Houston's Fertitta on the Big12 | The Boneyard

Houston's Fertitta on the Big12

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'We belong in the Big 12'

>>There’s a good reason that Fertitta is skeptical of talk. He, and the University of Houston, have been screwed before.

In 1996, the Southwest Conference folded. When the Big 12 was formed, some political maneuvering kept Houston out. It sent interest in the athletic department into a tailspin that the program is still recovering from in many ways. Three years ago, the Big 12 talked about expanding. Houston was considered a lead contender. It all ended up just being talk.

“It’s a shame. We belong in the Big 12,” Fertitta said. “All those people a couple years ago said they were going to help us and it was all talk and it was all Stop. We want to be in one of the major Power Five conferences.

“We start the season out $30 million less than all the big schools have to play just on TV, just that alone. Give us that $30 million, we’re on a much fairer playing level.”

The common thought is that the Texas schools are holding Houston out to try and prevent Houston from competing on an equal playing field with them. Fertitta buys into that theory.

“It appears that way,” Fertitta said. “It’s disappointing but simple facts speak for themselves. Why would you want another school that can compete for that athlete? You can tell a kid in Houston, hey, you have the ability to go home and have dinner with your family on Sunday. Friends and relatives can all come out and see you. I understand.”

Fertitta leans back in the car and looks out the window while acknowledging that Houston might have look outside the Big 12 to join a Power Five conference because of the politics. He also mentions that conference doesn’t matter too much; Houston can still make a playoff case down the road. “You just can’t stumble at all.”

Regardless of the conference, realignment is on the horizon. The Big 12’s Grant of Rights expires in 2025, and no one knows what will happen after that. Other conferences could shift even sooner. Just this year, UConn announced that it was leaving the American Athletic Conference. Other moves will happen down the road. <<
 
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Not exactly the same.

The SWC blew up and most of the same schools formed the B12 & excluded Houston. I think this happened right after houston went thru the Ware/Klingler era and schools like UT & OK decided to put them back in their place

In our case everyone jumped off the ship for better conferences leaving us basically abandoned.
 
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Not exactly the same.

The SWC blew up and most of the same schools formed the B12 & excluded Houston. I think this happened right after houston went thru the Ware/Klingler era and schools like UT & OK decided to put them back in their place

In our case everyone jumped off the ship for better conferences leaving us basically abandoned.
ESPN Wanted only 4 Texas teams
Of course Texas and A&M were in
TTU and Baylor somehow made the cut . The behind the scenes maneuvers had to be amazing.
That left out
TCU*
Houston
and of course
SMU
from the old Southwest Conference
* They got in when A&M left for the SEC
Leaving the magic number 4 Texas Schools
Even the additional losses of
Missouri
Colorado
Nebraska

Only West Virginia was added leaving the league with 10 teams.
 
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ESPN Wanted only 4 Texas teams
Of course Texas and A&M were in
TTU and Baylor somehow made the cut . The behind the scenes maneuvers had to be amazing.
That left out
TCU*
Houston
and of course
SMU
from the old Southwest Conference
* They got in when A&M left for the SEC
Leaving the magic number 4 Texas Schools
Even the additional losses of
Missouri
Colorado
Nebraska

Only West Virginia was added leaving the league with 10 teams.

Technically, they excluded Rice, too
 
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Not exactly the same.

The SWC blew up and most of the same schools formed the B12 & excluded Houston. I think this happened right after Houston went thru the Ware/Klingler era and schools like UT & OK decided to put them back in their place

In our case everyone jumped off the ship for better conferences leaving us basically abandoned.

Except that BC took all of the remaining lifeboats with us to let UConn down so that they could cement their claim The university of New England (with all due appoliges to the DIII in Maine with that name) as a private, Catholic, college.
 
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“It’s a shame. We belong in the Big 12,” Fertitta said. “All those people a couple years ago said they were going to help us and it was all talk and it was all Stop. We want to be in one of the major Power Five conferences."

I was on the fence about the move to the BE. At first. But I read things like the above and it makes me glad that Uconn was not left standing again as the aac implodes from within as other schools (try to) jump ship. And you know they are looking for any possible chance to do so. You see that quote and a. You KNOW UCF, Memphis and Cincy are thinking the same thing, maybe they are just less vocal about it. b. Clearly the aac is not stable. Everyone wants out. I mean, we always kind of knew, it just is becoming so much clearer and obvious as time goes by. In ten years the aac, if that is even still the name, will be Tulane, ECU, Tulsa, Rice, USF, SMU, UAB Charlotte, UTEP, ODU and maybe a few other 2nd tier (by sports standards) southern schools. I think Houston and the aforementioned 3 schools and maybe even Temple find a home somewhere, anywhere else. I wonder if WSU is thinking "crud, shoulda gone for the big east" as they stand the chance to be a bball first outlier in an aac that is just going to get more fball.
 
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"The common thought is that the Texas schools are holding Houston out to try and prevent Houston from competing on an equal playing field with them. Fertitta buys into that theory."

Similar to BC/UConn . . . .
 

CL82

2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions
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"The common thought is that the Texas schools are holding Houston out to try and prevent Houston from competing on an equal playing field with them. Fertitta buys into that theory."

Similar to BC/UConn . . . .
It kills me that those douchenozzles were able to cost the state of Connecticut millions. Gotta say as scummy as it was, it definitely was a power move by them. I am astounded ESPN and the ACC let them get away with it.
 
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It kills me that those douchenozzles were able to cost the state of Connecticut millions. Gotta say as scummy as it was, it definitely was a power move by them. I am astounded ESPN and the ACC let them get away with it.

They wanted Syracuse and one more to balance it out, and they didn't care who it was. UConn was the logical choice, but they weren't going to do something to make an existing member upset.
 

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