The most attractive Big 12 schools to the rest of the Power Five

[CoastAtlantic]

Friday Five: The most attractive Big 12 schools to the rest of the Power Five

His top 5:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. TCU
4. Kansas
5. Oklahoma State


Yes, TCU over Kansas and the moonshiners. The Dude won't like this article.

 

[Dooley]

I would say:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Kansas











4. Oklahoma St (only has a mandatory pairing with OU...if not paired with OU, then they move behind TCU, Baylor and maybe WVU)
5(T). TCU/Baylor
7. WVU
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas State
10. Iowa State

 

[shizzle787]

I would say:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Kansas











4. Oklahoma St (only has a mandatory pairing with OU...if not paired with OU, then they move behind TCU, Baylor and maybe WVU)
5(T). TCU/Baylor
7. WVU
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas State
10. Iowa State

I would put WVU ahead of TCU/Baylor, but other than that, spot on.

 

[Fishy]

Again, in a day when the Big Ten and SEC can see $40,000,000 a year in television revenue in their future....what exactly does Oklahoma and Kansas do for them?

Spoilers - nothing really.

OU football might have aesthetic value as a trophy wife, but I've been told 20,000 times that basketball doesn't matter, so neither does Kansas.

So my rankings....

1) Texas

 

[B1GOSU]

Only 3 schools have a chance of being admitted to the B1G:

Texas
Oklahoma
Kansas

Technically, Iowa State meets academic and geographic metrics for the B1G, but stands no chance of being added since Iowa is a member.

Kansas is AAU and would serve as a geographical land bridge for the B1G to Oklahoma and/or Texas, so I wouldn't rule them out for that reason alone.

Oklahoma has strong football and Olympic sports. One of only a handful of non AAU schools that I think the B1G has vetted.

Texas brings everything. Football. Olympic sports. AAU. Recruiting. Large population. But Texas doesn't seem to play nice with others. It couldn't act like that in a unified all for one and one for all B1G.

 

[Fishy]

When you're handing out $40,000,000 a year in network revenue, you don't give a s--- about land bridges over corn fields.

 

[CAHUSKY]

When you're handing out $40,000,000 a year in network revenue, you don't give a s--- about land bridges over corn fields.

This a million times. Unless we return to traveling to games by horse and buggy I'm relatively confident a "land bridge" isn't on top of the Big10 needs list

 

[djct1999]

Kansas, especially if OU goes to the SEC, is worthless. We saw how they were valued the last time(hello mountain west) around and nothing has changed.

 

[jostar1]

I think he means that Kansas make OK and TX contiguous, if the B1G wants to keep the contiguous states thing going.

 

[junglehusky]

OU and KU have brand names. The B1G contract is so big they could decide to add brand name schools that don't grow the pie. I still think UVA, UNC, Duke, GaTech, VTech would be more desirable than OU/KU though.

 

[upstater]

TCU and Baylor are not going to find landing spots in the SEC. No way.

But I'll say it again. I really think the ACC has more to worry about than the B12. The ACC is more attractive, and therefore weaker.

Sometimes it pays to be the ugly sister who watches as her pretty sister is swept away by the rich ghoul suitor. And then the ugly sister marries the nice guy pauper who once had a thing for sis.

 

[Matrim55]

Kansas, especially if OU goes to the SEC, is worthless. We saw how they were valued the last time(hello mountain west) around and nothing has changed.

Lots has changed in the last 5 years, and lots more will change in the next 15 because of cord cutting. This is why "brand" is becoming more important in these discussions, and KU's got a great brand.

A few other notes:
- #31 TV market (Kansas City), and unlike most midwestern markets it's actually growing rapidly (4% since 2010; KC is now larger than Cleveland). This means the demographics of KC are different than, say St. Louis. Younger and more plugged-in, which is helped by the fact that KC is a Google Fiber town
- KU has a $1.8 billion endowment. Bigger than a bunch (Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers) of B1G schools
- KU is an AAU school, and as of 2014 were #77 in overall research expenditures. As big as these TV contracts are, they are puddles compared to the ocean of CIC money flowing between these institutions. KU fit that group pretty snugly despite Brownback's cuts
- A men's hoops team that annually makes the second weekend of the tournament and offers national rather than regional brand penetration

I'm not a Kansas fan by any stretch of the imagination. But if they're worthless, then so are we - and I'd rather not have that point being made here, even tacitly.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I'm not a Kansas fan by any stretch of the imagination. But if they're worthless, then so are we - and I'd rather not have that point being made here, even tacitly.

No one said worthless. They are pretty similar to us and we're struggling to survive and they likely would be too if not for already being in the big12. They were an eyelash away from joining a conference with us the last time folks thought the big12 was going under.

 

[Matrim55]

No one said worthless. They are pretty similar to us and we're struggling to survive and they likely would be too if not for already being in the big12. They were an eyelash away from joining a conference with us the last time folks thought the big12 was going under.

The first sentence of the post I quoted is "Kansas, especially if OU goes to the SEC, is worthless." That's a real bad take for a lot of reasons.

Also, the landscape has changed quite a bit since the last time the Big 12 almost went under.

 

[CAHUSKY]

The first sentence of the post I quoted is "Kansas, especially if OU goes to the SEC, is worthless." That's a real bad take for a lot of reasons.

Also, the landscape has changed quite a bit since the last time the Big 12 almost went under.

Oops, missed that. That said, KU is virtually in the same boat as us.i wouldn't be very confident there was a comfy landing spot in another conference if I was them.

 

[B1GOSU]

Delany has stressed contiguous expansion dating back to Penn State joining. It's one thing Penn State, Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers all have in common and was specifically mentioned for each of those four additions.

The three strongest conferences - B1G, SEC and PAC12 are all contiguous state conferences.

The conferences in danger of being raided are not contiguous state conferences.

 

[SpartyCyclone]

KU is virtually in the same boat as us.

Kansas does not have a D1 hockey program, so at least UConn has that in its favor!

 

[CallMeBruce]

This a million times. Unless we return to traveling to games by horse and buggy I'm relatively confident a "land bridge" isn't on top of the Big10 needs list

But what if they get attacked by brigands on their way to Norman