http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ollege.sports.firm.ap/index.html?sct=cf_t2_a5 It should be noted that John Moores is an alumnus of UH and one of its biggest boosters. Interesting, having those Big 12 bigwigs under his employ...
Big 12 => Big 16 The Big 12 got a HUGE break with the Pac 12 staying where they were. The reason the Big 12 almost lost their teams is it was seen as a conference with no stability (Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M leaving etc). They need to get "predatory" and start to add teams. Invade the Big East and put it out of it's misery. Same strategy the ACC is using in protecting itself. WEST: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, BYU, TCU, Air Force EAST: Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida Much stronger conference both in football and basketball. Go all out with the 16. And Texas needs to STFU about not allowing TCU in here. Texas almost destroyed the Big 12 with their hubris. Big 16 or GTFO.
And wouldn't you know it... UH was just added as a client of theirs. http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/32338267 Go Go Good-Old-Boy System!
From OSU's Rivals Insider (essentially their chris level), he was saying that the BIG 12 was, with the departure of Mizzou to the SEC, looking to bring on BYU, Boise, WVU, and Louisville. Not sure how much credit can be put to it, but just food for thougt.
If this turns out to be true, then it screams "we're going out of our way to add non-Texas schools". Which, given how we've seen things play out before, may not be all that far fetched. Boise makes it a dead giveaway.
Other than geographic proximity, what does adding Texas schools to the BIG 12 bring to the table that these schools don't? By adding the other 4 schools, you expand the big 12 footsteps to new states.
It looks like now that Mizzou is preparing to leave that the hardline stance against adding Texas schools has begun to soften. Bill Powers seems to be pulling rank on Deloss Dodds. Thank god.
Think about this in light of all the rumors we've heard over the last 15 months or so. http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1271762 "Being in the same time zone is a bigger priority than most people think when it comes to adding someone to the Big 12," a high-ranking official at a Big 12 school told Orangebloods.com.
Rumors flying from BYU people, apparently, that BYU to Big 12 is imminent. EDIT: just checked it with friend/source who says he's hearing Mizzou stays...BYU comes in...Big 12 goes to 14, but he can't talk about other teams yet. my guess is he can't talk about other teams because they're affiliated with other conferences right now.... we'll see. EDIT AGAIN: talking about an announcment this saturday, perhaps.
so many different ways to define "stability." another impediment to the 16 team conference, by the way.
http://www.footballrumormill.com/20...ille-cincinnati-west-virginia-to-join-big-12/ Report: BYU, TCU, Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia to join Big 12 BearcatLair.com reports “there are still a lot of details to be worked out as it relates to divisional breakouts, when new league would start play, etc.,” but the Big 12 appears to be moving toward 14 teams. The report says BYU, TCU, Louisville, Cincinnati and West Virginia would join current Big 12 members. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/colleg...-missouri-to-the-sec-and-more-on-realignment/ Before we get started, the standard Hotline realignment caveat: Nothing is done until it’s done … and sometimes not even then. To the latest: *** The Big 12, which currently has nine teams but may be down to eight very soon — if Missouri leaves for the SEC — is considering expanding to 12, according to sources. Boise State, Brigham Young, West Virginia and Louisville are under consideration. (That would be a pretty good league, by the way. Six of the 12 teams are currently ranked: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor, West Virginia and Boise State.) *** What about Texas Christian? Texas purportedly doesn’t want the Frogs — and never has — and the other schools are worried about the league being too Texas-centric. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, however — TCU makes a ton of sense on several levels and the league may not have many options. *** As far as BYU is concerned, remember: No school in the country is tougher to read — many people think they know what the Cougars are thinking and very few actually do. I’ve been told the Cougars are happy with their Olympic sports in the West Coast Conference. Whether they would consider a football-only membership in the Big 12 … and whether the Big 12 would consider such an arrangement … I don’t know. *** The Big 12 is also considering 10-team scenarios — adding one school if Mizzou stays and two if Mizzou leaves. But league officials believe that to be considered a peer of the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12, the conference needs 12 teams, two divisions and a title game. (They’re dead-on in that respect.)
