Timing, timing, timing

[FfldCntyFan]

Please don't act like Houston's recent football prowess is something immediate but fleeting (like for example Rutgers during the Ray Rice years).

Just over the past dozen years they did well enough that power conference poached their the head coach (Briles), then another grabbed his successor (Summon). They also had very powerful teams during the last decade and a half of Yoeman's career (a few Cotton bowls, many ranked teams and couple top ten finishes) and then the first dozen years under Ladder (including a top ten finish and a Heisman trophy winner).

They were a power conference school and a competitive one at that when we we deciding whether or not to move up. One sad irony is that if the BE after the first ACC raid also extended offers to TCU and Houston that conference may have been able to build sufficient football credibility to survive.

 

[BlueHen]

That's an entirely reasonable and rational point of view. Unfortunately, perception matters a lot here. Houston football has a lot of sex appeal right now, much like Louisville did around 2012. We have zero.

These university presidents are going to have to defend their decisions to their fan bases and media. Are they going to want to answer to why they passed up Top 10 and upward-trending Houston (regardless of whether it can be sustained) in favor of yawn-inducing UConn?

I guess is depends on whether the Big 12 is like the B1G, and adds a team like Rutgers because it adds long term value to the league or is the Big 12 more like the ACC and adds a team like Louisville because it is the flavor of the month.

 

[BlueHen]

Please don't act like Houston's recent football prowess is something immediate but fleeting (like for example Rutgers during the Ray Rice years).

Just over the past dozen years they did well enough that power conference poached their the head coach (Briles), then another grabbed his successor (Summon). They also had very powerful teams during the last decade and a half of Yoeman's career (a few Cotton bowls, many ranked teams and couple top ten finishes) and then the first dozen years under Ladder (including a top ten finish and a Heisman trophy winner).

They were a power conference school and a competitive one at that when we we deciding whether or not to move up. One sad irony is that if the BE after the first ACC raid also extended offers to TCU and Houston that conference may have been able to build sufficient football credibility to survive.

In the last 30 years Houston is 4-8 in bowl games, with 2 of those wins coming in the last two seasons. They have finished in the top 25 twice since 1990, including last year.
It perfectly legit to question if Houston's recent success is fleeting or if are they going to become the very good program like they were under Bill Yeoman.

 

[Alum86]

Maybe it will not be totally about football and the"hot program" du jour like Houston. Maybe they want that land grant, Univ of, great hoop, Locale near NYC school to throw in the mix.

 

[MASSconn]

Huge Houston special on Sportscenter right now. Toured locker room, campus, restaurants. Hype train is real and if they keep winning, I don't know how they don't get in. The timing is impeccable.

Beating them on 9/29 would be so enormous.

 

[Jimdish255]

Cincy hoping for some good timing too.

Cougars' Greg Ward Jr. could miss Saturday's game

 

[CL82]

Huge Houston special on Sportscenter right now. Toured locker room, campus, restaurants. Hype train is real and if they keep winning, I don't know how they don't get in. The timing is impeccable.

Beating them again on 9/29 would be so enormous.

FIFY

Yeah, interesting the UH is getting the benefit of ESPN's hype machine.

My take:
1. Expansion is real, and coming and ESPN doesn't see a way to derail it.
(Unless pushing UH and expansion by only 2 is their play to stop it.)

2. ESPN wants to keep the East coast so is pushing Houston and BYU as the candidates.

3. ESPN. I hate those effers.

 

[Jimdish255]

I could see ESPN pushing Houston and BYU and it probably accounts for a lot of the rumors but I doubt Fox would be thrilled with that outcome and will look to wrestle our hoops program out of the AAC if there's a way to keep our FB afloat.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Please don't act like Houston's recent football prowess is something immediate but fleeting (like for example Rutgers during the Ray Rice years).

Just over the past dozen years they did well enough that power conference poached their the head coach (Briles), then another grabbed his successor (Summon). They also had very powerful teams during the last decade and a half of Yoeman's career (a few Cotton bowls, many ranked teams and couple top ten finishes) and then the first dozen years under Ladder (including a top ten finish and a Heisman trophy winner).

They were a power conference school and a competitive one at that when we we deciding whether or not to move up. One sad irony is that if the BE after the first ACC raid also extended offers to TCU and Houston that conference may have been able to build sufficient football credibility to survive.

If P5 schools hiring your coaches means you're getting in, then Temple wouldn't have been eliminated already.

 

[NYUConn]

There are reasons why Houston may end up in the Big 12:

• Texas politics
• Misguided belief that they need them to get Houston market

However, success on the football field over the course of two seasons is almost certainly not one of them. If all it took to get a P5 invite was a successful football program, Boise State would not be stuck in the Mountain West.

 

[tduconn]

Please don't act like Houston's recent football prowess is something immediate but fleeting (like for example Rutgers during the Ray Rice years).

Just over the past dozen years they did well enough that power conference poached their the head coach (Briles), then another grabbed his successor (Summon). They also had very powerful teams during the last decade and a half of Yoeman's career (a few Cotton bowls, many ranked teams and couple top ten finishes) and then the first dozen years under Ladder (including a top ten finish and a Heisman trophy winner).

They were a power conference school and a competitive one at that when we we deciding whether or not to move up. One sad irony is that if the BE after the first ACC raid also extended offers to TCU and Houston that conference may have been able to build sufficient football credibility to survive.

We often point to potential, citing UConn's success in the BE in football. Houston can point to the same type of potential......success in the old SWC, and like FfldCntyFan pointed out, a Heisman winner. BE football (post VA Tech, Miami, BC)was not consistently close to the talent of the teams in the old SWC. WVa, Cincinnatti, Louisville were for the most part consistently decent, but not the caliber of the old SWC. Arguing "potential"........Houston wins. Even the commentators suggested it would be interesting to watch Houston's development the next five years if they get in the Big 12......what they can become. Tons of talent within 30 miles. Again, for program potential.......advantage Houston.

 

[geordi]

It's clear to me that Cincinnati and UConn - at least one of them - is in the mix. The Big XII has wanted a travel partner for WVU for years and one of those two would give them one. I don't see how adding BYU would help them much. Regardless of the scheduling hassles, Provo is 1250 miles from Austin; Morgantown is 1400. Adding BYU would recreate the problem of travel partners, but in the west, not the east. Even the Florida schools would have that problem unless both were invited. At least a Cincinnati/UConn choice would solve the partner problem and in fact, give WVU MORE flexibility.

 

[BlueHen]

If P5 schools hiring your coaches means you're getting in, then Temple wouldn't have been eliminated already.

Yeah, and we would have gotten in when Maryland hired Edsall.

 

[Vuce]

I am hoping that if it comes down to UConn and UC they pick us because while Cincy football is better than our program, it is not annual top 25 good. And basketball at Cincy is solid. Our football is on the upswing but also not Top 25 good. But, hoops is blue blood, top 5, etc. and brings elite status to the conference. Why go with "meh" in both sports for Cincy when you can have at least one super power in a major sport from UConn?

 

[Palatine]

Did you actually read my post? Houston is now likely to be a top 5-7 team ALL SEASON. That's not going to help their case?

It should hurt their case. The rest of the B12 does not need another Texas team stealing recruits from their primary recruiting area.

 

[don356]

Houston also has the ability to lose to some lessor opponents as they've done in the past. The other question is how good oklahoma is. Most of the "experts" are looking at them now as losing multiple games because of o line issues.

 

[Santini35]

It should hurt their case. The rest of the B12 does not need another Texas team stealing recruits from their primary recruiting area.

One would think, but I have this sinking feeling that they're going to cave to public pressure to take the "best football team" whether its in their best interests or not

 

[CL82]

One would think, but I have this sinking feeling that they're going to cave to public pressure to take the "best football team" whether its in their best interests or not

Perhaps they'll take the most entertaining football team. HCBD will pass along Thursday's game tapes as exhibit 1.

 

[Pudge]

We often point to potential, citing UConn's success in the BE in football. Houston can point to the same type of potential.success in the old SWC, and like FfldCntyFan pointed out, a Heisman winner. BE football (post VA Tech, Miami, BC)was not consistently close to the talent of the teams in the old SWC. WVa, Cincinnatti, Louisville were for the most part consistently decent, but not the caliber of the old SWC. Arguing "potential"...Houston wins. Even the commentators suggested it would be interesting to watch Houston's development the next five years if they get in the Big 12.what they can become. Tons of talent within 30 miles. Again, for program potential..advantage Houston.

IF ... Tom Herman is there.

Sure, they had Briles & Sumlin (plus Levine). A Football Program tradition on a G5 level is not guaranteed. Can UH translate to a TCU level? Sure.

But, the B12 continues to be in the same box. Take UH ... or TCU 5 years ago + WVU 6 years ago. Flavorful. But they are still the league without a Network; with the Longhorns having a comparative advantage overall & the LHN; and unhappy undercurrents.

 

[Alum86]

It should hurt their case. The rest of the B12 does not need another Texas team stealing recruits from their primary recruiting area.

We're golden then.