Pete Thamel: Is the Big 12 Set for Major Expansion? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Pete Thamel: Is the Big 12 Set for Major Expansion?

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The idea that there will be no more realignment is ridiculous in my opinion. Something will occur that will create a need for UConn and the captive audience it delivers. It is worth an awful lot of money and it is just a matter of time before our services are needed. You can't disregard the market size, the tv product and state backing. It is just too valuable to go unused.

Honestly, my biggest fear in all of this is that ESPN is so set on keeping the AAC on the edge of relevance so they have compelling and inexpensive programming, that they will not support the addition of UConn to a P5. Without UConn, the AAC will drop a very valuable notch in stature. Right now, AAC schools are making meaningful dollars off their games with both UConn basketball teams and they get good exposure by playing UConn on ESPN. If we leave, all of that disappears and suddenly there is no compelling product other than a few football games when SMU or ECU etc. has a good year.
 
djct1999 said:
Thinking that realignment will remain static for a long time is as crazy as believing that a B1g invite is imminent. Chose either side of crazy. I prefer the latter.
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Just remember, we're going on 4 years since Louisville got the ACC bid. November 2012 no?

How long till the next bids after this one? Can we keep our athletic spending up at P5 levels, with G5 money? Eventually this will catch up.
 
noeynox said:
Just remember, we're going on 4 years since Louisville got the ACC bid. November 2012 no?

How long till the next bids after this one? Can we keep our athletic spending up at P5 levels, with G5 money? Eventually this will catch up.
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A l ot has changed since then. A lot will change in the next few years. Nothing permanent will occur without UConn involved. Adding Memphis and Houston to the Big12 will do nothing for that conference, UConn, or realignement long term. All it would do is give them a football championship game.
 
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djct1999 said:
A l ot has changed since then. A lot will change in the next few years. Nothing permanent will occur without UConn involved. Adding Memphis and Houston to the Big12 will do nothing for that conference, UConn, or realignement long term. All it would do is give them a football championship game.
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Swofford was probably told at the Bohemian Grove to take Louisville instead of UConn. :p
 
djct1999 said:
A l ot has changed since then. A lot will change in the next few years. Nothing permanent will occur without UConn involved. Adding Memphis and Houston to the Big12 will do nothing for that conference, UConn, or realignement long term. All it would do is give them a football championship game.
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What has changed since then? Chatter on twitter?

If anything you are seeing cord cutting cut into the profits of the likes of espn. We could be seeing the last stages of people getting into the "club". The cable money could be drying up. I don't understand this idea that nothing will happen without uconn. Everything has happened without uconn to date.

People have been waiting for Jesus to return for over 2000 years now. I'd give my left nut for Big 12 invite right now.
 
noeynox said:
What has changed since then? Chatter on twitter?

If anything you are seeing cord cutting cut into the profits of the likes of espn. We could be seeing the last stages of people getting into the "club". The cable money could be drying up. I don't understand this idea that nothing will happen without uconn. Everything has happened without uconn to date.

People have been waiting for Jesus to return for over 2000 years now. I'd give my left nut for Big 12 invite right now.
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Would you give Jesus your left and right nut if he knocked on your door and told you we are going to the B1G?
 
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CTMike said:
When you are drowning, take the first life raft that comes. You don't have the luxury of waiting for a yacht to pick you up.
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You absolutely accept the B12, work towards building a winning football team in that conference, and keep working towards AAU.

The B1G, SEC, and P12 are the only three conferences a school can feel safe in. You take an invite to another conference with the eye to appealing to those conferences (in our case the B1G).
 
If our administration hasn't or isn't currently selling our value and brand to the B12, then we need a new administration. B12 expansion might just be the last life raft tossed out for the next 10 years. In an ideal world, we fit in better with the B1G or ACC. Absolutely. But in this world, we do not fit in with G5 schools making $1M/yr. Our value is 30x that amount, if not more.

So if the B12 is holding open tryouts, I'm sure Susan and Warde have both purchased a pair of cowboy boots.
 
Dooley said:
If our administration hasn't or isn't currently selling our value and brand to the B12, then we need a new administration. B12 expansion might just be the last life raft tossed out for the next 10 years. In an ideal world, we fit in better with the B1G or ACC. Absolutely. But in this world, we do not fit in with G5 schools making $1M/yr. Our value is 30x that amount, if not more.

So if the B12 is holding open tryouts, I'm sure Susan and Warde have both purchased a pair of cowboy boots.
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I agree. If Warde and Susan are not in Texas, they should be fired. Hook em horns should be their theme of the visit!
 
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Man, I hope momentum builds for UConn to the B12. It makes so much sense because of the NY and NE market share we would bring. I would not be opposed to a home game or two at Yankee Stadium per year. It would force the B1G and the ACC to finally make a decision on us, both of which are far better fits than the Big 12.
 
Dooley said:
In my humble and mildly persuaded opinion, I think if the B12 were to expand, they need to pick the next best 6 and get to 16. Take the best options away from the ACC and even B1G and beat the ACC to a conference network. Put pressure on the ACC (it's really a race between the B12 and ACC for P4 survival) and if taking away the best eastern options from them forces an eventual collapse, the B12 can add a few schools (Louisville? Miami? NC State? Pitt for Backyard Brawl?) to get to 20 when it does.

Hypothetically, let's say that the B12 added for 2017:

UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, UCF, USF, and Memphis.

B12N angle: UConn brings northeast NYC and Hartford markets for B12N. Temple brings Philly. UCF and USF together are top 15 markets. Memphis brings FedEx dollars and good football/hoops combo. Cincinnati is not a terrible market.

Football: Memphis gives access to TN / Mid-Atlantic recruiting. UCF and USF double down gives twice as exposure into FL recruiting. PA and OH are added for football recruiting. UConn is the weakest add of the group but we more than make up for it elsewhere...all we have to do is remain competitive in football over the years.

Hoops: we obviously bring elite hoops that opens the door into MSG/NYC games. We give Kansas a game each and every year, not to mention bring the biggest name to year-round content. Temple and Cinci hoops are solid and good for fairly regular NCAAT appearances and success. UCF and USF are hot garbage but they are football recruiting and market additions. Memphis is a solid hoops add, even if Squid isn't cheating for them.

Academics: UConn tops the list at #57 followed by a slew of schools all in the 100s, but sport large enrollment numbers and would satisfy the football starved conference members.

Potential Division Alignment:

East - UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, WVU, USF, UCF, Memphis, Iowa State
West - Texas, OU, OSU, TT, KU, KSU, Baylor, TCU

All natural B12 rivalries preserved in the West. Conference Championship Game in JerryWorld every year. Conference hoops tourney rotates between Kansas City (where it is now), NYC, and Dallas.

Then sit back and wait for ACC to fold in 2020-whatever and pick off some of the aftermath. Maybe bring in Houston and/or BYU to supplement an addition of 2 or 3.

If there aren't enough slashes, here you go...

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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East - UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, WVU, USF, UCF, Memphis, Iowa State

That's almost AAC level of boring.

edit: for hoops.
 
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Financially, it makes sense for the Big 12 to go 12. All schools in the conference would make the same amount of money even if the conference grows by 2 schools, and a championship game is worth $20 million extra. Obviously, BYU and us are the two biggest brand names left on the board, but the Big 12 doesn't want to go to 3 time zones, and BYU is very complicated. Cincinatti would be our partner as the Big 12 already had talks with them last year about future expansion. Houston will not get in as nobody in the conference wants an extra Texas team, and Memphis reportedly is trying to bribe the conference with $50 million. Also, Texas is against expansion, but if they get smart and change their mind, they like us more than anybody else as we are a state flagship with academics comparable to theirs.
 
noeynox said:
What has changed since then? Chatter on twitter?

If anything you are seeing cord cutting cut into the profits of the likes of espn. We could be seeing the last stages of people getting into the "club". The cable money could be drying up. I don't understand this idea that nothing will happen without uconn. Everything has happened without uconn to date.

People have been waiting for Jesus to return for over 2000 years now. I'd give my left nut for Big 12 invite right now.
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the b1g contract negotiations and the need for the content, big 12 and acc instability, espn money may be drying up which will allow other players in which again will increase the need for content.......................it looks nothing like it did in 2012. besides, most people believed after louisville that nothing would happen until 2018. last i checked, we aren't there yet. last i checked, uconn has done nothing but improved its resume.
 
John said:
East - UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, WVU, USF, UCF, Memphis, Iowa State

That's almost AAC level of boring.

edit: for hoops.
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The divisions are football only. Hoops would play everybody at least once, including KU.
 
The Funster said:
Man, I hope momentum builds for UConn to the B12. It makes so much sense because of the NY and NE market share we would bring. I would not be opposed to a home game or two at Yankee Stadium per year. It would force the B1G and the ACC to finally make a decision on us, both of which are far better fits than the Big 12.
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I hope so too, especially for the last sentence. I think the last sentence has a better shot if the process plays out over a couple years instead of the next 12 months.
 
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An eastern "pod" of WVU, Cincinnati and UCONN just makes so much sense that it's bound not to happen. I'm bracing for Cincinnati and Houston because, you know, not every school inside Texas is a member of the B12 quite yet.
 
Butch said:
Swofford was probably told at the Bohemian Grove to take Louisville instead of UConn. :p
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A bunch of my high school friends worked at Bohemian Grove every summer. Interesting place to be sure.
 
I find it interesting that one of the two main reasons (geography being the other) that people dismiss us from the Big 12 talk is that our football program is garbage. However, that is not true. We are average. Since joining FBS in 2000 as a transitional member, we have a record of 91-103, which equates to 5.7 wins a year. If you take out the first two years (as we were transitional and not full-time FBS), we are 86-86 as a full-time member of FBS, which equates to 6.1 wins a year. Finally, if you take out the Pasqualoni + Diaco years, we were 65-46 between 2002 and 2010, equating to 7.2 wins a year. Ultimately, we are a 6 to 7 win program.
 
shizzle787 said:
I find it interesting that one of the two main reasons (geography being the other) that people dismiss us from the Big 12 talk is that our football program is garbage. However, that is not true. We are average. Since joining FBS in 2000 as a transitional member, we have a record of 91-103, which equates to 5.7 wins a year. If you take out the first two years (as we were transitional and not full-time FBS), we are 86-86 as a full-time member of FBS, which equates to 6.1 wins a year. Finally, if you take out the Pasqualoni + Diaco years, we were 65-46 between 2002 and 2010, equating to 7.2 wins a year. Ultimately, we are a 6 to 7 win program.
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Completely agree. Our football has never been nor will never be an Alabama. But it's been more than solid and, ironically, had the most success as an infant member of a BCS conference. There is absolutely room for "basketball schools" in the P5 as long as they have a competitive football program. Ours has certainly been competitive over the entire D-1 body of work. Not only that, but our program has put plenty of players in the NFL and that speaks to our facilities.

I can buy geography, football recruiting territory and culture as being detriments for UConn to the B12. But I can't and won't buy football prestige as being a big negative, especially when that conference already has perennial losers like Kansas and Iowa State in it.
 
The Funster said:
Man, I hope momentum builds for UConn to the B12. It makes so much sense because of the NY and NE market share we would bring. I would not be opposed to a home game or two at Yankee Stadium per year. It would force the B1G and the ACC to finally make a decision on us, both of which are far better fits than the Big 12.
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If you are talking Bevo or the Sooners paying a visit, I'd hold out for MetLife. A UConn home game there would be a sellout (but the visiting team's colors would prevail in 705 of the seats). UConn's percentage of the gate on that one game would substantial.
 
Another thing: if you combine the style of play predominantly played in the B12 with UConn (the only east coast team that plays B12 football), something tells me more than enough top recruits from NJ and PA would suddenly add UConn to their top 5 lists. B12 style of play appeals to TV and recruits and with the right coach who can recruit (ahem...we already have him), we could very well start pulling some of the highly coveted talent in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
 
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Dooley said:
Another thing: if you combine the style of play predominantly played in the B12 with UConn (the only east coast team that plays B12 football), something tells me more than enough top recruits from NJ and PA would suddenly add UConn to their top 5 lists. B12 style of play appeals to TV and recruits and with the right coach who can recruit (ahem...we already have him), we could very well start pulling some of the highly coveted talent in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states.
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How is our style of play similar to the Big 12? Big 12 teams put up 50-70 points per game on offense.

We do that in a month.

We may have an advantage in the sense that we would be one of maybe 2 teams in the conference that play defense, but I'm not sure how you can say that we play Big 12 football right now.
 
NYUConn said:
How is our style of play similar to the Big 12? Big 12 teams put up 50-70 points per game on offense.

We do that in a month.

We may have an advantage in the sense that we would be one of maybe 2 teams in the conference that play defense, but I'm not sure how you can say that we play Big 12 football right now.
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He didn't.

His syntax wasn't perfect, but neither was your comprehension.

He meant that if we were in the Big 12 and presumably playing like a Big 12 team, recruits would be favorably inclined towards us.
 
Fishy said:
He didn't.

His syntax wasn't perfect, but neither was your comprehension.

He meant that if we were in the Big 12 and presumably playing like a Big 12 team, recruits would be favorably inclined towards us.
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You're right. Sorry, @Dooley, totally misread your post.

One Love.
 
Fishy said:
He didn't.

His syntax wasn't perfect, but neither was your comprehension.

He meant that if we were in the Big 12 and presumably playing like a Big 12 team, recruits would be favorably inclined towards us.
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I need to hire you as my ghost writer.
 
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