PrologueI took some time over the past several days to concentrate on one of my favorite pastimes: College football realignment. The following is my analysis (with input from this board) of how to rebuild the Big 12 since it appears that Texas may be dead-set on trying to rebuild the B12. This version of the analysis is as of Wednesday, October 2, 2011.After having taken into account your responses, ideas, and criticisms, and the continued development of my own ideas, the order of the list of potential list of schools to be added to the Big 12 has shifted and changed significantly. Based upon your excellent insights, BYU, WV, and USF have been upgraded to the Big 12's number one, two and three expansion candidates, respectively.
The possibility of adding either Boise State or Air Force as a regional partner for BYU has caused those schools’ fortunes to rise. If you have read this analysis earlier, you might want to scan various sections to see if your opinion has changed or might become more focused.
As some of you know, my preference is joining the SEC or the B1G. But I am not in charge. For those who disagree, I understand. I have included a section toward the end that attempts to glean why Texas stays in the B12 for the short run, while possibly plotting its escape in the long run.
This analysis is quite long, so you are duly warned. If you don’t like long reads, then this post is not for you. Hope you enjoy!
Rebuilding the Big 12 Conference: Not for the Faint at Heart
By all accounts, Texas hopes to rebuild the Big 12 Conference and make it viable, presumably to approximate the "old" Big 12 Conference, which was one of the strongest and best athletic conferences in the nation. These lofty goals cannot be achieved in the short run, given the schools that are available with which to rebuild the B12. The long-run is discussed hereafter, but first, we have to assess the existing condition of the Big 12 Conference.
Assessing the Damage: Is the Ship Sinking?
In the last two years the Big 12 lost the top two teams in the Northern Division: Nebraska and Colorado. This year the Big 12 lost the number three team in the Southern Division: Texas A&M.
In football terms, the loss of Nebraska constituted the loss of a traditional major power in college football -- a school that has won numerous National Championships spanning several decades. While "down" for several years, Colorado won a National Championship in 1990. Both Colorado and Texas A&M have won Big 12 Championships. In other words, the loss of these three schools is dramatic and significant.
While the Big 12 is left with indisputable national powers Texas and Oklahoma, which gives the Big 12 a strong nucleus for rebuilding the conference, the re-stocking of the B12 conference with schools equivalent to those lost is impossible in the near term (for reasons discussed in greater detail below). The rebuilding of the Big 12 Conference into the conference it was before 2010 is, therefore, problematic and possibly quixotic.
The Rebuilding Methodology: The Texas Two-Step
If rebuilding is be accomplished at all, it must be accomplished over a period of 15-30 years, entail some luck along the way, and involve two separate stages:In reply to:
The possibility of adding either Boise State or Air Force as a regional partner for BYU has caused those schools’ fortunes to rise. If you have read this analysis earlier, you might want to scan various sections to see if your opinion has changed or might become more focused.
As some of you know, my preference is joining the SEC or the B1G. But I am not in charge. For those who disagree, I understand. I have included a section toward the end that attempts to glean why Texas stays in the B12 for the short run, while possibly plotting its escape in the long run.
This analysis is quite long, so you are duly warned. If you don’t like long reads, then this post is not for you. Hope you enjoy!
Rebuilding the Big 12 Conference: Not for the Faint at Heart
By all accounts, Texas hopes to rebuild the Big 12 Conference and make it viable, presumably to approximate the "old" Big 12 Conference, which was one of the strongest and best athletic conferences in the nation. These lofty goals cannot be achieved in the short run, given the schools that are available with which to rebuild the B12. The long-run is discussed hereafter, but first, we have to assess the existing condition of the Big 12 Conference.
Assessing the Damage: Is the Ship Sinking?
In the last two years the Big 12 lost the top two teams in the Northern Division: Nebraska and Colorado. This year the Big 12 lost the number three team in the Southern Division: Texas A&M.
In football terms, the loss of Nebraska constituted the loss of a traditional major power in college football -- a school that has won numerous National Championships spanning several decades. While "down" for several years, Colorado won a National Championship in 1990. Both Colorado and Texas A&M have won Big 12 Championships. In other words, the loss of these three schools is dramatic and significant.
While the Big 12 is left with indisputable national powers Texas and Oklahoma, which gives the Big 12 a strong nucleus for rebuilding the conference, the re-stocking of the B12 conference with schools equivalent to those lost is impossible in the near term (for reasons discussed in greater detail below). The rebuilding of the Big 12 Conference into the conference it was before 2010 is, therefore, problematic and possibly quixotic.
The Rebuilding Methodology: The Texas Two-Step
If rebuilding is be accomplished at all, it must be accomplished over a period of 15-30 years, entail some luck along the way, and involve two separate stages:In reply to:
