Smoke your cigars and enjoy the band while you can....

[Steffy08]

OU President Boren just released this statement:

"The Big 12 is disadvantaged when compared to the other conferences in three ways. We do not have at least twelve members, we do not have a conference network, and we do not have a championship game. I think that all three of these disadvantages need to be addressed at the same time. Addressing only one without addressing all three will not be adequate to improve the strength of the conference."

I'd love to push his dumb ass in front of a bus.

The issues of membership, network, and championship game are complicated; there are advantages and disadvantages of the current system, as well as advantages and disadvantages in changing.  Regardless, though, if Boren wants to make these changes, that is enough of a reason to do it.  Although the question of whether a 14/10/12 conference is superior is a tough one, there is no doubt that a conference without OU is inferior to a conference with OU.

We need to keep him happy.  I sure hope KSU is supporting OU on this. 

[KITNfury]

Boren will retire soon, eff him

[Steffy08]

Boren will retire soon, eff him

Maybe, but the new Prez would likely have the same approach.

This is just a no-brainer to me, because the arguments for or against expansion are close.  As such, K-State's interest is advanced by keeping OU happy.  (In addition to all of this (and independently), if we have a friend in high places, it is OU.  It sure the hell isn't UT.  Just another reason to support OU here.)

[sonofdaxjones]

First off the notion that the Big 12 is at a significant financial disadvantage is still very much TBD, and may never actually come to pass.

Outside of idiots like CultAggie, what drives open check books?  Conference affiliation or wining?  OU is currently well positioned to remain at the top of the Big 12 in both major sports and in multiple minor sports.  The excitement of a new conference wears off quickly, winning and trophies and banners last forever.

[BostonPancake]

Boren will retire soon, eff him

Maybe, but the new Prez would likely have the same approach.

This is just a no-brainer to me, because the arguments for or against expansion are close.  As such, K-State's interest is advanced by keeping OU happy.  (In addition to all of this (and independently), if we have a friend in high places, it is OU.  It sure the hell isn't UT.  Just another reason to support OU here.)

Since when is OU our friend?  I've never had that impression. 

What is OU's goal here?  Do they really want a network and 12 teams, etc or do they really just want to leave.

[Panjandrum]

First off the notion that the Big 12 is at a significant financial disadvantage is still very much TBD, and may never actually come to pass.

Outside of idiots like CultAggie, what drives open check books?  Conference affiliation or wining?  OU is currently well positioned to remain at the top of the Big 12 in both major sports and in multiple minor sports.  The excitement of a new conference wears off quickly, winning and trophies and banners last forever.

Oklahoma and Texas aren't going anywhere.  Both of them are attached, politically, to other schools in their state, and that will ultimately be a lot of baggage to overcome for little benefit.

I'm all for some form of conference network, but only if it was some sort of future thought like Netflix or some digital partnership with ESPN.  As it stands, the individual schools have more flexibility to address how their fans want to access that content, and I think that's ideal.

We are leaving money on the table by not having a CCG.  If we really are not taking advantage of a $30 million game in Dallas every year, and each of us are leaving $3 million on the table, that may not be ideal. However, if us having one prevents us from being in the playoff more often than not, maybe that creates a net loss due to how much money we get by being a participant.  It's hard to say.

There's never going to be a circumstance that we'll get two teams into the CCG.  That was a pie in the sky thought.  What is probably true is that it will most likely force Notre Dame to go undefeated to get into the playoff since they'll never have that 13th data point.  And if that drives them to join a conference, that's probably the closest thing to a realignment end game that we'll see in the next 20-30 years.

[KITNfury]

We could get two into the playoffs in an 8 team version. ...with no champ game. Would be very hard to get 2 Big12 teams in for any scenario with a champ game.

[cfbandyman]

Adding a conference game when you have round robin is patently the stupidest thing this conference will do besides allowing the original lineup to blow this whole thing open 6 years ago. It serves no purpose other than potentially screwing over an undefeated non-OU/Tex team or a 1 loss OU/Tex. And I don't get trying to keep OU happy, Tex still is king in this humpty bumpty and last time I checked everything was still good on that front. Boren needs to step the hell down and let a damn team player prez step in instead of making ridiculous statements like he did. If he wants that 3 point plan so bad, suggest what schools he wants to add and get them added, get Tex to forfeit the longhorn network, and don't even thing about CCG until those 2 are accomplished or STFU.

[deputy dawg]

Could Boren be trying to implode the conference by driving Tejas to a conference that's OK with LHN?  OU would certainly be welcome in more than one conference.

[catastrophe]

A CCG in a 10-team round robin is ridiculous if you have an undefeated regular season champ, and is the best idea in the world if you have two 1-loss teams from the regular season who are both sitting just outside of the CFP's top 4.

[DQ12]

Adding a conference game when you have round robin is patently the stupidest thing this conference will do besides allowing the original lineup to blow this whole thing open 6 years ago. It serves no purpose other than potentially screwing over an undefeated non-OU/Tex team or a 1 loss OU/Tex.

The 2014 season says otherwise.

I think it's probably a wash.  If we have it, great, if not no biggie.  But it's not worth adding crappy schools we otherwise wouldn't to get one.

['taterblast]

yeah it just depends on the year. someone wrote an article that the big 12 should save the last week of the season for an optional championship game in case of a tie breaker. but would probably never happen because you wouldn't be able to sell tv rights.

this year, ou-osu would have played back to back weeks after ou had just won on osu's home field. ou was clearly in the playoff. it would be incredibly stupid to have a championship game in that situation.

[ChiComCat]

CCG is maybe good for 12-1 v 12-1
CCG is bad for 13-0 v 12-1, 13-0 v 11-2, 12-1 v 11-2

[CHONGS]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

[DQ12]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

Just do highest CFP rank as the second tiebreaker.  That's what we actually want.

[Panjandrum]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

Just do highest CFP rank as the second tiebreaker.  That's what we actually want.

I think we'd need to have that poll come out on Sunday instead of Tuesday (is that what it is?) for that to make sense.

I'm not sure that turnaround time is enough to get people to get tickets and book travel to the neutral site. 

And I'm assuming it's a neutral site if Bowlsby is talking about $25-35 million for valuation of that game.

[MakeItRain]

Boren will retire soon, eff him

We could get two into the playoffs in an 8 team version. ...with no champ game. Would be very hard to get 2 Big12 teams in for any scenario with a champ game.

QFT

[MakeItRain]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

Just do highest CFP rank as the second tiebreaker.  That's what we actually want.

I think we'd need to have that poll come out on Sunday instead of Tuesday (is that what it is?) for that to make sense.

I'm not sure that turnaround time is enough to get people to get tickets and book travel to the neutral site. 

And I'm assuming it's a neutral site if Bowlsby is talking about $25-35 million for valuation of that game.

The final poll does come out on Sunday, how in the world do you not know that?

[DQ12]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

Just do highest CFP rank as the second tiebreaker.  That's what we actually want.

I think we'd need to have that poll come out on Sunday instead of Tuesday (is that what it is?) for that to make sense.

I'm not sure that turnaround time is enough to get people to get tickets and book travel to the neutral site. 

And I'm assuming it's a neutral site if Bowlsby is talking about $25-35 million for valuation of that game.

Well I was talking about how to crown a champion without a CCG.

However, if we're looking at who to put in the CCG, just go by record, head to head, then highest avg rank between coaches and ap -- I would have to think that it would almost always be the same team as the CFP's highest in this scenario.

[Panjandrum]

in a round robin the tie breakers should be:

Head to head is the first and then ooc opponents record

done

a champ game with a round robin is terrible

Just do highest CFP rank as the second tiebreaker.  That's what we actually want.

I think we'd need to have that poll come out on Sunday instead of Tuesday (is that what it is?) for that to make sense.

I'm not sure that turnaround time is enough to get people to get tickets and book travel to the neutral site. 

And I'm assuming it's a neutral site if Bowlsby is talking about $25-35 million for valuation of that game.

The final poll does come out on Sunday, how in the world do you not know that?

I didn't pay much attention to the bowl season this year.

[Shooter Jones]

I have pretty low conference re-alignment IQ.. but will someone tell me why the Big 12 does not proactively go back to egotistical schools like NU and A&M, and show them estimated numbers of what conference revenue plus what their own tier 3 network would bring in? Wouldn't it be considerably more than what they're getting from their conference payouts now, so they'd eat that crap up?

[davegladow]

What is probably true is that it will most likely force Notre Dame to go undefeated to get into the playoff since they'll never have that 13th data point.  And if that drives them to join a conference, that's probably the closest thing to a realignment end game that we'll see in the next 20-30 years.

The 13th data point is going to hammer Notre Dame yearly, and you're probably right that if anything gets them into a conference, it's that.  In my view, the ONLY justification for going to round robin + championship game model is to benefit your expansion cause (you can sell more money + 13th data point/playoff berth to potential candidates). Doing this probably screws Notre Dame into joining a conference, BUT I don't see any reasonable way they end up in the Big 12, so what's the actual point?  Hope FSU and Clemson get tired of not making money and eventually defect?  That's possible I guess, but not imminent.

Does Boren have a good relationship with ND? I know Dodds did and was pursuing the Irish because he's a boss.

Of course the easiest interpretation is that Boren is just running his mouth and/or is senile -- he and Bowlsby have contradicted each other so often it's comical.

[catastrophe]

I have pretty low conference re-alignment IQ.. but will someone tell me why the Big 12 does not proactively go back to egotistical schools like NU and A&M, and show them estimated numbers of what conference revenue plus what their own tier 3 network would bring in? Wouldn't it be considerably more than what they're getting from their conference payouts now, so they'd eat that crap up?

I have low-med realignment IQ, but pretty sure Big 10 is the most lucrative conference per member. Big 12 is up there, but all these conferences have fairly long term tv deals that expire at various times, so it is tough to really compare equally. When SEC renews, there is a chance their per school revenue could come pretty close to Big 12 even though they have more members.

I think T3 rights are overrated for many schools too. If you have a fanbase who cares a ton about sports other than football, it MIGHT be a factor in a school's alignment preferences, but I think it's probably a ways down the list.

[Steffy08]

I have pretty low conference re-alignment IQ.. but will someone tell me why the Big 12 does not proactively go back to egotistical schools like NU and A&M, and show them estimated numbers of what conference revenue plus what their own tier 3 network would bring in? Wouldn't it be considerably more than what they're getting from their conference payouts now, so they'd eat that crap up?

This is going to be done/or has been done with regard to Mizzou and Arky.

[Steffy08]

Boren will retire soon, eff him

Maybe, but the new Prez would likely have the same approach.

This is just a no-brainer to me, because the arguments for or against expansion are close.  As such, K-State's interest is advanced by keeping OU happy.  (In addition to all of this (and independently), if we have a friend in high places, it is OU.  It sure the hell isn't UT.  Just another reason to support OU here.)

Since when is OU our friend?  I've never had that impression. 

What is OU's goal here?  Do they really want a network and 12 teams, etc or do they really just want to leave.

I didn't say they were our friend.  They are the closest to it, however.

OU doesn't need these elaborate plans to leave.  They can just leave at the expiration of the GOR.  Boren wants to stay in the Big 12, but he wants these changes to happen.  I don't know how much more explicit he could be.  It needs to happen to keep OU happy.  Having OU happy is in our long-term best interest.