ESPN's Jake Trotter on Big 12 expansion

A couple more articles. The UCF and UCONN writers seem resigned to their fates:

Mike Bianchi/Orlando Sentinel
SEC will one day poach best of ACC, Big 12 as football money gap grows

And what will happen eventually is that football powerhouses in the Big 12 and ACC will start to lose massive ground to their rivals in the SEC and Big Ten and will have no choice but to bail and bolt.

New Britain Herald
Jump to Big 12 appearing unlikely for UConn athletics
http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/article_73a242f2-2d04-11e6-971a-9bfd29b489b6.html
Connecticut remains the largest state without a school in a Power 5 conference. Three states with smaller populations (Iowa, Mississippi and Kansas) have two teams in Power 5 conferences and four others have one (Arkansas, Utah, Nebraska, West Virginia).

I had always felt that Uconn was a negotiation tool. I am glad that is easy big up now.

Yep, I have visions of volleyball, softball, track and field (both men’s and women’s) and all those non- revenue sports flying out to the West Coast to compete. Those Oregon and Washington (all 4 schools) trips are really going to be fun.

When we talk about the PAC 12 remember that El Paso is half way to LA. Then think about the logistics involved. And the expense.

Uhhh … aldineblue from the old board has been pushing the Pac12 longer than CoogBong and his chicken bones conjurer have been pushing the ACC.

Right now the only activity going on in the Pacific coast are those zombies from Fear The Walking Dead and that cemetery known as the Pac12 commish offices.

If there is expansion and the XII takes anyone other than UConn, I could imagine the Huskies evaluating the football program’s relevance and possibly moving it down. UConn is a johnny come lately football program that doesn’t share the same prestige as its men’s and women’s basketball programs.

The ACC already has media markets in New England and NYC. The B1G does too. The Big XII has seemingly decided that Big XII Network isn’t going to fly, so why expand into a luke warm college football market like the northeast with a so-so program?

Maybe UConn jumps into the arms of the Big East. There is still a very good market for college basketball in the northeast.

I would personally love going to the PAC 12, because I live within driving distance of 4 of the schools, with cheap flights to most of the rest. Even the tough roadies to Colorado I would probably get to do, because my wife is from Boulder and loves any opportunity to go back and visit, plus we have family in FoCo to stay with.

It’s certainly a selfish preference, and I don’t hear anything out here about any need or desire to expand the PAC, at least not yet. The destinations are definitely more beautiful and enjoyable than Ames, Lubbock, Waco, and the Kansas places.

1 Like

It beehives these guys to keep the topic open. There’s not a whole lot to read if they armed expanding.

But they are not expanding.

1 Like

Autocorrect is worse to have around than most mother-in-laws.

3 Likes

I’m not so sure, my mother in-law just left last weekend after being in town for a couple weeks. I’ll gladly take auto correct mishaps.

1 Like

Googly moogly.

From the New Britain Herald:

Wow! Like anyone cares. To use the word large or largest in any context with Connecticut is a joke. We have counties in Texas as big as Connecticut. Maybe one of them should have a P5 team.

1 Like

Autocorrect is like a drunk heckler during your standup routine.

That’s like saying Connecticut is the largest Chihuahua…

1 Like

Alaska and Montana don’t even have FBS schools, let alone P5.

What about New Jersey? (ooooh, sick Rutgers burn!)

Taggart’s trying to rally the USF fanbase. Sure seems like every other school in the conference is playing catch-up to the Coogs:

Joey Knight - Tampa Bay Times
Bulls football in ‘critical’ phase, Taggart says
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bulls/bulls-football-in-critical-phase-taggart-says/2280853
With the possibility of Big 12 expansion still in play and the chorus for an on-campus stadium growing in volume, USF football finds itself at arguably the most pivotal juncture in the its 20-year history. Earning a place at the Power Five table – either in the short or long term – almost certainly will require a considerable boost in ticket sales.

So will any sparkling new ball park tucked between Fowler and Fletcher avenues. Hence the reason fan support – of the unrelenting variety – is at the core of Taggart’s booster-circuit message this summer.

I don’t understand your first comment, maybe it wasn’t necessary. Also sorry I slightly misspoke by saying “on here” not meaning this specific forum but just the Coogs forum in general.

Correct, but despite rumors and gossip nothing has happened with the Big12-4+2 either.

USF is clearly trying to follow in our footsteps and build up fan support and on campus facilities…but unless big 12 goes to 14, I think the fla schools are out of luck.

I wonder if the big 12 shouldn’t take uh and cin and then make a run after byu and norte dame. with Iowa st, kst, ka, wv and cin they would fit regionally in the north and would be the big dog in the north div with both OU,TX in the south.

it’s a long shot but after big 12 expands initially and adds champ game they become more stable and in order to elevate the $ and the reputation Big 12 needs another huge name…

Unfortunately this new board does not have a sarcasm icon (if it does then it needs to be pointed out to moi) …

Most have been using the Pac12 as fall back in case the Big12 does not accept us and I was attempting to “sarcastically” point out in several postings that Pac12 expansion has been as active as the deceased in their cemeteries … NO ONE is expanding anytime soon for whatever reasons and to paraphrase Leia from SW4 … the Big12 is our only hope … for now.

The PAC12 talk happened when certain UH administration folks would tell people at events that we should be thinking PAC12 because that is where we were going in a few years.

USF takedown of UCF’s brochure to the Big12:

UCF’s Presentation To The Big XII Was Full of Bad Data For Sale, Lies, And Irrelevant Nonsense

I write this only because it seems both schools on I-4 might be a package deal to get out of American Conference Purgatory. USF could really use a trusted partner. Someone they can work with that deals in facts and is based in reality. Someone aware of their shortcomings, and is willing to take a reality-based view of their strengths and weaknesses. Someone with some understanding of how conference realignment discussions generally work. Hint: it’s not unsolicited presentations mailed like sales brochures.

That someone might not be C. Florida. And that could be very bad for both schools.