Tex and OU reportedly all but Official

Submitted by Michigan Arrogance on July 23rd, 2021 at 10:25 AM

According to an Austin reporter (Kirk Bohls), he has a "prominent" course that says the deal is all but done. Could be announced in as little as a week. Deal has been on the way for 6+ months and TAMU had no idea and no input. Only the Tex Governor can stop it at this point (and it's logical he's been in the know for a while).

 

 https://twitter.com/kbohls/status/1418553992691466245?s=20

HT: Angelique Chengelis - she's a good follow

Robbie Moore

July 23rd, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^

I am astounded the Big Ten was blindsided by this. They knew that consolidation into 16 team super conferences was coming. We all knew. Texas and Oklahoma are the obvious jewels in the consolidation game. And yet...the Big Ten is caught flatfooted. So whose carcass do they pick? The ACC? Notre Dame?? They hate the Big Ten. Virginia and North Carolina? They would probably be the best of a bad situation but they are not Texas and Oklahoma. The (formerly) Big Twelve? Kansas? A total football non-entity for all of time. West Virginia? Please. 

Wondered if Kentucky and Missouri could be poached but why would they leave a SEC super conference?

 

JacquesStrappe

July 23rd, 2021 at 12:53 PM ^

The Michigan state constitution largely shields MIchigan and MSU from government interference and enshrines them as independent entities. This is part of the reason Michigan has such a strong public higher education system free from from political diktats. Not so in other states so best not to assume that governors will hold no sway.

FrankMurphy

July 23rd, 2021 at 11:52 AM ^

Nebraska fans (who are known to travel exceptionally well) descended upon Berkeley like locusts when the Huskers played at Cal in 1998. I didn't live here at that time, but a friend who was an undergrad at Berkeley back then said it was comical to watch them roam around campus looking like tractor drivers while latte-sipping Cal students and hippie Berkeley residents (most of whom haven't the slightest clue about football) stared at them quizzically. 

dotslashderek

July 23rd, 2021 at 5:09 PM ^

Hadn't even thought of it but Clemson - given the perceived weakness of the ACC might consider the Big Ten.  And given that you no longer have to be a CC to get in, it might be attractive?

Like I said hadn't even thought of Clemson but now my dream additions would be them and ND.  I know everyone hates ND because they passed previously but damn those two would completely overshadow UT and Oklahoma moving to the SEC.

Cheers.

mackbru

July 23rd, 2021 at 10:40 AM ^

The SEC is really putting distance between itself and the B10. The latter needs to lure a couple big names or risks being the also-ran. 

Jordan2323

July 23rd, 2021 at 10:47 AM ^

There is a huge difference in what the two conferences look for. The Bigten wants academic and cultural fit along with tv revenue. The SEC thinks solely of football competition. With success there, it generates revenue.  
 

This helps the SEC in basketball as well, both of those teams are decent hoops programs as well. 

BroadneckBlue21

July 23rd, 2021 at 11:41 AM ^

Maryland is a top 20 public university—and they have been growing in in academics for the past 15 years. They also bring the DC market and basketball competition. As someone from Midwest who lives in MD and has had family and friends at schools in both—they “culturally” fit. Rutgers is also a good academic fit, tied with Penn State in current rankings at 23 in US News rankings. 

mackbru

July 23rd, 2021 at 11:11 AM ^

Actually, I think you're right and I was wrong. The B10-ACC makes more sense than the B10-Pac12, if only for logistical reasons. Culturally, the Pac12 is most akin to the B10. But The ACC is nearby and also has a lot of big, researchy schools, several of which are very good academically. You just have to take a few less than stellar academic schools like Clemson. But with the Pac12, you'd have to take a few crappy ones, too.

EDIT: But of course now you'd be looking at like 24 teams so that doesn't work either. So you'd have to march a handful of low-hanging schools out back and execute them.

mitchewr

July 23rd, 2021 at 12:53 PM ^

While historically true, I sincerely hope we abandon this approach. I mean, it's 2021. Outside of a few schools in the B1G and the Ivy League, NO ONE in college football gives a rats behind about "academics". Schools have been paying players for decades! AND, now NIL is officially "legal" so academics are going to be even more marginalized. Like, let's just drop the absurd pretense already. Either catch up to the entire rest of CFB, or join the Ivy League conference and start a new rivalry with Harvard. You can't have both.

Toasted Yosties

July 23rd, 2021 at 10:45 AM ^

A&M won’t leave the SEC, because of money and because there is no where else to land that makes any sense, but it has to burn them to know the entire conference has been working against them behind their backs for half a year. No one in their conference respects them, and all they can do is grin and bear it.