(03-09-2014 11:49 PM)jhawkmvp Wrote:  The cold, hard truth about some of the OU SEC resistance, based on what I hear from OU people, is that the administration is worried that if OU goes to the SEC they will begin cheating again like they used to do. Their compliance office is not under the AD anymore; it is under their law department. The end of the Switzer era was a major embarrassment for them and they don't want a repeat. Rightly or wrongly, almost all resistance to the SEC is based on their fears that their boosters might start getting them in trouble again trying to compete in the perceived SEC dog eat dog recruiting world. That and they need one of OSU or UT to be in the same conference ideally. Lot of their fans would love the SEC.

As far as academics, BBB is right OU is a great fit for the SEC. So are Texas and Kansas though with their AAU status they are also an academic fit for the B1G (or PAC) as well. OU desperately wants to attain AAU status. That is why the B1G is so attractive to them. That is 13 votes they MIGHT be able to count on when their possible membership is discussed. Right now the B1G is the only conference that might be able to land them without taking OSU or Texas due to their lust to join the AAU. The main reason the B1G wants OU is for it's football, same as NU (B1G schools knew NU was losing AAU before it even joined and most voted against NU in the AAU vote). It also makes the B1G more enticing to Texas if OU, and maybe KU, is there. OU fans are really split on the SEC, B1G, and PAC if the B12 dies.

ESPN definitely said take MU over WVU. Six million people versus 2 million was easy math for them. MU is also AAU which makes presidents wet themselves with glee. Plus, MU has had long time relationships with OU, KU, and shorter ones with A&M and Texas. Smart move if you ever want to add any of the triad of big dogs from the B12 in the future, no matter how strained some of those relationships are at the moment.

I know the B12 was told to add WVU after MU left. They were the most valuable addition available according to the networks. BC's aD came right out and said that ESPN told the ACC who to add. I know that FOX is pushing the B12 to take UCF and USF so Fox can gain a toehold in the SE. If the B12 only adds 2 schools to get to 12, I think those 2 are the front runners because FOX will pay more for them than Cincinnati or BYU.

Whether the SEC has a shot at Texas, Oklahoma, or Kansas will depend upon whether the PAC ever sells half or more of their rights to the PACN. Only then do I see a Texas/Oklahoma/Kansas with little brothers to the PAC. Sans that what ESPN does or does not do to try to gain the renewal of the Big 10's T1 rights becomes the next question. Since giving up some ACC schools might appease Delany more right now it coupled with the SEC's taking of a North Carolina and Virginia school might open up enough slots for six Big 12 schools to form a Western Division of the ACC.

Let's say that Syracuse and Boston College make a move to the Big 10. It would be the perfect time for the ACC to cut loose redundant properties in Virginia Tech and N.C. State too. That would give them the perfect opportunity to add Texas as an independent and Baylor, T.C.U., Kansas State and Oklahoma as full members raising their conference membership to 16 full members with two affiliates. It would raise their cache tremendously and give them four equal divisions while providing ESPN some options for the use of Texas. Now that kind of merger would make the ACC stronger. They would be cutting loose their most Northern outliers and eliminating redundancy in their footprint while adding 31 million viewers to their footprint and cache to the football resume.

The SEC could go to 18 with Oklahoma State and Kansas.

If the Big 10 says no to ESPN then what I think the best scenario would be would have the SEC and ACC taking 8 of the Big 12 schools. The best scenario there would be the SEC taking Oklahoma State and Kansas along with Virginia Tech and N.C. State and the ACC adding 6 full members (Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor).

But whatever happens I think ESPN will use their access to property for gaining rights.