Big 12 in 2016

[longtimefan]

Jake Trotter on Twitter: "Confirmed Air Force on list of schools that have notified the Big 12."

[bearcatbret]

Going back several months and very stupid. Eliminate divisions in conferences but keep rivals. If you look at say the Big 10, the weak teams all are rival games and the strong teams are rival games which means that a decent team from the weak teams have a chance...... However, the funniest is when they get to the Big 12. http://www.sbnation.com/college-foot...ons-scheduling

[coach]

It's simple, Ohio deserves more than 1 power conference spot in college athletics and UC has earned it.

[bearcatbret]

I find it interesting that over 25 years ago Cincinnati was part of a group that commissioned a report. I believe that it was towards the end of the Metro where UC had conference affiliations with Virginia Tech and Florida State along with others. The study said that the future was for future 16 team mega conferences. Basically what we hear today. Those members as well as all laughed at the idea. It was too bad that the independents in football back then did not jump at the chance. We know where FSU and VTech went. UC went to the Great Midwest then improved to Conference USA trying to make that a no boundary, mega conference a reality. Those old enough to remember the metro, it was a great basketball conference and UC was wondering aimlessly in the football world where the faculty members even tried to vote football out of the school. Okay, I can ramble on about history....

Getting back to this topic, it appears that the TV powers to be are trying to force football into four 16-team mega conferences. The same people that laughed at the idea 25 years ago. If that is the case, I would suggest to those paying the bills (ESPN, Fox, others) to choose the most deserving 64 teams and drop the dead weight (Purdue, Wake Forest, Oregon State, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, etc.) Quit pretending that academics matter. Speaking of education, I place my UC degree above most others compared to working with people from every major conference.

UC does bring the State of Ohio recruiting into play. Reading how the non Texas schools of the Big 12 do not want Houston in the Big 12 based on recruiting, I would think that Ohio would be a prime market..... Okay, I am done with my rant.

[red_n_black_attack]

Will the 2-hour video conferences include all ten Big 12 presidents? That's 34 hours of time on either P5 hopefuls that would say no or several G5 hopefuls who aren't really in the running.

Here's hoping we don't get the 3AM - 5AM time slot with each room on the other end darkened and on mute.

[Lobot]

McMurphy in particular has been all too willing to toe the company line on this stuff. Annoys the **** out of me. Frankly I wish he was back at CBS where he was allowed to do unbiased reporting.

[longtimefan]

So apparently the Big 12 is going to video conference with all 17 schools that contacted the league. This could take a bit of time.

http://www.espn.com/college-football...ools-expansion

Is it really 17? If so I believe that much of it will be just common courtesy to the schools that have shown interest, no way there are that many candidates. The problem is that it is getting really difficult to trust ESPN reporting on this issue and quite frankly many others, there is always the shadow surrounding them that their reporting is slanted to support their own business interests. There is a big difference between reporting on sports, which they are supposed to do, and manipulating sports, which they do all too frequently. So I take with a grain of salt any information I get from them, and yes this could all be settled by next week.

[coach]

Uab dropped football..................or got it back. How can a football conference even spend the time on that?

[Lobot]

I don't believe the McMurphy article. I am actually tired of this type of journalism. The article doesn't cite any identified sources or quotes from the Big 12. I also don't believe the article because it doesn't make sense. The Big 12 has consultants and a committee that already did most of the leg work. It doesn't make sense to waste your time or the time of 17 universities.

I don't entirely believe the article either frankly. Chuck Carlton at the DMN is backing some of it though. He says he's only got 14 teams, not 17. If they really are doing 2 hour video conference with everyone, I suspect it's out of professional courtesy for some of the schools and politics for others. The politicking by ESPN is getting me ill though especially after they sabotaged the Big East. I'd drop cable all together if they didn't have our rights until 2025.

[TheDog]

I still think the Big 12 expands by 4 with BYU football only.

[TheDog]

I don't believe the McMurphy article. I am actually tired of this type of journalism. The article doesn't cite any identified sources or quotes from the Big 12. I also don't believe the article because it doesn't make sense. The Big 12 has consultants and a committee that already did most of the leg work. It doesn't make sense to waste your time or the time of 17 universities.

[bearcatbret]

I figured that the Big 12 would wait until after the Olympics because they want to be the big news of the day. Your idea of Sept. first is a pretty slick one. They would dominate the news all day and most likely the broadcast conversations.

Cincinnati Enquirer a day late and a dollar short. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opin...g-12/88484584/

[red_n_black_attack]

This an ESPN smokescreen IMO. Seeing real smoke that an announcement could be made as early as Monday 8/15. If I'm the Big 12 I 'd troll ESPN by doing the announcement Sept. 1 before all the ESPN Thursday night games though.

If decision is made by 15th, please don't make us wait until Sept 1!!!

[Lobot]

This an ESPN smokescreen IMO. Seeing real smoke that an announcement could be made as early as Monday 8/15. If I'm the Big 12 I 'd troll ESPN by doing the announcement Sept. 1 before all the ESPN Thursday night games though.

[coach]

Note to the B12, you snooze, you lose. Their indecision has left them no one to blame but themselves. No visionaries other than Boren and Gee in that group.