(05-04-2018 08:46 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(05-04-2018 08:26 PM)XLance Wrote:  

(05-04-2018 04:32 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(05-03-2018 09:36 PM)JRsec Wrote:  An interesting tweet out of Kansas Finance Manager Baty today. He said their donors had to really step it up for the football program because the Jayhawks needed to position themselves for the coming realignment.

It's significant for two reasons.

1. It's a University official still talking about the coming realignment and that's a first for this off season.

2. Kansas is very aware of their precarious situation with regards to being of value to another P5 conference.

http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/keegan-...structs-k/

That guy is taking a poor approach to fundraising although that may be a sign that there's some degree of desperation within the administration.

My opinion has been that ESPN is going to ultimately rescue Kansas. They have a national fan base and the network is going to want/need as much content as they can get especially in the age of ESPN+.

If KU can prove themselves as a halfway decent attraction in football then I think ESPN has no problem pulling the trigger. Technically, KU won't be worth the money to the B1G or the SEC, but they would likely be worth the money to ESPN so I think they wouldn't have a problem overpaying for them a little.

He is probably very frustrated.
Kansas officials know what they need to do, but there are no guarantees and $350 Million is a lot to spend no matter which level of conference (G or P ) Kansas will find itself in in the next few years..

http://www.kansan.com/sports/weekly-deba...4e82d.html

With many projecting the next big wave of conference realignment to begin in 2023, that will allow Kansas football to include their completely new renovations — with a five year projection — on their resume.

Instead of being left in the dust with the possibility of other Big 12 members departing, Kansas can thus be allowed to lead the pack and make the decisive move.

I'm just thinking out loud here and am not making a definitive statement, but......

If Kansas wanted to head to the Big 10 with Oklahoma do you think for a minute that they would be concerned about football stadium renovations? Seriously look at Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, Indiana, Northwestern etc. I don't think the Big 10 has made that big a deal over facilities.

That's certainly not the case for the PAC either. And as far as the ACC goes the venues range from on campus to off campus to professional sports stadiums. I don't see the ACC making a big deal about football facilities.

So what leaves me a bit puzzled here is that only the SEC has stadium and luxury box standards that we seek from member schools. So why would Kansas throw 350 million at a football stadium and indoor practice facilities? Only in the SEC does every member school have indoor practice facilities. Only in the SEC would they need to prove their investment in football?

Is it just me or has anyone else considered the peculiar nature of this?

Might the pairing that ESPN seeks be Oklahoma and Kansas to the SEC?

Could Fox be getting dibs on Oklahoma and perhaps it is Texas and Kansas that ESPN has in mind as a pairing?

As conservative as Kansas has been financially, has it occurred to anyone else but me that they would not be investing 350 million into the football facilities if they didn't have some kind of guarantee in return on that money?

What if Oklahoma leaves with Iowa State to head to the Big 10 (with OU under T3 obligation to FOX)?

What if the SEC is looking to get Texas and Kansas (both under T3 obligation to ESPN).

What if the TV execs have decided to reunite OU with Nebraska, UT with A&M and KU with Mizzou?

What if the Big 10's home run duo is Notre Dame or Virginia Tech and Oklahoma? And what if ESPN sees Texas and Texas Tech as a pair to take the ACC to 16 and what if maybe T.C.U. and Kansas are intended for the SEC?

There are just so many different possibilities if Kansas is in preparation for the SEC?

But my best guess would be (if the networks hold form) Texas and Kansas to the SEC. Oklahoma to the Big 10 with a mystery school. Why? It would give Texas everything they could hope for in a move. They relegate the Sooners to a choice that will handicap things to Texas's advantage in the RRR, joining the SEC reunites Texas with Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri and Kansas, and nullifies any advantage that the Aggies gained by joining the SEC without them. And it makes them the star of a division in which the schedule really appeals to their fan base. And it relegates T.C.U., Baylor, and Texas Tech back to an inferior position within the state. And, Kansas is no threat to them and would probably vote with them.

I'm not saying that any of this adds up or will happen. But I do have some relevant questions circulating in my head right now. Thoughts?

Kansas in the Sec? Doubtful.
For a school that has averaged around 30,000 for football over the last 5 years and is trending down fast, I'm not sure they would want to keep football at all.
My bet is that Kansas, like Wichita State, will try to park somewhere without football and not waste that $315 Million on football upgrades. The one exception to that thinking is this: Kansas to the B1G, not with Oklahoma, but with Missouri. This may be the only way Kansas football survives.