macphisto

I think if FSU is unlikely to pay $50M, so is Miami. Unfortunately, I don't see how USF would be any more appealing to the Big XII than USF. Together they actually do make an attractive package. Clearly the Big XII's #1 target for expansion would be FSU. But FSU leaving the ACC has major implications for the conference that I'm not sure FSU wants to take on their shoulders. There's also the big buyout which will end up being determined by the lawsuit against Maryland. I'm not too sure that any ACC team is willing to leave at this point. It's a question of if the Big XII wishes to expand and how quickly. If they don't want to wait out the court case, they likely have to target other teams. No team in the PAC-12, B1G, or SEC is going to bail. If the ACC teams are scared of a buyout then they won't leave. That leaves MWC and BE (or whatever its called) teams. So will they expand west? Boise State is a good team, but has a limited footprint although has drawn well nationally. But outside of Boise, the candidates out west are weak unless they can get BYU on board. They've tried that. Florida is the most logical option. Fertile recruiting ground and growing population, soon to pass New York as the third most populous state. USF is in the midst of a recruiting hotbed loaded with talent and UCF isn't far away from talent either. FSU is the established name, so they make the most sense - national title winners, history. Miami would make a lot of sense, but their program hasn't been all that strong and the NCAA is watching them like hawks. I'm not too sure Miami would be considered. Does the Big XII want a title game in 2014? If so, options are limited. And, unlike FSU, they could gradually give USF and UCF more money. With FSU, they would have to give them the full payout during the first year. The Big XII isn't necessarily fully safe. Nor is the ACC. SEC, B1G, and PAC-12 are going nowhere, but outside of those three there are no guarantees. As for FSU to B1G - never gonna happen. The academics aren't strong enough. I think the B1G will take two more if they can. The big problem is the Carolina schools are reluctant to leave. And I think that big exit fee hangs over all their heads. Maryland and FSU may have an out because they didn't vote for it. Everyone else did. USF and UCF going Big XII - it really depends if Texas supports it. Oklahoma, Tech, OKST, and Baylor will go along with the Longhorns. I do agree with jvwvu that WVU would vote for us. I also think TCU would go with Texas as well. That's 7/10 if you can win over Texas. It would come down to money. If they can't get FSU and adding Florida would give them a title game and extra money ($1-2M per year) then I think it gets done. But nothing is going to happen until late April/May. They won't do anything until after the Tournament.

Thing to remember is that expansion allows for more programming. Two more teams will add eight more conference games per season and another eight out of conference - so 16 more games that could be televised. That's a lot of additional revenue to any network. Then there's the conference title game in addition to that, a game that will generate even more revenue. Fox likely would get additional programming as part of the deal, expanding their second tier package. ESPN probably wouldn't see much change because their first tier package has a set number of games, but Fox would probably compensate the Big XII. Actually, I would not be surprised if Fox would push the Big XII over $20M a year per school with expansion and the conference championship. From the Big XII's perspective, they may be able to get a little bit more money, but also a conference championship seems to help more in getting a slot in the new system to play for a title. I don't think they want to be the only one of the big conferences to not have a title game. For Fox, if they lock up a Big XII Title game then they leave ESPN with only the ACC title game every year and the PAC-12 in odd years. Fox would have the Big XII and B1G. CBS the SEC. And ESPN the ACC with the PAC-12 every other year and Fox getting the PAC-12 in even calendar years. Notice that ESPN is not doing so well nailing down the title games. This is reason enough for Fox to push some buttons and expand their contract.

Geographically its a nitemare for USF alone. What is Tampa from Dallas, twice as far as ISU? You gotta add UCF so FL recruits give more creedance(sp?) to playing in a league the is mostly TX, OK and KS. Or a TX recruit going to a FL school. Geographically it's a nightmare? We'd be having to travel to Dallas and Houston anyways. Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee. There's not a huge different. Besides, $20M extra per year kind of makes up for travel expenses. Thinking about it, the best breakdown of a Big XII that adds USF and UCF would be this: NORTH West Virginia Iowa State Kansas Kansas State Oklahoma Oklahoma State SOUTH TCU Texas Tech Texas Baylor USF UCF The southern division is a nice Florida vs. Texas division.

And if it did happen, we'd likely be in an eastern division of some kind - or southern. Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, USF, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State? I somehow doubt that - they'd probably want Oklahoma and Texas in different divisions. There'd be no easy geographic division. WVU, USF, UCF, Iowa State, Baylor, and KU in the East, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, K-State, and TCU in the West.

The original article says Fox would tweak it's contract so that all schools will get same amount as current. We should be very careful about offering to pay them to let us in their club when Fox is ready to manage those logistics Getting 1/2 of what the rest of the schools get for the first..say...3-5 years would STILL be way more than we'd get stuck over here. And probably as much as we'd get in the ACC. @TuxedoYoda: Maybe it is just me, but I find it interesting that my Austin source hears about Fox/UCF/USF at the same time Fox Sports 1 becomes official. Definitely makes things interesting. We've known for awhile that Fox wanted to directly challenge ESPN. Regardless of what you think of the network, Fox News eclipsed CNN; something few thought was possible when it launched. ESPN is a tougher nut to crack, but Fox has deep pockets and a desire to succeed. It really comes down to if FSU and another school want to take the risk of being out $50M and how much of an upside there is for them. FSU didn't want to risk it when WVU ended up going to the BXII - and the path was easier then. I think FSU still has trouble pulling the trigger. That leaves us with a possible window.

The problem with a FSU raid is that FSU and the remaining ACC members are not quite sure yet exactly how much leaving will cost. They raised the exit fee, so I doubt they do anything until they see how much Maryland is paying to leave. Then there's the question about just how much Fox and the Big XII would have to pay. So you hit on exactly why both could be interested in UCF and USF - because they could see both schools supplanting FSU and Miami due to the cash influx and exposure the Big XII would give them. In short, USF and UCF would mean that Fox and the Big XII would pay less to enter Florida than if they go after FSU unless FSU decides to bear the burden on their own. Truth is that FSU may have waited too long. They probably could have bailed over a year ago, but they waited. I think it's the same thing that kept them from joining the SEC 20 years ago - fear of being second fiddle or worse in a tougher conference. FSU still thinks they can recruit Florida and dominate a crappy ACC - and they probably can. They don't want to compete with Oklahoma, Texas, OKST, etc. They'd love the money, but their schedule would be tougher. Frankly, this would be a smart move from a financial perspective. USF would have to forfeit its big BE payout in all likelihood from the reserve fund, but they get greater stability. The Big XII gets into Florida in two large markets instead of a place away from the majority of the population in the panhandle. FSU would draw bigger audiences initially, but the argument could be made the USF and UCF could be powerhouses within five years in a conference like the Big XII - and that will mean a lot more eyes on the TV in Florida, a state soon to be #3 in population behind Texas. I can agree with that. I think its primarily a ploy in that it will force FSU's hand (either find a way to make it financially work or we're moving on down the road to help build two behemoths in your backyard). But that doesn't mean it still cant be a win or win bigger scenario for them. Either FSU (and Miami or Clemson) bite the bullet and make the jump and they get what they want (win bigger), or they pay less up front, get into two huge Florida markets, with two schools with a large amount of students and upward mobility. While Florida is certainly big enough to support multiple teams, I do think if you look a decade (or two) down the road, a USF/UCF combo in the Big 12 would eventually take a big bite out of their (FSU) recruiting in the area. It won't happen over night, or a few years, but give it time where Oklahoma, Texas, WVU, Okie State are playing every year in either Tampa or Orlando, AND you now have given USF/UCF the funds to really upgrade facilities and staff and compete, then I think eventually the I-4 corridor will start to become Big 12 country. That being said, the likely big unknown in this is what the future looks like long term for the Big 12 and Fox. If there is backdoor dealings on a future Big 12 network (with Fox like the B1G has), then grabbing Tampa and Orlando now might actually start to make even more sense. But if those discussions haven't or aren't happening, I'm a little weary on what the major benefit to the Big 12 would be to make them actually go through with USF/UCF expansion if FSU/Miami call the "bluff" or atleast want to continue to wait for a Maryland resolution. The problem is that calling the bluff could cost them each $50 million. That's the sticking point. I think if the ACC had not raised their exit fee then this would be done and at least FSU would have moved, though I'm not sure if Miami would have been invited due to their NCAA issues. Maryland did decide to leave, but I don't think anyone else in the ACC will until that gets sorted out. If Maryland has to pay the full $50M then I don't expect another team to leave. I also agree that our only hope (and UCF's) is as a package deal. I don't think we see anything happen until after the basketball season and academic sessions end - so May at the earliest. But if the Big XII and Fox want expansion to happen for 2014, they will have to move before summer is over. I don't think Miami would be willing to pay $50M and I doubt FSU would be willing to do so. That's why I think that FSU waited too long. They probably could have moved when WVU left the BE, but they didn't. They didn't want to pull the trigger and the bigger exit fee may have hosed any aspirations. The AD may want to leave, but if the President and Trustees are scared of that big fee (especially in an era of thinner university budgets) then it won't happen. I don't see any ACC school moving until Maryland gets sorted out. That means the Big XII either must wait and hope, or be proactive. From a market and expansion standpoint, Florida is the best bet. You could make an argument that USF/Cincinnati could be an equally appealing package - or, unfortunately, UCF/Cincy. But I think UCF and USF are now bound together. They are two school with huge student populations in a big state. And a road trip to either means beaches and Disney.

I think its pretty dead on logic, but as mentioned, we are nothing likely more than a bargaining chip. Their (Fox) ultimate goal would be to kill the ACC, while simultaneouly strengthening the B1G and Big 12 (conferences they have inventory with). This would severly hurt an ESPN only product (ACC) and now, serverly hurt another ESPN product (Big East?). Its a win-win all the way around for Fox, and why the B1G rumors are likely true (that they are atleast courting ACC teams). I'm sure the B1G is looking at two more teams. The big problem is who will run from the ACC? How much will it cost? How much will the new conference cover of that cost? If Maryland has to pay the $50M buyout then who will leave? Does Fox and the Big XII want to wait for that court case to end? FSU voted against the fee, but so did Maryland. This is the controlling factor. FSU does not want to be on the hook for $50M, no matter how big the TV contract is. It'll take 7-8 years for them to make that up before the begin to enjoy additional revenues. And then, who else comes with? Clemson? GT? If the Big XII and Fox want to ensure a championship game for the first season after the BCS, if they want to get back up to 12 by 2014 then there best bet is USF and UCF. They are less expensive, give access to the same market, and will be available. I agree, this could be an attempt to force FSU to move, but I doubt their Board of Trustees will authorize a move without knowing what it will cost. So the Big XII either has to wait for the court case to resolve (could be awhile), see if FSU makes any move (not likely until the know what it will cost), or gets USF and UCF as part of the Big East collapse. The major question will be if the Big XII can get the same per team payout from ESPN or if Fox will compensate for that due to the championship game. The Big XII really needs to add revenue for it to be worth their while.

The problem with a FSU raid is that FSU and the remaining ACC members are not quite sure yet exactly how much leaving will cost. They raised the exit fee, so I doubt they do anything until they see how much Maryland is paying to leave. Then there's the question about just how much Fox and the Big XII would have to pay. So you hit on exactly why both could be interested in UCF and USF - because they could see both schools supplanting FSU and Miami due to the cash influx and exposure the Big XII would give them. In short, USF and UCF would mean that Fox and the Big XII would pay less to enter Florida than if they go after FSU unless FSU decides to bear the burden on their own. Truth is that FSU may have waited too long. They probably could have bailed over a year ago, but they waited. I think it's the same thing that kept them from joining the SEC 20 years ago - fear of being second fiddle or worse in a tougher conference. FSU still thinks they can recruit Florida and dominate a crappy ACC - and they probably can. They don't want to compete with Oklahoma, Texas, OKST, etc. They'd love the money, but their schedule would be tougher. Frankly, this would be a smart move from a financial perspective. USF would have to forfeit its big BE payout in all likelihood from the reserve fund, but they get greater stability. The Big XII gets into Florida in two large markets instead of a place away from the majority of the population in the panhandle. FSU would draw bigger audiences initially, but the argument could be made the USF and UCF could be powerhouses within five years in a conference like the Big XII - and that will mean a lot more eyes on the TV in Florida, a state soon to be #3 in population behind Texas.

Gonna have to play and beat the Big 5 to change anyones mind. The problem is that with 4 of those Big 5 going to 9 conference games, it's going to be tough to get on their schedules. This. Although, to be fair, most will end up dropping their FCS games due to SOS concerns, so there MIGHT be an opening to get some 1-n-done paygames Still and all, from the power conference teams' perspectives, there's more down than up to scheduling USF. Barry Alvarez has basically said that the B1G teams are done scheduling FCS. Trying to get an agreement between conferences would not be a bad thing, but many of the big 5 conferences will try to just schedule each other. Reality for the new conference is that they must work to capitalize on all their games against them, including bowls. It must be a gradual build up with a goal to expand the prominence of the conference by growing the teams in the conferences. Doing so can provide more financial windfalls down the line. The greatest effort must go towards building each team up.

The system just means for those outside of the power conferences that the priority must be on winning. If you go 12-0 or 11-1, you have a real shot of getting in. With stronger recruiting, USF could be in good shape with this. But if more than one team can consistently do this then there will be more outcries for letting more teams from the lower tier in, reducing the power of the power conferences little by little.

I wasn't threatened here in Tampa, but I'm originally from Cleveland and still am loyal to all those teams. Once when the Browns were down, I wore a jersey to the stadium with a green USF hat. I got screamed at by several fans because they thought that I was not only rooting for the opposing team, but that I was wearing a Packers hat. Was not a fun experience. Thinking about it, it really would be best to have the conference championship in the stadium of one of the teams playing. Just alternate that each year, east and west. So if we would win in an eastern year, RayJay would host. Might have to do some clearance, though, for NFL stadiums in years for that division. Might not be a bad idea to rotate the basketball tourney between Denver and Nashville.

Coach T strikes me as far more aggressive and organized. I also think he surrounds himself with better assistants and is better at the coaching angle of the gig. I'm not sure Leavitt was as great on the coaching side, but he definitely was when it came to recruiting. That relentless willingness to hammer the other team on both ends while holding your own guys accountable by always giving another guy a chance to take out a starter and win the job, I think that's very different. I believe that CWT learned a lot from the Harbaughs and we've seen how successful they have been.

St. Louis makes sense, with its central location and the interesting blend of its sports culture. I think it is actually a good city for basketball. I agree. I think KC is actually closer to the geographic center of the lower 48, but St. Louis is close enough to that and does have a more interesting blend. The basketball tournament would be great to have there. I do love that suggested name too - "Arch Madness", though the Missouri Valley Conference uses that name and plays in St. Louis. That's why I think we could only have our football championship game there or at Arrowhead in KC. I wonder if we could actually hold the championship game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis instead of in the Dome? Probably could seat around 35,000 or so for a game and that might be best, at least to start. Or you could alternate. One year in the east and one in the west. Same for the basketball tournament. Could even just have two set cities that are not cities where the schools play. Part of me thinks that it might be better to make this games TV events and more exclusive by playing them in smaller stadiums, like the Jeld-Wen soccer stadium in Portland, OR. Might be better to find a slightly bigger stadium, but if you can fill up a 22.000 seat stadium in Portland versus having a big stadium more than half empty, that works better for a championship game. Part of me says that a new conference alternate the basketball tourney and football championship game between Salt Lake City and Philly. The years that the basketball tourney is in Philly, the football championship is in Salt Lake City. You play in the soccer stadiums to start and, if popularity grows, you move to the big stadium in Philly and move out of Salt Lake to Denver. With basketball, you also play regional. Two games against everyone in your division (total of 10) and then eight games against the other division, meaning only four games per season are scheduled on the other side of the country. Same goes for football with eight games. Five games against your division opponents and three against the other division, so you play half of the other division every year. One year you will play two home games against those other division teams and the next you play one, minimizing the cross country travel.

This could be a good idea if it actually forms and a GOR is involved for a period of time, even if it is under a decade. The reason why I believe this is because I am not sure the ACC will survive long term. Especially if they are the only big conference without a GOR. B1G members are going nowhere. SEC members are not leaving. BXII has now strengthened itself. PAC-12 members are going nowhere. There are a lot of ACC teams that are ripe for the picking, both present and future. The B1G could snatch of UNC and Duke in a heartbeat to keep with their academic standards and make themselves the premiere basketball league. They could also take GT, Virginia, Wake, or Pitt. I think Syracuse is out because they got booted from the AAU and I'm not sure Pitt will go anywhere without Cuse since they seem to like to hold hands. If I were the B1G, I'd probably go for UNC and Duke. Not a strong football add, but the academics are elite and so is the basketball. So minus two to the B1G at some point. Most of us identify VT and NC State as very possible additions to the SEC. Wake is an outside possibility since they have improved in football and add to the academic end, but I think VT and NC State the most likely additions since South Carolina, Georgia, and UF will want to prevent FSU, GT, or Clemson. So that's two to the B1G and two to the SEC. Now onto the Big XII. Clearly FSU is the prize for them. Big fan base in a state they don't really have a presence in. Clemson is also appealing because of stronger football tradition. But if Georgia Tech could be gotten, I think they do it. And they have expressed interest in Louisville. So I'd say they go for FSU, Clemson, GT, and Louisville. That gives FSU some eastern competition. So 14-8=6 ACC teams left. If they Big East were still around then they would come looking at Cincy, UConn, and USF. But what if the next round of expansion doesn't happen before July? What if the BE dissolves and the ACC doesn't offer anyone? So what if a new conference is created with a GOR so it can't be picked apart? My guess is that at that point we have Miami, Pitt, Syracuse, and the other leftovers knocking at our door instead of them taking ECU, Troy, FIU, etc. This largely depends on if a new league is formed with a GOR before the next round of expansion. I do think that Cincy and UConn would hope to tempt the ACC or BXII before a GOR is signed, but if not then it is the ACC that would be on the chopping block. I think a new conference is best to have in East and West divisions, as the rumors state. 12 teams is the optimal size. Rotate the schedule so you play two home games against the other division one year and only one the next to balance it out. In the EAST I go for: USF - obvious. I'm a homer and we're the best choice in FL outside of the Big Three. Cincy - they are one of the ones pushing for this. UConn - see Cincy. Memphis - larger market, good basketball history, can improve at football. Temple - good basketball, large market, has shown improvement at football. Northern Illinois - not just because of their run this year, but because they have a solid football history. That said, they must improve in basketball as they have been horrible for years. They also are 60 miles outside of Chicago, so another market. In the WEST I go for: Boise State - obvious. They give you legitimacy. San Diego State - larger market and in California. Have had some good teams in the past and near lots of talent. SMU - history and market. Were in the old SWC, which would have been BCS had it survived. Houston - see above. BYU - national name, if you can get them on board. This means you must make Sunday travel allowances and give them the ability to have their own network in some way. UNLV - basketball history, Las Vegas is a hub, and they are getting new, larger and nicer facilities. Put the championship game in St, Louis, as has been mentioned. All America Conference

He may not qualify and if so they will sign and place him. If he's that committed to Taggart (and he is - I read the Bulls 247 story) then he'll come back after two years in JUCO. Not sure how far off of qualifying he is either, but I'm sure Taggart knows. Regardless, for him to have big name schools after him and for Taggart to get him to commit to WKU before changing to USF, that speaks volumes. Woodie also helps us here. I think Taggart will build a wicked recruiting staff and could really turn us into a power with the kind of recruits he can get.

anything over 24 is impossible Not true. Coach T comes equipped with a Time Dilation Field.

There's nothing wrong with pointing it out. I'd really like to get to a point where we're not doing so. That said, I don't think either guy was hired to fill a quota or just let the school tout that we hired minorities. Both men have impressive resumes. A big reason I like both hires is because of the coaching schools they came up under as well. Heath under Izzo and Taggart under the Harbaughs. Great thing about sports is that its easy to judge someone based on their performance. If Taggart gets us a few 10 win seasons and builds on that over the next several years, everyone will be talking about his wins and ability, nothing else.

Couldn't agree more. We've got one of the best beat writers in the biz - and he's good on the radio too. Loved hearing him call in to Shelton on 98.7 and the banter we got to hear.

Looking forward to posting a big "I told you so" in another year when we see Taggart taking charge. Love the hire!

A power based simplified West Coast offense. The Harbaugh system. 2-3 TE sets with TEs intermittently blocking or out on patterns. Harbaugh tends to aim for a 50/50 split on running and passing. Stronger roles for FBs and not so many sideways plays - a lot more up the gut based on strong fundamentals and hitting assignments.

Listen I think Taggart would be a great hire, and do very well here. But some of you need to quit thinking that he would come in and lockdown the Bay Area. That's just not happening, not with Florida/FSU/and half a dozen other SEC schools milking the area for talent. Not a lockdown, but I think he has the potential to incrementally grow recruiting and take a player or two each year from one of the Big Two. It doesn't happen overnight, but if the program can get to the point of being strong and consistently showing up in the rankings then we'll land more and more premiere talent from our own area. A key is that he'd do a better job than Holtz and has the real potential to out recruit Leavitt too.

I don't see Taggart being as good of a fit for Wisconsin. I think he can probably recruit anywhere, but his strength is clearly recruiting in Florida. While Wisconsin will go after some FL recruits, that's not their bread and butter. I could see Wisconsin being interested, but Taggart would likely be more interested in returning to the Bay Area. Being basically endorsed by Jim Harbaugh is a big deal. Same goes for so many of the big name high school coaches in the area talking about him. I think we'd do better at all the Tampa Bay Area high schools with Taggart on board. I've watched a few videos of the guy too. Love how he interacts with students and fans. He's also great in his press conferences. I'd love going to see him for the weekly coaches show on the radio too. The guy loves to run and knows how important the ground game is, but he just exudes a sense of balance in the game.

Frankly, Cincy is a better spot than Purdue or Colorado at this moment in time. Now Wisconsin is a different beast.

I doubt it. Rock Riley was on the radio yesterday saying he talked to Dungy just a few weeks ago and told him to never say never, but Dungy told Riley that he could say never. Now, I could see Dungy brought into the program in some capacity. Heck, he could eventually take Woolard's job as AD. But he'd be a great agent for outreach for USF and could head up fundraising for USF like Selmon did.

Malzahn to Auburn and Bielma to Arky. Just Tennessee and Whisky ahead of us in pecking order for jobs this go around. I still doubt Smart would come here, but if DW pulled that off, he deserves another raise. Yes but I think the Wisconsin job is now ahead of us in the pecking order That's what I said, just Tennessee and Whisky (read: Wisconsin) ahead of USF. Wisconsin has more tradition, fan support, and money than USF will for a long time. It's definitely a better job, if you can get passed living in cold ass Wisconsin (personally that's a deal breaker for me). Also harder to make a name for yourself at either school when you're competing against Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Florida, Alabama, Georgia. We may not like the BE as it is going forward, but USF is in a location to dominate and make a name for itself to another conference down the line. Auburn and Arkansas have both apparently passed on Smart. I'm not sure a southern guy like him is a fit for Wisconsin and Tennessee has fallen way down the ladder. I'm not saying we're in the driver's seat, but I think we are a more realistic possibility than many might think if he's intent on being a head coach. Guy is not exactly old.