Scenarios for the ones left behind

[the-rover]

Assuming all that we've heard the past week will come to pass, with OU, OSU, UT and likely TT heading west and joining the PAC, what will become of our longtime friends? Like many of you, I have friends and family that are alums/fans of several of these schools.

Of course, nearly all of them hate what is happening, but most know there is nothing that can stop this rolling snowball. Some think the schools will be picked up by other conferences, some have pipe dreams in thinking they will be asked to go along with everyone else to the PAC, SEC or B1G.

Does anyone think the remaining schools have a chance to recruit schools like TCU, BYU, Houston, SMU, Air Force, Memphis, Tulsa or anyone else to retain the Big12 name........or even get enough to go with a "new" Big8? A few of those schools with KU, KSU, ISU, BU and MU might be a better football conference than the Big East.

I'm sure all of these schools admins are scrambling trying to figure out something. Any other ideas?

[SicEmBaylor]

I'd like for the absolute minimum to hang around long enough to collect and divy up all of the exit fees the "bigger" programs would be paying out. After that, our best hope is the Big East.

Here's the thing: Aside from our decade-long suckitude at Football, we are vastly improved. Our basketball program is competitive. The rest of our athletics are some of the best in the conference. All of the facilities we've built over the last 10-15 years are second to very few in the entire nation. The athletic complexes along the river are big-time level facilities that we rarely get credit for. Plus, there is a lot of talk about getting the funds together to build a new on-campus stadium on the other side of the Brazos from the rest of the athletic facilities.

My point is this: People can dismiss our dismal football program all they want but our overall athletic program is in very very good shape and our facilities are top-notch. This should put us in a good position when finding a new conference, but it will not. It won't because none of that is important next to $$$ and TV markets.

The current state of college athletics absolutely sickens me. It disgusts and sickens me. This is everything I hate about professional sports, and it's the reason I hate watching professional sports.

[oudivesherpa]

But money is now the name of the game in college football.

[SicEmBaylor]

But money is now the name of the game in college football.

Yes, it is and it's shameful. The fact that some of the biggest programs in the central United States are going to conferences on the WEST and EAST coasts along with the deep-south is absolutely sickening. Someone said it in another thread, but the fact that a conference in the central US can't survive with all the big time programs in that region is shameful.

What historical rivalries does OU, OSU, UT, or Tech have with ANY school on the west coast? What the hell history exists with Aggie and the SEC? Not much. Baylor, UT, TCU, and Aggie have been playing each other for more than 100 years. Over a century of football! The BU-TCU series is now at 50-50-2. Entire generations of alumni at these schools have enjoyed these rivalries. Not to mention the fact that when you have your away games within a reasonable driving distance of the school, it allows for a lot more people to have the opportunity to attend away games.

This is pitiful and it's making me awfully f'n bitter because it shouldn't be this way.

[BASSooner]

Assuming all that we've heard the past week will come to pass, with OU, OSU, UT and likely TT heading west and joining the PAC, what will become of our longtime friends? Like many of you, I have friends and family that are alums/fans of several of these schools.

Of course, nearly all of them hate what is happening, but most know there is nothing that can stop this rolling snowball. Some think the schools will be picked up by other conferences, some have pipe dreams in thinking they will be asked to go along with everyone else to the PAC, SEC or B1G.

Does anyone think the remaining schools have a chance to recruit schools like TCU, BYU, Houston, SMU, Air Force, Memphis, Tulsa or anyone else to retain the Big12 name........or even get enough to go with a "new" Big8? A few of those schools with KU, KSU, ISU, BU and MU might be a better football conference than the Big East.

I'm sure all of these schools admins are scrambling trying to figure out something. Any other ideas?

Despite the outcome though, the joke is all on texas. When we actually leave and osu coming with us, they'll be left with three (well..maybe 2 depends) unfavorable options:
1) join the pac and be treated as EQUALS along with the rest of the conference. There are talks that they may keep the LHN but if so, they have to distribute the revenue.

or 2) be independent. In this case, they are their own kings of...well they're own fantasy land. "We're too cool for a conference" I'm completely cool with as this hurts them badly in the long run.

3) recreate the SWC with them being THE only team that has any prestige. In order for them to be CONSIDERED for a national championship, they have to play top 10 OOC opponents every season. They still reign as "kings" though and stay in conference without distribution of revenue.

Regardless of the scenario, whatever the outcome is, the joke is on them. So let's leave already and show them that reality.

[oklaclarinet]

If I was the Mountain West Conference, I would take the opportunity to merge with what's left of the Big XII under the Big XII name and try to maintain the conference's place as a BCS conference. Don't know if it would work or not, but it could be a step up for the entire Mountain West and might be the only chance for Iowa State, Kansas State, and Baylor to be part of a major conference.

[soonervegas]

If OU and crew actually leave, I really don't see Mizzou or KU sitting on the shelf long. Kansas may head to the Big East for the basketball prestige, but I think Mizzou is too big to not end up in the big 10 or SEC. I think Baylor, ISU, and KSU moving to the MWC would be a tremendous move.

Even though I am a PAC-16 proponent once A&M leave it's still sad to see a great conference die based on inept leadership.

[SicEmBaylor]

If OU and crew actually leave, I really don't see Mizzou or KU sitting on the shelf long. Kansas may head to the Big East for the basketball prestige, but I think Mizzou is too big to not end up in the big 10 or SEC. I think Baylor, ISU, and KSU moving to the MWC would be a tremendous move.

Even though I am a PAC-16 proponent once A&M leave it's still sad to see a great conference die based on inept leadership.

Inept leadership was part of it, but good old-fashioned greed is the biggest factor.

Greed trumps tradition. Greed trumps rivalries. Greed trumps everything that college athletics is supposed to be about.

[kevpks]

I think the best bet for the ones left behind would be to raid the Mountain West and C-USA for their best teams and try to keep the BCS bid. It would be a lower tier BCS conference but I'd still put it up against the Big East in football. A regional conference with Boise, TCU, Mizzou, Iowa State, KU, KSU, Baylor, SMU, and whoever else would be interesting. Of course I guess it could never make it if we are heading to four super conferences.

[silverwheels]

Mizzou and Kansas will most likely end up in one of the new super conferences. Either SEC or Big Ten for Mizzou and Big Ten or Big East for Kansas.

Iowa State is a good school but a poor athletics program and they don't have a large TV market to entice any of the super conferences. Ideally, they'd end up in the Big Ten with Iowa and Nebraska, but I don't see that happening. MAC or Conference USA, probably.

Baylor and Kansas State seem destined for either the MWC or C-USA, unless the Big East takes KSU along with Kansas.

[GreenSooner]

Since the Big East has added TCU, perhaps they'd consider adding Baylor (especially now that the Bears have bested the Frogs on the football field). They're old rivals and they make a sensible pairing in a conference that otherwise consists of teams very far away. Something tells me that this won't happen, but there's really no reason it shouldn't.

[SicEmBaylor]

Since the Big East has added TCU, perhaps they'd consider adding Baylor (especially now that the Bears have bested the Frogs on the football field). They're old rivals and they make a sensible pairing in a conference that otherwise consists of teams very far away. Something tells me that this won't happen, but there's really no reason it shouldn't.

I agree, but like you said it isn't likely to happen. TCU doesn't have a vote in the Big East just yet, but I have no doubt they'd do whatever they could to keep us out. TCU (irrationally and incorrectly) blame us for keeping them out of the Big XII and out of a BCS conference. Their heads would literally explode if we followed them to the Big East now that they finally made it into a BCS conference.

[S.PadreIsl.Sooner]

How can the PAC Whatever want the Red Raiders? They probably have the lowest academic standards in the league.

[soonervegas]

Honestly they probably want Mizzou, but to get Texas you have to take the Tech....

[BASSooner]

How can the PAC Whatever want the Red Raiders? They probably have the lowest academic standards in the league.

They are the "go to" university after texas and a&m. The student body is humongous so there will be a demand for better academics if not already. They would bring a TV market with them (Dallas and Fort Worth just like us)

[picasso]

Mizzou and Kansas will most likely end up in one of the new super conferences. Either SEC or Big Ten for Mizzou and Big Ten or Big East for Kansas.

Iowa State is a good school but a poor athletics program and they don't have a large TV market to entice any of the super conferences. Ideally, they'd end up in the Big Ten with Iowa and Nebraska, but I don't see that happening. MAC or Conference USA, probably.

Baylor and Kansas State seem destined for either the MWC or C-USA, unless the Big East takes KSU along with Kansas.
I hope Kansas dies a slow death.

[OUinFLA]

Keep the Big 12 leftovers, add the best of MWC and C-USA to get to 12-16 teams. Become the Big-16 before anyone else does. Fire the current commissioner.
Keeps BCS in play and could become a very good basketball conference.
Works for the Big East?
Gotta get rid of saxeT though or they become the 10 Million pound gorilla in the conference.

[ashley]

UT is going indy. Where does that leave TT. Can Baylor go with TT? I doubt it, but there are not many left. UT can wait till the formation of the four major conferences and then make their choice. KU will go East because of BB. It turns out that A&M did what they knew they had to do and they knew it.

[jk the sooner fan]

I'd like for the absolute minimum to hang around long enough to collect and divy up all of the exit fees the "bigger" programs would be paying out. After that, our best hope is the Big East.

Here's the thing: Aside from our decade-long suckitude at Football, we are vastly improved. Our basketball program is competitive. The rest of our athletics are some of the best in the conference. All of the facilities we've built over the last 10-15 years are second to very few in the entire nation. The athletic complexes along the river are big-time level facilities that we rarely get credit for. Plus, there is a lot of talk about getting the funds together to build a new on-campus stadium on the other side of the Brazos from the rest of the athletic facilities.

My point is this: People can dismiss our dismal football program all they want but our overall athletic program is in very very good shape and our facilities are top-notch. This should put us in a good position when finding a new conference, but it will not. It won't because none of that is important next to $$$ and TV markets.

The current state of college athletics absolutely sickens me. It disgusts and sickens me. This is everything I hate about professional sports, and it's the reason I hate watching professional sports.

do you include that joke of a football stadium in your "top notch facilities?"

[SicEmBaylor]

do you include that joke of a football stadium in your "top notch facilities?"

No. I thought I made it clear we were beginning the process of getting the funds together for a new stadium on-campus.

[SicEmBaylor]

http://www.baylor.edu/nation/index.php?id=84714

[silverwheels]

I don't see Texas going independent. Dodds has said it's a last resort. They want to have the financial benefits of an independent while rubbing it in the faces of everyone else in their conference. They're not a big enough national brand to make it as an indy. No one on either coast really cares about them. And besides, where would their non-football sports go? I doubt one of the major conferences would take those sports and let Texas be independent in football, thus not contributing to the biggest source of revenue.

[bluedogok]

I didn't think Floyd Casey was all that bad, considering where Baylor athletics have come from I thought it to be a decent stadium for the time being. I do think a new on-campus venue similar to their baseball facility would be a major upgrade and really help them.

[jk the sooner fan]

No. I thought I made it clear we were beginning the process of getting the funds together for a new stadium on-campus.

i've got several classmate friends that actually graduated from Baylor who say they've been trying to put a stadium on campus for YEARS

i'll believe it when i see it

[jk the sooner fan]

I didn't think Floyd Casey was all that bad, considering where Baylor athletics have come from I thought it to be a decent stadium for the time being. I do think a new on-campus venue similar to their baseball facility would be a major upgrade and really help them.

there are high school stadiums nicer than Floyd Casey

no offense to Baylor - its a great school - but that stadium is awful

[bluedogok]

I don't see Texas going independent. Dodds has said it's a last resort. They want to have the financial benefits of an independent while rubbing it in the faces of everyone else in their conference. They're not a big enough national brand to make it as an indy. No one on either coast really cares about them. And besides, where would their non-football sports go? I doubt one of the major conferences would take those sports and let Texas be independent in football, thus not contributing to the biggest source of revenue.
They want to be the king of a conference, with all the benefits but none of the responsibility like a constitutional monarch. They remind me of the Mel Brooks king character in The History of the World Part 1.

When BYU went independent they ended up in the West Coast Conference an all private school conference in which Gonzaga is the only "name school" in the conference (Gonzaga University, Loyola Marymount University, Pepperdine University, University of Portland, Saint Mary's College of California, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University). UT might have to play in the Sun Belt or new WAC in their other sports it they were to go independent.

[bluedogok]

there are high school stadiums nicer than Floyd Casey

no offense to Baylor - its a great school - but that stadium is awful
There are some in Texas better but why put a bunch of money into Casey if they hope to build a new one on campus? With what they have done recently with other facilities I can see it happening in the future. Something along the lines of Ford Stadium on the SMU campus, it is a real nice stadium for its size and I think Baylor deserves to have something like that on campus instead of across town.

I'm just saying, it wasn't as "bad" as I expected it to be after what others have said about it. Most act like it is much worse than Rustoleum Stadium pre-Boone State, I don't think that it is.

[jk the sooner fan]

i never said they should put money into it - i just said it was a dump

Baylor has a beautiful campus - if they can fit a stadium there - they should

[SicEmBaylor]

i never said they should put money into it - i just said it was a dump

Baylor has a beautiful campus - if they can fit a stadium there - they should

They've already put way too much money into that place. Any new money needs to be put toward a new on-campus stadium. FCS does suck, but I stand by the fact that there are some far worse venues than that.

Anyway, no way a new stadium gets built if we get stuck in a non-BCS conference.

I don't happen to believe that getting stuck in a non-BCS conference would be the worse thing in the world. I mean, what does being in a BCS conference really mean? It means automatic bids, but as much as we've improved, I can't see us ever being in contention for one of those spots.

The big downside is the possibility of losing CAB, quality recruits, and money.

[bearfan08]

Floyd Casey sucks from multiple standpoints of amenities and surrounding area. If you have ever been to a game there though the sightlines are excellent and there really isn't a horrible seat in the house. A new stadium is paramount to show how commited Baylor is to football going forward.

I have talked to people I trust that say there are preliminary plans to put a new stadium across the river with a view of campus. The only problem is instead of announcing this and getting as much support as possible and showing Baylor in a good light especially after a good win against TCU, the admin is taking the approach that a stadium will only get built if Baylor can land on its feet in a big conference when all this crap is over.

This is the same thing that got Baylor in trouble when the Big 12 was formed. They didn't make a strong commitment to football and made several bad hires when traditionally Baylor was about the level that Tech is now. They are just now pulling their head out of their *** for football (which sadly is all that matters even though 17 of 19 sports were ranked at some point last year), and it is going to kill Baylor for probaly 10-15 years like it did TCU who is still struggling for acceptance even with their wins.

Baylor may dominate a smaller conference in the near future but it will mean nothing and the ability to retain good coaches will dwindle majorly. That is the reason TCU has sustained its success is because Patterson is a nutjob that has been willing to stay put. Baylor probably won't be able to afford that luxury.

[Sooner_Tuf]

I like Floyd Casey Stadium. It's an excellent place to watch a game and that is why I go. If they build a new one they would be wise to keep the great view. I don't care about the other stuff. It would be nice if there were places to eat and what not but we are going to be getting the car after the game anyway.

It's a better place to watch a game than Stillwater, Manhatten, or Lubbock.

[IB4OU2]

No. I thought I made it clear we were beginning the process of getting the funds together for a new stadium on-campus.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t68/SPSpics_drawings/lemonade%20stand/lemonade.png