Trotter: Big XII Expansion Inevitable

Jake Trotter at ESPN did an opinion piece today, calling a preemptive expansion by the Big XII inevitable, but acknowledged that such preemption assumes the conference act rationally, (which they don't have a great history of doing, BTW). So his "inevitable" claim is based on logic more than inside information.



http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/100511/big-12-expansion-no-longer-an-if-but-rather-a-when" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



He goes on to mention Mephis, CSU, and Houston as the attractive expansion candidates. No mention of the Provo cougars.

Shoot, here it comes again for another summer of discontent. I do have a problem, based on history, of not seeing this whole ordeal again end up with BYU on the outside. I was just trying to ignore it because my heart was ripped out last time as we even had the venerable Greg Wrubell finally capitulating and stating that it "appeared" that BYU was heading to the Big 12. Well we know how that turned out.



Now today Collin Cowherd suggesting that the Big 12 could be on it's way out again as key members could be swallowed up into PAC12 and/or SEC.



Honestly, under the scenario that TX and TT went to PAC12 and OK, OSU went to SEC, whats not to like of the scenario of, if we can't join any P5 conference, of at least having teams like TCU, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and West Virginia thrown out to fend for themselves. I like the appeal of a new conference with the likes of them and CSU, Boise, AF, Houston, Memphis, Cincinnati or whomever with BYU. I want to be in a conference and if it's not going to be P5/P4, I'd like one created outside of the American or MWC with the best teams available. Wow, I can't even imagine the incredible scenario of the Big 12 not surviving, or having to remake itself without Texas, Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.



I think I'm just going to bury my head in the sand until all the dust settles and facts are known. This speculation world is hard when you're not in command.

What does Houston even bring to the table? No new TV market, really, and very mediocre sports.



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Schmoe wrote:
What does Houston even bring to the table? No new TV market, really, and very mediocre sports.



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Dilution of the Longhorns' stranglehold on the conference.



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It makes sense to me that since you've already gone down the road of adding West Virginia, how do you not compliment them with a team in that direction like Cincinnati? We at BYU say no, but they have already taken that step and so you need to continue on. I think we're better off if OU, OSU and TX bolt and break up the Big 12 than to expect an invitation to the current conference.

The more I think about it the more I think the best thing for BYU is for the BigXII to disintegrate.

hawkwing wrote:
The more I think about it the more I think the best thing for BYU is for the BigXII to disintegrate.

It has been a few years since Texas and Oklahoma mattered. If they left and it did disintegrate, I like teaming up with TCU, Baylor, SMU, Kansas State, Iowa State, Houston, and Memphis. I know, I know, that's only seven games slated a season. But that would leave one game for an out of conference rivalry and four other slots for non-conference games. It would be the religious school division and the heathen division in the Brawlin' Big 8 conference. ;) :whistle:



I put the chances of this happening at around .0001%. You can take it to the bank. You heard it here first. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :D

https://twitter.com/MHver3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Rumors are heating up again. Is this guy connecter? I think he might be. He's saying a lot today. Last tweet was last year.



Saying UO wants 12 teams now or might walk. They might be close to pulling the trigger but they have to agree on who. Also not too picky on who the two teams are.

Another blow against BigXII expansion came out over the weekend. ESPN has been ordered to cut $100 Million from their budget next year, and $250 Million by 2017. That means any hope of big paydays for a 12 team BigXII are pretty much shot.

hawkwing wrote:
Another blow against BigXII expansion came out over the weekend. ESPN has been ordered to cut $100 Million from their budget next year, and $250 Million by 2017. That means any hope of big paydays for a 12 team BigXII are pretty much shot.

Only if you look at the outlay side of that equation. Any network signing a deal would only do so if the projected income was greater than the outlay.



The ESPN cost-cutting has to do with overpaid commentators/personalities and studios scattered all over the US, i.e. the filler material between when it actually broadcasts sports. It doesn't have to do with whether or not televising sports events is profitable.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/100904/the-race-is-on-among-group-of-5-schools-to-be-the-next-tcu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



The race is on among Group of 5 schools to be the next TCU

scott715 wrote:
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/100904/the-race-is-on-among-group-of-5-schools-to-be-the-next-tcu



The race is on among Group of 5 schools to be the next TCU

Yet another article that mentions Memphis, Cincinnati, UCF, East Carolina, Houston, Boise State and Colorado State as candidates for expansion, but makes zero mentions of BYU. I think Trotter might have a bit of an unfriendly bias.

Perhaps it is one of these plus BYU.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/is-espn-a-giant-bubble-about-to-burst-071215" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



ESPN bubble about to burst? This can be a game changer if true. They may not want the BIG12 to expand. Don't know if they have any say on it.

scott715 wrote:
http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/is-espn-a-giant-bubble-about-to-burst-071215



ESPN bubble about to burst? This can be a game changer if true. They may not want the BIG12 to expand. Don't know if they have any say on it.

Or, if expansion talks are real, may be ESPN pushes hard for a couple of teams that could help fill the late Saturday timeslot and grab some ratings...ESPN has plenty of East Coast content with the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC - and Big 12 games.



Enter BYU and Boise St.?

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I came to accept the fact that I don't believe BYU will ever be invited to the BigXII and I'm okay with that now. Yes, it sucks but you accept the things you cannot change and you roll on.