Expansion

[MIClone]

While I think it is true that the B12 can get a team into the playoffs if they go undefeated or if they win the conference outright and it is obvious they are one of the top 3 teams (maybe top 2). There will be many years where we get shut out due to the lack of a conference championship. So I think we have no choice by to find two teams to join. But they obviously don't need to be good at football though. Just look at the Big 10. BSU, CSU, Cinci, UCONN would all do. I say choose based on academics and locality, and no more schools from Texas.

 

[deadeyededric]

While I think it is true that the B12 can get a team into the playoffs if they go undefeated or if they win the conference outright and it is obvious they are one of the top 3 teams (maybe top 2). There will be many years where we get shut out due to the lack of a conference championship. So I think we have no choice by to find two teams to join. But they obviously don't need to be good at football though. Just look at the Big 10. BSU, CSU, Cinci, UCONN would all do. I say choose based on academics and locality, and no more schools from Texas.

UCONN, Memphis, Cinci, and UCF would be perfect. Go east and go to 14. If I was going West I would tap California with either SDSU or Fresno over Boise or CSU anyway.

 

[TensasCy]

Cincinnati and BYU first. Then try Notre Dame again. If ND comes, then work on one more to get to 14.

 

[CyForPresident]

So I've always been fascinated by realignment so naturally I just spent the last 30 minutes researching Cincinnati. How are these guys not in a Power 5 conference? Elite basketball with a 13,000 seat arena, decent football with a historic 40,000 seat stadium, just dumped over $150 million into facility upgrades, fertile recruiting grounds, and good media markets. If they were a state school instead of a city school, they'd already be in IMO.

If they like to drink to excess, they sounds like a Big 12 school to me.

 

[cycophagus]

While I think it is true that the B12 can get a team into the playoffs if they go undefeated or if they win the conference outright and it is obvious they are one of the top 3 teams (maybe top 2). There will be many years where we get shut out due to the lack of a conference championship. So I think we have no choice by to find two teams to join. But they obviously don't need to be good at football though. Just look at the Big 10. BSU, CSU, Cinci, UCONN would all do. I say choose based on academics and locality, and no more schools from Texas.

I completely agree with the notion that the Big 12 expansion should be based on broad factors, and not on how good the football team is in the here and now. This is for the long term. The conference is loaded with high achievers in football the way it is. Football wise, it may not pay to have the strongest conference. It certainly did not this year. Maybe its better to add more "bottom feeders" so as not to inflict so much damage on each other. And perhaps one less conference game would allow the acheivers to strengthen their schedules as they see fit, while the others(ISU and KU) might want to tone it down somewhat.

 

[twojman]

IMO you need to add UCONN because of potential viewers and possible recruiting grounds. I know basketball is not a huge consideration but you have a potential additional revenue stream with their women's program. There would be some TV demand for that believe it or not.

As far as another school I think you need to get something East or South, something close to WVU and UCONN. If you can pry an ACC school you do it. I used to be on the Cincy bandwagon but population trends are South so the Big 12 needs to think this way. How steady would ECU be? I would only consider Memphis because of potential recruiting gains. One of the Florida schools (UCF or USF) would be great but they would be on an island geographically like WVU is right now.

 

[Win5002]

IMO you need to add UCONN because of potential viewers and possible recruiting grounds. I know basketball is not a huge consideration but you have a potential additional revenue stream with their women's program. There would be some TV demand for that believe it or not.

As far as another school I think you need to get something East or South, something close to WVU and UCONN. If you can pry an ACC school you do it. I used to be on the Cincy bandwagon but population trends are South so the Big 12 needs to think this way. How steady would ECU be? I would only consider Memphis because of potential recruiting gains. One of the Florida schools (UCF or USF) would be great but they would be on an island geographically like WVU is right now.

I hope your not referring to football recruiting with UCONN. Connecticut or N.Y. don't produce football players.

 

[Wesley]

Agree on much of that, but UCF or USF would become football monsters with major conference backing in no time. Better than any "North division" team by year 2.

Had a change of heart. Would like to see UCF and San Diego State added for Cali and Florida recruiting.

 

[deadeyededric]

I hope your not referring to football recruiting with UCONN. Connecticut or N.Y. don't produce football players.

The greater New England region would potentially act like a large state for UCONN with Big 12 affiliation. I used to live in New Haven and you could put 5 of those states like NH, VT, and RI in Iowa alone. They should be able to recruit the area that includes New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New York and be just fine.

 

[twojman]

I hope your not referring to football recruiting with UCONN. Connecticut or N.Y. don't produce football players.

The greater New England region would potentially act like a large state for UCONN with Big 12 affiliation. I used to live in New Haven and you could put 5 of those states in Iowa alone. They should be able to recruit the area that includes New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New York and be ok.

The second quote is what I was referring to. There is a lot of population out East. With being in a major conference UCONN would get a boost. I do not really want them to be good. Just be someone so we can get to 12.

 

[Boomer]

The greater New England region would potentially act like a large state for UCONN with Big 12 affiliation. I used to live in New Haven and you could put 5 of those states like NH, VT, and RI in Iowa alone. They should be able to recruit the area that includes New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New York and be just fine.

Guys.. There are maybe 50 Big 12 caliber players in the New England area in a given year. The talent they do have goes to Penn State/Rutgers/BC because of DEEP ties between high schools. Do not bring up Uconn as a recruiting turf because that is just wrong on multiple levels.

Market is a different story because Uconn does have impact there but as far as recruiting turf, no such thing

Cinci/UCF/Memphis. All 3 have markets,All 3 have new recruiting turf, 2 have good hoops. All three are commited to athletics as a whole. Pick two of those 3.

 

[State43]

Boise, byu, UCF, cinci, Uconn, Memphis or East Carolina I say.

 

[hawkedup]

There is zero chance of a meaningful expansion. Even BYU, which is mentioned a lot on this thread, is considered a mid major. Then there is the whole putting up with Texas, so that leaves out pooching from another Power 5.

The Big 12 only made the mistake of not declaring Baylor the Champ ( to represent the league ) according to the Big 12 rules of their making. Then you put OSU against Baylor. OSU SOS #37 and BU #84, add in that OSU did not lose a conference game and Baylor did. That is how the Big 12 was left out. The only way TCU was getting in is if Baylor was in and the committee took 2 teams out of the Big 12, and that was not happening either.

The SOS was out of conference only.

 

[klamath632]

All this talk about "pods" is pointless until the NCAA changes their rules. Right now to have a championship game you are required to have divisions of at least six, with all division members playing each other.

You've got as much of a chance to get that changed to a pod schedule as you do to have 10-team conferences have a championship game, which is greater than zero but less than probable.

And I loathe the idea of 8-team divisions. It's more like two separate conferences.

I like two 8-team divisions. Assuming a West (W) and an East (E) division, each team plays every team in its division every year. That's seven games. The top two teams in each division then play in a two-round conference tournament. The remaining fourteen teams play their eighth conference game against the opposite division. Higher seed hosts the game in Week 8. The Week 9 game is played a neutral site.

WEEK EIGHT
Conference Playoffs
W1 v E2
W2 v E1

Other Conference Games
W3 v E8
W4 v E7
W5 v E6
W6 v E5
W7 v E4
W8 v E3

WEEK NINE
Conference Playoffs
Winners of W1 v E2 and W2 v E1 play CCG game

 

[jdoggivjc]

If I were to choose my top 4, it would be UCF, ECU, UConn, and Cincy. Top 6 - add USF and Memphis. But the. I start getting uncomfortable with this because it starts looking too AAC.

 

[CoachK]

My vote would be for Cinncy and BYU. Both are respectful in football and basektball. TCU use to play BYU and Cinncy use to play WV. Both Cinncy and BYU are good brands in good locations. Colorado State, Memphis, etc would bring the brand name of the B12 down in my opinion. I would rather stay at 10 then add a team like SMU or somebody of that caliber. And trust me, I really want the league to get back to 12 teams. IA State's only chance to be relevant in football again is to get to 12 teams and division play.

 

[ISUTex]

The Big 12 has already added Iowa State and KU for exactly that. Didn't do the big 12 much good

Added? Um, no. Unless they were concerned about all of this in the early 1900's.

 

[Incyte]

This is more of a mental block for me but I just don't like the idea of a "directional" school like "East" Carolina and "Central" Florida in the league. Makes B12 seem more mickey-mouse than it is.

As long as those schools would build P5 quality programs I guess it's not a big deal.

 

[KidSilverhair]

The Big 12 only made the mistake of not declaring Baylor the Champ ( to represent the league ) according to the Big 12 rules of their making. Then you put OSU against Baylor. OSU SOS #37 and BU #84, add in that OSU did not lose a conference game and Baylor did. That is how the Big 12 was left out. The only way TCU was getting in is if Baylor was in and the committee took 2 teams out of the Big 12, and that was not happening either.

The SOS was out of conference only.

Again, you're wrong. Winning the conference was not a requirement for making the playoff. Even if it was, Baylor and TCU shared the conference title. It's easy to discount TCU, because I agree Baylor's body of work doesn't match up as well with Ohio State's, but saying TCU shouldn't be considered at all is incorrect.

Case in point: you know Alabama would still have been in if they lost to Missouri, right? And Mississippi State almost certainly would be in if they had beaten Ole Miss?

 

[ISUTex]

BYU and Cinncinati. No brainer if they do decide to expand.