Rolling into the weekend with just a handful of links. Texas Tribune got the new Tech president to comment on Big 12 expansion and specifically UH, TulsaWorld publishes the OU/OSU excerpts from a Dallas Morning News article about adding UH, Houston Press tackles whether the Fertitta Center will help get UH into the Big 12, Utah papers keep pushing BYU’s credentials, and Arkansas State’s AD seems like a go-getter that wants to push the school to greater heights.
LS: Houston is a very strong institution academically and they have strong athletic programs. So when you look at all the candidates being considered, they make a strong case. But I am not the person making that decision. There have to be other presidents weighing in on that.
OSU and OU assistant coaches on how Houston in Big 12 would impact recruiting
Oklahoma State assistant: “The advantage they have is location…I think it does give them a leg up on the local talent, but like the coaches at TCU will tell you, you’d think they’d have a leg up on most of the Metroplex talent, but you can still go in there and pluck away some guys. It’s a battle, but you can do it if. I think for places like Oklahoma State, it would make it a lot tougher to recruit in Houston, just because the distance between Stillwater and Houston, and now they’d have a Big 12 option in their backyard.”
Oklahoma assistant: “I would think this would hurt the KUs, K-States and Iowa States of the world…There’s a pecking order to everything, especially in recruiting. This is where the SEC comes into play again. You used to see Texas gets the best, and they’d battle us for those kids in Texas. Then the rest of the league would go head-to-head on the twos and threes. Now the SEC is taking those kids, and Texas and us are going more national because of that competition. If Houston has that Big 12 flag on their sleeve, it’s going to make a difference. Some of those other Big 12 schools might also have to go more national since they would be left recruiting threes and fours in Texas.”
Will Fertitta Center Get UH Into the Big 12?
“I think there is a whole lot of support out there,” he said, “from university presidents to athletic directors, and from the media out there and student bodies and from the alumni of lots of different schools that are in the Big 12.”
Academics, reputation sure to factor into BYU’s case for Big 12 inclusion
http://beta.deseretnews.com/article/865661115/Academics-reputation-sure-to-factor-into-BYUs-case-for-Big-12-inclusion.html?pg=all
Again, reputation is harder to quantify. Is it about integrity? One thing that may stand in BYU’s favor — it is the only football program in the country to have won a national championship and never had NCAA sanctions.
Does Arkansas State have a plan beyond the Big 12?
Arkansas State has nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing their dog and pony show for schools that may be looking for conference mates sooner than later. And if that doesn’t mean a revamped Big 12, then it could mean a place in the new AAC or CUSA, which may start to look a lot like the old Sun Belt and lead to a rendezvous with some old friends.