Texas A&M to SEC...confirmed???

[texaswarrior74]

I seriously doubt that A&M takes it this far without some solid knowledge that they are getting an offer from SEC.  They would be morons to go back to the B12 with their tail between their legs by this point.

Exactly what the sports talk guys were saying. In this part of the world they tell Aggie jokes interchangeably/like Polish jokes elsewhere.....comment today was if they were not approved by the SEC it would be the greatest Aggie joke of all time....

[GGGG]

http://www.mercurynews.com/sports-headlines/ci_18677412

Now they are saying that the Presidents are indeed meeting tomorrow, and are basically going to take A&M as a "business decision."  Because if it isn't them, A&M would likely turn to the Pac-12.  And the SEC is not interested in breaking up the ACC...and it looks like it could be Louisville.

From a BE point of view, Louisville would be great!  They essentially replaced one football school with another (TCU), and I think this keeps the B12 together, which IMO is very important for the future of the BE.  I don't think the addition of four "minor" programs will be helpful for the football schools.  I think the breakup of the B12 pushes schools like Kansas and Kansas State, which makes a breakup of the basketball schools and football schools that much more likely.

[PaintTouches]

Ouch! Turns out the SEC doesn't want A&M. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6861385/sec-extend-invitation-texas-leaves-options-open

If you were the Aggies wouldn't you secure an invite before going public with all this?

[GGGG]

A couple of things about this.  Let's see how the vote goes tomorrow at the BoR.  If they give the authority to the Chancellor to explore all options, which is in the agenda, this might just be delayed a year.  The reason for this is that the deadline for ACC schools to announce that they are leaving in 2012 is August 15...tomorrow.  What is being said publically might not reflect what is going on privately.  They may have been told to sit tight...wait a year...and let us figure out our options.

And it isn't easy for public universities to conduct their business in private.

[GGGG]

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1251783

Now it is being reported that this is simply a dealy to buy time for A&M to get political cover.  Expect an announcement within 21 days unless the politicians really screw things up.

[GGGG]

And here is a more comprehensive article from SI on the events of yesterday and what they mean.  And to tie this to MU, the best thing that can happen is for the B12 to add another team, such as Houston, and remain stable.  A further breakdown of the B12 may cause all sorts of chaos that could leave MU out of the BE as currently constituted.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/08/14/texas.am.sec/index.html?sct=hp_t2_a4&eref=sihp

[4everwarriors]

Maybe Chicos will chime in and tell what his Houston AD pal is thinkin'?

[leever]

Maybe Chicos will chime in and tell what his Houston AD pal is thinkin'?

Since he's been banned, Chico's has been a part of just as many threads.  Any way to ban posts ABOUT Chico's?

[Dish]

I've been MIA too long, when did Chicos get banned?

[HouWarrior]

The UH AD,  Mack Rhoades, once worked at MU athl. dept., so he is a friend to all MUers (not just Chicos-who worked with Mack) . Mack is a rising star in the AD ranks, very well thought of.

Assuming all the meetings, dealings, result in TAMU to the SEC,....(and  although the B12 will hold their nose on it, just like they did when UH was added to the old SWC), .....a likely target for a quick B12 conference patch is UH.

See Hou Chron.:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7696440.html

[GGGG]

Jeez, what a terrible article that is.  No offense, but increasing your attendance from 21,000 to 32,000 isn't a selling point for a BCS conference.  The worst team in the B12 attendance wise is Iowa State...and they draw 45,000.  BYU is 60,000+.

[HouWarrior]

Jeez, what a terrible article that is.  No offense, but increasing your attendance from 21,000 to 32,000 isn't a selling point for a BCS conference.  The worst team in the B12 attendance wise is Iowa State...and they draw 45,000.  BYU is 60,000+.

None taken, by me..just the  messenger. lol
The article author, Richard Justice, was originally with the Dallas Morning News, and this article shows no real research or effort. With the speed of the AM developments, many are just throwing content up, without research, and quality writing.

[MUBurrow]

In the gigantic conference scenarios, what happens to the Big 12/10/8 schools without a home?

I'm thinking teams like Baylor, Mizzou, KState, Iowa St, Texas Tech. KU, OK, OK St will all be big enough to garner invites somewhere. TX will obviously be fine and could even go independent for football. KState would probably be okay just because of their association with KU.

But what about the little, less profitable schools.  Would the big conferences be interested in absorbing these teams? Would they be forced to create/join a little brother conference with what's left of Conference USA?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Since he's been banned, Chico's has been a part of just as many threads.  Any way to ban posts ABOUT Chico's?

What about an auto-change from Chicos to something like toejam?  voldemort?  Crean?

[Aughnanure]

East Carolina to the SEC. Really WSJ?

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/08/15/the-texas-am-sweepstakes-continues/

Also this, hypothesizing that Duke & UNC are SEC's dream scenario. Hard to see UNC going w/out NC State getting in the way. Also mentions, maryland and BC have had contact w/ Big East.

http://outkickthecoverage.com/north-carolina-and-duke-the-secs-east-coast-homerun.php

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

East Carolina to the SEC. Really WSJ?

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/08/15/the-texas-am-sweepstakes-continues/

Also this, hypothesizing that Duke & UNC are SEC's dream scenario. Hard to see UNC going w/out NC State getting in the way. Also mentions, maryland and BC have had contact w/ Big East.

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/08/15/the-texas-am-sweepstakes-continues/

The web links are repeated.

[Aughnanure]

The web links are repeated.

Whoops, thanks. Fixed.

[HouWarrior]

Big East commish is talking regularly to Beebe, the B12 commish....and suggesting the two meet with ACC commish for the 3 weakest conferences to coordinate on realignment issues.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/7700021.html

This is a smart proactive move--BE has to worry over TCU jumping back over to B12..and the BE is more the poachee...than poacher...better to flush your hunters out in the open for talks. Might the 3 conferences trade teams among themselves?

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

I propose a conference draft. "With the first pick, the SWAC picks.....Texas! With the second pick, Conference USA selects.....Notre Dame!"

[MUBurrow]

This is a smart proactive move--BE has to worry over TCU jumping back over to B12..and the BE is more the poachee...than poacher...better to flush your hunters out in the open for talks. Might the 3 conferences trade teams among themselves?

Problem is, who would want to jump into the BE? I don't see how all three of those conferences could come to a happy agreement that all teams agree to without one of the conferences folding (or kicking all the non-FB schools out of the BE and replacing them with the remainder of the B12).

[GGGG]

Yeah....it's kind of like a summit meeting between France, Belgium and Poland before WW2. 

[HouWarrior]

The new BE special commisioner on league realignment , A. E. Newman appeared confident on the BE future, stating to reporters..."What? Me, worry?

[uncle zeffy]

Rumor is that the three conferences will merge into 2 super conferences split up by basketball & football

Football
-WVU
-Louisville
-TCU
-USF
-Rutgers
-Cincy
-UM
-Baylor
-Ok State
-TAMU
-TTU
-UT
-BC
-FSU
-Georgia State
-Miami
-VT

Basketball
-MU
-Gerogetown
-ND
-Depaul
-Seaton Hall
-Providence
-Nova
-St Johns
-ISU
-UK
-Duke
-Maryland
-UNC
-Wake Forest

To be decided
-Pitt
-Syracuse
-UConn
-KSU
-U Oklahoma
-Clemson
-NCSU
-Virginia

[Aughnanure]

Problem is, who would want to jump into the BE? I don't see how all three of those conferences could come to a happy agreement that all teams agree to without one of the conferences folding (or kicking all the non-FB schools out of the BE and replacing them with the remainder of the B12).

Yeah, the little 3 can't do much and each conference is looking at possible leftovers of each to salvage. Texas is the last mystery in all this, will they stay with a 9-team Big 12, try to add one team (all reports say they will not go back to 12 anytime soon), will they take OU, TTU, OSU and themselves to the PAC or will they go Independent?

Texas as independent causes so many more problems, as OU is probably the #1desire for the SEC to add west w/ AtM. If not, its Mizzou.

SEC supposedly wants into North Carolina badly, but how is the biggest question -  North Carolina would be a dream, but N.C. State?

[GGGG]

NC State is larger than UNC, and while it doesn't have the same national profile as UNC, is very well supported locally.  And NCSU might be interested in breaking out of the UNC "shaddow" similar to A&M and Texas.