Texas just screwed the B12

[VectorVictor]

Yeah, I don't remember ever seeing anything that Delany said that the B1G had to have a southern school.

 

And, Matthew, you've got it backwards with regards to the U of Chicago - as is stated above, sports and football are a mere adjunct to the big dollars of research that AAU / B1G affiliation brings, and so, the U of Chicago is a far bigger fish than Okie can ever hope to be. It's not really a valid comparison.

 

Also, your geography is suspect. If the B1G is to keep a continguous footprint, Okie does not help. Unless you also bring in MU and / or KU. Which sort of defeats your argument.

 

Also possible: the B1G stands pat in the next round of conference realignment.

 

A better get for the B1G: TXass. I don't see that happening, but it's a lot more likely than Okie.

 

Never said the B1G *had* to have a Southern school--if anything, Delany's comments suggest that the Big 10 is cognizant of the population shift. While I suppose using that as a smokescreen for Nebraska was possible, I would expect the comments to hold more meaning for the expansion committee. Then again, these are the same folks that came up with Legends and Leaders for division names, so maybe it was just superfluous information after all.

 

As the U of Chicago, it was a point which supported that not all schools have to participate in the same affairs as the other in the conference. Not all schools are equal, and if the Big 10 was only about grant money or it was the only priority, then there would be no reason for the Big 10 to go through the motions in expanding fan base or creating a cable network for their sports teams.

 

And the geography is there--in order to remain contiguous, the Big 10 would need to take Kansas or Missouri, as you said. Again, if the Big East and ACC aren't available, there's not much else out there to grab.

 

Standing pat for the B1G would be a plan D or E for the Big 10. If the SEC goes to 14, so goes the ACC, Pac-12, etc. Don't know if the Big East would go to 12 or 14 football teams, considering how big the conference is in basketball already. But inaction is not really an option--hell, even the C-USA will go to 14 or more if Iowa State, Baylor, or Texas Tech, among others, don't have homes.

 

As for Texas--Texas' looming independence will kill the idea of them joining a conference shortly. BYU was the canary in the coal mine for Texas, and the canary got a deal great enough to upgrade to a gilded cage.