Bumped from the diaries. --PB--

All this talk of Texas/Nebraska/Missouri leaving for the Big Ten has me thinking.  I agree with many of the reasons folk have given for Texas not going.  I think Nebraska or Missouri would jump at the chance.  This leaves the Big XII in quite a bit of trouble.  I think there are a few different scenarios that could play out.

I. Replacing TVs

If the Big XII wants to remain strong it needs to add eye balls on tv sets.  Adding TCU doesn’t get this done.  If they lose the whole state of Nebraska or the whole state of Missouri, it is going to be tough to replace them.

I like the BYU/Utah option.  It gets eyeballs.  Mormons : BYU :: Catholics : ND.  It is doesn’t play out totally, but you get somewhat more of a nation wide following if you add a Mormon based team.

Solution:
North
Nebraska/Missouri
Colorado
BYU/Utah
Kansas
Kansas St.
Iowa St.

South
No Change

II. Adding TVs

The defection of one member may give the Big XII an opportunity to add even more eye balls.  You wouldn’t look in the current covered area because it gets you fewer TV sets.  Again UTEP, Rice, TCU, Houston and Colorado St. are out.  Beside the BYU/Utah option you could look to the South or Mid-West to build strength.  I think SEC and Big 10 money is too powerful to pull any of those teams out.  You need to go to the mid majors and look for growth opportunities.  

Memphis gets you some Tennessee eye balls and they have a pretty good Basketball program.

I’m not sure Tulane is strong enough to hang in the Big XII, but the Louisiana connection would be great. La Tech might be a better option, but again they are small.

The Big East is still a mess and Cincinnati would be a real catch for those Ohio eye balls.  

South Florida wouldn’t make much sense regionally, but just about every team in the conference would vote for them for the recruiting advantage going to South Florida would garner.

If you want to go the other direction, San Diego state might be a California avenue.

Thinking about what just feels right I’m going to go with BYU, Cincinnati, and Memphis.

In the process a conference game is added so that you still play everyone in your division, two teams from the other division, and a traditional match-up(to keep Texas/Texas A&M,etc).

Solution:

West:
BYU
Colorado
Texas Tech
Nebraska/(Baylor if Nebraska leaves)
Kansas St
OU
Texas

East:
Cincinnati
Memphis
Iowa St.
Missouri/(Kansas if Missouri leaves)
OSU
Texas A&M
Baylor/(Kansas if Nebraska leaves)

III. Taking all the TVs

I don’t like either of the two previous solutions.  I’d take them and I think they’d be good for the Big XII but bad for Texas Football.  Some where between the finagling to add eyeballs and the obligations to show each team in the league on regional TV at least once a year is an option that blow all the others out of the water from a cost to revenue stand point.

Some have suggested that Texas just set out on its own as an independent.  I think that is folly.  But there are other teams that, like Texas, could almost do that.

NBC’s contract with Notre Dame runs out in 2010.  The ability for ND to command cash is even less now then it was in 2003.  ND needs help.  NBC needs a college football presence to promote its new Sunday night football venture with the NFL.  A disintegrating Big XII could give ND and NBC a chance form a slam dunk college football spectacle that would make any college football fan smile.

Six teams.  Fifteen games.  One a week.  Saturday in prime time on NBC.  A Super-Mini Conference

Week 1: Notre Dame vs. OU
Week 2: Texas vs. Notre Dame
Week 3: USC vs. OU
Week 4: Texas vs. OU
Week 5: Notre Dame vs. USC
Week 6: Notre Dame vs. Penn St.
Week 7: OU vs. Penn St.
Week 8: Texas vs. Florida
Week 9: USC vs. Penn St.
Week 10: Texas vs. Penn St.
Week 11: Texas vs. USC
Week 12: OU vs. Florida
Week 13a: USC vs. Florida(Day after Thanksgiving)
Week 13: Notre Dame vs. Florida
Week 14: Penn St. vs. Florida

At least one Big 10 team will jump and that will open up space for both Nebraska and Missouri in the Big 10.  

Penn St. probably has the least allegiance to the Big 10 as they are recent additions.  The suits at Michigan and Ohio St. are savvy though so you could easily replace Penn St with one of those schools.

Texas, Florida and USC are all programs that could go independent today and survive.  Together they’d excel.  OU gets the good fortune of both being the bad guy that everyone roots against and being first to the table due to the crumbling Big XII.

The new Power 6 conference uses its power to procure 2 guaranteed BCS slots along with a possible 3rd at large spot.

Texas A&M finds a home in the SEC.  The rest of the Big XII disperses its self across a suddenly more exciting WAC and Mountain West.

Where does this put Texas?  In a great spot.  Coupled with our Game against A&M we have 6 guaranteed Nationally Televised games a year.  That is big bucks and big exposure.  The boo-hooing about our OOC games being Rice and North Texas subsides as we have USC, Florida, ND, and Penn St. added to the list.  We probably keep the regional rivalries with Tech and Baylor.

And talk about exciting football.