Are you happy with the Big 12?

[KYSooner]

Has anyone else read the piece on espn.com about Bronco Mendenhall saying he would love for BYU to come to the Big 12? Just when a lot of us thought the conference swap talk was dying down, this Division 4 and BYU to the Big 12 talk sparks plenty of suggestion that it's not. While BYU is the first to voice it, I guaruntee plenty of the legit mid majors (i.e. BYU, Boise St., Fresno St., etc.) start to scavenge for a big time conference home so they don't get left behind in the inevitable
With that being said, would y'all rather stay in the Big 12 and expand?

There are few teams that are worthy of joining the Big 12 that are still out there to reel in and make our conference dominant in football. Nebraska and mizzou leaving hurt a lot. The only real teams I see as positive additions are Cincinnati, BYU, Boise St., and maybe....SMU and Houston (and they suck too).

Or find a new home? Personally I'd like us to join the Big 10. Great academics and better competition on a regular basis, plus we would have a better chance of going to the playoff each year. Let's face it, as good as we think we are, our guarunteed 10 win season would end if we were in the SEC...I believe the Big 10 would accept us and Texas and become the Big 14 without hesitation. Better competition and better academics...'nuff said.

While my instincts would tell me to join the SEC, we all must be honest with ourselves and know that we wouldnt be nearly as dominant conference wise as we are now. As much as I hate them they play great ball...and God forbid an OU crowd ever chants "SEC"...which they would.

So what are your opinions? Stay end expand Big 12 or move up and out?

[olevetonahill]

I dont really GAS, Im Just ready for some OU Football

BOOOOOOOOOOOMER

[MichiganSooner]

What does academics have to do with it? I heard Nebraska went to B1G based on academics. Just because Meatchicken and Northwestern have high academic standards and programs does not mean Nebraska will become "harvard of the plains". Or does it? Please explain.
If we were in SEC, not sure of schedule but would be in a west division most likely. Why is playing A&M, Arkie, both Mississippi's, Missouri, Vandy, and LSU any more difficult than playing Iowa, Nebbish, NWestern, Wiskey, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Michigan?
I like the Big 12 as we are; if we can find two to four quality programs, I would be for it. But I like the round robin, the money is good, we get quality bowls, and if we run the table will almost certainly be in the final four.

[ouflak]

I believe that when the P65 gets its autonomy, they will vote for the Big XII to have a championship game even with just ten teams. Then I will be a bit happier with the conference. I don't ever really want to see BYU in unless they play on Sundays just like everybody else. If that point is a non-starter, then I see no reason why the possibility of their joining has to be mentioned again by them or anybody else.

[King Crimson]

i think the current alignment is pretty ad hoc and goofy, but has been competitive in both football and basketball....the revenue sports.....so i'm OK with it. all i heard here in Colorado was how it would tank without NU, CU, MU, and ATM....and there was some concern i think. but, WVU has been good for the most part, TCU is sort of meh for me but Patterson has good teams. i'm a big 8 guy at heart so i miss them others more than ATM (who i don't care for, really)....and a road trip to Lubbock or Waco still doesn't have any special meaning to me.....

i would be opposed to any expansion at this point.....Fresno, Boise, BYU....these are not interesting to me at all. they don't give much in the way of TV markets....which the logic that drives the re-alignments of conferences.

interesting fact about Nebraska and the Big 10.....all the Big 10 schools are members of American Association of Universities. Nebraska is the only school to ever have and then lose AAU membership....since they joined the Big Ten.....Big Ten hasn't kicked them out.....so, talk about academics....there....iffy. for a low population density state, Nebraska is a good school. now, they also benefit, from not having a "state" school competitor for academic resources much as Missouri U. did for many years. state like Oklahoma, also low pop density, has two large public institutions sharing resources and "human capital"....as does Iowa. lot of people don't know this but Iowa State ranks higher than half of the Pac 10 schools in most popular academic "ratings". least of all Pac people. Pac is really top heavy in "academics" but the AZ schools and WSU and both Oregon schools arent world-beater despite their left coast pretensions.

i like Bronco Mendenhall as a coach but didn't BYU just trumpet themselves a lot for going Indie....? there's no future in being independent in conference TV reality unless you are Texas.....hahahahha

[King Crimson]

and for the record, my CU peeps...."how are you gonna get by (the Big Texas Conference).....losing the Denver TV market....". because CU is in the Pac.

there never was a "Denver TV market".....OU is still on my TV more than CU has ever been.

[WA. Sooner]

Bring the service academies

[Salt City Sooner]

Has anyone else read the piece on espn.com about Bronco Mendenhall saying he would love for BYU to come to the Big 12? Just when a lot of us thought the conference swap talk was dying down, this Division 4 and BYU to the Big 12 talk sparks plenty of suggestion that it's not. While BYU is the first to voice it, I guaruntee plenty of the legit mid majors (i.e. BYU, Boise St., Fresno St., etc.) start to scavenge for a big time conference home so they don't get left behind in the inevitable
With that being said, would y'all rather stay in the Big 12 and expand?

There are few teams that are worthy of joining the Big 12 that are still out there to reel in and make our conference dominant in football. Nebraska and mizzou leaving hurt a lot. The only real teams I see as positive additions are Cincinnati, BYU, Boise St., and maybe....SMU and Houston (and they suck too).

Or find a new home? Personally I'd like us to join the Big 10. Great academics and better competition on a regular basis, plus we would have a better chance of going to the playoff each year. Let's face it, as good as we think we are, our guarunteed 10 win season would end if we were in the SEC...I believe the Big 10 would accept us and Texas and become the Big 14 without hesitation. Better competition and better academics...'nuff said.

While my instincts would tell me to join the SEC, we all must be honest with ourselves and know that we wouldnt be nearly as dominant conference wise as we are now. As much as I hate them they play great ball...and God forbid an OU crowd ever chants "SEC"...which they would.

So what are your opinions? Stay end expand Big 12 or move up and out?
I'd add UCF into that mix as well (if you can get Sic'em to agree to it, that is :P ). O'Leary's done a pretty solid job there after the ND mess, & it'd give the league a bigger recruiting footprint into the Florida kids.

[BoulderSooner79]

Let's see, the last 3 football champions of the big12 are Baylor, KSU and OSU!? Heck no, I'm not happy with the big 12!

:mad:

[soonergirlNeugene]

Service academies would be more fun imo. Every player I've talked with who has played against BYU says they hear a lot more racist crap when lined up against them or from fans in the stadium. Not really the image we want for our conference imo.

[KYSooner]

What does academics have to do with it? I heard Nebraska went to B1G based on academics. Just because Meatchicken and Northwestern have high academic standards and programs does not mean Nebraska will become "harvard of the plains". Or does it? Please explain.
If we were in SEC, not sure of schedule but would be in a west division most likely. Why is playing A&M, Arkie, both Mississippi's, Missouri, Vandy, and LSU any more difficult than playing Iowa, Nebbish, NWestern, Wiskey, Minnesota, Michigan State, and Michigan?
I like the Big 12 as we are; if we can find two to four quality programs, I would be for it. But I like the round robin, the money is good, we get quality bowls, and if we run the table will almost certainly be in the final four.

Keep in mind that OU is a University first, an athletic department second, and a football team third. All players are STUDENT athletes. While I understand Nebraska is the worst in academics in the Big 10, there is no denying that the Big 10 has better schooling. While football is a blessing that we have, watch any OU commercial where they mention National Merit Scholars and our academics well before they mention the football team. David Boren is much more concerned about OU's performance in the classroom than he is about that on the field...and if a player doesn't perform there, they won't play.

In regards to scheduling, playing LSU, Bama, Auburn, Arkansas, the Mississippi's, and ATM each year...plus 2 from the other side of the conference is a heck of a difference from playing Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, etc.. Yes, the Big 10 usually has 1-2 teams each year that can be considered elite, but telling me that it's no different than the SEC is difficult to agree with. I strongly believe we would have more conference titles and more MNC appearances in the last 15 years if we were a Big 10 member.

The Big 12, in the last few years, has been pretty soft and is only looking to get softer with Texas' downfall and ATM's uprising. Let's be honest, OSU has been improving but has led this conference in reality the last 3 years. Baylor is improving but they're still Baylor right now until they do something BIG. K state has been alright. Other than that what does our conference have to offer us? No title game which hurts. A Texas game which is ours to lose, and a bunch of bottom dwellers that circle us as their bowl game. If you didn't notice, we performed better as a 12 team league when we had competitive Nebraska, Mizzou, Ut, ATM, TT, etc. teams to play that were worth a flip...much easier to get pumped
up for a game that is a challenge.

[MichiganSooner]

If OU and TX enter the SEC and are logically placed in the West...Alabama and Auburn may likely move to the East.
I realize academics are the purpose of the University...I fail to understand how conference affiliation affects a University. Michigan is one of the very best public universities per US News and World Report. Others from the B1G are near the top as well. How does that mean that OU (or any university) suddenly rises in academics simply because the basketball, football, golf, and track teams play teams within the Big 10 conference?

[sendbaht]

I would like the Big 12 to have 12 teams...but happy yes for now..much so!

[8timechamps]

The Big XII and BYU already talked about the Cougars joining, and it didn't work out...that happened for a reason.

BYU has been the "big dog" in their past conference affiliations. They aren't willing to give up that mentality, and I think the Big XII realized it would never work. While I think they could compete in the conference, and be a legitimate contributor, I have no interest in ever seeing them join.

Honestly, I don't think there is a team out there that is worth bringing in, just to get to 12. I agree with OUflak, I believe once the P5 officially separate it's only going to be a matter of time before the Big XII championship game is reinstated.

There really is no reason to bring in another team at this point. The conference is able to keep the members satisfied with money, and the competition is as good as it was prior to the departure of Nebraska, CU, A&M and Mizzou. OSU, Baylor and Tech have stepped up and pretty much taken the spots held by the former members.

Until/unless there is a mega conference merge, I think the Big XII is doing fine and OU is in a good spot.

[8timechamps]

and for the record, my CU peeps...."how are you gonna get by (the Big Texas Conference).....losing the Denver TV market....". because CU is in the Pac.

there never was a "Denver TV market".....OU is still on my TV more than CU has ever been.

Yep.

If/when CU gets better in football, I'm sure we'll see more attention paid, but this just isn't a college crazy market. There are too many options, and CFB ranks down on the list. With that said (and as you mentioned), OU is on TV here more than any local college team.

[tycat947]

The Big XII and BYU already talked about the Cougars joining, and it didn't work out...that happened for a reason.

BYU has been the "big dog" in their past conference affiliations. They aren't willing to give up that mentality, and I think the Big XII realized it would never work. While I think they could compete in the conference, and be a legitimate contributor, I have no interest in ever seeing them join.

Honestly, I don't think there is a team out there that is worth bringing in, just to get to 12. I agree with OUflak, I believe once the P5 officially separate it's only going to be a matter of time before the Big XII championship game is reinstated.

There really is no reason to bring in another team at this point. The conference is able to keep the members satisfied with money, and the competition is as good as it was prior to the departure of Nebraska, CU, A&M and Mizzou. OSU, Baylor and Tech have stepped up and pretty much taken the spots held by the former members.

Until/unless there is a mega conference merge, I think the Big XII is doing fine and OU is in a good spot.

A huge HELL NO to BYU! If they provided so much value, the other big conferences would be looking to pick them up and they aren't! Mendanhall knows they are going to get left way behind and he's pandering to the only conference that even hinted of interest in the past! We have 2 religious schools too many now! We DO NOT need them nor want them in Big 12...period!

[Mazeppa]

^
agree, but I thought West Virginia was a bad fit.

[8timechamps]

A huge HELL NO to BYU! If they provided so much value, the other big conferences would be looking to pick them up and they aren't! Mendanhall knows they are going to get left way behind and he's pandering to the only conference that even hinted of interest in the past! We have 2 religious schools too many now! We DO NOT need them nor want them in Big 12...period!

Yep, there's a reason the PAC never viewed them as a legitimate option. Honestly, I'd rather the Big XII fold and OU join a different conference, than bring BYU into the mix.

[ouflak]

^
agree, but I thought West Virginia was a bad fit.

This is still up in the air. I'm not convinced. And I'm fairly certain there are plenty of fans of other Big XII schools as well as WVU fans who are still undecided on whether they really belong in the Big XII.

[oudanny]

I'm okay with the conference the way it is but I would like to add louisville and Cinncinnati. I think those schools would help link the geographical gap between Iowa State, WVU, and the rest of the conference. No way do I want BYU.

[Soonerwake]

Can you imagine a set-up like this?:

West: OU, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, Mizzou, A&M
East: Bama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vandy

Now that's a super-conference..

[Curly Bill]

I'm an OU fan, not a fan of any particular conference, Big 12 or otherwise, so I could GAS.

[KantoSooner]

Arkie?

[Mazeppa]

Can you imagine a set-up like this?:

West: OU, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, Mizzou, A&M
East: Bama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vandy

Now that's a super-conference..

But what would become of osu? ( like I GAS )

[8timechamps]

I'm okay with the conference the way it is but I would like to add louisville and Cinncinnati. I think those schools would help link the geographical gap between Iowa State, WVU, and the rest of the conference. No way do I want BYU.

The Big XII (Dan Beebe) really missed the boat with Louisville. They would have been a good pick-up, and Cincinnati could have joined them to get to 12. I don't think Cincy alone would have been a good addition, but with Louisville, it would have been a good bridge to WVU.

Louisville was never a "big" get for the conference, but would have been able to hold their own financially, and certainly could have competed with the mid-tier Big XII teams in football. We all know how good they are in basketball, and their "other" sport aren't bad either.

For whatever reason, the Big XII sat on their hands and missed any real chance to expand. Now, there's really nothing left.

[nanimonai]

Louisville would have been nice but I think the Big XII needs another big-time program and preferably one out East since West Virginia is kind of oddly by themselves out there. Florida State would be the best choice ultimately in my opinion. Maybe a Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech as well. OU and Texas are the only ones keeping the B12 from mid-major status.
There was a little bit of FSU talk a while back but nothing ever panned out. Just seems like a perfect fit.

[champions77]

We are now in a diminished conference from what it was a few years back, I don't think there is any argument about that. We turned down the SEC, probably the only school that has ever done that to my knowledge. Georgia Tech got their feelings hurt years ago and left the SEC, and have regretted it every since. We may too. Outside of the Big East, no conference has had as much turmoil and dissention as the Big XII has had. In desperation we take a school from way out of our region....because they were as desperate as the Big XII. Weak leadership that would not stand up to Texas caused a majority of the acrimony.

I don't ever see the Big XII regaining the lofty position is once occupied. For OU to again be a member of a really strong conference, it will have to leave and go somewhere else it appears to me. The opportunities to add members of stature are limited. That ship has sailed.

Will OU join the SEC if ever offered again? It depends upon many things, but one variable for sure is who the OU President is at the time. Zero chance of joining the SEC as long as DB is President, unless.....Texas is offered and accepts. OU would then go I'm convinced.

[Eielson]

The Big XII (Dan Beebe) really missed the boat with Louisville. They would have been a good pick-up, and Cincinnati could have joined them to get to 12. I don't think Cincy alone would have been a good addition, but with Louisville, it would have been a good bridge to WVU.

Louisville was never a "big" get for the conference, but would have been able to hold their own financially, and certainly could have competed with the mid-tier Big XII teams in football. We all know how good they are in basketball, and their "other" sport aren't bad either.

For whatever reason, the Big XII sat on their hands and missed any real chance to expand. Now, there's really nothing left.

I kind of like the way it plays out with just 10 teams. If we have to go to superconferences we might be a little weak, but until then I don't mind. I wish we'd grabbed Louisville instead of TCU, though. TCU is pretty much dead weight, and in a small way, I think making them Big XII will ultimately help their recruiting, which will make it harder for the rest of us. TCU will always just be a crappy version of A&M.

[BoulderSooner79]

It seems a bit weird to complain about conference strength when we haven't won it since '10 (I know, we were co-champ 1B in '12). I do wish we could have kept NU and Mizzou instead of bringing in WVU and TCU if we had the choice, but it would not have increased overall strength that much in the years since it happened. The big12 perceived strength seems to go with OU and to a lesser degree, UT. If OUr guys are really on an upswing like it seems and if Strong improves UT (I think he will, darnit), the big12 won't be in a bad position nationally. That could hold until the CFB reorganizes into NFL-like conference with division of the elite programs.

[Eielson]

I don't think the Big XII should have to prove itself. A&M and Mizzou's success in the SEC coupled with that fact that WVU and TCU get demolished on a weekly basis should be enough. It's hard to believe that those teams were making regular top 10 and BCS appearances not too long ago. Now they barely make the top 10 in our conference.

Oh but I get it! A&M is way better than they were when they were in the Big XII. And Mizzou is way better now then they were when they were in the Big XII. And WVU is way worse now than they were in the Big East. And TCU is way worse than they were in the Mountain West. I'm out of breath.

[8timechamps]

I don't think the Big XII should have to prove itself. A&M and Mizzou's success in the SEC coupled with that fact that WVU and TCU get demolished on a weekly basis should be enough. It's hard to believe that those teams were making regular top 10 and BCS appearances not too long ago. Now they barely make the top 10 in our conference.

Oh but I get it! A&M is way better than they were when they were in the Big XII. And Mizzou is way better now then they were when they were in the Big XII. And WVU is way worse now than they were in the Big East. And TCU is way worse than they were in the Mountain West. I'm out of breath.

Based on the things I've seen/read since the Sugar Bowl, OU appears to have proven itself to the majority of the media (in terms of how we stack up to the SEC). I don't get the feeling that we really helped the overall view of the Big XII, but I don't really care as long as OU gets the respect they earned.

I feel like the conference (as a whole) will take a hit this coming season (in OOC play), because I just don't see KSU beating Auburn, OSU beating FSU or WVU beating Bama. So, OU will win it's OOC game against Tennessee, the SEC goons will single out OU as the "only" worthy team, and things will remain status quo for the remainder of the conference. It'd be nice if one of the other members could step up, but I just don't see that happening.