I’d be OK adding a 4 pack of BYU + UH + UC + (a 4th of their pick - UCF/Memphis/ Colorado State/ whoever)
I think adding FOUR will change the feel of the Conference for the better and Four would make it justifiable to add another Texas school. This would also be a move for the future…to protect the Big 12. The four they select should have be allowed to evolve into a Power Conference Program but honestly BYU/ UH/ UC/ UCF/ UM are not too far off. Colorado State would be a growth stock but it gets the conference back into Colorado.
Don’t be surprised if a Big 12 minus UT/OU/KU is treated same way the Big East was. It would be Power conference that would be allowed to die.
Wouldn’t it make more sense for the American to add the 4 best from the cast aways of the Big 12 and elevate itself to the P5 with the Big12 break up?
We could add Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and a Fourth school. I think that AAC would be more attractive than the Big12 picking Four from the AAC, The TV networks might agree since it had more of a National appeal.
Joe, I don’t buy that argument. Last I heard, the Houston college football TV market is the 2nd largest behind NYC…
When we are good (2015, etc), we blew the doors off of the ratings. It is a chicken and egg thing. If we are in a P5, our ratings AUTOMATICALLY increase, and given a chance, we can be an excellent program.
Dodds isn’t there AD as we know. If the current AD mentioned adding 2 it would mean something. I think the big 12 wants to stay at 10 as long they can. UT and OU prob wouldn’t want BYU bc they prob think BYU can beat them plus the scheduling issues of not playing on Sunday for bb
Neither the B12 nor the SEC have enough fans and game watchers in the Houston area, in fact, it is extremely cyclical. The B10 and ACC are equally entrenched in this market, and UH has had top ratings vs those conferences when winning. UH is a cherry that the right conference will pick and have access to this market.
I don’t doubt that Houston has a large TV audience for college football; the question is whether UH has enough of a following to sufficiently move the needle and make us attractive to the B12, given the # of UT, TTU, Baylor, OU and Okie Lite alumni/fans in the Houston area. I understand from previous board postings that UH can draw good TV ratings (ex: Peach Bowl UH vs FSU, OU vs UH at NRG), but it seems we need to be winning to get the locals to pay attention.
I would be pleased with any of the following scenarios (similar to what UH1927 suggested):
Add another competitive program to the AAC (ideally BYU for football and MBB); continue to schedule P5 non-conference opponents, and the Coogs start winning football games again! I’m not a huge fan of the triple T’s in the AAC (Tulane, Temple, and Tulsa), but it is what it is.
Once the Big12 implodes, form a new conference with the strongest AAC and remaining Big12 survivors (sans Texas, OU, and KU who will leave for greener pastures). I think WVU joins the ACC, and potentially Cincy as well.
UH join the ACC (along with Cincy and Memphis State). The ACC seems like a comfortable fit for city schools (Pitt, Louisville, Miami, BC). Both the football and MBB schedule would be awesome.
One last comment (more of a rant). I’m not a huge fan of Baylor at all (both in terms of school sports and the university itself), but I’m clear-eyed enough to see that the school has achieved the most positive net benefit out of the death of the SWC and belonging to the B12. In terms of establishing a reputation for success and moving up the ladder, no other school in Texas comes close. I desperately want UH back in the national conversation for both football and MBB (which we are).
Thanks for sharing. Looking at the nine comments, there doesn’t appear to be much support for UH or SMU.
One guy posted that they should either try to bring back former members as a first choice, take the two Arizona schools as a second choice, and then take Cincy and Memphis as a last resort.
There is a similar posting on Burnt Orange Nation, lots of comments there as well if you want to check it out. Some folks on that site are pro-UH and pro-SMU, but I’d say more favor BYU and Cincy joining the Big12, or trying to woo Arkansas and Nebraska back to the conference (good luck with that).
The SWAC was the SEC then in terms of talent. The cheating started when they began to integrate and swac grads of influence were paid to steer folks to certain schools.
BYU would no doubt be a better fit for the Big 12 than either the PAC-12 or B1G.
Those two conferences have NO religious privates between them, while the Big 12 has two (TCU and Baylor).
But given the scheduling complications, I’d imagine they’d look to someone else. The AAC OF COURSE would take BYU as either a football only OR all-sports member, but I’m not sure that the Big 12 would be willing to make the sacrifice.
I don’t think the geography works for BYU in any sport besides football. In addition, it is unlikely the WCC would allow them to pull MBB and stay for everything else.
If we are able to add BYU football only, I would support adding a non-fb school in the footprint (such as Dayton, VCU or Saint Louis) to pair with that add. Kind of how the Navy - Wichita State thing works.
“SMU and Houston perhaps seem like the most natural Big 12-esque schools and would certainly fit, but there isn’t much upside with either because the Dallas and Houston markets are already within the Big 12’s footprint.”
Not true, Dallas is in the footprints. Houston isn’t. UT is the nearest school about a 3hr drive away.
I’d say we are more in the sec footprint as well. The big 12 adding smu and Houston with 2 others would work unlike the old SWC in later yrs since OU and the other big 12 members are there to keep it less Texas centric. They would have more games that matter for rivalries in Texas.
The problem is the networks. UH and Cincinnati would be a coup for the ACC. Cincinnati’s market is set to merge with Dayton’s and become the 11th largest DMA in the country. Houston is 8th, within a stone’s throw of #7 and #6. Within five years, the ACC could have a top 5 and a top 10 DMA. Both programs have good potential in both major sports, and they would open new regions to the ACC. But would ESPN be good with that move? They’re getting UH and Cincinnati on the cheap in the AAC, and on top of that, they have a long-term (20 years) deal with the ACC. I just don’t see the network giving its blessing to that move. The Big 12 is tied to both ESPN and Fox. The one P5 that Fox runs is the PAC 12, so that may be where we’ll need to look. I know there’s some long travel, but you have to jump at any opportunity. The problem I see with the PAC is what school would go with us? If the Big 12 imploded, I could see that school being Tech, maybe along with Kansas and either TCU or Iowa State. If not, we’re probably talking SMU. So while many of us may have trouble pulling for Peruna, it would probably be in our best interest to have them hanging around in the Top 25 and getting better crowds and ratings in Dallas. UH-SMU being a big game would be great.Of course this assumes that the PAC would take SMU, a school with a religious affiliation. No guarantee of that. One thing we don’t need to worry about, IMO, is Memphis getting into any conference ahead of us. Yes, they’ve had some winning football teams the past few years, but they’re not even a top 50 market. Can’t see that happening.
Sam, I would add that Big12-2 won’t add Cincy, because IMO, that lights the candle for the Big to add UH…Ohio State would fight fire with fire…
This scenario is muy bueno for us, but probably not gonna happen.
I have always thought recruiting is what is keeping us from getting a major conference invite. We are in this league and schools always have that line is you can play with the big boys if you go to our school and UH can’t lay that claim no matter how many times we upset the schools in the rare chances we get to play them head to head. If we are in a major league they don’t have that advantage and no I don’t expect us to start signing 25 five star players each year, but us getting some as opposed to none could make us a major force nationally.