Conference Realignment

As much as I believe Boren wishes to add to the Big 12 at least 2 schools I just don't see it happening anytime soon. As the article states Boren is a minority wanting to add, but if Oklahoma pressures to pull out and join somewhere else maybe.
 
Sweetest OU Girl said:
While this is not simply a WBB issue, I found this article somewhat interesting since if any of it happened it would have a major impact on all our teams - certainly WBB.

http://www.hammerandrails.com/2016/4/18/11456646/conference-realignment-so-how-might-it-begin

Do you think President Boren might actually consider any of the ideas raised here?
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I guess we'll find out this summer as that was so-called deadline for gathering information. Not sure who wrote that article and anyone can figure out the options but other than that, this person was just pulling rabbits out of a hat! The B1G would definitely be interested in OU. This is about money. OU is a top 5 football program and probably a top 10-15 athletic program. OU would bring more money to B1G than Nebraska, Maryland or Rutgers. Not saying B1G would take OU but in this age of money grabbing, for them to not be interested in OU would be extremely negligent!

Adding BYU would be another horrible mistake by conference. Big 12 already has 2 too many church schools (ND is only other church school in Power 5 conference). Big 12 area doesn't have enough population to support one church school much less 2 or 3! Hypocrite U and TCU provide zero TV ratings and are leeching off other Big 12 members. I read an article a couple of months ago that rated most valuable football programs in Big 12 and Hypocrite U and TCU were at bottom with KU, in spite of them having the football programs of their lives!

Not sure what will happen but there is risk in anything we decide, staying OR leaving. Summertime is usually when all the realignment talk gets going since news is slow and with the timing of receiving information from Big 12 inquiries, it will probably be full fledged hysteria this summer!
 
Yesterday's news of the contract between the B1G and Fox likely brought Big 12 conference realignment talk to a halt for now. With the B1G/Fox deal, what has been referred to as the Power 5 is more like the Power 2 -- the B1G and SEC. There will be many schools with tremendous success in the big revenue sports (Football and MBB), such as Oklahoma, looking at schools like Indiana and Purdue and Rutgers bringing in a lot more revenue from big TV contracts and a conference network which the Big 12 doesn't have. The $$ the Big 12 has not been bringing in is what prompted Boren's talk of expansion and a network in the first place. With the B1G news, it doesn't appear that Big 12 expansion plus a network is worth pursuing for schools like OK and Texas. There is some talk that the Big 12 as it exists now will be be dead as schools like OU and Texas look to join the B1G or SEC or Pac 12. WBB has nothing to do with all of this but will be impacted if there is more movement down the road.
 
tycat947 said:
I guess we'll find out this summer as that was so-called deadline for gathering information. Not sure who wrote that article and anyone can figure out the options but other than that, this person was just pulling rabbits out of a hat! The B1G would definitely be interested in OU. This is about money. OU is a top 5 football program and probably a top 10-15 athletic program. OU would bring more money to B1G than Nebraska, Maryland or Rutgers. Not saying B1G would take OU but in this age of money grabbing, for them to not be interested in OU would be extremely negligent!

Adding BYU would be another horrible mistake by conference. Big 12 already has 2 too many church schools (ND is only other church school in Power 5 conference). Big 12 area doesn't have enough population to support one church school much less 2 or 3! Hypocrite U and TCU provide zero TV ratings and are leeching off other Big 12 members. I read an article a couple of months ago that rated most valuable football programs in Big 12 and Hypocrite U and TCU were at bottom with KU, in spite of them having the football programs of their lives!

Not sure what will happen but there is risk in anything we decide, staying OR leaving. Summertime is usually when all the realignment talk gets going since news is slow and with the timing of receiving information from Big 12 inquiries, it will probably be full fledged hysteria this summer!
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Nebraska yes. Rutgers and Maryland I am not so certain. Not question money is driving any conference realignment and TV set are the key to that money. TV sets are determined primarily by footprint population base. New Jersey has a population base of 9.0 million plus is adjacent to New York City. Maryland has a 6.0 million population base plus is adjacent to Washington D.C.

On the other hand Oklahoma with only a 3.9 million population base limits OU's footprint's TV sets. We will get some small boost in the TV set count for having a football program of national interest. But I doubt it will offset Rutgers footprint's 231% TV advantage or Maryland's 154% advantage. And these advantages do not factor in either New York City or Washington D.C. alumni/fans' TV sets.
 
SoonerSpock said:
Nebraska yes. Rutgers and Maryland I am not so certain. Not question money is driving any conference realignment and TV set are the key to that money. TV sets are determined primarily by footprint population base. New Jersey has a population base of 9.0 million plus is adjacent to New York City. Maryland has a 6.0 million population base plus is adjacent to Washington D.C.

On the other hand Oklahoma with only a 3.9 million population base limits OU's footprint's TV sets. We will get some small boost in the TV set count for having a football program of national interest. But I doubt it will offset Rutgers footprint's 231% TV advantage or Maryland's 154% advantage. And these advantages do not factor in either New York City or Washington D.C. alumni/fans' TV sets.
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On potential, MD and Rutgers would be enticing but there is nothing in their past to show they bring in ratings at all. Below is article from 2013 which shows top rated football programs for TV (note that OU is tied with Fla St for the most # of rated games). Not sure if I agree with, since Nebraska is rated higher than OU and Texas is significantly lower. I guess rating are also affected by who you are playing. B1G and SEC teams are going be higher rated as they are playing other highly rated schools more often. Playing in Big 12, since the 4 schools left, would affect our ratings. Also, if you add MD and Rutgers ratings together they would be about half of OUr TV ratings. OU has historically had very strong TV ratings in spite of being in a relatively small population state.

2013

2014
 
For my part we can add Memphis, BYU, Connecticut, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado St., etc.
People (SEC, Big 10, etc.) can laugh but within 5 years it would be from the other side of their mouth.
 
I come a little from left field with my choice for additions to the Big 12. I would prefer University of Central Florida and University of South Florida over other options. Both schools are high ranking academic institutions with large student bodies situated in a state with a population of 20.3 million third largest in the country.

UCF has played in 5 bowl games in 6 years. They beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl in 2013. Their primary weakness has been their inability to recruit against Florida, FSU and Miami for top talent. Giving them membership in the Big 12 would provide them a must stronger recruiting message as they seek to upgrade their talent on the football field. I am comfortable that they could have better talent than either BYU or Cincinnati after 3-4 years as a member of the Big 12. With Scott Frost as the new head coach they could be prime to make this move.

Things have been tougher at USF but Jim Leavitt proved you can win at USF and be successful for a lengthy period of time. The program went south with the hiring of Skip Holtz as head coach and is just beginning to get turned around by Willie Taggart who lead the Bulls to an 8-5 record last year which was good enough to be runner-up in the American East and to go to the Miami Beach Bowl. Although it might take some time for the Bulls to be on par with BYU/Cincinnati on the football field the talent available in South Florida is there to get that job for a member of the Big 12.

Adding UCF and USF would increase the 39.1 million population footprint of the Big 12 by over 50% with Florida's 20.3 million people. Population base equates to TV sets and TV sets means money. Combined Utah and Ohio has only a population base of 14.6 million or only about 72% of Florida's base.

Moreover, with the addition of both UCF and USF Big 12 schools could assure Florida high school talent that they would get the opportunity to play in their home state on a regular basis thereby enhancing their ability to upgrade the talent they could previously recruit from Florida. Additionally, USF plays in Tampa Bay's Raymond James Stadium giving each Big 12 recruit an opportunity to play in an NFL stadium, a selling point to recruits.

Any expansion or realignment change for the B12 must be a long term decision looking at the benefits of these changes 5, 10 or 15 years into the future. UCF and USF may not seem as attractive as other alternatives over the next 2 or 3 years but looking into the long term future of the conference they bring more to the table. More money, better talent, better academics, etc. for conference members.
 
It would be better to invite only one Fla school and Cincinnati. 20.3M plus about 11M is greater than 20.3M by itself. Let's face it, there aren't any good options; only bad and less bad. BYU would be a horrible, horrible choice! Another church school with an attitude as big as TX??? NO THANKS! There market share is overrated. PAC12 chose Utah over BYU and you'd think all the barking over BYU's TV market would offer more than Utah, a state with 3M people (roughly size of Kansas) but PAC12 chose Utah and no one is knocking on BYU's door. Any TX school would be an equally horrible choice as well. SEC now has policy (or guidelines) to not take any schools from states that are already represented in SEC. That's why no Fla State nor Clempson in SEC, and they would be quality, natural fits for SEC. Big 12 needs to follow that policy as well.
 
tycat947 said:
It would be better to invite only one Fla school and Cincinnati. 20.3M plus about 11M is greater than 20.3M by itself. Let's face it, there aren't any good options; only bad and less bad. BYU would be a horrible, horrible choice! Another church school with an attitude as big as TX??? NO THANKS! There market share is overrated. PAC12 chose Utah over BYU and you'd think all the barking over BYU's TV market would offer more than Utah, a state with 3M people (roughly size of Kansas) but PAC12 chose Utah and no one is knocking on BYU's door. Any TX school would be an equally horrible choice as well. SEC now has policy (or guidelines) to not take any schools from states that are already represented in SEC. That's why no Fla State nor Clempson in SEC, and they would be quality, natural fits for SEC. Big 12 needs to follow that policy as well.
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There is some logic to a UCF or USF and Cincinnati addition to the Big 12.
Also Cincinnati provides WVU with a geographic partner in the conference. And while I agree there are no outstanding op there is a need to expand for both revenue and the long term existence of the Big 12.

With only one Big 12 school in each state there may be some concerns about the ability to penetrate the Florida and Ohio TV markets. On the other hand the addition of both UCF and USF to the Big 12 maintains an in-state conference rivalry that will generate much more interest in the Big 12 than having only one Florida school join the conference.

The Big 12 will get the necessary demographic information over the summer to make an intelligent decision as to which schools provides the best upside potential. One will have to make a SWAG to determine which schools that will be.
 
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