Would you like to see Texas & OU in the B1G West?

These discussions seem to miss the most important considerations in my view and they are simply the why would OU and or Texas even want to join the Big Ten when the Pac 12 fits them so much better and offers the change to get into a strong conference (a powerful new Pac 12) would rival both Big Ten and SEC without jeopardizing their status as the strongest in the conference as they would be.   Geographic and cultural 'fit' also much better.

If not the Pac 12, then the SEC is the best (not very attractive though) geographically and offers atleast some reasonable driving range games each year.  I don't see the bottom two thirds of the SEC teams wanting either Texas or OU as it means another scheduled loss annually or even two if you have to play both.  Texas would only go to a new conference if they perceive the opportunity is there for them to have undue  or disproportionate influence and control over the league's business and financials.  The PAC 12 might be willing to sacrifice some controlling interests to gain the prestige but the Big Ten and SEC wouldn't.

The fans would have a large say and I just don't see fans or either being excited about the Big Ten at all.

I also think KU, although it is a closer question maybe, would prefer the Pac 12 option as well.  They fit academically and somewhat OK geographically but basketball is their forte and the Big Ten poses a real challenge to their perrenial title holder status (they've rarely not won the conference championships and they like to schedule big name games in the non-con to enhance their big dance resume but not to create any real doubt about who the best in the conference really is every year.  

Finally, I don't think the State of Oklahoma legislature and or Governor would go along with the split off of OU from OSU and I don't think Texans are going to want UT leaving the rest of the states major universities behind.   You saw the fight that lowly Baylor put up and won to stay in and Texas A&M is already gone.  

I'd say the best chance to add teams to the Big Ten would be Iowa State and Notre Dame and Pittsburgh or even Cincinnati or even Kentucky might be pulled from the SEC although it is doubtful.  Syracuse might be a good candidate as it adds lots of TV sets from NY state.   I can see basketball powers coming in but football elites - not much chance at this point.

 
84HuskerLaw said:
These discussions seem to miss the most important considerations in my view and they are simply the why would OU and or Texas even want to join the Big Ten when the Pac 12 fits them so much better and offers the change to get into a strong conference (a powerful new Pac 12) would rival both Big Ten and SEC without jeopardizing their status as the strongest in the conference as they would be.   Geographic and cultural 'fit' also much better.

If not the Pac 12, then the SEC is the best (not very attractive though) geographically and offers atleast some reasonable driving range games each year.  I don't see the bottom two thirds of the SEC teams wanting either Texas or OU as it means another scheduled loss annually or even two if you have to play both.  Texas would only go to a new conference if they perceive the opportunity is there for them to have undue  or disproportionate influence and control over the league's business and financials.  The PAC 12 might be willing to sacrifice some controlling interests to gain the prestige but the Big Ten and SEC wouldn't.

The fans would have a large say and I just don't see fans or either being excited about the Big Ten at all.

I also think KU, although it is a closer question maybe, would prefer the Pac 12 option as well.  They fit academically and somewhat OK geographically but basketball is their forte and the Big Ten poses a real challenge to their perrenial title holder status (they've rarely not won the conference championships and they like to schedule big name games in the non-con to enhance their big dance resume but not to create any real doubt about who the best in the conference really is every year.  

Finally, I don't think the State of Oklahoma legislature and or Governor would go along with the split off of OU from OSU and I don't think Texans are going to want UT leaving the rest of the states major universities behind.   You saw the fight that lowly Baylor put up and won to stay in and Texas A&M is already gone.  

I'd say the best chance to add teams to the Big Ten would be Iowa State and Notre Dame and Pittsburgh or even Cincinnati or even Kentucky might be pulled from the SEC although it is doubtful.  Syracuse might be a good candidate as it adds lots of TV sets from NY state.   I can see basketball powers coming in but football elites - not much chance at this point.
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"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

 
84HuskerLaw said:
 I don't think Texans are going to want UT leaving the rest of the states major universities behind.   You saw the fight that lowly Baylor put up and won to stay in and Texas A&M is already gone. 
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Texas Tech is the only other one that the state might care about - Baylor and TCU are private schools. Honestly, I don't think this stuff is as big of a deal as people make it out to be. There might be a bit of grumbling in the state capitols, but I doubt you'd see any real intervention.

 
First choice has to be Oklahoma.
Second Choice would be to steal an ACC school such as Syracuse, UConn or Boston College.

Third choice would be Kansas.

Fourth choice would be BYU.
Not in a million years any Texas school.

 
The Big Ten will rule out schools that do not measure up academically. Keep in mind membership in the AAU was a requirement the last two times they expanded. There are exemptions however. ND being one of them. OU may be exempt given the football tradition. Otherwise KU, ISU, and Texas are the only Big 12 AAU members...I think. Missouri, Colorado and TAMU where members but are gone. No way TT, OSU or KSU make it. I think KU and OU would be good additions, but getting OU and TAMU would be fun to pull off and get a footprint in Texas.....without Texas.  :devil  TAMU will not happen, but the slap in the face of Texas would be fun to watch.

 
The question no one is asking is why would any conference expand. The biggest reason, and historically the driver, is television negotiation. 

But, as the various conferences television contracts expire in the next few years, conferences find themselves in a very different TV landscape. Cable subscribers are dwindling and streaming services are growing in number of services and customers. Gone are the days of big cable channels able to offer ludicrous contracts due to its dual revenue sources and non-viewers paying high carriage fees.

 
brophog said:
The question no one is asking is why would any conference expand. The biggest reason, and historically the driver, is television negotiation. 

But, as the various conferences television contracts expire in the next few years, conferences find themselves in a very different TV landscape. Cable subscribers are dwindling and streaming services are growing in number of services and customers. Gone are the days of big cable channels able to offer ludicrous contracts due to its dual revenue sources and non-viewers paying high carriage fees.
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We could ditch Rutgers and Maryland. :P

 
Toe said:
Texas Tech is the only other one that the state might care about - Baylor and TCU are private schools. Honestly, I don't think this stuff is as big of a deal as people make it out to be. There might be a bit of grumbling in the state capitols, but I doubt you'd see any real intervention.
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The governor of Texas intervened to get Baylor brought along into the `12. I wouldn't underestimate in-state pressures that would be at-play. Okie State, TTech, TCU, and Baylor potentially losing major conference affiliation would be a big deal, folks would fight it, whether they would fight it enough to stop it I don't know.  

 
@Danimal Yeah, that's mostly a myth.

Richards informed but wasn't a driving force
One of the biggest misconceptions about the breakup of the Southwest Conference was that former Texas Gov. Ann Richards used her political clout to push Baylor into the Big 12. Those close to loquacious Baylor graduate say that just isn't true.

"She just was not involved to any great degree in working that out," said Richards' former chief of staff, John Fainter. "I'd have to say she was informed, but she wasn't pounding the table or anything like that."

Bill Cryer, Richards' former spokesman, said Richards always thought it was funny that people assumed she bent over backward to help Baylor.

"I remember her chuckling about it saying, 'I can't imagine they think I would do that,' " Cryer said. "But you know how football fans are. They see want they want to see."
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https://web.archive.org/web/20091214165657/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/083006dnspobaylortcusf.4bf22e33.html

 
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