The commissioner insisted the Pac-12 will have a stronger base after its new media rights deal, and that footing could lead to expansion. The Pac-12 has lost its Los Angeles flagships after nearly a century of history, and Kliavkoff acknowledged the widespread speculation about the long-term health of his comparatively underfunded West Coast conference. That’s probably not the most collegial thing I’ve ever said.” I get why they’re scared, why they’re trying to destabilize it. “I understand why they’re doing it, when you look at the relative media value between the two conferences,” Kliavkoff added later. “We haven’t decided whether we’re going shopping there or not.” “With respect to the Big 12 being open for business, I appreciate that,” Kliavkoff said. Kliavkoff responded to Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark’s recent declaration that his league was “open for business” in expansion by suggesting those moves could include Big 12 schools coming his way, instead of the opposite assumption. Instead, the Big 12 is electing to act in desperation - a move that will ultimately cost it the only remaining relevance it had.The commissioner also acknowledged frustration with the upheaval created by the defections, saying he had spent the past month “trying to defend against grenades being lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our remaining conference.” But overall, adding these four schools will ultimately do more harm than good in the bigger picture. Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services, LLCĬincinnati makes at least some modicum of sense because it’s sorta in the Big 12’s geographical range, has decent football and basketball programs and opens up the Ohio market for recruiting. None of the schools the Big 12 plans to add make this a noticeably stronger conference. really wanted to punch back at the SEC and the other Power-5 conferences, it would throw every dollar it could at Arkansas and Louisville, then go back and grab former members Nebraska and Colorado. The Big 12 is reaching down to try and lift itself up. Adding non-Power 5 schools doesn’t make you more of a Power-5 conference Tech is part of the Big 3 (Texas, Texas A&M & Texas Tech), while TCU and Baylor offer tremendous depth in the state. First of all, Texas has 10 million more people than Florida, with more universities and better football programs. And before anyone starts talking trash about how Tech is an afterthought in Texas, no. In fact, the Gators are actually more popular in Orlando than UCF, which is not ideal. Very few people outside Orlando have any interest in UCF athletics. While UCF does have a large student enrollment, Floridians only care about the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes. UCF is comparatively an afterthought in the state of Florida Believe me, this effect will be felt by every Power-5 school in the state and all the schools who voted Houston in are going to swim in a sea of regret. Tech loses its primary advantage over the Cougars. Adding Houston hurts Tech (and other Texas schools) in recruitingĪs soon as Houston joins the Big 12, hundreds of local kids who would’ve committed to a different Power 5 school in Texas are going to stay home. This move further dismantles regionalism and tradition in college football and no one seems to care. College football is all about regionalism and proving your area of the country does football better than anyone else. This appears to be the new reality in college football, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Yeah, West Virginia didn’t make sense either and honestly, it still doesn’t. There are a few things I dislike about the Big 12 adding these particular schools: 1. This move is going to do the opposite of what it set out to do, which is to elevate the strength of the conference over the long term. Word is finalization could come this academic year. I’d really like to talk about the opener against Houston, but The Athletic is making that quite a challenge with its latest report.Įvidently, the Big 12 Conference has keyed on four schools for expansion in Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and BYU, the latter of which could join as a football-only member.
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