conference alignment

[UGAHusker]

Tonight i've really been bothered by the fact that we don't play oklahoma every year. It normally never really bothered me but I would really like to see it happen year in and year out. So I was thinking about a possible alignment that would let us do so. I couldn't really think of anything really attractive in terms of expansion but what if we downsized? take 2 teams out and do like the pac 10 does and play 9 conference games (everyone goes head to head) and 3 non conference?

 

thoughts?

 

this is interesting, because if you play head-to-head with all of your conference opponents, you wouldn't need a championship game, because head-to-head contests would be the deciding factor in breaking a tie (unless, of course, if more than two teams share the best record, in which case you can have other tiebreakers in place). Also, you can strengthen the conference quite a bit by getting rid of perennial losers. The conference could look like this:

 

Colorado

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Texas

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

 

Baylor and Iowa State would find new conference homes. though it would be fun to kick Colorado out of the conference just to piss them off Iowa state could go to the Big Ten (eleven). Baylor is screwed. :-)

 

 

The fact that one Baylor B-ball team was one fouled out player from the Final Four and another team making it to the Final Four might be just enough to keep them around.

[GMoose]

I can't help but think that if the NU-OU rivalry came back, that "mutual respect" would go out the window.

[theneguy95]

Here's an idea for a conference...

 

Nebraska

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Kansas

Kansas State

Missouri

Iowa State

Colorado

 

Then we play every team in our conference and don't need a CCG! Everyone plays everyone "round-robin" plus 3 nonconference games. Oklahoma and Texas are more than welcome to schedule their red river shootout for one of the nonconference games, so they keep their rivalry.

 

Texas can go to some other conference for more money and maybe pick a conference that has 1 powerhouse team for the last 30+ years. That way they can get the other teams in that conference to vote against the powerhouse on everything they vote on, so they can get their way. The other teams in the conference will vote with Texas because they'll be tired of getting their butts handed to them every year by the powerhouse team in that conference. Then they can move their conference headquarters to Texas to make it more conveneint for UT and less convenient for the rest of that conference. Maybe a "Big Man" at UT could even be the chairman of that new conference? The only difference is this... UT won't be screwing any of the Big 12 conference like they did to the 4 teams of the Southwest Conference.

 

Finally... good old days are restored! We could call it the Big 8. Catchy conference name huh? I love it.

 

Note: Not a rant about Longhorn fans or the team, but I can't stand UT politics. UT = 100% pure selfish greed

 

But ya... I'm a huge fan of the old Big 8.... If you can't tell. lol

[REDSTEEL]

The SEC method of inter-division rivals (1 permanent, 2 rotating) IS the best method.

Totally agree but you will never get TO to sign off on playing both Texas and OU in the same regular season.

If I'm remembering right TO and Bill Byrne pushed for the 1 permanent game, so they could keep playing Oklahoma every day after Thanksgiving before the conference formed . It was Oklahoma that turned it down.

[Nexus]

The SEC method of inter-division rivals (1 permanent, 2 rotating) IS the best method.

Totally agree but you will never get TO to sign off on playing both Texas and OU in the same regular season.

If I'm remembering right TO and Bill Byrne pushed for the 1 permanent game, so they could keep playing Oklahoma every day after Thanksgiving before the conference formed . It was Oklahoma that turned it down.

 

Doesn't surprise me. After Switzer resigned in '89, their football program fell by the wayside of mediocrity throughout the 90's until Stoops took over in '99.

 

So the timing wasn't exactly right since the conference formed in '96. Had this happened when Stoops took over, I'm sure they would've kept it permanent.

[skersfan]

Wrong.

 

They were offered a choice and it was Texas, as stated not even close. We had great games for many years but every Texan and every Oklahoman wants to be the other. Family against family.

 

Neither would, at the time want to play Nebraska as it added another potential loss. Two normally ranked top ten teams scheduled every year would be a tough road to hoe, that is the reason it went the way it did I think.

[irafreak]

I get the feeling that oklahoma's (fans) respect for us has been there recently because we've been their whipping post. "Nice win husker fans...see you in 2 years"...

[Enhance]

The mutual respect between Oklahoma and Nebraska has been there for many years, even before the 2000's. Even when we were trading punches for years, we still generally respected one another. My father and grandfather said, in all their experiences, that's how its generally been.

 

Besides, I wouldn't say they respect us because we've been their whipping post. Don't forget that they were on the losing end of two of our greatest school victories in 1970 and 2001, with both an unforgettable punt return and one of the most well known plays among husker fans: Black 41 Flash Reverse.

[Paperback Writer]

Oklahoma does not think of us as a rival. They have one rival and that is Texas and always will be. You will never see a split if they are in the same conference. We are actaully closer to third on the Oklahoma list now that Okie Lite has made progress.

 

I would not mind seeing the Pac ten set up, but that is not in the best intrest of the money men. Never going to happen, maybe larger, but never down size by choice.

 

If Colorado and Mizzou left, Arkansas would never leave the SEC, our choices are TCU and Boise State and that is a reach for Boise. Too much travel for them every game.

Agree that Nebraska is below Texas on the OU rival depth cart and maybe even below OK St as mentioned. As much as I would like an annual NU-OU game, it's not in the cards. As much as Mizzou wants to join the Big10, I think they are the 3rd choice behind Notre Dame and Rutgers which means they would stay in the Big12. However, I think you're right in that Colorado already has one foot out the door. I think there's a good chance BYU replaces CU in the Big12 while Utah and CU join the PAC10. Nothing against TCU, it's just that the Big12 already has the Texas TV markets with UT, aTm, and Tech. Boise St. would either join the MWC or some type of merged MWC/WAC conference with TCU and other SW and Western schools. Boise St. is not a good match for the Big12 and I question whether TCU really is.

 

In conjunction with this conference re-alignment, I see the PAC10 and Big12 working out some type of joint TV contract since neither conference by itself have the markets and viewership to command what the Big10 and SEC are getting from the networks. If that plays out, the BYU-Utah rivalry would continue and would potentially open up a few other PAC10-Big12 matchups on a regular basis. If that occurs, does Big Red Nation continue with the NU-CU game? Or do they pursue something like home-and-away series with Washington or Arizona St? Personally, I'd rather have BYU on the schedule every year and never play CU unless it's in the Holiday Bowl.

[irafreak]

The mutual respect between Oklahoma and Nebraska has been there for many years, even before the 2000's. Even when we were trading punches for years, we still generally respected one another. My father and grandfather said, in all their experiences, that's how its generally been.

 

Besides, I wouldn't say they respect us because we've been their whipping post. Don't forget that they were on the losing end of two of our greatest school victories in 1970 and 2001, with both an unforgettable punt return and one of the most well known plays among husker fans: Black 41 Flash Reverse.

I was talking about the younger fan...We've yet to lay a beat down on them since TO retired but they've done a number on us a few times. I personally didn't grow up around any OU fans before college so I can't say about the respect back during the 80's and 90's...