Comments on: Big 12 football: Ranking the expansion candidates

By: Smarmee Willis

Smarmee Willis — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:46:32 +0000

You must be part of Obama’s Choom Gang if you think any of those schools is gonna join the crappy Big 12.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:58:41 +0000

The reason not to take BYU is because of geography?? But Maryland fits right in to the Big 12? Colorado has been in the Big 12 for years and that wasn’t a problem. Listen to Billy Parks up there. BYU has a huge national following, excellent football tradition, a beautiful location, and would be the quickest and easiest get because they don’t have a conference affiliation. If BYU finds its way into a BCS conference, recruiting will get a huge boost and who knows what that would do for them. They could be an elite program in 5 years. Not to mention the basketball team would be a top 3 team in the league right off the bat. How many teams on the above list have high level football and basketball programs? FSU, ND, and BYU (all about the same distance from Austin and Norman, by the way..).

To say that BYU would be a good addition to any league, but the extra half hour on the plane is too much is ridiculous. TCU has been in our league for years and that game has been great! They had a solid showing when they came to BYU (not to mention when they came to play the Utes) and BYU fans packed their stadium when we played there. We filled their stadium when we played them in basketball and they are horrible in basketball. And when we beat OU in Dallas we had as many fans there as the Sooners. When you talk about adding BYU, you need to look at it the same way as you do when you talk about adding Notre Dame. You wouldn’t add ND because of the fans in the vast metropolis of South Bend and the huge TV market in Indiana. You add them for the massive national following they have because of the religion, the excellent football tradition, the great basketball program, and because they are on the short list of teams that instantly add enormous credibility to the league. BYU has all of that as well, albeit on a smaller scale. But to say that Pitt, Clem, or Maryland would be better for the league than BYU is just stupid. If you’re going to make up a reason not to let BYU in, geography is the weakest I can think of. Why not use the “play on Sunday” line or the BYUtv situation like everyone else?

By: Don

Don — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:16:06 +0000

It seems since Deloss Dodds is saying he is happy with a 10 team conference everybody has slowed down on expansion talk. When Dodds speaks everybody listens. There won’t be any conference realignment until AFTER the new BCS format is decided. Then schools will look to see what the best options are. I am sure Boise State is kicking themselves for joining the Big East and then finding out the automatic bid to a big bowl is gone. All that extra travel and it gets them nothing. Other schools like FSU and Clemson will have to decide how they can make the new BCS format work for them. If it is a plus one then they are better off staying where they are. They would have a better chance of making the top two AFTER the Big XII-SEC game in the Sugar Bowl and the B1G and PAC 12 game in the Rose Bowl. I say if they decide to go with a four team playoff just forget it and call the SEC Championship Game as the National Title Game and let everybody go have fun at the Bowl Games since the top 4 teams will probably all be from the SEC anyway….and I HATE the SEC.

By: Billy Parks

Billy Parks — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:02:21 +0000

I would place BYU second to ND on a wish list for expansion. They have a national following, which would greatly enhance the Big 12′s visibility. As for geographical distance, another hour or so in the air shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.

By: Tuesday offseason one-liners | CollegeFootballTalk

Tuesday offseason one-liners | CollegeFootballTalk — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:35:51 +0000

[...] Barry Tramel lists his Big 12 expansion wish list. Guess who’s No. 1? Also, some myths and facts about the [...]

By: rtXC1

rtXC1 — Tue, 29 May 2012 23:06:27 +0000

1. ND
2. FSU
3. VT
4. GT
5. Clemson
6. Miami
7. Louisville
8. Cincinnati
9. Pittsburg

Those are the only realistic options and should be pursued in that very order. UNC & Duke likely won’t separate and will be either Big Ten or SEC bound. UVA & UMD won’t separate and are shoe-ins for the Big Ten. The Big Ten will be after UNC & Duke, Rutgers & Mizzou, or ND & BC/Rutgers/Mizzou/GT to get to 16, it’s just a matter of who is priority. The SEC will be after UNC & VT, but will probably end up with VT & NCSU unless VT joins the Big 12 and/or Mizzou joins the Big Ten. Then, UNC & Duke (and possibly someone like Pitt, Cincy, or SMU) would be sought after to get to 16 with new markets.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:39:06 +0000

The thing about adding Louisville/BYU right now is that there is no rush at all. It makes sense from the conference’s point of view to just wait a few years and see what happens, because those schools don’t have anywhere else to go. Maybe they make sense to get in a few years, or maybe they don’t.

FSU/Clemson seems like a good 11/12, and I’d be surprised if they actually go on to 14 teams. It would probably take a Notre Dame or UNC commitment to do that, or some other school we feel like we have to lock up immediately.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:23:52 +0000

Dennis….let me get this straight. Playing LSU in New Orleans is a neutral site game? I just don’t get that one AT ALL. Playing LSU in the Rose Bowl is a neutral site game. Playing the main state college football team in the largest city in that state is NOT a neutral site game. Since it looks like the Big XII got taken to the cleaners by the SEC on the Sugar Bowl match up with a Plus 1 format and the Pac 12 and SEC always playing home games in the first round everyone else will just have to live with it. One thing it does is give everyone else a chance at the Championship Game. Lets say the ACC champion (FSU or Clemson) goes undefeated and beats the Big East Champion in the Orange Bowl and the Big 10 champion is a one loss team that beats a previously undefeated PAC 12 Champion. Then the SEC Champion playing a home game against the Big XII champion will probably win and set up an SEC-ACC Championship Game in a Plus 1 format. Forget that the ACC champion may be the 8th best team that year since it is a Plus 1 they would be the only undefeated bowl winners. So much for the Big XII dumping the Fiesta Bowl. If they had stuck with the Fiesta Bowl the chances are it would be a Big XII-SEC Championship Game. The new Big XII commissioner was just too enamoured of the Rose Bowl and agreed to letting the SEC sell him the idea of making the Sugar Bowl like the Rose Bowl.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:45:18 +0000

Ed, ratings are great, but that’s not the point. It’s how many cable subscribers are there to tack a $1-3/mo fee onto for a conference or regional network. That’s it. The total population isn’t high enough. It doesn’t matter what percentage of them tune in or not. Cause they’re paying for it regardless.

Chris, I don’t think “home field” for meaningless bowl games (anything other than a playoff) matters. Close travel is a benefit, and New Orleans is perfectly fine. UT & Bama in NO is a neutral site.

You’re wrong about the playoff though. The same type bowl agreement (Rose) has existed for a while between B1G & PAC. We’re moving to a system where those two games ARE the semi-finals. That may not be what comes out of the BCS meetings, but it’ll eventually evolve into that.

By: Daily Bullets | Pistols Firing

Daily Bullets | Pistols Firing — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:38:33 +0000

[...] Berry Tramel ranks the Big 12 expansion candidates. Yawn. (NewsOK) [...]