From a buddy at UT who receives lots of stuff
The University of Texas is expected to be offered admission into the Southeastern Conference later today.
That sentence is a mouthful. The impact of it will forever alter college sports.
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The current SEC presidents are expected to vote via video conference today.
The Universities of Texas and Oklahoma have both scheduled requisite meetings with their respective board of regents for Friday to accept the invitations.
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This is all expected to happen despite the highly unusual outcries and accusations of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby yesterday.
Bowlsby went the Aggie route yesterday.
Rather than considering the totality of the situation and focusing his efforts on what might actually be best long term for his member institutions outside of a Big 12 alignment, Bowlsby took the Texas/OU move personal instead of professional.
He aired grievances publicly, yet offered no real solutions to the problems of his member institutions. He focused on what is now the past instead of the future.
That’s not good leadership, not if you’re one of the Remaining 8. And those member schools understand that.
There’s not a single school who is going to sit around and wait for a promise of what’s to come from the commissioner. Instead, they’re going to act in their own best interests, which is exactly what they should do.
If schools like OSU, Tech, etc., can demand outsized checks in a new conference compared to their lot as lame ducks in the Remaining Eight, they need to pursue those possibilities. And they will.
Bowlsby is one of those leaders, a fine one, who can shepherd existing businesses or affiliations without hurting the egos of others. But force him to navigate a new world, and it appears he loses composure and clarity.
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Despite all of Bowlsby’s protestations, I now refer you back to the very first sentence of this post.
It is expected to be a momentous day. Beyond that, it’s all noise.
Furthermore, Bowlsby should follow the Aggies’ lead. They acquiesced to the inevitable yesterday.
@Bobby Burton - do you know whether any of the remaining 8 are close to jumping ship. I saw a tweet about Ok St “finalizing” a deal with the Pac12, but the OSU mods said he must have a bad source. I’d assume some of these will be purposefully leaked to create distrust between the remaining 8 schools - and make them move in their own interests ASAP?
I believe the only one, and I mean the only one, could be Kansas.
Beyond that, I think it’s a mess. And Kansas might have real options, and not only in the Big 10.
Despite the need for the Pac-12 to have an 11am kickoff slot, there is just very little attraction of Oklahoma State or Texas Tech. But Kansas could. So could Iowa State or Houston. I’m very bullish on Houston leapfrogging private schools and Tech and possibly OSU.
If the Pac-12 were to expand, I could see them grabbing Kansas and possibly Iowa State or Houston. The rest, I just don’t see. Tech’s academics do not fit the Pac-12 primaries and neither does Oklahoma State’s.
As I’ve said before, I think Houston would be ahead of Tech for the Pac-12. Higher rated academics, larger metro area for future growth prospects. I see Houston as a beachhead for the Pac-12 and Tech more as an outpost. Which would they rather have? The Pac-12 could then create some sort of presence in DFW with rotating games of some sort.
I just don’t think, other than Kansas, that any of the remaining eight teams in the Big 12 have much appeal to other P5 conferences. The rest are secondary schools in their states and/or private schools with small followings, which is not something that makes a conference jump up and down.
