Here is my highly unscientific, non-vetted, swag on what would be a killer move for the Big 12…
Job #1 is a conference championship game, for reasons well documented in the CFB Playoffs - and for the TV contract dough it could cause an increase in.
To attain that, they must get to 12 or more teams. What if they come to Houston and UCF to go to 12 teams? Houston would be a great pick playing UT, Texas Tech, SMU, Baylor and the rest. UCF grows the recruiting and TV boundaries of the conference. But Cincy would have appeal to the Big 12 for viewers and some recruiting too.
Better yet, what if they go to 14 teams?
The candidates look like:
- Houston (#1 candidate)
- Cincy
- UCF
- BYU
- Boise State
- USF
- Colorado State
- Memphis
- Rice (mostly just off SWC history)
For 14 Big 12 team, if it was my call, I'd go with Houston, UCF, USF, BYU. That means a ton of travel for games, but the tv dough will be worth it. The additional viewers (Houston with that huge market, big Florida market) would likely increase the contract enough to not be dilutive to current members, and there is a whole new recruiting engine for Big 12 teams in Florida. Houston and BYU are recent good football programs, UCF has been there before, and USF has a story to tell too.
Your thoughts?
The big question is how will Texas and the Little 9 see this?
Job #1 is a conference championship game, for reasons well documented in the CFB Playoffs - and for the TV contract dough it could cause an increase in.
To attain that, they must get to 12 or more teams. What if they come to Houston and UCF to go to 12 teams? Houston would be a great pick playing UT, Texas Tech, SMU, Baylor and the rest. UCF grows the recruiting and TV boundaries of the conference. But Cincy would have appeal to the Big 12 for viewers and some recruiting too.
Better yet, what if they go to 14 teams?
The candidates look like:
- Houston (#1 candidate)
- Cincy
- UCF
- BYU
- Boise State
- USF
- Colorado State
- Memphis
- Rice (mostly just off SWC history)
For 14 Big 12 team, if it was my call, I'd go with Houston, UCF, USF, BYU. That means a ton of travel for games, but the tv dough will be worth it. The additional viewers (Houston with that huge market, big Florida market) would likely increase the contract enough to not be dilutive to current members, and there is a whole new recruiting engine for Big 12 teams in Florida. Houston and BYU are recent good football programs, UCF has been there before, and USF has a story to tell too.
Your thoughts?
The big question is how will Texas and the Little 9 see this?
