The Big 12 recently hired a Chicago based firm, Navigate Research to determine what would be the best course of action for the Conference in regards to their Football Program. After some 40,000 potential scenarios were run, the company told the Big 12 that expansion to 12 teams and a Conference Championship game was the best way to go. Now it is up to the Big 12 Presidents to determine what to do. This certainly helps the case of Oklahoma President David Boren and Kansas State HC Bill Snyder, both strong advocates of expansion. A decision by the end summer is hoped for by League President Bowlsby. My take. With Texas Athletics a basic shambles, Oklahoma becomes the power in the Big 12. Their very strong stance in favor of expansion probably is enough to carry the expansion cause.
There are no good fits other than Houston which will not be added because its added prominence by joining the conference would hurt every single team in the conference.
The Big 12 was told that they were 5% more likely than not to get to the playoff by expanding and having a championship. That is fairly obviously not true but even if you consider it to be, it is one trip in 25 years and that trip is most likely to be Texas or Oklahoma either of which would make it without a championship game.
Texas is the big dog in the Big 12 and Oklahoma has said it has hitched its wagon to Tesas so they need to provide UT with a reason to expand and they haven't and aren't likely to.
This is something the media wants and the lower level teams want. OU president wants it but some of the OU big wigs are against.
Unless the Big 12 can get Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Florida State or Notre Dame, they should just stay put instead of watering down their conference. A watered down conference will just make UT more likely to go to the SEC or Pac 12 which they have said they would probably prefer to expanding the Big 12.
This is ultimately a decision that ESPN will make. IF ESPN wants a championship game, they will offer the money for the Big 12 to expand. The lower level teams I guess think they can get some more money out of Texas by expanding but that ain't going to happen. It will have to come from ESPN and it is hard to see how ESPN will want to put the small schools in the Big 12.
If you are Texas and you give up their network for a Big 12 network, would you add Memphis and Cincinnati or would you tell OU, OSU and Texas Tech that you are all going to the Pac 12 for more money?
UT was already going to join the Pac 12 but didn't because of the network. That's a pretty easy call there. The Pac 16 would be a much better conference than the Big 12 and there is no telling how much money they could get out of the SEC.
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