Big 12 Expansion at 15%

[hawkwing]

BYU's chances of being invited if the Big 12 were to expand are probably right around 0-10%, so say 5% of 15%.

I'm glad I like Independence.

[EM_Puma]

Seriously folks, the sooner we embrace where we are, or that our only hopes are in a non-P5 conference, the better off we'll be. We've been recognized as a cut above the rest of the non-P5's and we'll just have to hope that TH can continue to pound out a descent schedule. It still beats what we used to have in the MWC.

[Commoner]

When the Chair of the OU Board of Regents publicly expressed his sceptism on the need to expand, the Boren campaign suffered a major blow.

I think the expansion proponents, rather then lose the vote, will table the issue and not revisit it until at least 2018.

Future realignment may not occur until the TV contracts and GORs of the ACC and Big 12 expire.

[BOID]

That old guy, board of regents chairman, Max Whatever, made a public fool of himself with his grossly misinformed descriptions of the expansion candidates. While true of some, like Memphis, or Boise State, his criticisms of stadium size and TV market do not apply to BYU. But it's not just that he is inaccurate. It marks him as some kind of senile ignoramus. He has no clue that by his own stated criteria, he makes BYU more worthy of Big 12 inclusion than 8 of the 10 current members. He asks, "What do we have to gain." Well, Max, how about a national name brand program to compensate you for losing Texas A&M and Nebraska?

What a doofus. I can't imagine him retaining credibility after that. What's he gonna do, try to double down on that goofiness when the Big 12 meets in June?

Please understand that I am not promoting any hope or need for P5 inclusion with this. I just think it's a funny irony here.

[CrimsonCoug]

I dunno, Boid. I read the Regent's statement as either 1) having already dismissed BYU out of hand (for reasons other than those stated), or 2) not seeing a good partner for BYU because of the reasons he did state. Either way, he's saying that BYU is tossed out for other reasons (Sunday play?) and the leftovers aren't appealing.

Ascribing otherwise-respected people's views to isolated stupidity is too easy and often mistaken. He's a smart guy; of course he knows BYU's strengths. But he's not going to comment on a specific school. Rather, he's going to make sweeping comments that apply to all of the other schools--because without 2 BYU type schools, there won't be any.

[BOID]

You may be right. I'm kind of resourcing back to the 1980's Barry Switzer here, having lived through that level of willful ignorance ( I know he sings a different tune this year, to his credit).

It would have been easy enough for this regent to have prefaced: "Outside of BYU," or "Other than BYU...."

[snoscythe]

The Sunday play issue isn't a problem for most of the schools--a hassle, yeah, but they can get over it. The two schools that have a big problem with it are TCU and Baylor. They don't want to be forced, as a Disciples of Christ and a Baptist school, to accommodate BYU in sabbath day observance, because it begs the question/comparison why they are playing on Sundays.

If BYU wants into the Big XII, it will have to be without the support of TCU, Baylor and WVU (for different geographic reasons). That's quite a disadvantage to start from.

[Gunk]

Just win. BYU wins and makes post-season noise and someone will gobble us up. We haven't played a NY6 bowl game in the last 15 years. Gotta give the P5s a reason to invite us.

[hawkwing]

In this anti-religious climate our country is currently in you'd have to be crazy to take on one of the few openly religious institutions. It won't happen regardless of any other factors, it's too risky.

[scott715]

I would love to ask the Pope why they play on the Sabbath.