Clarifying Big 12 Expansion Rumors: From Darren McFarland ESPN Radio in Nashville

[UConn07]

http://the-boneyard.com/blog/darren...tatements-made-on-cincymemphis-to-the-big-12/

 

[whaler11]

Credit for contacting the guy while Amore wrote nonsense.

The Dude is right here. This makes ZERO financial sense.

 

[Felix]

If it makes anyone feel better I asked Jake Trotter who covers the Big 12 for ESPN whether or not there was any truth to the rumor of Cincy and Memphis to Big 12 and he tweeted back "no."

 

[Marty Jackson]

if there is any smoke on expansion, SH and WM better set up camp in TX instead of the VI's this time around.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Credit for contacting the guy while Amore wrote nonsense.

The Dude is right here. This makes ZERO financial sense.

It would be nice if we were ever to work from some definition of "financial sense." Entities, people and corporate, never progress linearly. We often cede temporary advantage for the prospect of greater future advantage. The Big 12 may see a return to a 12 team configuration more workable than going forward with 10 teams and they may be willing to forgo near-term per-team revenue to gain that configuration. You have to spend money to make money. Hell, they may give up long term $$ if they feel their very viability is threatened.

 

[whaler11]

It would be nice if we were ever to work from some definition of "financial sense." Entities, people and corporate, never progress linearly. We often cede temporary advantage for the prospect of greater future advantage. The Big 12 may see a return to a 12 team configuration more workable than going forward with 10 teams and they may be willing to forgo near-term per-team revenue to gain that configuration. You have to spend money to make money. Hell, they may give up long term $$ if they feel their very viability is threatened.

Adding Memphis and Cincinnati wouldn't protect them from anything. It makes no sense in any way shape or form.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Adding Memphis and Cincinnati wouldn't protect them from anything. It makes no sense in any way shape or form.

Neither did adding WVU yet there they are.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

WVU was the best football program in the Big East
Their Mistake was not taking Pitt before the ACC

 

[noeynox]

Thank God! I almost bought a Subaru.

 

[TigerJ]

Lol

 

[buddy]

Thank God! I almost bought a Subaru.

Not for anything, but UConn would survive with a team of Subaru's over the Ferrari's that that it now owns.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

If I'm Cincinnati or any other AAC school this is the time to pray that somehow Ohio State jumps ahead of FSU, TCU and Baylor, even though FSU is on a long winning streak and TCU has done nothing but win impressively.

Big irony of Cincy fans rooting for Ohio State.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

WVU is in a tiny market that is worthless to advertisers and is 800 miles away from any other Big 12 school. Luck did a great job finding a liferaft for that program.

 

[HuskyV]

Big12 will be expanding to 12 in 20 minutes.
Shutout of playoff, in part because they have no playoff.
If it was Texas or Oklahoma they may have got a bid, but Baylor & TCU - no shot over OSU.

 

[geordi]

Big 12 expansion is the worst possible thing that could happen to us. If the XII expands, it will likely be looking at programs like Cincinnati, Houston, Boise State, Air Force, maybe Memphis, but that's probably a long shot. If it takes two programs from the AAC, we are even more screwed since we'd now be looking at adding two more limited programs to get back to 12. Where do we go? Army, UMass, Marshall, Southern Miss??? None of those would be equivalent to Cincy, Houston, or Memphis as bad as they may be.

Right now, our best option is having Notre Dame forced into the ACC and tagging along. (Not high odds there.) Other than that, the BIG is still a long shot unless they have a sudden hankering for Buffalo or someone we haven't even come close to considering.

 

[ScottBonz]

Big 12 expansion is the worst possible thing that could happen to us. If the XII expands, it will likely be looking at programs like Cincinnati, Houston, Boise State, Air Force, maybe Memphis, but that's probably a long shot. If it takes two programs from the AAC, we are even more screwed since we'd now be looking at adding two more limited programs to get back to 12. Where do we go? Army, UMass, Marshall, Southern Miss??? None of those would be equivalent to Cincy, Houston, or Memphis as bad as they may be.

Right now, our best option is having Notre Dame forced into the ACC and tagging along. (Not high odds there.) Other than that, the BIG is still a long shot unless they have a sudden hankering for Buffalo or someone we haven't even come close to considering.

Can ND participate in the ACC championship game? An 11-1 ND is the same as an 11-1 TCU or Baylor by that measure but then again we talking about ND here.

 

[don356]

I believe the biggest fear right now is also that the ACC might take a preemptive strike and add Cincinnati. They had talks with the ACC when Lvl joined, and i think that would be their first choice over the Big 12. We'll see, but the B12 can't live on their on island, and they didn't act early on because of it. Now they are in a pickle if other conference decide to grow first.

 

[pj]

I believe the biggest fear right now is also that the ACC might take a preemptive strike and add Cincinnati. They had talks with the ACC when Lvl joined, and i think that would be their first choice over the Big 12. We'll see, but the B12 can't live on their on island, and they didn't act early on because of it. Now they are in a pickle if other conference decide to grow first.

If the ACC is encroaching on B12 turf by taking Louisville and Cincy, then the B12 can retaliate into ACC turf by taking UCF and UConn. I think the B12 wins that exchange.

 

[Fishy]

I believe the biggest fear right now is also that the ACC might take a preemptive strike and add Cincinnati.

If that's your biggest fear, you're going to be okay.

First, Kentucky and Ohio aren't "Big 12 turf".

Second, the ACC has no reason to go to 15 football schools and definitely no reason to panic and grab Cincinnati - a school that doesn't do anything for them.

 

[Jimdish255]

From the TCU board on tos.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=360&f=4161&t=13454625

 

[mike012]

its pretty obvious they will take 2 aac teams and leave us in a even worse situation then we are now. This could be the end of Uconn football. I don't see how you can stay in a conference worse then the one we have now.....

 

[Jimdish255]

They have to make a move. I wish I could say we look like a good prospect but we're just not a great fit for them. AAC and UConn look like fodder again.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Yes Florida has rich recruiting grounds but I don't see how a conference wants to expand with the short, medium, and long term fact that UCF and USF will always be the 4th or 5th team in that State. Memphis is a joke, nice crowd showed up to watch their last game - they did need a win for the CC tie. Now memphis can play the coaching roulet wheel. BYU is BYU and I hope the Texas Methodist crowd continue to object. UConn is a long way from Texas/Oklahoma but games in NYC should entice.

 

[BoatShow]

Yes Florida has rich recruiting grounds but I don't see how a conference wants to expand with the short, medium, and long term fact that UCF and USF will always be the 4th or 5th team in that State. Memphis is a joke, nice crowd showed up to watch their last game - they did need a win for the CC tie. Now memphis can play the coaching roulet wheel. BYU is BYU and I hope the Texas Methodist crowd continue to object. UConn is a long way from Texas/Oklahoma but games in NYC should entice.

Texas and OU are clearly the big boys in that conference and we've had recent hoops series and a good relationship with both. WVU is an old pal and may have kind words. Kansas would probably be ecstatic to have another power hoops team around. Not a lot in our favor but crazier stuff hs happened.

 

[pj]

The FrankTheTank analysis cited on the TCU board is idiotic. He has UConn low because he rates us 0 for "Demographics/Recruiting Value" while most schools get 15-20 on that (Temple and Tulane are 15, USF, UCF, San Diego State and Cincy are 20). With that category removed we'd be 3rd. Yet the schools ahead of us share small demographics with a host of powerful football recruiting brands. We are one of only 3 high-level athletics programs in a 7-state region of 35 million people. If it historically has not produced a lot of DI football athletes, that's partly because of the dearth of local football colleges. There are plenty of athletes. To give a huge advantage to the likes of Tulane (competing with the likes of LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Miss State in a state of 4.6 million people) over UConn in a category called "Demographics/Recruiting" is absurd.

The other factor he dings us on is football brand value, BYU and Cincy are 15 points ahead. But Cincy was not considered a big football brand until its recent winning run. It shows the importance of recent football success.