The identity of the XII is and has always been the Great Plains. Other than obvious outlier WV (which I still think does not belong), Texas Tech is the only school significantly removed from I-35!

Houston makes some sense.

But even by the time you get to Memphis, you're clearly no longer in the plains (having passed through the Arkansas hills). About 500mi to TCU, OU and OK St.


It's just too bad that realignment has taken away the teams that probably make the most sense for the XII: Missouri and Nebraska.

(05-12-2016 05:38 PM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Memphis needs to prove they can sustain success

Memphis hosts a B12 bowl and has done a lot of work on the Liberty Bowl. I put them in the category as vastly improved and think of the players they could attract in a P5 conference, its the largest city for a couple hundred miles in their region.

NIU is a school not talked about for B12 membership but with their stadium plans I would put them ahead of several in the AAC with a less impressive state and regional market like Tulane or Tulsa.

Hey Gang, good news.

Jesus came to America after the crucifiction. How do I know? I found gold tablets that I can read with my special hat. But no one else can read them. You've got to have faith.

Anyway, they say that men are entitled to multiple wives, and young wives at that. The only catch is that you have to wear special underwear. And you can't drink caffiene or alcohol.

And here's the kicker: When we get to heaven, we'll each inherit our own solar system where the man is the sun and each wife is eternally pregnant populating her own little planet.

Sound good?

(05-12-2016 03:50 PM)KUGR Wrote:  First it started with South Florida. The message boarders sold success, Florida access, and time in the Big East as the reason they were getting a B12 invite. They have back to back seasons of going 3-9 and 2-10 and suddenly the clamor dies down on the internet.

Next up, Central Florida. Not a word about them....but just as USF was tailing off, UCF was on an upswing. UCF has 3 good seasons with a victory over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. Suddenly, the message boarders are in love with UCF. They suddenly give you everything USF had.....plus they "win".

Then 2015 rolls around and the UCF program goes belly up finishing 0-12 and the love affair is over. Now the message boarders are desperately searching for a new "flavor of the month". Suddenly a tweet comes out that K-State's now deposed President had dinner with UConn's president and talked "nice" about UConn. Well, the message boarders have now found their flavor of the month. Despite nothing about UConn previously, and a horrible football program, they suddenly are the new favorite.

Then May 2016 comes around and people find out that Fred Smith has been trying to buy off the Big 12 (as if the Big 12 would have an difficulty to find a sponsor....lol). The message boarders change Memphis from an after thought to "favorite of the month".

Who is the next AAC to take a turn at the plate and bring hope to a hopeless fanbase? I'm betting Temple.

LOL Have a snickers

Few things that are needed to go beyond being a flavor of the month:

Past History -- Look at Pittsburgh and Syracuse, both had NCs in their past for football, Syracuse has sustained success for basketball during the Boeheim years and Pitt was a tournament bound teams from the time of Howland and through the Dixon years. West Virginia also had success in football during the Nehlen and Rodriguez years, and was tournament bound under Belein and Huggins.
Demographics -- Look at Rutgers. In addition to the eyeballs, Rutgers fit the profile of a Big 10 school even though it wasn't located in the midwest. So did Maryland. This is important to school chancellors and presidents. In football, both were sitting on fertile recruiting grounds.
Sustainability -- How do schools survive the dark times? Again, look at Pitt and Syracuse; they've both had ups and downs. While winning cures an awful lot, if you can ride out the losing periods it helps as well. Pitt football wasn't good at all in the early 90s until Harris turned things around. Boston College is a good hire away from a winning football program again.
Conference Need -- are they just looking for warm body number X (e.g. the Big 12 trying to get back to 10 schools, the ACC adding school number 12)? Or is there something more?

What schools in the American score in all 3 categories, and what's the Big 12 (or any other P5 conference) looking for in an expansion?

I'm going to say USF again. Look for USF to be dominant this year, returning everyone including 1300+ yard back Marlon Mack. USF looks primed to go on a 3 year run which may be the best 3 year stretch in school history.

(05-15-2016 11:59 AM)rjglassett Wrote:  Few things that are needed to go beyond being a flavor of the month: Past History ... Demographics ... Sustainability ...

What schools in the American score in all 3 categories, and what's the Big 12 (or any other P5 conference) looking for in an expansion?

If there was a school that clearly scored in all 3 categories for the Big12, they would already be IN the Big12 and some lucky school would also be going along for the ride as the best available of the 2 out of 3's.

(05-15-2016 01:49 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  I'm going to say USF again. Look for USF to be dominant this year, returning everyone including 1300+ yard back Marlon Mack. USF looks primed to go on a 3 year run which may be the best 3 year stretch in school history.

Stop the Nonsense you got your ass kicked in the miami beach bowl by WKU be thankful they let you stay in our conference. You have a better chance going to the Big South than the Big 12

(05-13-2016 07:18 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(05-12-2016 07:41 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(05-12-2016 05:38 PM)rednblackattack Wrote:  Memphis needs to prove they can sustain success

This is one of the principle arguments for the Big12 waiting ... Memphis is not the only one of the prospective targets that really need more time to prove that they can sustain success.

I think UCF, UConn and USF have pretty clearly shown they will have a hard time sustaining success and none of them make sense geographically. Memphis is really the only one in question.

And 10 more years of the new giant gap between the P5 and G5 will only make it more difficult.

You move now with 2 of BYU, Houston, Cincinnati or Memphis or you decide not to do it.

You practically nailed my prediction. Big 12 will expand with Cincinnati and Memphis soon, as 11 and 12, and add the CCG.

Then BYU and Houston come later, along with the B12N, when they get it worked out.

Maybe one of the Florida twins sneaks in, or Boise if BYU goes. JMO.

The Big 12, especially now with Boren saying it, IMO is not going to expand anytime soon. No need to

(05-16-2016 06:23 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  The Big 12, especially now with Boren saying it, IMO is not going to expand anytime soon. No need to

No need to expand? Why do you think Boren started beating this drum a year ago? Has anything changed since then to make the situation different? Not yet.

(05-16-2016 07:33 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(05-16-2016 06:23 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  The Big 12, especially now with Boren saying it, IMO is not going to expand anytime soon. No need to

No need to expand? Why do you think Boren started beating this drum a year ago? Has anything changed since then to make the situation different? Not yet.

Boren has completely changed his tune. He sounds as if he is happy with 10. I think it stays this way for a while

(05-16-2016 04:44 PM)rednblackattack Wrote:  

(05-16-2016 07:33 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(05-16-2016 06:23 AM)rednblackattack Wrote:  The Big 12, especially now with Boren saying it, IMO is not going to expand anytime soon. No need to

No need to expand? Why do you think Boren started beating this drum a year ago? Has anything changed since then to make the situation different? Not yet.

Boren has completely changed his tune. He sounds as if he is happy with 10. I think it stays this way for a while

Yeah, if what Dodd described is completely accurate. Dodd was anti-expansion until 2 weeks ago in Phoenix, and then he flipped to thinking expansion was happening, and then the media went crazy with speculation, FOIA revelations, etc., and 25 schools contacted Boren in a matter of 48 hours or so.

Then right after, Boren sits down with Dodd, and now nothing is happening. The Big 12 isn't flipping that fast from one position to the other. Hell, the BIg 12 doesn't do ANYTHING quickly. Maybe Boren just decided to slow the media's roll. Time will tell.