Right you are…
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The best thing that could possibly happen for UH in conference alignment would be for UT and OU to go to the B1G. It would leave UH + Tech as by far the best option for Pac-1X expansion into Texas.
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If we were going to be in p5 we would have been snatched up by now. It ain’t happening. We need to focus and be the best G5 program we can be. Which is great imho.
That’s what they effectively did by destroying the SWC and leaving us out of the Big 12.
There is part of me that agrees with this, but at the same time, we shouldn’t stop politicking and vying for a seat. Focusing on being the best G5 we can be means that we are the most attractive candidate if expansion comes calling, so that is a good goal, but I will never settle for where we are.
However, from a fan perspective, there are a lot of people who think we are a lot better than we really are. Here are some facts that come as ice water being poured down your shorts:
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Conference Champions - 1984, 1996, 2006, 2015. Notice a pattern over the last several decades? We need to do better than one per decade.
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Top 25 finishes - Since 2000 - 2011 and 2015.
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Bowl record - Since 2000 - 4 wins and 7 losses.
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More conference championships than TT who has 0. More top 10 finishes than TT who has 0. More major bowl wins than TT who has 0.
And TT is not even the worst P5 team out there. So unless you want to make the same argument for alot of P5 teams, don’t bother being so negative.
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not to mention that since 2000 we have had 4 head coaches and 3 of them left us in the lurch for 3 b12 schools.
I’d rather stay in the AAC as is than the conference you put together.
OU isnt going anywhere on their own…Texas and OU are likely going somewhere together. likely the BIG…thats where the money is…whats happens after that is what is going to be SO interesting!
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Texas should just split like Aggy did. Don’t try to protect their mates on the way out.
I remember seeing that article and focusing all around the Houston area and recalling that it would have been great if UH could’ve at least carried its own zip code.
According to the NY Times map - Kudos needs to go out to UCF and Memphis for their hometown fan presence. Those schools have heavy competition from bigger, P5 name brands (UF, FSU, Miami & Tenn, Ole Miss, Arky and Bama) and yet those AAC schools managed to be the primary program for their respective markets. UConn did as well, but they’re the only state flagship school in the AAC.
Cincy has it tough, they didn’t even show up in the top 3 throughout the entire Cincy metro area. So it can always be worse.
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Ironically us and cincy are two of the top members of the AAC. Definitely hurts that Houston and cincy are such a destination to live for the grads of the other major schools in their respective states though.
USF wasn’t listed in Tampa and ECU, which usually has one of the top attendances among G5 schools, was way behind UNC in their areas.
The map is one of those “cool to look at” things, but I’m not sure how much stock I’d put into it. We have no idea how many “likes” per code, just the percentage. Without that info, it’s hard to really pinpoint how accurate it is or how much volatility we should expect. The article that accompanied the map also mentions how they feel the map is fairly accurate based off a few polls according to their baseball map, but 1) college fandoms don’t work the same way that MLB fandoms do and 2) the polls I also linked in the post disprove the map results…well, unless UH fans are spread out all over Texas.
Smoke
A Big Ten professor who follows college football wrote me to dispute the accepted dogma that the Big Ten would only consider members of the Association of American Universities, an elite academic organization.
He pointed out not only Michigan State’s admission to the Big Ten in 1953 (11 years before the Spartans were granted AAU membership), but the Big Ten’s frequent interest in adding Notre Dame, which also is not an AAU member.
But the decision to leave for Texas and Oklahoma may be inevitable. The consolidation of power – outside the Big 12 – continues.
Urban Meyer sent a shiver through Big 12 country in February when he walked into Texas on National Signing Day and landed three of the state’s top six prospects.
That had never happened before. It may become a regular occurrence.
This all could just be a power play by OU and UT to try and et an even bigger piece of the Big 12 pie than they already have by threatening to leave. All other schools know they would be screwed so may just give in to avoid the inevitable.
Who knows.
How would the Big12 die with UT and OU leaving? Would it depreciate it? Of course but it would hardly die. Add UH and Cincy and you would have a stronger Bigeast. Not worth Big10 or SEC but definitely worth more than AAC or MWC.
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The small12 might not die but it would lose its P5 status. You can be 99% sure of that. Will it be better than the AAC? Yes but the ultimate goal for us is to get into a P5. The BIG10 is at 14. Would they be the first conference to get to a higher number? We hear/read the so called scenario of four P conferences but how many teams would that be by conference? Kansas can’t be discounted in this. They are in a great position. Any news coming from/around them?
I disagree. I think they remain P5. Thinkbigeast.
Without uta and OU the small12 is no longer attractive to major media advertisers. Remember the small12 was created from the BIG8 and SWC. Apart from Kansas there is no "major"program. tcu, baylor, ttech etc are a minuscule digit in the Nielsen/sport business journal world. I grant you that this is up for debate but I can’t see the small12 keeping that status.