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

[Panjandrum]

For what it's worth, Houston has been doing work lately. The President has been working other Big 12 presidents, they're starting some major renovations to their basketball facility, and their new stadium is expandable to 60k.

Their BOR has started drumming up support in the state legislature for inclusion.  I guess, privately, the UP has been telling donors that these next two years are critical. So, the plan is probably for us to evaluate in 2015 and 2016.

Houston is a very real candidate right now.  Supposedly, Boren is a fan.  Lots of OU alumni in Houston (someone confirm?), and they are a Tier 1 research university, strong endowment, lots of potential corporate donors that are untapped, etc.

I think the top two contenders are Houston and Cincy, to be honest.  If the vote were held tomorrow, that's who I'd put my money on.

I'm just going to leave this here.

[Panjandrum]

Posters on the shag are insinuating that if Texas lets Houston in, UH will drop opposition to the Texas system putting a campus in Houston.

Hence, Fenves tweet.

I have zero knowledge of that saga, but that sounds very much like something Texas leadership would do.

I am prepared to mark Houston down, in Sharpie marker, as #11.

I read the thread on the shag a little more last night to get a better understanding...

It sounds like UT wants to build more of a graduate level campus in Houston.  UH is worried that UT will steal a lot of their graduate level faculty and really gut that part of their university.  The hope of getting UH into a P5 conference, which will hopefully increase undergrad enrollment, is that UH will survive and pivot to more of an undergraduate focused university.

[KITNfury]

Yea let's add a school for basically no good reason except it helps UT get a campus in Houston. Great long term thinking behind this. If you want to know why the Big 12 can't stop tripping over their dick, it's because they make decisions like this for these types of reasons. sheesh.

[Panjandrum]

Yea let's add a school for basically no good reason except it helps UT get a campus in Houston. Great long term thinking behind this. If you want to know why the Big 12 can't stop tripping over their dick, it's because they make decisions like this for these types of reasons. sheesh.

Keeping Texas happy is what keeps this conference together and further tethering them, politically, to the Big 12 helps keep it together.

[Panjandrum]

Does everyone realize that no matter who we add at this point, we're probably in better shape long term than the Pac-12?

['taterblast]

SMU wants in

[KITNfury]

Yea let's add a school for basically no good reason except it helps UT get a campus in Houston. Great long term thinking behind this. If you want to know why the Big 12 can't stop tripping over their dick, it's because they make decisions like this for these types of reasons. sheesh.

Keeping Texas happy is what keeps this conference together and further tethering them, politically, to the Big 12 helps keep it together.

Does adding Houston keep UT happy in 5 years? 10 year? 20? It's short sighted at best. Doesn't mean crap going forward. But I don't expect the leadership of this conference to make good decisions, never have and no reason to believe they will going forward. It makes me sad, but I don't blame the schools with options to leave for wanting to do so.

[KITNfury]

Does everyone realize that no matter who we add at this point, we're probably in better shape long term than the Pac-12?

That's absolutely untrue because even if we can make more money, we're infinitely more likely to dissolve. They might always be the poorest power conference, but they will always remain a power conference.

[FranklyFrankYou]

Giving UT Houston is like giving Hitler Poland.

[Panjandrum]

Does everyone realize that no matter who we add at this point, we're probably in better shape long term than the Pac-12?

That's absolutely untrue because even if we can make more money, we're infinitely more likely to dissolve. They might always be the poorest power conference, but they will always remain a power conference.

The most likely meltdown scenario is some merging between the Pac 12 and Big 12.  What that looks like (media rights, true merge, consolidate more powerful schools, etc.), I don't know, but that's more likely than everyone spreading out like seeds in the wind.

[DOD Take 2]

I don't understand the Houston hate. It replaces the void left by aTm. The only worthwhile argument I'veheard against them is that it doesn't open up new recruiting avenues.

my only issue is it's one more Texas school.   I don't want them ganging up on us anymore than they already do (see UT prez tweet above)

This. I'm just sick of Texas schools, but I think they're more valuable than Baylor and TCU.

Why would you ever compare potential additions to some of your worst that are already in? I mean, I know who we are too, and we don't need another "us".

Clearly Houston would be better than Baylor or TCU or maybe even Tech, but only in the situation you'd drop one in favor of Houston - which isn't happening so we can stop this talking point.

[DOD Take 2]

Chip Brown on Gottliebs show today..

If four schools are added, Brown believes that Houston, Cincinnati and BYU would top the Big 12 wish list.

I mean, yeah behind like every single P5 school. And Pac-12 could certainly be susceptible to losing 2 members with as shitty as their network rights are.

[The Big Train]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

[sonofdaxjones]

 Well crap.  If it's four, then mump it, I want ECU.  Never gonna happen, but WTH at this juncture.

[That_Guy]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I was curious as well.


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[Panjandrum]

Ah, hell, if it's four, BYU, Houston, Colorado State, and Cincy.

[star seed 7]

Well crap.  If it's four, then mump it, I want ECU.  Never gonna happen, but WTH at this juncture.

Would take over rough ridin' Cincinnati

[scottwildcat]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I haven't said anything that isn't true. What of the major sports are we better than Houston?

[The Big Train]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I haven't said anything that isn't true. What of the major sports are we better than Houston?

For one we are in a better conference, but overall you have just been Debbie downer lately

[420seriouscat69]

Well crap.  If it's four, then mump it, I want ECU.  Never gonna happen, but WTH at this juncture.

Would take over rough ridin' Cincinnati

Since 2007, Cinicinnati football is 82-35, that's the 16th best in the nation, while east carolina has been extremely average. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Carolina_Pirates_football

[Shooter Jones]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I haven't said anything that isn't true. What of the major sports are we better than Houston?

You said the Big 12 has to have 2 divisions to have a champ game, which isn't true.

[Clevey 2 Times]

Well crap.  If it's four, then mump it, I want ECU.  Never gonna happen, but WTH at this juncture.

Would take over rough ridin' Cincinnati

Since 2007, Cinicinnati football is 82-35, that's the 16th best in the nation, while east carolina has been extremely average. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Carolina_Pirates_football

If we're going to add the undeserving, let's at least add teams in metro areas with TVs.

Is this really happening? I'm resigned to our future trips to New Mexico.

[scottwildcat]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I haven't said anything that isn't true. What of the major sports are we better than Houston?

You said the Big 12 has to have 2 divisions to have a champ game, which isn't true.

yes that was wrong. i was basing that off the original proposed change to the CCG rule, not the one that was ultimately passed.

[sonofdaxjones]

ECU plays tougher non cons, and Cinn is swallowed up by Ohio State whereas ECU beats ACC teams including UNC.    Population growth, no contest.

[scottwildcat]

Fwiw they already do have better athletics across the board.

Are you ok?  Nothing but absolute negativity out of you recently

I haven't said anything that isn't true. What of the major sports are we better than Houston?

For one we are in a better conference, but overall you have just been Debbie downer lately

Please tell me which of Football, Basketball, or Baseball we are in a better state that Houston right now. Long term you can make arguments but the current state of their programs are much better than ours, and adding them to the Big 12 would change that from being just the current state of the programs to long term out look. If you don't agree with any of that you are just lying to yourself.