All the Big 12-2 Conference news that is and isn't fit to read...
And some other stuff.
The silly season has started once again.
Sunday 7:30PM
Never fear...Chip Brown is on the story! [Orangebloods]
I've talked to sources across the Big 12 today who all say, "Nothing is done."
But in the next sentence, they'll say, "There's keen interest" or "more than curiosity" in looking at different expansion scenarios.
In short, anyone saying Notre Dame, Florida State or Clemson are done deals are talking to people with wishful thinking or relying on second or third-hand information from people with wishful thinking.
Does anyone really care what the president thinks? [ESPN Big 12 Blog]
If FSU president Dr. Eric Barron had his way, then certainly not. For one, he doesn't see it as a jump at all, at least not in the ways that matter most to him.
Barron wrote a memo on Monday expressing a commitment to the ACC, and harshly criticizing a possible move to the Big 12.
But, but...No one talked about this at the meeting! [Washington Post]
FSU President Eric Barron sent an email to those asking about the possibility of a conference switch, listing the pros and cons of changing conferences but making a strong case for staying put. Athletic director Randy Spetman recently told the Orlando Sentinel the school was committed to the ACC. Florida State board of trustees chairman Andy Haggard told Warchant.com, a website that covers FSU sports, that the board “would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer.”
Was the new Big 12-SEC bowl game the death knell of the ACC? [ESPN]
Two of college football's strongest conferences just got even stronger. And the ACC, Big East and possibly Notre Dame lost much of their footing in the post-BCS landscape.
Should they stay or should they go? [Los Angeles Times]
The FSU faculty seems worried about their academic reputation. [Dallas Morning News]
Florida State's president released a memo last week that claimed the FSU faculty was opposed to joining an "academically weaker" conference. But as Sherrington points out, the ACC isn't an academic stronghold because of Florida State. FSU ranked 101 on the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, which tied the school with Kansas and Oklahoma, and put it behind Texas (45), Baylor (75), TCU (97) and Iowa State (97).
If FSU joins, will they bring along their black sheep brother? [Dallas Morning News]
Who the hell is Chuck Oliver? Does anyone know? [Chuck Oliver]
You do realize...All three Stoops brothers will now be in the Big 12 if this move happens. [Wikipedia]
Not realignment, but great story. The Big 12 is alive! [Daily Camera]
The winners of the two most dominant conferences since the BCS cartel was formed will face off in the "Champions Bowl" beginning in 2014. Never mind that the actual champions of the Big 12 and SEC will almost always be included in the proposed four-team playoff, which is also expected to arrive in two years.
This is a very aggressive and impressive fall-back plan. Kind of like the Rose Bowl for the Big Ten and Pac-12.
"We may not be Facebook," Neinas told the Austin American-Statesmen. "But the Big 12 Conference would get a strong buy call from Wall Street today."
The Big 12 and SEC own all of the rights (including television) to the Champions Bowl. The stuffy old guys who like to wear their hideous blazers in press boxes won't have a say in this new New Year's Day tradition.
I'll keep this updated today and tomorrow as stories come out. Check back frequently. :-)