TyBull

Mark Harlan said COA will be back next season........

Just Merge with the MWC

The Big 12 is considering expansion. Which four schools make the most sense to bring on? Contact @PeteFiutak – Big 12 Expansion Idea: 5 Things That Matter The Big 12 decided it’s time to at least explore the idea of expanding after the can appeared to be kicked down the road. And why? There’s just way, way, WAY too much potential revenue to ignore. Which four schools would be the best fit? How should Big 12 expansion work? The key is to think in terms of ten years from now instead of what the college football world might look like in 2017. Of course, President Baio might not yet have a handle on the zombie apocalypse and we all could have bigger issues by then, but forward-thinking college sports executives are planning out things decades down the road. The Big 12 doesn’t want to be without a chair when the money music stops. So if you think one specific program might not be all that terrific right now, that could change with the right coach and the right landscape by 2027. Assume the people in charge of the Big 12 future know this, and also assume that at some point in the next few months I’ll take over the conference leadership role in a bloodless coup that grants me all of the power to do whatever I desire. After this happens, which four schools do I really want to expand the Big 12 brand? Here’s my plan to – horrifically overused and tired theme alert, but it actually sort of applies here – Make The Big 12 Great Again. First of all, here are the schools I don’t want. – Boise State. It’s too tough. If I take Boise State, I need someone else on the left side of the country, and I don’t think I want that. – BYU. I love the international fan base, but like Boise State, I’m not thinking of the West. – Colorado State. See Boise State and BYU. – Connecticut. Too far out of the geographic range. Good hoops, decent TV market potential, but UConn won’t play in Texas. – East Carolina. Nice idea, but this is really more of an ACC school. Too tough to make a dent TV-wise. – Memphis. Very, very close, but not quite. The FedEx Big 12 Championship sounds nice, but I can do better. – Northern Illinois. Interesting in theory, but DeKalb isn’t Chicago. Despite being the Big Ten’s alumni feeder city, Chicago is a pro town. Here’s my plan – with one caveat. I’m aware of just how nightmarishly sticky getting out of the contracts and tie-ins might be, and I know the out-clauses are going to be costly. I’m blowing all that off. I’m the idea guy – let the lawyers figure out the fine print. Step One: See how happy Missouri and Colorado really are Texas A&M isn’t going to want back in, and Nebraska isn’t returning after it couldn’t leave fast enough, but Mizzou still seems like a Big 12 fit in geography and attitude. Even though it’s crazy to think the school would leave the SEC, it’s at least worth floating a trial balloon. Colorado might be a more practical pitch. The Pac-12 is doing just fine in terms of making money, but it’s not crushing the Big 12. Getting Colorado and the Denver market back could make all the difference in moving the Big 12 to No. 3 on the revenue list behind the SEC and Big Ten. The idea is to lobby the fans who remember when the program was actually good at playing football. This whole Pac-12 move hasn’t worked out so great, and the idea of being in an old school Big 12 North might seem a bit more appealing. Fine, so I’m going all Laremy Tunsil gas mask on that, so to get into the land of the real … Step Two: Immediately grab UCF and South Florida These are the two sleeping giants out there among the Group of Five programs. They have massive enrollments, big TV markets, are in the thick of a tremendous recruiting base, and they add some pizzazz to the mix. UCF has almost 61,000 students, while USF has around 49,000. Tampa-St. Pete is the 11th-biggest TV market, and Orlando is 19th. These are the numbers that matter. Florida, Florida State and Miami might own the Sunshine State, but thinking several years from now, getting UCF and USF starts to build a rivalry and creates a whole new area for the conference. This would be the sexy move, and for some reason, the ACC hasn’t jumped all over it yet. Step Three: Eh, screw it. C’mon aboard, Houston. In terms of the Houston TV market, the school isn’t a necessary get with Texas up the road and in a state with Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU, too. But if I’m expanding to 14 teams – and I am – I’ll truly own Texas by inviting Houston. With almost 43,000 students, it’s a massive school that’s twice as big as Memphis and has a far bigger football footprint. The natural rivalries are obvious, but now I have to get a little bit funkier. Step Four: Cincinnati, your table is ready. I despise the “checks all the boxes” cliché, but Cincinnati does just that. Close to 44,000 students – almost double of Louisville – the 34th-ranked TV market, and it’s just three hours away from Charleston, WV to create a friend for West Virginia, who’s on a sort of Big 12 island. Again, think of what’s possible a decade from now. Step Five: Sit back and marvel at my Big 14 empire Oh yeah, and I’m changing the name. If the Big 8 could go to the Big 12, and the Pac-10 could go to the Pac-12, then I’m doing this right. Here’s what I’ve done by bringing on Cincinnati, Houston, South Florida and UCF. 1. I’ve created one hell of a Big 14 South: Baylor, Houston, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF and USF. 2. The Big 14 North makes perfect sense: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. 3. You want rivalry games, TV people? UCF vs. USF. Cincinnati vs. West Virginia. Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State. Kansas vs. Kansas State. All the Texas teams in one division. Over time, these showdowns will grow in status. 4. You want fans? I don’t care about the commuter aspect – lots of students means lots of alumni meaning lots of potential interest. The four schools I’m bringing in adds close to 200,000 students into the equation and an alumni base of millions. You want to go big? Here you go. 5. I’ve done just about as well as I can do with the TV markets getting a piece of Houston, Orlando, Tampa and Cincinnati. 6. I’ve expanded into the top recruiting areas. There will always be competition, but now the Big 14 has a base in the heart of Florida, parts of Ohio, and gets stronger in the Houston area. Boom. No need to hire some rep firm or search committee, Commissioner Bowlsby. I just did your job for you. Make it happen for 2017. Big 12, Cincinnati, Houston, South Florida, UCF, American Athletic, CFN, Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, USF collegefootballnews.com

1. 2. How many years overall have you held Bulls football season tickets? Every Year (1997 forward) 3. What game would you rank as the BEST that you were in attendance for? at PITT in 2001 4. If you could have one former Bull on the roster this year (in his prime) who would you add to this 2016 edition? JPP 5. Most attractive away game (Syracuse, Cincinnati, Temple, Memphis, SMU)? Memphis (Love BBQ)

Prayers for his family

They need to trade Glennon and dign BJ Daniels

after being led for 71/2 years by your president?

Yipeeee

It is the RESULTS that matter most.

Yes, BUT USF does not need to be "left behind" in a leftover AAC

Blah, Blah, Blah. Let me sum it up: The price is not right, YET! Ty

Tramel: Academics Matter in Realignment http://newsok.com/academics-matters-in-c...le/5473247 I wrote about conference realignment last week, and one thing I focused on was the Big Ten’s history of inviting new members only if they are in the American Association of Universities. You can read that post here. Basically, I said that AAU membership long had been a goal of OU president David Boren, even before conference realignment became all the rage. I received an email from a college professor who once worked at OU but now is at a university out of state. I met the guy a couple times. He had some really interesting things to say, so I thought I would share them with you. He requested anonymity. “Just read your article on the Big 12 that mentioned AAU membership. Here's some background that may be useful to you. AAU membership and "Carnegie Classification" are the two best-known indications of elite academic status. There are 62 AAU members and 108 "Carnegie I" universities (all AAU members also are Carnegie I). Here's how the Power 5 conferences compare by those two criteria: “Big 10: 14 members, 14 Carnegie I, 13 AAU “PAC 10: 12 members, 12 Carnegie I, 8 AAU “ACC: 15 members (including Notre Dame), 11 Carnegie I, 5 AAU “SEC: 14 members, 11 Carnegie I, 4 AAU “Big 12: 10 members, 4 Carnegie I, 3 AAU. “The Big 12 is the only Power 5 conference with a majority of non-elite university members, which gives it an academic profile more similar to the various mid-major conferences. “When Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, and Texas A&M left the Big 12, that was an academic loss of 4 Carnegie I and 4 AAU members (although Nebraska subsequently lost its AAU status). In return, the Big 12 added West Virginia and TCU, neither of which is a Carnegie I institution. Of the current Big 12 members, Kansas State, OSU, TCU, West Virginia, Baylor and Texas Tech are unlikely to gain Carnegie I status in the next decade. “In thinking about new Big 12 schools, Houston, Colorado State, South Florida, Central Florida, New Mexico and Connecticut all are Carnegie I universities. In particular, Colorado State, South Florida, Central Florida and UConn are on growth curves that conceivably could lead to AAU membership at some point. “In contrast, BYU, SMU, Memphis and Boise State are not Carnegie I and are unlikely to become such. “OU is unlikely to become an AAU member, as it would have to at least double its current annual research expenditures from nationally competitive grants and currently has no National Academy of Sciences members (most AAU members have at least 10 NAS members and many have significantly more — none has fewer than five NAS members). That kind of change would require at least a decade to accomplish before being considered for AAU (which then has further political barriers to admission). “Hope this helps.” It absolutely does help. It tells me several things. The Big 12’s academic standing is worse than I thought. And that’s no small matter. That kind of stuff absolutely matters to decision-makers. The Big 12 went from 58 percent AAU membership to 30 percent AAU membership. I don’t claim to know the legitimacy of academic rankings. But I know they have standing within campuses. The Big 12 is not just the shakiest power conference on the football field. It’s the shakiest power conference in academia. OU’s Big Ten hopes aren’t strong. I don’t see the Big Ten inviting a school that is not an AAU member. If it happens, great. And if the Big Ten were to relax its requirements, it would seem to do so only for Notre Dame. Interesting about the “growth tracks” toward AAU membership. Who knew the Florida schools or Colorado State were held in such high regard. Or Houston U., for that matter. My source didn’t mention Cincinnati. Probably an oversight. But for the record, Cincinnati is a Carnegie I school but is not in the AAU. I’ll finish with this. Back when Nebraska and Colorado first left the Big 12, and before the moves of Missouri/Texas A&M to the SEC, Maryland/Rutgers to the Big Ten and Pitt/Louisville/Syracuse to the ACC, I chatted with OU athletic director Joe Castiglione, who like everyone else in Oklahoma, was clearly intrigued by the prospect of Louisville. Joe C. also mentioned Pitt. “The University of Pittsburgh is a terrific academic institution.” OU couldn’t garner enough support for Louisville, so support for Pitt was beside the point. And in the summer of 2010, when it appeared the Big 12 would fold and OU and OSU would head to a Pac-16, I talked to two people. One was a high-ranking university official. The other was a professor who lives in my neighborhood. Both were excited about the possibility of OU joining the Pac. Ecstatic might be too strong, but only because there was some regret about leaving behind old friends and really the only league the university ever had known. Moving to a league with Stanford, Cal-Berkeley and UCLA thrilled these two men. Academic standing matters. I’m not saying it’s the paramount consideration in conference realignment. But it matters.

Heck NO!

Yabba Dabba Do!

Hey where us my footbull season ticket renewal?

Are you on drugs? LOL

!

Beat FSC & UCiF! Everything else is gravy

15!

Just Win Baby

Well, that pretty much sums up USF mens basketball.......................................................

They need a "Big 12" Network. Only Problem is that Texas has the "Longhorn" Network. Texas would have to give that up in favor of the Big 12 network. Do any of you see Texas giving up anything that does not benefit Texas? Just saying, Ty

We are now officially P5

That would be worth going to Miami for. Go Miami

Youza