Big 12 Conference

[Laramie]

.

Are Texas and Oklahoma trying to join the SEC? Officials say

'no comment' on possible discussions



Texas and Oklahoma have been talking with Southeastern Conference officials about leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC, according to a report published Wednesday in the Houston Chronicle...

Link: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/spor...CITY-NLETTER01

.

[kzizok]

It looks to actually have some traction.

[Laramie]

You're talking about a SUPER CONFERENCE, this would be a WHALE...

[Martin]

hard pass... really hope this doesn't come to fruition. i'd rather the big 8 live on through the big 12 and i don't like the idea of 'super conferences' where teams in different divisions rarely play each other. i can tolerate a 12 team conference (awfully convenient, right?), don't like 14 team conferences, and am strongly against the idea of a 16 team conference. i like preserving the ou/osu rivalry. i'm also not crazy about being part of a conference that's associated with the deep south.

[GoGators]

Yea, I would bet that this is not a serious thing for multiple reasons.

[Jersey Boss]

I'm for it. Better competition, not Texas centric, would likely have the benefit of not so many 11 am home games.

I'm also an OU grad. I can understand if you are affiliated with OSU or one of the other 8 schools you would be against it.

[OKCretro]

I am for it!
An issue would be the longhorn network. Maybe they would make it the SEC West network and the current SEC network a new SEC East network.

[Jersey Boss]

I am for it!
An issue would be the longhorn network. Maybe they would make it the SEC West network and the current SEC network a new SEC East network.

ESPN owns the LN AND SECN. It would not be an issue.

[Pete]

Besides Kansas in hoops, the rest of the Big 12 is pretty lame, especially when it comes to the big revenue sports (football and basketball).

[Pete]

If this is being seriously considered, I trust that Joe Castiglione and Lincoln Riley have already discussed at length and have very good reasons.

Football playoffs are likely to expand to 8-12 teams, which means you don't have to win your conference to advance. If 12, you could easily see multiple SEC teams included.

Also, the move to that conference has been a godsend for Texas A&M. They were near oblivion for a long time and last year finished just one spot out of the 4-team playoff even with that rugged conference schedule.


I suspect Lincoln and Joe know we need to face better conference competition in order to win more national championships.

And they also know it's very hard to recruit players to the Big 12 out of all those football-rich SEC states.

I suspect, like the fans, they are a bit tired of winning the conference every year, usually making the playoffs, then going no farther.


The Big 8/12 has undergone so many changes over the last few decades there isn't much tradition to maintain.

And since we play Texas in Dallas every year, the home schedule has been very boring and that matters if you want people to show up for future games, as they can all sit home and watch for free and have a much better vantage point.


Might be time to get ourselves into a better position for the long haul.

[Pete]

Lots of denials but the Houston Chronicle reported this:

An announcement could come within a couple of weeks concerning the potential addition of UT and OU to the league, the person said, which would give the SEC 16 schools and make it the first of a national super-conference.

[Pete]

I bet OU & Texas will lobby for this alignment:

West Division
OU
Texas
A&M
Mizzou
LSU
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Miss St.


East Division
Bama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Tennessee
S. Carolina
Vandy

[Martin]

that's a nice little southwest conference reunion with texas, arkansas, and a&m.

i hear a&m is coming out against it... apparently they want to be the only texas team in the sec. i can see how this would water down some of the momentum they've been building... but if this is the real deal, i doubt they have the influence to stop it on their own.

[Pete]

^

A&M has a significantly better program than Texas does now, and the Horns won't schedule them.

This would force them into that game.

[Swake]

that's a nice little southwest conference reunion with texas, arkansas, and a&m.

i hear a&m is coming out against it... apparently they want to be the only texas team in the sec. i can see how this would water down some of the momentum they've been building... but if this is the real deal, i doubt they have the influence to stop it on their own.

Florida has vetoed Florida State or Miami joining the SEC for decades. I would assume A&M has the same power and if so, this is a nothing story.

[Pete]

I doubt one school has veto power over who can join the conference.

And even if so, I don't think A&M would necessarily block Texas.

[GoGators]

^

A&M has a significantly better program than Texas does now, and the Horns won't schedule them.

This would force them into that game.

A&M does not want Texas in the SEC at all. There is a group of teams with an agreement to not vote in teams from a state where an SEC team already resides. The SEC already has the Texas market and the Oklahoma market won’t move any needles when it comes to tv contracts. The University of Texas doesn’t want to join the SEC as they think it would water down their academic brand. The Longhorns would have to give up their own network and complete control of their current conference. Doesn’t make a lot of sense for Texas or the SEC. If the rumor was the Big 10 it would be more believable IMO.maybe if the rumor was OU only. Texas to the SEC is not happening.

[GoGators]

Florida has vetoed Florida State or Miami joining the SEC for decades. I would assume A&M has the same power and if so, this is a nothing story.

Same reason why Clemson isn’t in the SEC. There has to be a majority vote and there is a majority number of schools that have agreed to protect their territories and no vote any same state schools.

[Pete]

^

You are just speculating as we all are. The college football landscape is rapidly shifting. It wasn't that long ago that nobody could imagine A&M and Mizzou in the SEC, Nebraska in the Big 10 and Colorado in the Pac 12.

Who knows if it will happen but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, and it's interesting to think about. Just a few years back the Pac-12 and OU/Texas gave each other a long look.

And there are lots of valid arguments to be made in favor of such a change.

I'm not sure I would want this, but it does make a certain amount of sense.

[GoGators]

^

You are just speculating as we all are. The college football landscape is rapidly shifting. It wasn't that long ago that nobody could imagine A&M and Mizzou in the SEC, Nebraska in the Big 10 and Colorado in the Pac 12.

Who knows if it will happen but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, and it's interesting to think about. It wasn't that long ago that the Pac-12 and OU/Texas gave each other a long look.

And there are lots of valid arguments to be made in favor of such a change.

I'm not sure I would want this change, but it does make a certain amount of sense.

It makes sense for OU. Doesn’t make a lot of sense for Texas or the SEC.

Unless there is a potential tv contract out there that is so incredibly massive it convinces everyone to go with it. But I don’t see a Texas market that the SEC already has and an Oklahoma market that is pretty tiny bringing in some incredible new tv contract. I very well could be wrong.

[Pete]

TV markets don't matter nearly as much due to the continuous trend towards streaming services.

The Big 12 commissioner said exactly that just last week.

The more recent realignments have been driven by ESPN, and the influence of that network is fading fast.

[catcherinthewry]

How sad is it that the link to The Oklahoman article is actually an Austin Statesman article?

[Pete]

How sad is it that the link to The Oklahoman article is actually an Austin Statesman article?

More from the Houston Chronicle, and funny that they credit them.

[Pete]

BTW, these are the academic ratings from US News; the SEC would be a step up from the Big 12:

[GoGators]

TV markets don't matter nearly as much due to the continuous trend towards streaming services.

The Big 12 commissioner said exactly that just last week.

The more recent realignments have been driven by ESPN, and the influence of that network is fading fast.

The tv contract is the only reason why this would get done. If tv contracts matter less going forward there is even less reason for Texas or the SEC to do this. No reason to cut more slices out of a shrinking pie.