i'm getting an education here. the situation appears to be more complicated than i had realized.
for one, i had no knowledge of the cic. i don't know if that is any sort of impediment to a school like texas. i'm guessing not.
more worrisome is the comment about membership in the aau. 'that rules anyone other than Notre Dame out.' i don't know about this, but it sounds potentially ominous.
i have no idea what the big ten is thinking, nor any member school of the big ten, nor do i have a clue regarding what texas officials are thinking. i suppose it is possible that we are not a candidate and know it and are not even entertaining the possibility of heading your way. i think there is too much smoke, though, for me to believe that there isn't a btc brand in the fire prepping maybe to scorch a little burnt orange cowhide.*
regarding big ten conference goals, i gather there are numerous itches the conference is hoping this new member will scratch. adding anyone would qualify the conference to partition into divisions and join the lucrative and nationally attractive conference championship weekend, but, of course, there are other desires as you guys point out. academic and moral reputation strikes me as paramount. reasonable proximity would be a real plus. actual athletic excellence in more than just football right now would a huge plus. perceived athletic excellence based on past glories would be good, as well -- in other words, no johnny-come-lately who might just as easily fade back into historic obscurity.
maybe, though, the most important characteristic other than sterling academic and moral reputation of a new member -- here, again, as you guys point out -- is what it could bring in terms of expanded market and enhanced bargaining position. the word down here is that texas is worried about that as well. not so much now, but in a few years, the money to run a first-class program may be really, really scarce. texas is hidebound to put itself in as sound a situation as is possible, and i have no doubt that all you guys have the same realizations and the same goals.
obviously those are so many varied goals that probably not all can be met. who knows how they are prioritized. notre dame does satisfy a lot of them, but i personally think your need for right-now athletic competence is pretty important, and nd leaves some to be desired for the moment anyway. who knows if the various ways previous nd coaches have said the school hamstrings them are real and will continue, but it is a real possibility. in my opinion, the big ten has no need whatever for a used-to-be unless it can quickly become an is-again. not a good time to take a flyer.
'[FONT="]The Big 12 is not going to let its cash cow walk out the door[/FONT].' i agree that the big 12 may not be in any position to allow or disallow anything. prior to the conclusion of last season i think there was some validity to that assumption, but i think last rites for that kind of thinking isn't even a faint echo anymore. realize that i don't know a thing for sure. but i'm a longtime observer, and i know a lot about how the longhorn program thinks and what the program seems to view as important. if what those coaches did to us last season wasn't a mortal wound to that association, i'll eat my hat, and i'm not fond of hat.
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* this sentence included to offer verification that i really am a texan. if you guys could hear me speak, though, there would be no question. i grew up in a dusty little west texas town and years of living all over the country haven't so much as dented my accent, i gather.
You might as well said Miami of Ohio. At least their academics are somewhat respectable and they have more tradition in sports. Top 25 in all-time wins for college football, so on and so forth.
