Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[colobuck79]

You can see the humidity.

 

[CFPBuckeye]

huh - it looks bigger thank 40k (listed capacity on Wikipedia)

Capacity is listed at 40,000 (edit: which you stated)

Tennessee Tech - 30,479
Texas State - 35,257
SMU - 25,204
Vanderbilt - 29,565
Cincinnati - 32,889
Memphis - 42,159 (record)
Navy - 40,562
Temple - 35,721

Better than Cincinnati but definitely nothing to brag about, especially considering the season they had last year. However, that home schedule isn't much to brag about either. It's a who's who of who isn'ts.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I would guess that Houston suffers from the same problem that plagues the Ohio MAC schools: a lot of T-W-R games combined with most of their students off watching big boy football when their games are played on a Saturday.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I would guess that Houston suffers from the same problem that plagues the Ohio MAC schools: a lot of T-W-R games combined with most of their students off watching big boy football when their games are played on a Saturday.

They are the big boy football in that state now

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Everytime I visit this thread I chuckle that 50 people selected Georgia Tech.

What about the 17 that chose Cincinnati?

 

[ScriptOhio]

What about the 17 that chose Cincinnati?

They are still around somewhere.

 

[cincibuck]

The problem with the juggalos' entire fantasy is that their joining just makes the Big 12 that much less of a P5 conference and one that will implode the moment Texas decides to pack up and leave. Perhaps, UT will decide that keeping their LHN is worth staying in the B12 and propping it up, but I don't think so. They're the strongest voice against expansion now, and this would be just one more argument pushing them out the door. The expanded B12 still can't have a viable network because of the LHN, but conversely, they can't have a viable network if Texas leaves. Also, how much money does either FOX or ESPN have for an expanded and diluted B12 deal after each of them just committed $1.5B to get Big Ten rights? And how much are they willing to commit to a B12 that becomes worthless the moment UT and/or OU hit the door.

As for the B12 getting a footprint in Ohio, that's pure fantasy. Even during the jugggalos Kelly era glory, they had ZERO following outside the tri-county area, and even within it, their following is a mile wide and an inch deep, meaning that it dries up and disappears with the first four or five loss season. And even in the good times, the best that UC can hope to do is win a plurality of eyeballs in that corner of the state with Ohio State, Kentucky and Notre Dame. REgular games against WVU and Iowa State won't change that a bit. Having UT and OU come to Juggalo Field once every 6 years won't change that either.

Then there's the matter of finances. Under the Grifter, UC has run one of the most irresponsible athletic departments in the country. Last year's subsidy was over $27M, one of the very highest in the country. Where is the money going to come from to step up their program, and it won't be coming from a watered down share of money from a conference that can't have a network.

The problem is long standing and the answer is so obvious that it's impossible to accept. UC belongs in the MAC. They would be the only MAC school with a med school and nationally recognized undergrad programs in music and design, art and architecture. They would also be the only MAC school set in an urban environment.

Being in the MAC would keep their traditional rivalry with Miami alive, would drastically cut travel expenses for all sports - especially non-revenue sports, provide more TV coverage - albeit, when the networks need product, but hey - and they'd soon be kings of all they survey.

Ergo, it makes too much sense. It fails to fit in to the script the school shares with the town. Somewhere in the town's DNA is this, "It shoulda been me," gene. A gene with an accompanying dream: A kingdom Starting in Lebanon, reaching east to Washington CH, south to Portsmouth, across to Huntington, WV, west to Covington, Ky, circling up to Madison and Columbus, Indiana and back to Lebanon - the Tri-State and the Queen City would rule the kingdom. It's reflected in politics where the city constantly finds itself the third pig at the Ohio trough (and where the Kentucky Tri-State cities enjoy the benefits, pay nothing in tribute, and plot against the kingdom.)

It's reflected in the town's history: The town that spurned the railroad in favor of the steamboat, thus making St. Louis and Chicago the major hubs in the nation's rail network. The home of the copperhead movement during the Civil war. The town that, instead of reaching north to Dayton and Columbus and proposing a huge regional airport, reached south to Kentucky, allowing all that revenue to travel to Covington, Newport and down to Frankfurt.

Don't get me wrong. I do love the city. It's affordable. The downtown area has come back to life. Things I enjoy: the symphony, theatre, the art museum, restaurants and bars, are as good as you will find in the Midwest outside of Chicago. But I also see it's emotional need to be something it isn't - a state capital, the regional big boy, the cultural center of Ohio. Its refusal to be a player in Ohio, to sit in the southwest corner of the state and sulk, does nothing to alter those facts.

 

[TexasBuck]

It sounds like UT is only supporting Houston to the Big 12 if Houston agrees to UofH dropping opposition to UT building a satellite campus adjacent to the UofH campus. Houston seems desperate enough to accept this.

So as usual, UT is dictating terms to the rest of the conference and will likely bolt at some point, leaving most of the other members hanging.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ut-presi...rt-houston-in-big-12-expansion-213418850.html

 

[starBUCKS]

Jake Trotter ‏@Jake_Trotter
In email, SMU claims it has reached out to Big 12 to express interest in membership...

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

The problem is long standing and the answer is so obvious that it's impossible to accept. UC belongs in the MAC. They would be the only MAC school with a med school and nationally recognized undergrad programs in music and design, art and architecture. They would also be the only MAC school set in an urban environment.

Being in the MAC would keep their traditional rivalry with Miami alive, would drastically cut travel expenses for all sports - especially non-revenue sports, provide more TV coverage - albeit, when the networks need product, but hey - and they'd soon be kings of all they survey.

Ergo, it makes too much sense. It fails to fit in to the script the school shares with the town. Somewhere in the town's DNA is this, "It shoulda been me," gene. A gene with an accompanying dream: A kingdom Starting in Lebanon, reaching east to Washington CH, south to Portsmouth, across to Huntington, WV, west to Covington, Ky, circling up to Madison and Columbus, Indiana and back to Lebanon - the Tri-State and the Queen City would rule the kingdom. It's reflected in politics where the city constantly finds itself the third pig at the Ohio trough (and where the Kentucky Tri-State cities enjoy the benefits, pay nothing in tribute, and plot against the kingdom.)

It's reflected in the town's history: The town that spurned the railroad in favor of the steamboat, thus making St. Louis and Chicago the major hubs in the nation's rail network. The home of the copperhead movement during the Civil war. The town that, instead of reaching north to Dayton and Columbus and proposing a huge regional airport, reached south to Kentucky, allowing all that revenue to travel to Covington, Newport and down to Frankfurt.

Don't get me wrong. I do love the city. It's affordable. The downtown area has come back to life. Things I enjoy: the symphony, theatre, the art museum, restaurants and bars, are as good as you will find in the Midwest outside of Chicago. But I also see it's emotional need to be something it isn't - a state capital, the regional big boy, the cultural center of Ohio. Its refusal to be a player in Ohio, to sit in the southwest corner of the state and sulk, does nothing to alter those facts.

And, like any good grifter, Ono recognized all that insecurity and unfulfilled aspiration and tapped right into it and played it for everything it was worth.

The history is that Cincy had to sign off on the deal that created Ohio State and put it in Columbus. In exchange, they were given the right to found and operate a municipal university. They could have done what Pittsburgh did with Pitt, and if they had they truly would have a peer University to Ohio State. Rather, they chose to settle for mediocrity so that a century later when the state had to bail it out all they had built was a local commuter school.

 

[JCOSU86]

If they admit Rice and SMU (after already getting TCU) they can change their name back to the Southwestern Conference.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Jake Trotter ‏@Jake_Trotter
In email, SMU claims it has reached out to Big 12 to express interest in membership...

I'm picturing the B12 President with an email folder similar to the "Jaxbuck" folder in Jessica Alba's outlook.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

BYU makes the most sense. They have a decent tradition, good attendance and bring a major metro area. The network clearly isn't a problem, nor is the academic freedom issues that will always keep them out of the PAC since Baylor has the same problem though not as severe.

Beyond that, it's pretty much throw a dart at the wall for the 12th.

 

[kujirakira]

Everytime I visit this thread I chuckle that 50 people selected Georgia Tech.

I didnt select them but I'd happily take GTech.
I'm biased towards engineering bug they fit the profile. I get there are parallels between UC:OSU and GTech:UGA wrt recruiting but we've recruited some studs from Georgia in my life and playing there every other year could only help.
The Atlanta tv market and games, from a traveling perspective, would be great too.
Playing triple option every year might suck though.

 

[Woody1968]

BYU makes the most sense. They have a decent tradition, good attendance and bring a major metro area. The network clearly isn't a problem, nor is the academic freedom issues that will always keep them out of the PAC since Baylor has the same problem though not as severe.

Beyond that, it's pretty much throw a dart at the wall for the 12th.

Football only? or have their other sports stopped the no play on Sunday rule?