- Joined
- Nov 10, 2014
- Messages
- 416
- Reaction Score
- 2,933
Ok maybe I am being a pure UConn homer but yesterday was not the end of the road.
Was it good for UConn that there is no BIG12 networking coming? Definitely no.
Was it good that Boren indicated at least part of any future selection criteria will be teams who Big12 fan bases want to see their school play? Probably not as this indicates expansion could be partly driven by a non-metric, geographical focused, football-centric popularity vote.
All that said, there is still money to be made in expansion for the Big12 and there is a lot more money to be made by taking G5 teams. It does not seem likely ACC schools would leave for the Big12 but even if they did FSU/Clemson are not taking "a haircut." In essence a lot of the potential money which could be made by the Big12 teams through expansion is in the form of extorting and withholding money from incoming members. Other P5 programs aren't going to agree to that...G5 program will take a half share with a smile.
If yesterday showed anything it is that neither UT nor Oklahoma seems fully committed long term to the Big12. Any Big12 program other than UT or OU should look at expansion as insurance in the event UT/OU bolt. Sure the Big12 may get the same expansion money for Appalachian State as they do for UConn but who is better situated to help the conference survive if UT/OU leave? UConn chances may have dropped some but I still think UConn helps the Big12's long term survival chances more than the competition.
Trying to make sense of the Big12 is like trying to mold a statute out of pudding. I suppose there is not really a Big12...there is UT and what UT lets the rest of the Big12 do....I am becoming more convinced UT is more interested in publicly imposing its will than it is in helping the Big12. Expansion will be an interesting test on what UT will allow.
Was it good for UConn that there is no BIG12 networking coming? Definitely no.
Was it good that Boren indicated at least part of any future selection criteria will be teams who Big12 fan bases want to see their school play? Probably not as this indicates expansion could be partly driven by a non-metric, geographical focused, football-centric popularity vote.
All that said, there is still money to be made in expansion for the Big12 and there is a lot more money to be made by taking G5 teams. It does not seem likely ACC schools would leave for the Big12 but even if they did FSU/Clemson are not taking "a haircut." In essence a lot of the potential money which could be made by the Big12 teams through expansion is in the form of extorting and withholding money from incoming members. Other P5 programs aren't going to agree to that...G5 program will take a half share with a smile.
If yesterday showed anything it is that neither UT nor Oklahoma seems fully committed long term to the Big12. Any Big12 program other than UT or OU should look at expansion as insurance in the event UT/OU bolt. Sure the Big12 may get the same expansion money for Appalachian State as they do for UConn but who is better situated to help the conference survive if UT/OU leave? UConn chances may have dropped some but I still think UConn helps the Big12's long term survival chances more than the competition.
Trying to make sense of the Big12 is like trying to mold a statute out of pudding. I suppose there is not really a Big12...there is UT and what UT lets the rest of the Big12 do....I am becoming more convinced UT is more interested in publicly imposing its will than it is in helping the Big12. Expansion will be an interesting test on what UT will allow.
