Big money donors pushing the SEC hard to Boren

[bocabull]

All this nonsense goes away if Strong gets Texas back in the top 10. The only problem with Big XII football is the marquee program is in transition.

 

[SoonerBounce13]

This wouldn't be an issue if OU was still winning the conference and competing nationally. Moving conferences isn't going to make donors or fans happy. If OU can't win the conference that fans say is too ****ty for OU, how are they going to compete in the SEC? Fans will say initially, well if we are going to lose, we might as well lose in the SEC. That is just BS and people wanting change.

OU needs to fix itself. Texas needs to fix itself. Then the big 12 will be fine and OU will be fine.

 

[campbest]

Yes I did like everybody else. Nobody watches those snoozer sports.

This x100000

 

[Sooner-Bred]

If OU goes to another conference it's the Big 10. Don't see OU going to the SEC because it's just not that good a sports conference. Even in it's strongest sport it's not really near as strong as people think. Also Boren cares more for academics which is why it's B1G or PAC or staying in the Big 12.

Huhhh??? :facepalm:facepalm

Baseball- Check.

Softball- Check.

Football- Obviously check.

Basketball- Check (The SEC has THREE basketball national titles in last 10 years to the Big 12's ONE).

Track and Field- Check. In fact, an SEC team has either been the National Champion or National Runner Up in EVERY SINGLE SEASON since 1989 (I'm a bit of a track and field junky, ran track in high school back in the day).

Gymnastics- Check (The SEC has won 10 of the last 11 women's gymnastics titles).

A move by OU to the SEC would be monumental for us.

When recruits see us playing against LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, etc. every week, they'll hop on board so quick.

 

[tycat947]

If I were a big donor, I think I'd focus on how we can stop losing four games a season rather than who we lose those four games to. What a cockeyed approach to the situation that is.

Here's where the teams we lost to finished in the final USA Coaches poll last season: #3, #8, #15, #18 and a fluke upset loss to an unranked rivalry opponent. If, instead, we'd lost to the top four highest ranked SEC teams and a bowl opponent (I'll stick with Clemson there), we'd have lost to nos. 4, 9, 11, 12, and 15.

Would that really have made anyone feel better? Sorry, I don't buy it.

As for the above reference to the possibility of us suffering through some more "losing seasons," we haven't had one of those since the 1990s. Let's step in off the ledge, please.

Yep!

 

[Sooner-Bred]

Here's where the teams we lost to finished in the final USA Coaches poll last season: #3, #8, #15, #18 and a fluke upset loss to an unranked rivalry opponent. If, instead, we'd lost to the top four highest ranked SEC teams and a bowl opponent (I'll stick with Clemson there), we'd have lost to nos. 4, 9, 11, 12, and 15.

It's not at the top (although year-in and year-out, the SEC is almost always better at the top), its the depth.

The Big 12 finished with 3 ranked teams total (TCU, Baylor, K-State).

The SEC finished with 7 ranked teams, and this was considered a down year for them, with South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee all having down years, but those will all probably be perennial top-25 teams again in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Eielson]

i think this will happen also ..

the BIG and SEC are going to both expand again ... and I think that will kill the ACC .. then the BIG 12 will have its choice of some teams ... starting with Clemson, FSU, and Miami ..

I was really hoping that FSU would get the shaft in the playoffs for being in the ACC. If FSU left, I think that would set off a chain reaction of events. Another team or two would join FSU, and the SEC might poach a team or two. At that point, panic sets in, and the other teams would take the first off they get.

In the same way, Texas holds the keys to the Big XII. If they bolt for the ACC, you can bet we're going with them, and then a similar panic reaction is set off. We need an East and West division, though, and that would have to involve the ACC cutting ties with several teams.

I absolutely love the idea of having Miami and FSU in our conference. Despite what others are saying, I think our conference is still very strong, but we could use some more tradition, and I'd love the recruiting and road trip that come with it.

 

[BoulderSooner]

the acc makes the least money of the P5 .... they will continue to fall further and further behind the SEC and BIG ... and also behind the big 12 (pac12 matters less because of geography)

at some point UVA/VA tech .. UNC NC state Georgia tech .. will get tired of not making money ..

 

[ocugolfsooner]

Huhhh??? :facepalm:facepalm

Baseball- Check.

Softball- Check.

Football- Obviously check.

Basketball- Check (The SEC has THREE basketball national titles in last 10 years to the Big 12's ONE).

Track and Field- Check. In fact, an SEC team has either been the National Champion or National Runner Up in EVERY SINGLE SEASON since 1989 (I'm a bit of a track and field junky, ran track in high school back in the day).

Gymnastics- Check (The SEC has won 10 of the last 11 women's gymnastics titles).

A move by OU to the SEC would be monumental for us.

When recruits see us playing against LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, etc. every week, they'll hop on board so quick.

The statement that the SEC is a better basketball conference than the Big 12 might be one the dumbest things I've read in awhile.

 

[DenverSooner]

It's not at the top (although year-in and year-out, the SEC is almost always better at the top), its the depth.

The Big 12 finished with 3 ranked teams total (TCU, Baylor, K-State).

The SEC finished with 7 ranked teams, and this was considered a down year for them, with South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee all having down years, but those will all probably be perennial top-25 teams again in the next 2-3 years.

The SEC is not going to have 12 perennial top-25 teams. That is just ridiculous to say. A few years of not winning the national championship and they won't start every team ranked so highly. Then the final rankings will be about what they are in other conferences.

All of his is cyclical. It was too long ago (2008) I think that OU, Texas and Tech were all in the top 5 or close to it in the final weeks of the season. In fact, the current Big XII had the 1st (Oklahoma), 3rd (Texas), 7th (Tech), 11th (TCU), 13th (OSU) ranked teams in the final BCS standing for 2008.

 

[Eielson]

The statement that the SEC is a better basketball conference than the Big 12 might be one the dumbest things I've read in awhile.

Check.

 

[ocugolfsooner]

The SEC is not going to have 12 perennial top-25 teams. That is just ridiculous to say. A few years of not winning the national championship and they won't start every team ranked so highly. Then the final rankings will be about what they are in other conferences.

All of his is cyclical. It was too long ago (2008) I think that OU, Texas and Tech were all in the top 5 or close to it in the final weeks of the season. In fact, the current Big XII had the 1st (Oklahoma), 3rd (Texas), 7th (Tech), 11th (TCU), 13th (OSU) ranked teams in the final BCS standing for 2008.

I do think things are cyclical, but I also believe that it is a long-term trend that the Southern teams continue to get stronger while Northern teams continue to get weaker. It's not just the SEC, most of the strong teams are located in the southern half of the country or on the west coast. The Big 10 stinks outside of Ohio St and a few other decent teams. Michigan has the name to stay relevant but hasn't been good in awhile. Nebraska is struggling to be better than above average. Notre Dame has been very average outside of 1 year. I just don't want OU to start suffering the same sort of steady decline as some of these other teams. The proximity to Texas recruiting is the lifeblood of the program so whatever moves maximize that for us would be great. Not sure if that's staying the Big 12 and playing the Texas teams, or moving to the SEC and using that pitch on the recruiting trail. Moving to the SEC would probably be great for the short-term, but long-term will it be the best move?

 

[campbest]

Basketball- Check (The SEC has THREE basketball national titles in last 10 years to the Big 12's ONE).

Stop...the SEC top to the bottom is probably the worst major basketball conference in the country.

 

[campbest]

It's cyclical to an extent, but biggest thing is:

1.) Flight from the Steel/Rust Belt and Northeast to Southern states. Follow the population migration maps.

2.) People in the south just care more, even though they live in some of the poorest states in the nation, they are willing to spend what little disposable income they have on watching, attending, supporting collegiate athletics. People in NYC don't care about college football, comparatively to Birmingham, AL. There is less affiliation up north due to the number of colleges and universities relative to the south.

 

[skyvue]

People in NYC don't care about college football, comparatively to Birmingham, AL. There is less affiliation up north due to the number of colleges and universities relative to the south.

There's something to what you say, but it's also true that most towns are either college sports towns or pro sports towns. The cities that support both are few and far between.

The northeast is definitely pro sports territory, aside from a few pockets of collegiate interest (Syracuse hoops, for one).

But Miami doesn't support collegiate sports very well, and my impression is that Atlanta doesn't either (but I could be wrong about that -- I've not spent that much time there).

 

[campbest]

But Miami doesn't support collegiate sports very well, and my impression is that Atlanta doesn't either (but I could be wrong about that -- I've not spent that much time there).

ATL is a HUGE college city, not b/c of GT or UGA, it's a melting pot for SEC/ACC graduates. Nashville is very similar. It's similar to Dallas, on Saturday, college football completely takes over.

 

[skyvue]

There are actually tons of college sports fans in NYC, too, though virtually all of them came here from somewhere else. And percentage-wise, we still rank pretty low. We certainly don't take over the town on Saturdays, but we do take over a good number of bars that cater to particular fan bases.

 

[DenverSooner]

In NYC there are rivalries within the city between the Giants and Jets, Yankees and Mets, Nicks and Nets and Ranger and Islanders. In NYC they have OU v OSU in local professional sports and OU v Texas with Boston, Philly and DC. They don't really need college sports for that type of interaction.

Plus NYC is a melting pot of people. I suspect you constantly meet people from all over the place, especially in the city itself. As a result there is probably less of a hometown favorite college because people were educated all over the place. Furthermore, people are probably more likely to be interested in different college conferences than they would in this region. Therefore, you probably don't get the bonding that we might get with our friends or colleagues through college sports.

 

[skyvue]

In NYC there are rivalries within the city between the Giants and Jets, Yankees and Mets, Nicks and Nets and Ranger and Islanders. In NYC they have OU v OSU in local professional sports and OU v Texas with Boston, Philly and DC. They don't really need college sports for that type of interaction.

Plus NYC is a melting pot of people. I suspect you constantly meet people from all over the place, especially in the city itself. As a result there is probably less of a hometown favorite college because people were educated all over the place. Furthermore, people are probably more likely to be interested in different college conferences than they would in this region. Therefore, you probably don't get the bonding that we might get with our friends or colleagues through college sports.

All very true.

 

[DenverSooner]

Another thing I suspect about NYC that is a bit unusual (am I not sure I am correct) is that the largest schools in the State of New York may be quite a ways from NYC while many other states have reasonably well known schools that are closer. I would speculate that Uconn and Rutgers are two of the larger schools in close proximity to NYC that actually play D-1 sports.