So you think giving Cincinnati any ammunition for a Big 12 invite is better for UConn?
So you think giving Houston any ammunition for a Big 12 invite is better for UConn? Cincinnati has been at the top of the Big 12's list for a long time, Houston is a newcomer. The more they're ranked in the top 10, in the playoff discussion, the better things look. Cincinnati isn't good enough to run the table and be nationally competitive so a win here doesn't do much beyond validating them as a good but still unspectacular football program. We don't want Houston to have any opportunity to portray themselves as a spectacular can't-miss football program when teams are being decided upon. Can you imagine how discussions would go if the Big 12 is voting on schools in October or November, or even December (who knows how long this will drag out) and Houston is undefeated and about to get a spot in the playoff while the Big 12 has whiffed completely and has no shot at getting anyone in? You REALLY think the presidents are all going to vote against Houston because good ol' Yankee UConn 1,500 miles away has a great basketball program*? Ain't happening.
*I don't personally believe these statements, I'm trying to replicate the discussion in the room among the presidents when this is all going down. I personally believe UH is a Tom Herman P5 contract and a bad hire away from being a flash in the pan, and they have absolutely nothing else going for them athletically. The problem is, the optics of the situation when these presidents are voting is such that UH being a top five team on the verge of being the first G5 school to make the playoff while the Big 12 is likely left out HEAVILY weigh against them voting UConn instead of UC. I'm also operating under the premise that UC is in either way because they're too good of a vanilla ice cream cone for the Big 12 to pass over. I'm also operating under the assumption that if it's two teams, BYU has been left out for geographical and/or political reasons. I've long felt the best path for us to get in with only two is UC/UConn, but that only happens if UH falters on the football field as that is their ONLY advantage. The problem is right now it's an enormous advantage, and it's happening at exactly the right time for them.