Source: BYU contacted by Big 12
Only a few days until real football. Until then, let's keep speculating about things!
http://www.theupsetblog.com/2011/08/source-byu-contacted-by-big-12.html
August 29th, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^
Not sure why this didn't happen a year ago when we offered Nebraksa a place in the B1G; they could have avoided their championship game lacking thing.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^
They would have still needed to add another team besides BYU for a championship game... 12 are needed, and they lost Colorado as well
August 29th, 2011 at 10:48 AM ^
I always forget about Colorado. I feel ashamed, they have a cool big animal.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:53 AM ^
That tastes delicious
August 29th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Are you talking buffalo wings or buffalo burgers?
August 29th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^
If T A&M stays, then adding BYU and TCU would be a pretty good replacement and get them to 12.
Assuming A&M leaves for the SEC, BYU would give it 10; TCU could be 11. Still would need one more for 12 and the championship game and the only local option would be former SWC member SMU
August 29th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
TCU just joined the Big East. I really doubt they'll jump ship immediately to the Big 12.
August 29th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
And TCU has an enormous buyout they'd owe the Big East and are required to give more than 2 years notice (27 months IIRC) if they choose to leave. That means the first year they couuld play in the Big 12 would be 2014, which would require TCU to believe the Big 12 could hang together that long.
August 29th, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^
A&M has made its decision and is on path to leave the B12 unless something is done to fundamentally alter the dynamics that have caused them to conclude it is in their best interests to do so. UT is the only entity that possibly can do that. And I doubt they will.
August 29th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
I would say University of Houston would be just as viable a BCS program as SMU. Granted that's just moderately viable at best.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^
Baylor and Mormons in the same conference? Love it.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:34 AM ^
I've seen speculation that Houston might be the "other" team, too. If they get BYU and TCU, they will need another tomato can for balance. Houston or SMU will work.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:37 AM ^
WHY WOULD TCU SWITCH WHEN THEY ARE HEADED TO THE BIG EAST NEXT YEAR?
Ugh.
Big 12 go kill yourself. It's the Longhorn conference, and you're all getting fucked.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^
Because travel costs in the Big East would be stupid-high and the Big East plays inferior football and really the only reason they wanted into the Big East anyway was for the BCS autobid. If I were the TCU brass and the Big 12 offered, I'd think long and hard about switching. The downside is UT, of course, but just because next year TCU will be in the Big East is no automatic reason they can't go Big 12 instead.
August 29th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^
If you don't think there is still an SWC lovefest amongst the older (richer) generation in Texas (Baylor, Texas, Houston, SMU, TCU,Texas Tech and even T A&M) and a desire to see TCU playing these teams each and every year then one of the following is true:
1) You are under 25 years old and have no idea what the SWC was
2) You have never heard of "Texas Football"
3) You have never seen the movie/tv show Friday Night Lights /s
But sure, TCU alum and boosters want a TCU/UConn and TCU/Rutgers trophy to brag about at their oil-company-executive offices on Monday morning
TCU is a private school, and a local Texas school that has fancy-rich-influencial alum. Big East is what they took because it was available (and the Big 12 was not at the time). Those Texans will switch in a second if it makes sense (see T A&M which is switching solely because it hates Univ. Texas more than it loves its rivalries with TTech, Baylor)
August 29th, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
August 29th, 2011 at 11:40 AM ^
Thanks for the history lesson, dad.
I remember the SWC - it was still alive when I was a young kid.
Texas rivalries or not - they won't move from the Big East to the B12. The Longhorn Network is essentially a hot chick with herpes that will funnel all of your money away from you. If TCU were to get in bed with the B12, they'd be making a big mistake. Like coming home back home from a college they attended on the East Coast, finding a job and banging the hottest girl from highschool. Only now she's got the herp and fantasizes about how much money she can steal from you.
August 29th, 2011 at 11:46 AM ^
Watch your tone young man or I'll ground you from tv starting at 3:30pm e.t. on Saturday....
August 29th, 2011 at 6:56 PM ^
It's too bad they can't just add TCU, Boise, and BYU. TCU might be locked in to the Big East but the Big 12 just makes so much more sense for them. I know Boise doesn't add much in terms of eyeballs but they are the best team outside any BCS conference in terms of quality of play.
August 29th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Texas A&M is calling the UT position. None of this stuff makes it this far without many backroom discussions. That is why A&M made sure they had the backing of the governor before it was even leaked they were talking to the SEC. Now I'm not saying that Texas won't try to gain their own leverage at this point, but without A&M they have to find 3 schools desparate enough to accept an unequal conference and TV package that would still make a profit. Yes TCU probably loves the thought of being in the Big 12, but will that really bring in more TV money than keeping A&M? Will bringing in BYU do that? probably not if people under 25 don't know who they hell these teams are.
Yes, football revenue is driven by tickets and TV. That is why ND is still independent and no one else is. That is why there is a Big Ten network. That is why there are Conference Championship Games, and soon More Big Ten conference games per year. All money back to the conference. For all the conferences with 12 teams and a championship, adding teams doesn't have that much upside. Now I believe the SEC was the first one of the majors to go to 12 and a championship game, so they are the logical ones to step it up on a path toward 16 (which really could be two conferences who stay separate until the championship, which could also be a playoff of 4 teams).
The Big Ten is too conservative to make any moves until they see what happens with the first championship game. And really if anything happens that ends up significantly distorting TV revenue, then ND will fold first, and where are they really going to go? And if it needs to be balanced or go to 16, then ND can bring along three of their richest friends from the Big East.
And really if that happens, we can finally add Wisconsin to our division, along with ND, and then rename it to "The West".
August 29th, 2011 at 11:37 AM ^
I would love to see TCU in the Big 12. I know they just joined the Big East, but anything can happen in a year. Personally, I do not want to see A&M leave. There are certain teams that would make a good fit in other conferences (Nebraska in B1G, Utah in Pac 12), but TCU in the Big East and the A&M in the SEC are not good fits, imo. I just cant imagine a team from Texas playing in the Big East. Just doesnt make any sense.
August 29th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
Four Texas schools into the Big 8 was the definition of a bad fit. Who would have thought OKLA and NEB would end up in different conferences? The Big 12 is already unstable. Adding 2-3 more Texas schools in will only add to that instability. Every former Big 8 school will want out even more than they do today. TCU to the Big 12 could well lead to KU and KSU to the Big East. They should be looking to add more out of state schools besides BYU.
August 29th, 2011 at 1:40 PM ^
strong and significant enough to be attractive, simply because the conference is so unstable.
Why would any school that has other options want to join? Unless they're given so many special considerations as to be a quasi-member (i.e. ND keeping NBC deal, BYU keeping their network, plus scheduling concessions to retain old rivals).
It’s only the upwardly mobile schools that could gain, as they get the XII's BCS qualifier and better TV $$$. But since several of the members refused to commit to the XII last year when Nebraska posed the question, others already had a PAC12 deal in place, Mizzou openly courted the B1G, and now with A&M wanting to bolt, its obvious that joining the XII means signing up to be a Texas vassal until the conference falls apart.
The Big XII was a shotgun marriage from the very beginning so no, I don't think BYU or others of their caliber would be interested or accept.