As I said on another string, the B1G has typically looked at FOUR things when it comes to inviting teams for expansion:
markets
AAU status
state flagship status
adjacent to or within their existing geographic footprint
OU basically LACKS three of four (all except state flagship).
UH basically LACKS three of four (all except the market).
Rutgers and Maryland had/have ALL FOUR. That’s why they were invited and OU and UH most likely won’t be unless something radically changes.
Sorry folks. But it is what it is. Stop wishing for/believing/theorizing/fantasizing about anything to the contrary.
That said, I agree with Cougarfred. Continuing to win in football and men’s basketball, AND attaining AAU status will make UH VERY attractive to other major conferences. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to get us a P5 invite to a conference other than the B1G (we will never be our state’s “flagship” public university, which is what the B1G appears to prefer, and we will likely never be close to the B1G’s geographic footprint) in the not too distant future.
Our two best candidates for expansion are the Big 12 (for obvious geographic and historical reasons), and the Pac-12, which, unlike the B1G, doesn’t appear to consider either state flagship status, or geographic footprint to be expansion criteria.
Agreed and sadly there are still developers developing wet lands and coastal areas AND people that are stupid enough to buy in those developments.
On topic, I think the Big10 will invite OU if they are available. They may not have the eyeballs in Oklahoma to support but they have a lot of fans nation wide. People love a team that has a winning history.
I guess we will see. My money says yes they will make an exception for OU because of the money they will bring to the conference.
Does AAU status mean anything in the world of college athletics?
I occur … through ALL THESE postings … NOT ONE article nor one outside mention of the B1G even faintly interested in the sooners …
Not even Fluguar and his inside B1G source gave them the time of day
I suspect their only likely destination will be the SEC …
They have been caught cheating inflating their stats … they are in a poor state … NOW with 14 days of straight tornadoes in the midwest … 1/3 the state is under water … and I don’t expect the B1G to turn into Santa Clause handing out rescue memberships …
It may not matter to any other conference, but it DOES matter to the B1G.
Every school that they’ve ever invited has been a member at the time of the invite.
Nebraska (the only B1G school that isn’t currently an AAU member) was an AAU member at the time of its invite. NU’s president openly admits that had NU not been a member at the time, then they probably wouldn’t have gotten an invite.
Notre Dame is the only school that the B1G will make an exception for in that regard.
You make a valid point and are historically correct. I think money will get in the way of that “requirement” for AAU status AND the conference will probably use Nebraska as an example of why it’s OK to make another exception. BOOK IT!
OU isn’t either within or adjacent to the B1G’s existing geographic footprint (as Nebraska was and Notre Dame would be), and has academics that are FAR INFERIOR to any B1G school.
Notre Dame may not be AAU, but it has near Ivy League admission standards and a $13 BILLION endowment. It is within the B1G’s existing geographic footprint, and has UNMATCHED national fan following and TV ratings.
OU…sorry…not even close.
If OU goes anywhere, it’ll be to the SEC. That’s the conference whose “profile” they most neatly fit.
So the AAU “requirement” already doesn’t apply to one member and you think it’s possible to add Notre Dame as a member without AAU credentials as well. Doesn’t sound like much of a ”requirement” to me. Maybe they add both! A conference could do a lot worse than add ND and OU to their stable.
As I said, Notre Dame is literally the ONLY school that the B1G will make an exception for.
And that, my friend, is because ND is within the B1G’s geographic footprint, would be the wealthiest school in the B1G (in terms of endowment), has near Ivy League caliber admission standards (UNLIKE OU), which takes away any concerns over academics, and has unmatched national fan following and TV ratings.
So yes, the AAU thing IS a requirement.
It’s strict enough to allow literally only ONE exception…and make no mistake about it… NO OTHER NON-AAU SCHOOL has what that ONE exception (Notre Dame) would have to offer in terms of money, fan following, TV ratings, academics, athletic performance history, and geography.
Certainly not OU. Not even close. It wouldn’t match Notre Dame in anything except possibly athletic performance history, and for the B1G, that has typically not been enough.
Personally, I’m skeptical that the B1G is even interested in expanding further outside of Notre Dame, but if it were, then the most likely candidates would be the following:
Westward Expansion: Kansas and Missouri.
Both are state flagships, AAU members, would be adjacent to the B1G’s current geographic footprint, and while they may not bring in large markets, they would add to the level of B1G competition in sports like basketball (especially Kansas), and wrestling (especially Mizzou).
Eastward Expansion: UVa and North Carolina
Again, both are state flagships, AAU members, and would be adjacent to the B1G’s current geographic footprint IF both joined concurrently. Both would be nice additions in basketball, and UVa would also be a huge asset in lacrosse. UVa would also deepen the B1G’s penetration into the DC market.
But again…I don’t really see the B1G looking to expand.
Hmmm, the B1G has gotten a taste of big money coming in now and more than the SEC. Money speaks louder than almost everything else. The reason they were able to bring in the largest revenues of any conference is because of New York, DC/Baltimore areas.
Uhlaw97, you make a lot of sense with your historical analysis of B1G expansion but do you think the B1G is going to do nothing while the other conferences get fat off Texas?
The B1G wants to stay the fattest and that’s not going to happen bringing in Kansas or Missouri. I doubt if those schools can carry their own weight by bringing in $54M each plus adding $2 or $3M to each existing member.
Isn’t Notre Dame tied to the ACC through the 2030’s? That takes them off the board for expansion.
So in your analysis, the B1G will not expand when their TV contract expires.