Florida Lobbying Big XII about UCF and USF again

[billybud]

This is only my opinion, but the last thing I see Texas doing is joining the SEC. With Texas' ego, they view the SEC as below them in so many ways. Tucking their tail between their legs and following A&M, mingling with the likes of Ole Miss, Miss St and having to sink to the perceived SEC cheating ways are just a few.

If there is movement in the next 4-6 years, I think Texas would go to the Big10 or PAC. Oklahoma could go to any conference but I think it's the Big10 (if the Big10 would admit them) or SEC.

You may be right...I could see Texas wanting to dominate what they must perceive as a weak Big Ten West....rather than having to slog through the SEC West led by Alabama and LSU.

 

[Adios]

Why is it the PAC? Of course it's a possibility, but it's not a forgone conclusion. The Big10 gives them more exposure on the East Coast with stronger support. There is a reason why the Big10 and SEC got laid like they did, they have great support for their brands, more so than the PAC has.

The time for the next big upheaval is 2022-2024. All three of the Big10, Big12 and PAC contracts are up and the potential to increase the exposure of the big brands of each conference will be there. Who knows what it will be, but I think something will happen around that time.

Less of a power struggle in the Pac-12. Imagine Texas going up against the egos of the Big 10. UT is enormously powerful. Plus, the Pac-12 needs help more. The western US is also going to keep developing and growing.

 

[dayooper]

Less of a power struggle in the Pac-12. Imagine Texas going up against the egos of the Big 10. UT is enormously powerful. Plus, the Pac-12 needs help more. The western US is also going to keep developing and growing.

You don't think USC, Stanford and UCLA don't have egos? The Western US may be growing, but they are caring less and less about college football in particular and college sports in general.

 

[huskyrob1]

You don't think USC, Stanford and UCLA don't have egos? The Western US may be growing, but they are caring less and less about college football in particular and college sports in general.

Didn't the western US do pretty good in March Madness last year? I mean Gonzaga, Oregon, Arizona, UCLA. In football, 2017 was a down year, but in 2016 the western US placed 6 or 7 teams in the final AP top 25, with two finishing 3 and 4, IIRC. Doesn't strike me as a region caring less and less about college sports.

 

[Adios]

You don't think USC, Stanford and UCLA don't have egos? The Western US may be growing, but they are caring less and less about college football in particular and college sports in general.

I am sure they do. But even going by what you said, UT would face less resistance (and egos) in the Pac-12 then in the Big 10 to do whatever behooves them. UT just has too much power for a flagship state school, compared to others. It's unreal.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I am sure they do. But even going by what you said, UT would face less resistance (and egos) in the Pac-12 then in the Big 10 to do whatever behooves them. UT just has too much power for a flagship state school, compared to others. It's unreal.

Not compared to UCLA they don't. That Texas stuff won't fly in California. I think it failed the first time for the same reasons it will continue to fail.

Meanwhile, despite the network, the BigXII teams mostly earn more than the Pac schools, because they retain T3 rights. I don't think this expansion is likely. If anything, the Pac Network will go the way of the dodo. It was a bad idea in a region where college sports aren't all that popular really.

The Big XII teams seem content to wait out 2024, and see where the chips fall.

 

[Adios]

Well, then I guess we can also consider Texas to the ACC a possibility. Or the Big 12 just continues on, as if nothing has happened.

 

[Ldandy]

I think it would take a hell of a lot of upheaval for Texas to end up in The B1G, but I see no scenario where they would ever go to The SEC and be perceived as following A&M's Lead. That is completely unacceptable to the powerbrokers in Austin.

 

[dayooper]

Didn't the western US do pretty good in March Madness last year? I mean Gonzaga, Oregon, Arizona, UCLA. In football, 2017 was a down year, but in 2016 the western US placed 6 or 7 teams in the final AP top 25, with two finishing 3 and 4, IIRC. Doesn't strike me as a region caring less and less about college sports.

Sure they did, but what were the ratings? Cali likes many different things and college sports is declining in viewership and ratings out west. Wins and losses mean something, but so does viewership and PAC viewership seems to be.

Could Texas go? Absolutely they could. People seem to think it's a forgone conclusion, but it's far from it.

 

[chicago312]

You don't think USC, Stanford and UCLA don't have egos? The Western US may be growing, but they are caring less and less about college football in particular and college sports in general.

Exactly, Texas is so used to being the big fish in the shallow pond, that I don't think their institutional culture could deal with schools that don't tug the forelock for them. The California schools and Washington are going to be neither impressed nor intimidated by UT, athletically or academically. The same thing would happen in the B!G. I think UT, deep down, does realize that, which is why their schemes always seem to involve bringing along a group of schools dependent upon UT and willing to act as a subservient voting block.

 

[dayooper]

Exactly, Texas is so used to being the big fish in the shallow pond, that I don't think their institutional culture could deal with schools that don't tug the forelock for them. The California schools and Washington are going to be neither impressed nor intimidated by UT, athletically or academically. The same thing would happen in the B!G. I think UT, deep down, does realize that, which is why their schemes always seem to involve bringing along a group of schools dependent upon UT and willing to act as a subservient voting block.

Absolutely could happen. The only thing I don't see happening is UT going to the SEC for a myriad of reasons, including not wanting to tuck their tail between their legs and follow A&M.

The PAC has many advantages in this game, great universities that are insulated by geography and the most populous state being the formost. Their big issue is that the population is watching them less and less. Whether it's East Coast bias or diverse interest among their population, they are the least viewed. According to Sports Media Watch, The PAC had no games in the top 10 most viewed games of the year and their conference championship game only had 280,000 more viewers than your own AAC. They had around 2,000,000 less than the ACC and Big12 and 9,000,000 less than the Big10 and SEC. 2016 was better (they were 3rd in CCG ratings). 2015 was right back down by the AAC.

Even worse is the regular season viewership. In 2017, they had a total of 5 games rated in the weekly top 5, and three of those games were non conference games. 2016 had a total of six, with three again being non conference games. 2015 was even worse with three in the weekly top five with two of those games being in non conference. Many of those weeks they didn't even come close. In fact, they were the only P5 school that wasn't in the weekly top five. The other schools, gave or a take a couple of weeks, had a game in the top five. That's 13 games in 39 weeks they had a top five most viewed game. To top if off, the highest weekly rated was third!

There are big benefits for Texas moving to the PAC, but there are some big negatives too. All I'm saying is that Texas to the PAC isn't a slam dunk like some are saying.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

If Texas is going anywhere it'll be to the PAC 12, and they'll take Oklahoma with them. Not tomorrow though. Lol

There is one problem with OK to the PAC. Last time it was discussed, there was a requirement to take OK State along with them. That was one of the nails that killed it.

 

[UConnJim]

There is one problem with OK to the PAC. Last time it was discussed, there was a requirement to take OK State along with them. That was one of the nails that killed it.

I have thought that the ideal solution for the Big 12 and the Pac 12 was a 16 team conference:

Old Pac Schools: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Oregon, Oregon St., Washington, Washington St.
The other schools: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Arizona, Arizona St., Colorado, Utah

Two cross over games each year so each "other school" plays 1 California school and one Northwest team every year. Conference football championship in Las Vegas.

 

[huskyrob1]

I have thought that the ideal solution for the Big 12 and the Pac 12 was a 16 team conference:

Old Pac Schools: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Oregon, Oregon St., Washington, Washington St.
The other schools: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Arizona, Arizona St., Colorado, Utah

Two cross over games each year so each "other school" plays 1 California school and one Northwest team every year. Conference football championship in Las Vegas.

Kansas?

 

[UConnJim]

Kansas?

Stays with the Big 12 and rebuilds with AAC teams. Remember, this almost happened when Kansas was rumored to be going to the Big East during the last Pac12 expansion rumors.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

I have thought that the ideal solution for the Big 12 and the Pac 12 was a 16 team conference:

Old Pac Schools: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Oregon, Oregon St., Washington, Washington St.
The other schools: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Arizona, Arizona St., Colorado, Utah

Two cross over games each year so each "other school" plays 1 California school and one Northwest team every year. Conference football championship in Las Vegas.

That would make sense, and it would just about kill the big 12

 

[billybud]

Bowlsby weighs in re Big 12 expansion in letter to Florida legislator....

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“I do not foresee a scenario in which expansion would again become an active agenda item for our [league] in the near future,” Bowlsby wrote to Olszewski.



Big 12 commissioner tells local politician, thanks but no thanks on adding UCF and USF