Commentary Thread for Premium Top-Shelf Tweets

[nelsonmuntz]

Tulane got in because the Big East was in danger of ceasing to exist as a conference.

Pitt, Syracuse, WV and Rutgers were gone. They knew the Catholics were talking to Fox and that UConn, Louisville and Cincy were talking to the ACC. They needed warm bodies and Tulane and East Carolina (football-only at the time) were the warmest bodies available.

Sure. This reason is as good as any.

 

[Hoophound]

Duplicate to post in Premium Thread:

Guess who's speaking for who? Tramel: OU not anti-expansion; OU is anti-expansion candidates

>>“From Day One, expanding was OK if we replaced the teams we lost with teams of equal stature,” said an OU administrator Tuesday. “They are not out there.”

Brigham Young. Houston. Cincinnati. Connecticut. All have pluses and minuses. We can debate which candidates offer the best portfolios. We cannot debate that all have minuses.

Nebraska didn't have minuses. Texas A&M didn't have minuses. Colorado and Missouri didn't have minuses. All flagship universities in their states. All deep roots with fellow conference schools. All a decent (or better) amount of football tradition. All academically stout (all four members of the prestigious Association of American Universities).

“The teams we need have left,” another Big 12 administrator said Tuesday. “Whoever you add out there really devalues the whole conference. They don't add anything. Just to get 12? What's sacred about a number? Does that make you stable?”<<

I'd never leave this comment unchecked if I were Herbst/Benedict. That is total b.s. While I would want to slam their idiocy in the process, I'd avoid that for now because making enemies is not a good idea. However, I would certainly use it as an opportunity to get some publicity by smashing that comment to bits with facts and showing some fight. Maybe with Cincy and Houston that actually applies, but no way is it true of BYU and UConn. If they actually believe that, who is feeding them that nonsense? We all know who.

 

[MattMang23]

who is feeding them that nonsense? We all know who.

Flipper?

 

[gioff23]

If you believe they learned something they didn't know before they launched their expansion attempt, I've got some choice FL real estate for you. This is a stare down btw OU and bevo. OU has made it clear they ain't joining the SWC.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

If expansion is dead, the top AAC teams need to band together with the top MWC teams to form a football only conference. The bottom half of the AAC is not tenable for the likes of UConn and Cincinnati in the long term. A football only conference of UConn, UC, UH, BYU, Boise, Air Force, Navy, CSU, USF, UCF, and maybe Memphis could serve as a legitimate sixth league option. It would also afford the opportunity for UConn and UC to bring olympic sports back to the Big East, immediately bolster the basketball conference there and create one of the best BB leagues in the country. This would position UConn best to prove itself for down the road P5 expansion. Staying in the AAC and battling it out against ECU, Tulane, Tulsa, Temple, and SMU in all sports will further devalue our brand across the board. When the AAC was formed, of course there was the 12-team conference championship rule, but the addition of these bottom-feeding schools that have no value, few fans, and have no football or basketball cache whatsoever significantly bring down the league from a branding and revenue standpoint.

I get the sense UConn knows this and from some of the tea leaves out there, UConn is not content to stay in the AAC if they don't get a B12 bid, or if they decide not to expand.

I think you add Temple and

Sounds great for UConn and Cincinnati, but where are the other schools park their other sports?

Add Temple and maybe another MWC school and keep all the sports together.

 

[SubbaBub]

The AAC needed 12 in case two more left, which at the time seemed important.

Same position the XII finds itself in unless in 2024 there is major reshuffle that finds FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC as part of a 4x16.

 

[Adios]

The AAC needed 12 in case two more left, which at the time seemed important.

Same position the XII finds itself in unless in 2024 there is major reshuffle that finds FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC as part of a 4x16.

Texas already made clear they don't want to expand east. Which is dumb as heck, but whatever. The ACC would survive, between the Big 12 and ACC. And then the Big Ten can buy the rights to Big 14, etc.

 

[alexd]

The AAC needed 12 in case two more left, which at the time seemed important.

Same position the XII finds itself in unless in 2024 there is major reshuffle that finds FSU and Clemson leaving the ACC as part of a 4x16.

FSU and Clemson aren't going anywhere. The ACC extended their GOR through 2036.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I'd never leave this comment unchecked if I were Herbst/Benedict. That is total b.s. While I would want to slam their idiocy in the process, I'd avoid that for now because making enemies is not a good idea. However, I would certainly use it as an opportunity to get some publicity by smashing that comment to bits with facts and showing some fight. Maybe with Cincy and Houston that actually applies, but no way is it true of BYU and UConn. If they actually believe that, who is feeding them that nonsense? We all know who.

absolutely agree. being publically weighed and measured in itself is complete crap... using the results to explain a complete fabrication requires some retort. unless uconn doesn't know they aren't out of the running yet and don't want to burn bridges.

 

[Hoophound]

absolutely agree. being publically weighed and measured in itself is complete crap... using the results to explain a complete fabrication requires some retort. unless uconn doesn't know they aren't out of the running yet and don't want to burn bridges.

We don't really need to burn bridges. We need to use it as another selling opportunity. We have to keep selling. Why is perception the way it is? We don't sell, we quietly maneuver hoping that others will see the forest through the trees. We have to sell!

Ugh. Between Diaco and our administration, I'm starting to come around to the whole fork in the nut sack idea another poster had when this was all starting to unravel on us.

 

[shizzle787]

I also suspect that there were University Presidents, who watched those mostly solid academic institutions walk, and who were only willing to suffer ECU with somebody like Tulane coming in at the same time. Tulane is not a major problem for the AAC, I don't know why people are harping about it.

There is another possible reason. Tulane is AAU. UConn wants to be AAU to get into the B1G. Boom, there's one vote for us.

 

[Fishy]

I also suspect that there were University Presidents, who watched those mostly solid academic institutions walk, and who were only willing to suffer ECU with somebody like Tulane coming in at the same time. Tulane is not a major problem for the AAC, I don't know why people are harping about it.

I think Tulane and ECU announcement was the morning before Louisville was voted into the ACC - I suspect it was just basic survival more than anything else.

And I agree - Tulane is like #231 on our list of problems.

I know we're sports' focused here, but if we have to be associated with a bunch of random scrapple, I would prefer it be academically-solid scrapple. If nothing else, Tulane is an excellent school and even Tulsa is quite good.

 

[Husky25]

I think Tulane and ECU announcement was the morning before Louisville was voted into the ACC - I suspect it was just basic survival more than anything else.

And I agree - Tulane is like #231 on our list of problems.

I know we're sports' focused here, but if we have to be associated with a bunch of random scrapple, I would prefer it be academically-solid scrapple. If nothing else, Tulane is an excellent school and even Tulsa is quite good.

Watch A Kid Do An Experiment Sound Clip and Quote

 

[huskymedic]

Iowa State Pres Leath talking again:

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
Iowa State President Steven Leath to @iowastatedaily on Big 12: "I feel less likely that we’ll expand right now.” #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
This is obviously a turn from August when Leath seemed optimistic on expansion. #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
Added he can’t know for sure until he meets with the Big 12 presidents later this month but feels chances are “smaller." #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 11m 11 minutes ago
Leath: “[Oklahoma] has indicated less of a willingness to expand.” #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 8m 8 minutes ago
Here’s a quick story on Leath’s comments this morning. #Big12Expansion
Iowa State President Steven Leath says he feels Big 12 expansion "less likely"

 

[FDNY99]

Iowa State Pres Leath talking again:

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
Iowa State President Steven Leath to @iowastatedaily on Big 12: "I feel less likely that we’ll expand right now.” #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
This is obviously a turn from August when Leath seemed optimistic on expansion. #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 1h 1 hour ago
Added he can’t know for sure until he meets with the Big 12 presidents later this month but feels chances are “smaller." #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 11m 11 minutes ago
Leath: “[Oklahoma] has indicated less of a willingness to expand.” #Big12Expansion

Luke Manderfeld ‏@LukeManderfeld 8m 8 minutes ago
Here’s a quick story on Leath’s comments this morning. #Big12Expansion
Iowa State President Steven Leath says he feels Big 12 expansion "less likely"

IMHO I take the B-12's failure to expand right now as good for UConn athletics. This whole expansion talk by the B-12 has proven that conference to be a total dysfunctional mess to say the least! It also gives Benedict some time to put his mark on the athletic department. The B-12 will be minus minimum of UT, OU, OSU and possibly KU by the time their GOR ends.

 

[SubbaBub]

Certainly better than the nut punch of being passed over. Still a sub-optimal outcome.

 

[MattMang23]

Certainly better than the nut punch of being passed over. Still a sub-optimal outcome.

Neutral outcome > nutkick.

 

[D/$$$]

So Gee says not a dead issue. Not putting any stock on his fav four. so expansion likelihood feels like around 15% this go-around. Thought it was 0% before his post.

 

[nhHusky]

If those are Gee's favorite four, it would be consistent with what we have said of university presidents all along. To them, academics matter.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

My guess is the B-12 wanted to add us and BYU all along but BYU's baggage (honor code) and our very disappointing football performance put both schools on the back burner. If we can give the B-12 reason to have confidence that we can be a competent football program they will add us.

 

[ZooCougar]

If they choose to expand then we will be left out in the cold for sure. I hope they take an appetite suppressant for real and we live to fight another day.

 

[bobbyinaz]

WVU has been begging for an addition to the B12 that would make travel easier for them. This is likely Gee's way of saving face at his school by saying " I was in favor of expanding even though nobody else was"

 

[Marty Jackson]

At the end of the day, if a school not named OU or UT decide to leave money on the table for nothing more than a loose assurance then they deserve their fate.

They are all being played.

My only optimism comes from the fact that money drives all decisions and they are leaving 80M/yr on the table for the next 8 years.

That's a lot of money.

 

[huskypantz]

But but but....WVU has twitter pics with Houston pres!!! That tweet can't be right!

 

[sportsart]

But but but....WVU has twitter pics with Houston pres!!! That tweet can't be right!

Reminds me of the guy who touts the book on how to get thousands in government grants.