(02-18-2019 09:19 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:23 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 08:04 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Houston gets in when the Big 12 leaders get some balls and boot the embarrassment that Baylor brought onto the conference. I would make them become a program like Rice. New Mexico, TCU, Houston and BYU was the number choices for the formation of the Big 12, but politics in Texas got them in.

Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

Quote:Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner from 1971–80, executive director of the CFA from 1980–97: ESPN did not want all the members. They wanted eight from the Big Eight and they'd take four from the Southwest Conference. Obviously, the two they wanted most were Texas and Texas A&M. I received a call from Loren Matthews, who was a key executive with ESPN with whom I had developed a good relationship. And Loren told me, he said, "Here's my problem. We want the Big Eight, but we don't want all of the Southwest Conference." I said, "Well, just let me make some phone calls, and I'm sure they'll get back to you." So I called DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Donnie Duncan at Oklahoma and Bill Byrne at Nebraska, and the rest is history.

According to UT's Chancellor Cunningham, UT, A&M and Texas Tech were safely in the new conference. The last spot was between Baylor and TCU

Quote:Cunningham: A&M and Texas were easy, and Texas Tech had the third-best attendance. Then we came down to the fourth school, and that was Baylor versus TCU. When you really looked at the hard data, Baylor was the better choice. They had better attendance and better records. When I called the Baylor president, he was not in, and I spoke with his wife. His wife told me that he was at a prayer meeting, and I said, "I now believe in prayer more than ever."

Baylor and Texas Tech were never in the plans for the Big 12. They were politically motivated additions. Governor Ann "Maw" Richards was a Baylor alum, and Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was a Texas Tech grad. Those two were not going to let Texas and A&M (the two largest public universities in Texas), abandon their alma maters. Had those two not been in charge of Texas at the time of the Big 12's birth, Baylor and Texas Tech would have also spent the past 20+ years struggling for relevance, like TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice.

Ann Richards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Bob Bullock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bullock

You are free to think what you want but Texas Tech made logical sense as the 3rd option to join the Big 12. If you want to argue about Baylor, TCU or UH, be my guest but Texas Tech clearly belonged in the Big 12.

Just curious why a North Texas fan cares 1 way or the other? I think North Texas needs to worry about North Texas.

It isn't about what I want to think. I grew up a SWC fan and understand the dynamics of the situation at that time. If you choose to believe it is only a coincidence that the governor and lieutenant governor were alums of Baylor and Texas Tech, than that is your prerogative.

As for North Texas... I did not grow up a Mean Green fan. I became a fan over the years, and as I attended the university. North Texas is doing exactly what they need to do right now; growing attendance, building facilities, improving on the field, developing new revenue streams, and increasing funding. In fact aside from Houston, North Texas is the only other G5 in Texas that is doing what they need to do. I have nothing to worry about.

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 08:04 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Houston gets in when the Big 12 leaders get some balls and boot the embarrassment that Baylor brought onto the conference. I would make them become a program like Rice. New Mexico, TCU, Houston and BYU was the number choices for the formation of the Big 12, but politics in Texas got them in.

Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

A simple search of newspaper articles of the time would prove I’m not wrong.

Also, the Big 8 knew they had the upper hand so I doubt they really saw any benefit to a full on merger.

(02-18-2019 10:03 PM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:32 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:23 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

Quote:Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner from 1971–80, executive director of the CFA from 1980–97: ESPN did not want all the members. They wanted eight from the Big Eight and they'd take four from the Southwest Conference. Obviously, the two they wanted most were Texas and Texas A&M. I received a call from Loren Matthews, who was a key executive with ESPN with whom I had developed a good relationship. And Loren told me, he said, "Here's my problem. We want the Big Eight, but we don't want all of the Southwest Conference." I said, "Well, just let me make some phone calls, and I'm sure they'll get back to you." So I called DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Donnie Duncan at Oklahoma and Bill Byrne at Nebraska, and the rest is history.

According to UT's Chancellor Cunningham, UT, A&M and Texas Tech were safely in the new conference. The last spot was between Baylor and TCU

Quote:Cunningham: A&M and Texas were easy, and Texas Tech had the third-best attendance. Then we came down to the fourth school, and that was Baylor versus TCU. When you really looked at the hard data, Baylor was the better choice. They had better attendance and better records. When I called the Baylor president, he was not in, and I spoke with his wife. His wife told me that he was at a prayer meeting, and I said, "I now believe in prayer more than ever."

Baylor and Texas Tech were never in the plans for the Big 12. They were politically motivated additions. Governor Ann "Maw" Richards was a Baylor alum, and Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was a Texas Tech grad. Those two were not going to let Texas and A&M (the two largest public universities in Texas), abandon their alma maters. Had those two not been in charge of Texas at the time of the Big 12's birth, Baylor and Texas Tech would have also spent the past 20+ years struggling for relevance, like TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice.

Ann Richards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Bob Bullock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bullock

Ann Richards had nothing to do with it. It was Bullock and several Tech alums-speaker of the house and key committee members.

And Texas always knew Tech had to have a home. Tech was always involved, at least since the 1989 near collapse of the SWC.

Ann Richards had everything to do with Baylor getting in. The last spot would've gone to Houston if not for her.

Do you have proof of that? Everything I've read said TV wanted UH, TCU, SMU and Rice excluded.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Not an old article but a conversation with key people. Pretty interesting.

(02-19-2019 07:53 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Not an old article but a conversation with key people. Pretty interesting.

What a great read! I suspect that everybody who reads this will believe it reinforces exactly what they've previously said.

USFFan

The only reason Texas Tech and Baylor got into the Big 12 was politics, plain and simple. The TV people did not say they wanted UH, TCU, SMU, and Rice excluded. They just said they would pay the same amount for 12 as they would 16 total. The TV money would be split fewer ways by only having 12. They didn't care which two schools got the final two spots. That is were political pull got Texas Tech and Baylor included. If this had happened a few years earlier, the power brokers in Austin were UH and TCU grads. Everything is about timing.

Thankfully, TCU took this as a challenge to completely revamp their athletic department. The rest is history.

(02-19-2019 10:01 AM)usffan Wrote:  

(02-19-2019 07:53 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Not an old article but a conversation with key people. Pretty interesting.

What a great read! I suspect that everybody who reads this will believe it reinforces exactly what they've previously said.

USFFan

Perhaps everyone is partly right and partly wrong

I'll admit, I was wrong about BYU being rumored only after the merger. It seems there were rumors about the Big 8 for years.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/3244...8-SWC.html

Tim Allen, assistant commissioner of the Big Eight, told the Deseret News this morning that no talks are taking place at the conference level, that talks are at the school level and that "this is the time of year when all the rumors and stories pop up." Regarding BYU, he said, "I've been in the Big Eight for 10 years and talks about BYU predated that."

I do maintain they weren't a first choice though, otherwise why didn't it happen? My only guess is the Big XII/ESPN had no interest in UNM as a partner.

(02-18-2019 07:10 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 12:02 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(02-17-2019 06:21 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-17-2019 05:15 PM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  UH will never play in the Big 12 as long as UT is in it.

UT and OU will not leave the Big12 unless they can negotiate a deal where they will be the controlling voice of whatever conference they are joining, and the PAC, BIG10, SEC, and ACC would never allow that. So, UT and OU will continue to hold together the Big12. It is their best option. Together, they hold more power within their conference then any other two schools in any of the other power conferences. And, under this framework, they have a greater likelihood of landing a playoff spot. There is noe logical reason for them to relocate to another power conference. And, there is no logical reason for them to expand the Big12.

I think the best and only real option for Houston is to continue winning, developing facilities, financial resources, and community and fan support.

The AAC is the strongest G5 conference, but not the best possible collection of G5 programs. In it's current form, I think the AAC has too much dead weight at the bottom. In time, I think the strongest G5 programs from across the nation will form a new conference of 10 to 12 teams. It would make sense that this new league would develop near the time when the next contract for playoff payouts and bowl ties come up around 2025. That means athletic departments have about 5 years to position their programs to be included in talks for this new elite G5 conference. Basically, they have to do what Houston is doing. This new elite G5 conference will offer ESPN high quality games in all time zones, and be more valuable than the current AAC. Houston would certainly be among the programs in it. What do you think?

Absolutely right but the other 4 conferences should exclude the Big 12 from the CFP during the next negotiation. That way they don't need to worry about na 2 team conference.

That would be the best for the other power conferences, but there is a problem....

They have no grounds to exclude the Big 12 when the PAC is a weaker conference. The PAC struggles to place a team in the playoff. In fact, the only bowl match-up between the two conferences resulted in #10 ranked, 11-2, Washington State barely edged out an unranked 8-5 Iowa State team. I just don't think the Big 12 can get excluded under the current conditions.

Oh of course, I have no idea how they could do it legally but I'm sure there has to be a way.
And you're right about PAC 12's performance I just don't find the Big 12 to be a good fit with the other 4 conferences. A merger would benefit all.

(02-18-2019 08:35 PM)Tigersmoke4 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 11:53 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(02-17-2019 04:45 PM)CoastalVANDAL Wrote:  Cincinnati with two basketball titles academics and facilities at P5 level
Houston P5 history and two final fours facilities and academics that make the cut.
UCF with facilities and academics market and recruiting advantage.
Colorado St and SDSU would be next along with Connecticut .

Access Bowl Houston 1-0
UCF 1-1

BSU and WMU the other two Access bowl spots

Let's not go too far with the Cincy academics.

UCF is actually 2-1. They beat Baylor in 2014 and Auburn 2018 and barely lost to LSU without their QB.

And LSU barely won without almost their entire defense. You can't cherry pick which injuries matter.

(02-18-2019 09:19 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:23 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 08:04 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Houston gets in when the Big 12 leaders get some balls and boot the embarrassment that Baylor brought onto the conference. I would make them become a program like Rice. New Mexico, TCU, Houston and BYU was the number choices for the formation of the Big 12, but politics in Texas got them in.

Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

Quote:Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner from 1971–80, executive director of the CFA from 1980–97: ESPN did not want all the members. They wanted eight from the Big Eight and they'd take four from the Southwest Conference. Obviously, the two they wanted most were Texas and Texas A&M. I received a call from Loren Matthews, who was a key executive with ESPN with whom I had developed a good relationship. And Loren told me, he said, "Here's my problem. We want the Big Eight, but we don't want all of the Southwest Conference." I said, "Well, just let me make some phone calls, and I'm sure they'll get back to you." So I called DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Donnie Duncan at Oklahoma and Bill Byrne at Nebraska, and the rest is history.

According to UT's Chancellor Cunningham, UT, A&M and Texas Tech were safely in the new conference. The last spot was between Baylor and TCU

Quote:Cunningham: A&M and Texas were easy, and Texas Tech had the third-best attendance. Then we came down to the fourth school, and that was Baylor versus TCU. When you really looked at the hard data, Baylor was the better choice. They had better attendance and better records. When I called the Baylor president, he was not in, and I spoke with his wife. His wife told me that he was at a prayer meeting, and I said, "I now believe in prayer more than ever."

Baylor and Texas Tech were never in the plans for the Big 12. They were politically motivated additions. Governor Ann "Maw" Richards was a Baylor alum, and Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was a Texas Tech grad. Those two were not going to let Texas and A&M (the two largest public universities in Texas), abandon their alma maters. Had those two not been in charge of Texas at the time of the Big 12's birth, Baylor and Texas Tech would have also spent the past 20+ years struggling for relevance, like TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice.

Ann Richards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Bob Bullock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bullock

You are free to think what you want but Texas Tech made logical sense as the 3rd option to join the Big 12. If you want to argue about Baylor, TCU or UH, be my guest but Texas Tech clearly belonged in the Big 12.

Just curious why a North Texas fan cares 1 way or the other? I think North Texas needs to worry about North Texas.

I don't think North Texas cares, I think he is trying to bring facts into this situation. You know the parts that TTU alums try to suppress in their arguments.
Quick question, if the GoR runs out legally and Texas and Oklahoma decide to leave, do you not expect TTU to sue them for leaving them in the Big 12. So essentially they would be suing 2 schools for taking their ball and going home simply because no other conference has even a remote interest in the poor academics in Lubbock.

(02-18-2019 09:32 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:23 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 08:04 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  Houston gets in when the Big 12 leaders get some balls and boot the embarrassment that Baylor brought onto the conference. I would make them become a program like Rice. New Mexico, TCU, Houston and BYU was the number choices for the formation of the Big 12, but politics in Texas got them in.

Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

Quote:Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner from 1971–80, executive director of the CFA from 1980–97: ESPN did not want all the members. They wanted eight from the Big Eight and they'd take four from the Southwest Conference. Obviously, the two they wanted most were Texas and Texas A&M. I received a call from Loren Matthews, who was a key executive with ESPN with whom I had developed a good relationship. And Loren told me, he said, "Here's my problem. We want the Big Eight, but we don't want all of the Southwest Conference." I said, "Well, just let me make some phone calls, and I'm sure they'll get back to you." So I called DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Donnie Duncan at Oklahoma and Bill Byrne at Nebraska, and the rest is history.

According to UT's Chancellor Cunningham, UT, A&M and Texas Tech were safely in the new conference. The last spot was between Baylor and TCU

Quote:Cunningham: A&M and Texas were easy, and Texas Tech had the third-best attendance. Then we came down to the fourth school, and that was Baylor versus TCU. When you really looked at the hard data, Baylor was the better choice. They had better attendance and better records. When I called the Baylor president, he was not in, and I spoke with his wife. His wife told me that he was at a prayer meeting, and I said, "I now believe in prayer more than ever."

Baylor and Texas Tech were never in the plans for the Big 12. They were politically motivated additions. Governor Ann "Maw" Richards was a Baylor alum, and Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was a Texas Tech grad. Those two were not going to let Texas and A&M (the two largest public universities in Texas), abandon their alma maters. Had those two not been in charge of Texas at the time of the Big 12's birth, Baylor and Texas Tech would have also spent the past 20+ years struggling for relevance, like TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice.

Ann Richards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Bob Bullock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bullock

Ann Richards had nothing to do with it. It was Bullock and several Tech alums-speaker of the house and key committee members.

And Texas always knew Tech had to have a home. Tech was always involved, at least since the 1989 near collapse of the SWC.

Don't know where you are getting your facts from but I'm probably read the opposite for about 20 years.

(02-19-2019 02:45 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:19 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 07:23 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 06:47 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 09:38 AM)esayem Wrote:  Houston was initially rumored instead of Baylor, but TCU was never a favorite. BYU and New Mexico were mentioned as possibilities to 14 after the conference decided not to do a full merge with the SWC, but before they had an official name. LSU and Arkansas were also mentioned, so there ya go.

https://www.si.com/college-football/2016...swc-merger

Both of you are wrong. Only OU's Castiglione mentioned Houston as a potential member. The Big 8 wanted to merge with the 8 schools from the SWC but ESPN said no. ESPN only wanted 4 SWC schools and I don't recall any mention of BYU or New Mexico.

Quote:Chuck Neinas, Big Eight commissioner from 1971–80, executive director of the CFA from 1980–97: ESPN did not want all the members. They wanted eight from the Big Eight and they'd take four from the Southwest Conference. Obviously, the two they wanted most were Texas and Texas A&M. I received a call from Loren Matthews, who was a key executive with ESPN with whom I had developed a good relationship. And Loren told me, he said, "Here's my problem. We want the Big Eight, but we don't want all of the Southwest Conference." I said, "Well, just let me make some phone calls, and I'm sure they'll get back to you." So I called DeLoss Dodds at Texas, Donnie Duncan at Oklahoma and Bill Byrne at Nebraska, and the rest is history.

According to UT's Chancellor Cunningham, UT, A&M and Texas Tech were safely in the new conference. The last spot was between Baylor and TCU

Quote:Cunningham: A&M and Texas were easy, and Texas Tech had the third-best attendance. Then we came down to the fourth school, and that was Baylor versus TCU. When you really looked at the hard data, Baylor was the better choice. They had better attendance and better records. When I called the Baylor president, he was not in, and I spoke with his wife. His wife told me that he was at a prayer meeting, and I said, "I now believe in prayer more than ever."

Baylor and Texas Tech were never in the plans for the Big 12. They were politically motivated additions. Governor Ann "Maw" Richards was a Baylor alum, and Lt. Governor Bob Bullock was a Texas Tech grad. Those two were not going to let Texas and A&M (the two largest public universities in Texas), abandon their alma maters. Had those two not been in charge of Texas at the time of the Big 12's birth, Baylor and Texas Tech would have also spent the past 20+ years struggling for relevance, like TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice.

Ann Richards
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Richards

Bob Bullock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bullock

You are free to think what you want but Texas Tech made logical sense as the 3rd option to join the Big 12. If you want to argue about Baylor, TCU or UH, be my guest but Texas Tech clearly belonged in the Big 12.

Just curious why a North Texas fan cares 1 way or the other? I think North Texas needs to worry about North Texas.

I don't think North Texas cares, I think he is trying to bring facts into this situation. You know the parts that TTU alums try to suppress in their arguments.
Quick question, if the GoR runs out legally and Texas and Oklahoma decide to leave, do you not expect TTU to sue them for leaving them in the Big 12. So essentially they would be suing 2 schools for taking their ball and going home simply because no other conference has even a remote interest in the poor academics in Lubbock.

You root for the P4 and claim the Big 12 isn't a good fit among power conferences. I have to ask what school you root for? Did you graduate from a P4 school?

For the record, Texas Tech is a well respected University doing more with less. IIRC, being a top 100-200 nationally recognized public University is nothing to look down on unless you went to a "rival" school and want to trash the Big 12 and Texas Tech.

Just sayin

(02-19-2019 02:28 PM)esayem Wrote:  I'll admit, I was wrong about BYU being rumored only after the merger. It seems there were rumors about the Big 8 for years.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/3244...8-SWC.html

Tim Allen, assistant commissioner of the Big Eight, told the Deseret News this morning that no talks are taking place at the conference level, that talks are at the school level and that "this is the time of year when all the rumors and stories pop up." Regarding BYU, he said, "I've been in the Big Eight for 10 years and talks about BYU predated that."

I do maintain they weren't a first choice though, otherwise why didn't it happen? My only guess is the Big XII/ESPN had no interest in UNM as a partner.

There was talk about BYU & New Mexico joining a Big 14 in the mid 90’s

New Mexico is Utah-lite. Good potential but will likely go unrealized

Since we are being up the formation of the Big 12, It would have been interesting if in 1991 the big realignment move was Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech to the SEC:

West: Texas, TAMU, TTU, Ark, LSU, Miss St, Ole Miss
East: UK, Tenn, Vandy, Ala, Aub, UGA, Fla

South Carolina ends up in the Big East or ACC (or becomes a proponent of Metro football)

Hard to say what the Big 8 does instead.

(02-19-2019 07:52 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(02-19-2019 02:28 PM)esayem Wrote:  I'll admit, I was wrong about BYU being rumored only after the merger. It seems there were rumors about the Big 8 for years.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/3244...8-SWC.html

Tim Allen, assistant commissioner of the Big Eight, told the Deseret News this morning that no talks are taking place at the conference level, that talks are at the school level and that "this is the time of year when all the rumors and stories pop up." Regarding BYU, he said, "I've been in the Big Eight for 10 years and talks about BYU predated that."

I do maintain they weren't a first choice though, otherwise why didn't it happen? My only guess is the Big XII/ESPN had no interest in UNM as a partner.

There was talk about BYU & New Mexico joining a Big 14 in the mid 90’s

What is the Big 14? Can you provide a link to the Big 14, BYU and New Mexico from the mid 90's?

(02-19-2019 09:29 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Since we are being up the formation of the Big 12, It would have been interesting if in 1991 the big realignment move was Arkansas, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech to the SEC:

West: Texas, TAMU, TTU, Ark, LSU, Miss St, Ole Miss
East: UK, Tenn, Vandy, Ala, Aub, UGA, Fla

South Carolina ends up in the Big East or ACC (or becomes a proponent of Metro football)

Hard to say what the Big 8 does instead.

That would've been a salty conference.

(02-19-2019 09:13 PM)BePcr07 Wrote:  New Mexico is Utah-lite. Good potential but will likely go unrealized

agreed....but a state flagship with tier 1 research and good facilities in the two major sports will always be considered.

If New Mexico would simply invest in athletics they’d be a no brainer.
For whatever reason, they aren’t interested.

(02-19-2019 09:34 PM)P5PACSEC Wrote:  

(02-19-2019 07:52 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(02-19-2019 02:28 PM)esayem Wrote:  I'll admit, I was wrong about BYU being rumored only after the merger. It seems there were rumors about the Big 8 for years.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/3244...8-SWC.html

Tim Allen, assistant commissioner of the Big Eight, told the Deseret News this morning that no talks are taking place at the conference level, that talks are at the school level and that "this is the time of year when all the rumors and stories pop up." Regarding BYU, he said, "I've been in the Big Eight for 10 years and talks about BYU predated that."

I do maintain they weren't a first choice though, otherwise why didn't it happen? My only guess is the Big XII/ESPN had no interest in UNM as a partner.

There was talk about BYU & New Mexico joining a Big 14 in the mid 90’s

What is the Big 14? Can you provide a link to the Big 14, BYU and New Mexico from the mid 90's?

Wikipedia the creation of the big 12