Tex and OU reportedly all but Official
According to an Austin reporter (Kirk Bohls), he has a "prominent" course that says the deal is all but done. Could be announced in as little as a week. Deal has been on the way for 6+ months and TAMU had no idea and no input. Only the Tex Governor can stop it at this point (and it's logical he's been in the know for a while).
https://twitter.com/kbohls/status/1418553992691466245?s=20
HT: Angelique Chengelis - she's a good follow
A version of this idea appeals to me. Michigan and ND should lead a movement to an alternate football experience -- one that returns to the concept of true amateurism and scholar-athlete experience. Effectively, this would be a variation on the Ivy League experience. But, with larger stadiums and TV coverage. Truly elite athletes would go to the pro-development league ("SEC") and amateurs would go to school and try to play their way into the NFL.
^This
If I was the Bigten today, I’d drop Rutgers and Nebraska and bring in USC and Oregon from the PAC 12. Id bring in Clemson, NC, FSU and Miami from the ACC and make it a 18 team super conference.
My question remains...does this really effect UM and the B1G? I guess if the B1G is still trying to be competitive with the SEC it will pressure them to either make additions or somehow partner with the Pac 12, but I'm not sure they are aiming for that. As long as the B1G still maintains OSU as a regular favorite that's all they seemingly need.
This is NOT the college football I fell in love with. It's just the NFL minor league but more concentrated. Players making so much money, why would a top player ever not go to Alabama or OSU?
Ridiculous.
Because humans make choices differently from one another. Not every top athlete thinks the same. Some like Rashan Gary and Jarvik and JJ like to go to places they think they can revive, believing they are great enough to go pro at any school they attend.
This is the exact same college football you fell in love with. Just now all the backroom deals and shadiness is being acted out in the light. Players have always concentrated around the winningest programs, they've always been paid through 1 sneaky deal or another, and college football has always been a minor league for the NFL with the top prospects going to the current "It" teams (FSU in the 80's, Nebraska/Miami in the 90's, USC/Texas in the 00's, Bama/Clemson/Ohio State in the 10's).
If you don't like the game the way it is now, then you've never liked it, you just didn't know what was happening in the shadows
Yep, I'd be happy if we dropped out of whatever ESPN agreements and went back to the Rose Bowl vs the Pac 10. Let the sportswiters argue who should be the national champion.
Wow! I had only followed the headlines so I just assumed this was some way for OU and Texas to negotiate some more power ($$) away from the the lesser members of the Big 12.
Have to assume the Big Ten feels some urgency to expand all of a sudden,
I want Duke and UNC
I'd sooner take UNC even with its scandals. Would prefer UVa over Duke.
What do these programs and schools get out of this? Is the money really so big that it's too good to pass up?
Also - why would you want to be in a conference that has like 20 teams? In a conference that big, you will go years without playing a conference opponent (it's already pretty bad in the 14-team B1G, and a few years ago I remember hearing something that ALabama and Georgia hadn't played each other in the regular season in like 8 years). What's the point?
Also - Texas is not nearly as good as it thinks it is. And Oklahoma has spent the better part of 20 years trying to learn defense. At times, the SEC can be a murderer's row.
This will only lead to more conference turf wars and eventually - super conferences. And I have a theory that moving to a new conference has never helped any program. And I think Texas and Oklahoma are in for a rude welcome if this is true.
With a 12 team playoff that gives homefield advantage to the top 4 conference champions, I don't think this is the last we see of the conference realignment wars. I would bet they have been preparing for a while and the SEC move just came out first.
Texas is going to get its ass beat on the regular in the SEC. They've signed up for permanent 3-4 losses and never winning a conference.
The last time they had less than 3 losses was 2009 in the Big XII.
College football is going to morph into a single 'elite' league with 20-30 teams over the course of the next 20 years any way. Now that the top players can get openly paid, it's a logical process.
I find this very difficult to comment upon as I have no interest at all in either of those two schools and do not think it matters heave nor ho. College football is entering into an era no one imagined just a few decades ago. Call yourselves the dipsy doodles and wear animal fur on your shoulder pads.
just give me exciting games to watch. i don't really even care who wins or loses (except Michigan, which must always win and never lose) as long as the game is exciting and at its completion I either want to shoot my TV or have sex with it.
Is that too much to ask for?
Except that future world is going to make you donate NIL money to have your team a shot at winning.