Big 12 Conference

[mugofbeer]

Gotta invest in the school. Not a popular thing here.

I do think OU Health is a good step forward and Harroz will do good work. Going to fight and uphill battle though.

I haven't seen analysis but l would have to think the additional revenue from being in the SEC would be significantly higher. Since OU doesn't have a significant number of large corporate donors like schools back east and on the west coast, OU athletics should be able to get a significant boost in funding just from athletics revenue.

Hopefully, better game times and greater visiting fan following can benefit local businesses and virtually every game would be a "big" game.

[PhiAlpha]

OU does not have the academic pedigree to join the Big 10. Texas would be a much better fit for the B1G.

Guarantee you that if something falls through on the SEC deal, OU & UT will both be invited to both the Big 10 and ACC. It's laughable to think that academics would hold a conference up from adding either of those teams if they think they have a shot at adding their athletic programs and huge fan bases. It's all about strengthening your conference at this point and OU & UT are the last two major programs that are interested in switching conferences.

[C_M_25]

I haven't seen analysis but l would have to think the additional revenue from being in the SEC would be significantly higher. Since OU doesn't have a significant number of large corporate donors like schools back east and on the west coast, OU athletics should be able to get a significant boost in funding just from athletics revenue.

Hopefully, better game times and greater visiting fan following can benefit local businesses and virtually every game would be a "big" game.

A lot of you guys are suffering from that new car smell just a bit. If things work out like has been discussed with an East/west division in the SEC, you would likely have the following in your league:

1. Texas
2. Texas a&m
3. Arkansas
4. Ole Miss
5. Miss St
6. Mizzou
7. LSU

You will have some big hitters in there, and it is a step up from the big 12. However, you’re a long way from “every game is a big game.”

Edit: changed my mistakes on the expected teams in the west division.

[Swake]

Guarantee you that if something falls through on the SEC deal, OU & UT will both be invited to both the Big 10 and ACC. It's laughable to think that academics would hold a conference up from adding either of those teams if they think they have a shot at adding their athletic programs and huge fan bases. It's all about strengthening your conference at this point and OU & UT are the last two major programs that are interested in switching conferences.

I don't think anything is stopping OU going to the SEC. It's Texas A&M and Missouri that might attempt to block Texas.

If OU and UT are bound together, I'm sure the BIG10 would take OU as well with a plan to increase research dollars at OU to gain admittance to the AAU. If they aren't going as a pair, would OU still go to the SEC alone?

[floyd the barber]

Slow week on the Sports Animal. It's all they are talking about. Mark, Jim and Al taking vacation too.

[Pete]

Several reports that only A&M would oppose the move, which only will make them more pathetic.

OU & Texas would first have to formally inform the Big 12 of their intention to leave, then the SEC would make a formal offer.

Sounds like this could all be wrapped up in a week. Nothing would change for the coming school year but then everything would likely shift the following year.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Texas house legislature put forward a bill to only let the legislature approve college athletic conference moves. He is from Lubbock. The bill will go no where.

Think we are the same in Oklahoma?

[PhiAlpha]

Texas house legislature put forward a bill to only let the legislature approve college athletic conference moves. He is from Lubbock. The bill will go no where.

Think we are the same in Oklahoma?

No way that any politician in any state will do anything that will be remotely effective in blocking this if the schools want it to happen. Notice how you haven't heard a peep out of our politicians? Unlike TX that has at least 10 major universities, OK really has one that dominates the most of the state population. Unless you're an elected official from Payne county, even speaking out against this would likely hurt your chances at getting reelected. I bet you'll hear some posturing after the move is announced and confirmed by the SEC, but I doubt you hear much out of our politicians before they have no risk of seeming like they're working to stop it.

[BoulderSooner]

A lot of you guys are suffering from that new car smell just a bit. If things work out like has been discussed with an East/west division in the SEC, you would likely have the following in your league:

1. Texas
2. Texas a&m
3. Arkansas
4. Ole Miss
5. Miss St
6. Mizzou
7. LSU

You will have some big hitters in there, and it is a step up from the big 12. However, you’re a long way from “every game is a big game.”

Edit: changed my mistakes on the expected teams in the west division.

Widely reported that it would be 4 pods for the schedule

OU UT Mizzou and either ARK/TAMU
LSU Ole Miss MSU and either Ark/TAMU
Bama auburn Tennessee vandy
UF UGA UK USC

You play your pod and 2 of each other pod every year


Every team plays everyone in the league home and away every 4 years

[BoulderSooner]

Texas house legislature put forward a bill to only let the legislature approve college athletic conference moves. He is from Lubbock. The bill will go no where.

Think we are the same in Oklahoma?

They can’t actually vote on a bill in the special session unless the gov puts it on the agenda. And the gov is not returning their calls

[BoulderSooner]

They can’t actually vote on a bill in the special session unless the gov puts it on the agenda. And the gov is not returning their calls

Next regular session is 2023

[PhiAlpha]

Widely reported that it would be 4 pods for the schedule

OU UT Mizzou and either ARK/TAMU
LSU Ole Miss MSU and either Ark/TAMU
Bama auburn Tennessee vandy
UF UGA UK USC

You play your pod and 2 of each other pod every year


Every team plays everyone in the league home and away every 4 years

This is such an intriguing setup. I think keeping TAMU and UT in separate pods actually might be a decent compromise for them as well.

[Teo9969]

So if you go to the 4 pod system in which you play all 3 teams in your pod +home/away with 2 teams from other 3 pods for a total of 9 conference games, which seems like the best way to go from a diversity in competition perspective, how do you handle crowning a champion? I think there are really just 3 options:

1. #1s in each division play a mini-tournament at neutral site (probably rotating Dallas and Atlanta). These are additional games to the 12 game schedule, meaning championship match will be 14th game of year for those 2 teams.

2. You take the #1 and #2 teams from the conference independent of division. This requires some solid tie-breakers since more than 2 undefeated teams would be on the table (to say nothing of when there are 4+, 1-loss teams).

3. You schedule 10 conference games but the 10th game is the last game of the year and is TBD. Pair divisions each year (2024 A&B, C&D - 2025 A&C, B&D - 2026 A&D, B&C) #1s play each other for a play in to the championship. #2s and #3s get home field vs. #4s for their 12th game of the year. Championship is alternating neutral sites (Atlanta/Dallas probably). Hard thing on that is determining home field advantage for the #1s. It could just be based on whether or not you're Pod A or Pod B. Could *potentially* make it a mini-playoff @ neutral site and post up the teams for a week in contracted housing. In that case, i'd think you'd have to have 1st games come one week later so the semester could end before the mini-playoff starts. Also need good tie-breakers similar as above.

[Teo9969]

Assuming this happens, there would be 7 spots left for the Big 4 to get to 16 teams. PAC has 4, B1G has 2, ACC has 1 (2 in football, but I assume ND would commit to either ACC or B1G moving forward.

Of the 57 spots taken up, California and North Carolina occupy 4 slots a piece, and Indiana and Florida occupy 3 slots a piece.

States with none are Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming. None of those states have storied football programs, but UConn and Kansas have storied basketball programs.

So my guess is Kansas to B1G is basically a lock, leaving 6 more spots. ACC has plenty of choices and if ND locks in with them instead of B1G, then UConn is probably the obvious choice - but if ND goes with B1G, they could get all "package deal" minded.

For the PAC they probably think from a 4 pod structure: 4 pod structure (CA, Pacific NW, Southwest, Mountain). Wyoming and Boise St. are the only remotely interesting football programs to add to the mountain. I imagine they create a southwest division probably based around 2 Texas schools getting picked up (TCU+TTU most likely). I think they'd be more inclined to add UNM and OSU than Wyoming and Boise. OSU or UNM could get edged out by a 3rd Texas school.


I think if OSU can't argue for getting into the PAC, they should very seriously consider pitching to other SEC area schools trying to build a consortium to pitch relegation for the SEC. Make the relegation conference probably 8 schools, and the SEC teams committing one-game per year vs the relegation teams. 4 up/4 down every 2 years.

I'm 99.5% sure that will never happen, but hey, you gotta look through every possible option if you're OSU.

[SEMIweather]

I would be pretty surprised if OSU didn't end up in the Pac-12. It is going to be such a bizarre cultural fit, but otherwise makes sense.

[PhiAlpha]

Assuming this happens, there would be 7 spots left for the Big 4 to get to 16 teams. PAC has 4, B1G has 2, ACC has 1 (2 in football, but I assume ND would commit to either ACC or B1G moving forward.

Of the 57 spots taken up, California and North Carolina occupy 4 slots a piece, and Indiana and Florida occupy 3 slots a piece.

States with none are Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming. None of those states have storied football programs, but UConn and Kansas have storied basketball programs.

So my guess is Kansas to B1G is basically a lock, leaving 6 more spots. ACC has plenty of choices and if ND locks in with them instead of B1G, then UConn is probably the obvious choice - but if ND goes with B1G, they could get all "package deal" minded.

For the PAC they probably think from a 4 pod structure: 4 pod structure (CA, Pacific NW, Southwest, Mountain). Wyoming and Boise St. are the only remotely interesting football programs to add to the mountain. I imagine they create a southwest division probably based around 2 Texas schools getting picked up (TCU+TTU most likely). I think they'd be more inclined to add UNM and OSU than Wyoming and Boise. OSU or UNM could get edged out by a 3rd Texas school.


I think if OSU can't argue for getting into the PAC, they should very seriously consider pitching to other SEC area schools trying to build a consortium to pitch relegation for the SEC. Make the relegation conference probably 8 schools, and the SEC teams committing one-game per year vs the relegation teams. 4 up/4 down every 2 years.

I'm 99.5% sure that will never happen, but hey, you gotta look through every possible option if you're OSU.

I think ND stays independent. No need to join a conference with a 12 team playoff.

[Laramie]

The chances of stopping this deal from going through, just got another boost.

Democrats left the state for Washington D.C., to avoid the voting rights fiasco in Texas. Further complicating any attempts by Texas Legislature to daft any legislation to derail this deal.

Beto O’Rourk's group raised $600,000 for Texas Democrats to further their stay in Washington D.C., they aren't likely to return anytime soon.

If this deal is done in the next two weeks; the train will have left the track if the SEC votes to approved OU & UT.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Republican) is a UT Alum, further complicating his ability to interfere even if he wanted to--this gives him an out.

[jedicurt]

i mean, didn't the Democrats leave to avoid the special session? i don't know how the Texas Legislature is set up, but i know that for most other states, the scope of a special session is defined in the notice of it being called, and is very specific. If that is the case in Texas, i would think this would mean that a special session just for trying to stop Texas would have to be done anyways. and that couldn't happen until after the current special session, unless a state of emergency is called. and the Texas Legislature doesn't come back for a normal session until 2023. so i don't really think this affects what would have happened at all. because Abbott could have still just not called a special session with this in it's scope.

[Laramie]

If you are emotionally charged like myself on game days, definitely going to get a heart scan to see if I'm physically & emotionally able to handle game days anymore.

[mugofbeer]

If you are emotionally charged like myself on game days, definitely going to get a heart scan to see if I'm physically & emotionally able to handle game days anymore.

There's supposedly some sort of "handshake" agreement that says A&M can veto the deal. They want to be the only Texas team in the SEC. Of course, that wouldn't hold up in court if it came to it.

[dankrutka]

There's supposedly some sort of "handshake" agreement that says A&M can veto the deal. They want to be the only Texas team in the SEC. Of course, that wouldn't hold up in court if it came to it.

I’ve been following this story and all evidence points the opposite direction: A&M was left out and this is a done deal.

[mugofbeer]

I'm excited about it though l feel badly for the rest of the conference and OSU specifically.

[rte66man]

I can't get over the vast increase in travel expenses, especially for the non-revenue sports. Haven't heard anyone bring that up

[Pete]

I can't get over the vast increase in travel expenses, especially for the non-revenue sports. Haven't heard anyone bring that up

Currently, OU has to go to Ames, Iowa and Morgantown, Virginia and some other places not so close.

Would likely be in a western division in the SEC with Texas, A&M, LSU, Arkansas and the 2 Mississippi schools.

[Laramie]

There's supposedly some sort of "handshake" agreement that says A&M can veto the deal. They want to be the only Texas team in the SEC. Of course, that wouldn't hold up in court if it came to it.

An agreement of this magnitude will definitely require more than a handshake. Texas A&M you think would know better--you put this type of agreement in writing.

The only thing that could derail OU joining the SEC would be if Governor Stitt & The Oklahoma Legislature decided to kill this with some late legislation. Anyone who were to sign on to an agreement prohibiting OU from joining the SEC with Texas risks political suicide.

BTW Pete, might be a good idea to get an SEC post Icon prepared.