over the last year as the network tries to get more college sports to air across its family of channels. This has been discussed repeatedly in the past, because FOX Sports only has the tier 1 TV rights to the Big 12 and Pac-12. Meanwhile, ESPN has tier 1 rights to the SEC, ACC, partial Big Ten, BYU, The American and many others.

This means that the only football program east of the Mississippi under contract with FOX for tier 1 television rights is West Virginia. FOX wants more product to air in the Eastern time zone. The network wants more product to air, period. The other option is to pay ESPN for content to air and no business wants to pay its competitor for their product.

 

[RabidHusky]

I'd like to see them add Uconn,Cinci,Temple and Memphis which with WVA would be the first 5 of a 7 team eastern division.

 

[EBonz30]

because we don't have a good football team.

Pretty simple stuff, football brings in the money, really just about all that matters when it comes to these expansions.

Hopefully the Big 12 proves this theory wrong.

 

[JimHurley]

Any news from your contact? Can't imagine the big 12 can find 4 better programs from that scrap heap (other than Uconn).

Nothing too new. We are still in play but right now it seems Memphis has the 14th spot. Anything can happen still.

 

[JMick]

Nothing too new. We are still in play but right now it seems Memphis has the 14th spot. Anything can happen still.

So we now have people close to the situation saying we're in and people saying we're the first of the outside looking in. I don't know what to believe anymore.

 

[Hungryhusky99]

So we now have people close to the situation saying we're in and people saying we're the first of the outside looking in. I don't know what to believe anymore.

If jim says were out im pretty comfident we are in.

 

[KemBuckets21]

So we now have people close to the situation saying we're in and people saying we're the first of the outside looking in. I don't know what to believe anymore.

who said we are in?

 

[uconnell]

I read, somewhere, that ESPN doesn't want any team to leave the AAC, especially UConn, Cincy as ESPN is making a bundle of $$$$ on the AAC.