How many teams does it take to keep the conference together? If Tech and OSU are gone, can the remaining six stick together and invite others? Who defines a power conference? If we add sixBoise, BYU, Memphis, UCF, Cincy and East Carolina. Gets is games in every other conferences territory.

ImABearToo said:

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You must have a better crystal ball

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Baylor isn't dropping down to FCS or going to the Sun Belt. Nothing in the news, insiders, rumors, etc. are pointing that way. At the very worst, if everything is exhausted and no more potential moves or deals are on the table, it's the AAC with the rest of the 8.

Were gonna know in 2 weeks..this alliance will be announced next week..The pac 12 commish said expansion decision will come soon after

Rhoades made a public statement a few days ago to the effect that he is confident we will end up in a great (or good)-- dont remember the exact term --- place. Now what "great" or "good" means is of course subjective. But I doubt he would have made such a declarative statement only to be embarrassed by it within a couple of weeks, unless he was completely clueless that this may all come to a conclusion within a matter of a couple of weeks a few days ago when he said it.

I can't imagine this alliance is that big of deal in actuality for it to come together so quickly. It may be some kind of formal commitment to not raid each other's conferences or some agreement to schedule non conference games. Anything more substantial would require much more negotiation and lawyers and contracts and on and on.

Embarrassed is kinda subjective too. Being in the AAC may not be an embarrassment to him, while some of our fans would think it is the equivalent to getting demoted to the FCS. Realignment talk is never rational. Unfortunately it seems to be one extreme or the other.

Bear8084 said:

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ImABearToo said:

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You must have a better crystal ball

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Baylor isn't dropping down to FCS or going to the Sun Belt. Nothing in the news, insiders, rumors, etc. are pointing that way. At the very worst, if everything is exhausted and no more potential moves or deals are on the table, it's the AAC with the rest of the 8.

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The absolute worse case for Baylor is the following:

1. PAC expands to 16 with Tech, TCU, OSU, and KState

2. B1G takes ISU and KU

3. WVU goes to the ACC.

4. AAC rejects Baylor because the Texas schools don't want to compete against another Texas team and harbor some grudge about the SWC and use this opportunity to "get even".

5. Baylor goes alone to the MWC. ---> Worst case scenario here.

I think that #5 is unlikely, I have a hard time seeing the AAC pass over Baylor. I have a hard time seeing most of the things described above, but they are still within the realm of "possible."

Baylorbears111 said:

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Bear8084 said:

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ImABearToo said:

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You must have a better crystal ball

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Baylor isn't dropping down to FCS or going to the Sun Belt. Nothing in the news, insiders, rumors, etc. are pointing that way. At the very worst, if everything is exhausted and no more potential moves or deals are on the table, it's the AAC with the rest of the 8.

---

The absolute worse case for Baylor is the following:

1. PAC expands to 16 with Tech, TCU, OSU, and KState

2. B1G takes ISU and KU

3. WVU goes to the ACC.

4. AAC rejects Baylor because the Texas schools don't want to compete against another Texas team and harbor some grudge about the SWC and use this opportunity to "get even".

5. Baylor goes alone to the MWC. ---> Worst case scenario here.

I think that #5 is unlikely, I have a hard time seeing the AAC pass over Baylor. I have a hard time seeing most of the things described above, but they are still within the realm of "possible."

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I dont see that. UH is just one vote for one thing. I bet Rhoades still has friends there as well.

As to one. I would think if they are going to 4 they will take all 3 Texas schools just to get about all they can out of the state without having Texas. What does KSU really bring? Additionally for that matter what does OSU bring? Everyone wanted OU because they are the blueblood OU they arent trying to get a footprint in the state of Oklahoma. Just like if it was the XII that was wildly aggressive as opposed to the SEC we would be seeking Bama for the sake of having Bama, a footprint in the state of Alabama is pretty meaningless.

PartyBear said:

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Rhoades made a public statement a few days ago to the effect that he is confident we will end up in a great (or good)-- dont remember the exact term --- place. Now what "great" or "good" means is of course subjective. But I doubt he would have made such a declarative statement only to be embarrassed by it within a couple of weeks, unless he was completely clueless that this may all come to a conclusion within a matter of a couple of weeks a few days ago when he said it.

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consider the source

DanaDane said:

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Embarrassed is kinda subjective too. Being in the AAC may not be an embarrassment to him, while some of our fans would think it is the equivalent to getting demoted to the FCS. Realignment talk is never rational. Unfortunately it seems to be one extreme or the other.

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He came from LSU and the SEC. AAC would be embarrassing for him. If he said good or great it will be in a Big Boy conference or B12 will expand and keep some of its juice.

He came from Mizzou. He had previously been the AD at UH.

CorsicanaBear said:

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Quote:

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I still don't understand why/how Rutgers got in?

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Rutgers is the land grant, flagship university of New Jersey. Its full name is Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 68k students, 49k undergraduates, huge alumni base, giant TV market.

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Huge surprise: it's all about the money. Don't forget, they are also in the NYC metro area. That's a huge media market.

Speaking of which. I remember the speed of realignment around 10 or 11. The ACC added 4-6 or so teams at rapid pace like adding a school per day for like 4 days in a row out of seeming no where. Same with the BiG at that time . So someone was mentioning the alliance can't really be that big of a deal if it occurs over a week time period is wrong. Lawyers can be working around the clock to get it all wrapped up by mid next week.

Stefano can be right about the PAC striking quickly.

OSU brings twice as many eyeballs and has an overall strong athletic program

Twice as many eyeballs as who?

Baylorbears111 said:

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Bear8084 said:

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ImABearToo said:

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You must have a better crystal ball

---

Baylor isn't dropping down to FCS or going to the Sun Belt. Nothing in the news, insiders, rumors, etc. are pointing that way. At the very worst, if everything is exhausted and no more potential moves or deals are on the table, it's the AAC with the rest of the 8.

---

The absolute worse case for Baylor is the following:

1. PAC expands to 16 with Tech, TCU, OSU, and KState

2. B1G takes ISU and KU

3. WVU goes to the ACC.

4. AAC rejects Baylor because the Texas schools don't want to compete against another Texas team and harbor some grudge about the SWC and use this opportunity to "get even".

5. Baylor goes alone to the MWC. ---> Worst case scenario here.

I think that #5 is unlikely, I have a hard time seeing the AAC pass over Baylor. I have a hard time seeing most of the things described above, but they are still within the realm of "possible."

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6. We burn down McClane,, eliminate all sports except soccer and spikeball and change to only a seminary and charge $5 a glass during Dr. Pepper Float hour.

Bulldoze McLayne and build the basketball arena. Put all our money towards it. Zags are doing fine without footyball. Lots less stress and we can still beat the blue bloods on the hardwood. Sorry, happy hour started a little early here. Loose lips

BylrFan said:

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gobears20 said:

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Population by state


[ol]

California (Population: 39,613,493)

Texas (Population: 29,730,311)

Florida (Population: 21,944,577)

New York (Population: 19,299,981)

Pennsylvania (Population: 12,804,123)

Illinois (Population: 12,569,321)

Ohio (Population: 11,714,618)

Georgia (Population: 10,830,007)

North Carolina (Population: 10,701,022)

Michigan (Population: 9,992,427)

[/ol]

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do you think there's more cfb fans (including casuals) in california than ohio?

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Yes.
Easily.

The Los Angeles metro area by itself has 18 million people. There are 25 million people that live in Southern California.

Alliance is not a change in conference affiliation or financial parity among all the participants. It would be a way to coordinate a common position in votingfor example how many teams should there be in a playoff. And there might be coordinated scheduling. The bomb that would damage what remains of the Big 12 is if thePAC or some other conference poached the remainder of the 12/invited Tech and Ok State to join their conference. If we could grab BYU and hold the 8 together we haven't ticked off either the SEC or the new alliance.meaning both of them could look at us as a source for games out of conference.

Speaking more of average viewers for their games last 5 years.

The "alliance" won't mean much in the end. They've tried to do this before and it never came to fruition.

Baylor, TCU, Tech and OSU would be the four to the P12. The P12 wants nothing to do with ISU or KSU.

PartyBear said:

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Twice as many eyeballs as who?

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Las Vegas Raiders mascots
Hathaway shirt guy
Dan Crenshaw
Sammy Davis Jr

PartyBear said:

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Rhoades made a public statement a few days ago to the effect that he is confident we will end up in a great (or good)-- dont remember the exact term --- place. Now what "great" or "good" means is of course subjective. But I doubt he would have made such a declarative statement only to be embarrassed by it within a couple of weeks, unless he was completely clueless that this may all come to a conclusion within a matter of a couple of weeks a few days ago when he said it.

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Probably just trying to salvage what's left of recruiting. None of the news has ever indicated Baylor is going anywhere except down to lower level. TT and OSU have slim hopes as does ISU. The rest not so much as a breath.

whitetrash said:

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PartyBear said:

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Twice as many eyeballs as who?

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Las Vegas Raiders mascots
Hathaway shirt guy
Dan Crenshaw
Sammy Davis Jr

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don't forget 'ol Cyclops

Aliceinbubbleland said:

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PartyBear said:

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Rhoades made a public statement a few days ago to the effect that he is confident we will end up in a great (or good)-- dont remember the exact term --- place. Now what "great" or "good" means is of course subjective. But I doubt he would have made such a declarative statement only to be embarrassed by it within a couple of weeks, unless he was completely clueless that this may all come to a conclusion within a matter of a couple of weeks a few days ago when he said it.

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Probably just trying to salvage what's left of recruiting. None of the news has ever indicated Baylor is going anywhere except down to lower level. TT and OSU have slim hopes as does ISU. The rest not so much as a breath.

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All the 8 have the same slim hopes. And salvage what recruiting? No one has decommitted, and we won a recruiting battle against UT after the UT/OU news dropped.

Wolf 359 said:

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IowaBear said:

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Yup as expected the 8 remaining will get left behind. That's been pretty obvious for awhile. Oh well AAC or Sun Belt here we come

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Ummm, perhaps not all of them.

PAC-12 Expansion Back on the Table Apparently!

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Wouldn't adding BIG and ACC essentially mean expansion?

We're left to fart in the winds of a "who gives a crap", merger with probably MWC

BUGWBBear said:

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Wolf 359 said:

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IowaBear said:

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Yup as expected the 8 remaining will get left behind. That's been pretty obvious for awhile. Oh well AAC or Sun Belt here we come

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Ummm, perhaps not all of them.

PAC-12 Expansion Back on the Table Apparently!

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Wouldn't adding BIG and ACC essentially mean expansion?

We're left to fart in the winds of a "who gives a crap", merger with probably MWC

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Any thoughts of WAC, SUN BELT, AAC, or MWC mergers are completely unrealistic. The current Big12(8) still outdraws every school in the aforementioned group by multiples.

PartyBear said:

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He came from Mizzou. He had previously been the AD at UH.

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Was talking about the Coach, not AD.

It wasn't Aranda who made the comments that were being discussed at that point of the thread it was Rhoades who is actually the one who should be in the know about these matters.

JustWinBears said:

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gobears20 said:

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I would think that the PAC 12 would still want to get into Texas since a lot of California is moving into Texas.

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Yes and Central time zone games for pac 12 teams means more exposure for the conference as a whole. It honestly makes a lot of sense for the conference to do so and not just bias coming from the hope of Baylor landing somewhere decent.

Recruiting would be able to go multiple ways as well. A Texas native could be recruited to California teams and still be able to play in Texas multiple times in their time playing. A native Californian living in Texas gets to go play in their home state around family still there as well.

Ultimately if the PAC-12 expand without taking at least Baylor, tech, TCU and OKst they are making a mistake.

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IMO this is a rare opportunity for the PAC to gain a foothold in Texas and for the reasons noted above I see it as a "win-win" if all 4 of the schools mentioned are taken as a package. I would think a conference that was previously willing to admit somebody like Colorado would jump at the chance.

It's bothersome that Bowlsby meets with the PAC 12 commsionaire a couple of weeks ago for six hours. It was hush hush on what they talked about and now you see this.
Maybe there is something privately going on with the big 12 but you would more than likely hear something leaked out. Hopefully if nothing happens with the big 12 and they stay together and add more teams. But dang what a sad situation. If I am an AD in the Big 12 I would be on Bowlsby's doorstep.

gobears20 said:

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It's bothersome that Bowlsby meets with the PAC 12 commsionaire a couple of weeks ago for six hours. It was hush hush on what they talked about and now you see this.
Maybe there is something privately going on with the big 12 but you would more than likely hear something leaked out. Hopefully if nothing happens with the big 12 and they stay together and add more teams. But dang what a sad situation. If I am an AD in the Big 12 I would be on Bowlsby's doorstep.

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according to some on this board, Baylor has the greatest AD since . . . . . Ian.

Dial him up

gobears20 said:

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It's bothersome that Bowlsby meets with the PAC 12 commsionaire a couple of weeks ago for six hours. It was hush hush on what they talked about and now you see this.
Maybe there is something privately going on with the big 12 but you would more than likely hear something leaked out. Hopefully if nothing happens with the big 12 and they stay together and add more teams. But dang what a sad situation. If I am an AD in the Big 12 I would be on Bowlsby's doorstep.

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I heard somewhere from one of these sports talk webcast guys with their Youtube channels that the reason the Big-12 wasn't asked to join in this "Alliance" right now, is that the powers-that-be of the other three conferences are suspicious of the motivations of Bowlsby, in regards to the ultimate format of the proposed College Football Playoff, because they suspect that Bowlsby is in cahoots with the SEC commissioner (don't remember his name) because they were in the initial working group together.

The Alliance members want to get the CFP format particulars, and the upcoming NCAA governance convention taken care of and behind them without any potential interference/shenanigans from Bowlsby, then they'll start dealing with the other issues that deal with the Big-12 remnants (like expansion).

This webcast guy (he was either an ACC or Big-10 guy) then made a final opinion comment that could have some weight. He said that the other conference commissioners for the PAC-12, ACC, and Big-10, and their distrust/dislike of Bowlsby makes it less likely that any of those conferences will opt for a full-blown merger between their conferences and all eight remaining Big-12 leftovers. He said it's more likely that some of the other conferences will cherry-pick the Big-12 leftovers to death and take on one or two new members that they view as most desirable for their particular situation.

It doesn't have to be a "merger". The PAC could for example invite ( or send a message you should apply for membership) to all 8 individually to join if they wish to do so and cut Bowlsby completely out. Bowlsby doesn't have to be involved with it at all. The SEC didn't involve him regarding Texas and OU.

Thats what i heard too.