That’s why sometime in late October, provided the college football and conference realignment landscape doesn’t once again change, the Big 12 will vote to add BYU and Houston as members for the 2017 season.
Don’t miss the significance of that point. The Big 12 would like new members to begin conference play in 2017. BYU, being an independent, has no problem. Houston has more than one billionaire booster willing to pay for the Cougar’s early exit from the AAC. Can the Bearcats say the same?
In the end, it looks like the Bearcats will lose out, because if the Big 12 is going to expand, how can it disregard the advice of it television partners and consultants? How can the most dysfunctional conference in college football not see the value in adding Houston if the grant of rights is extended as a result?
http://landgrantgauntlet.com/2016/08/27/the-big-12-may-be-close-to-naming-two-new-members/
When you finish reading the Dude, I have a fresh batch of magic beans that you might be interested in purchasing.
I kid, but for anyone who IS worried about this, I'll offer a rebuttal.
I am, admittedly, concerned that BYU and Houston will be the choices. In fact, I think it is the only realistic scenario that would preclude UC from admittance. BUT, I would still argue that it is unlikely this would ever occur.
Think about the geography of the situation. We've heard a lot about WVU being on an Island over the past few years, and even if this isn't a major concern, it is still worth considering. On that note, BYU creates the exact same issue on the opposite side of the country. Forget everything you heard about "TV executives" and what they want from the Dude, Moose, or any other twitter troll. Jason Williams, who works for the enquirer and has legitimate sources, even went as far as to say that UC is ESPN's favorite choice for expansion. That's pretty much all we have on that front. But from a purely speculative standpoint, how much sense does it make for a network to make a play for adding yet ANOTHER time zone and then tapping into the Houston market, which is already captured by the conference...5 times over? Geographically, BYU and Houston would make no sense together.
On BYU, we recently had comments come out from the Iowa State president indicating that their candidacy received the most commentary, both good AND bad. The good is obvious - national following, fans in the stands, a storied football program, etc. The bad as well - honor code, LGBTQ push, investigation over sexual assault. Could BYU be one of the choices? Sure. But take all this into consideration, and do you really think they would make sense to go along with Houston? Again, unlikely, but possible.
As to the comment regarding the 2017 season. If the decision were made today, then yes, it could be an issue. But as this drags out, it becomes more and more unlikely that 2017 will be the inaugural year for these new members. It's simply too difficult to maneuver the scheduling within such a tight window. Furthermore, and perhaps most important of all, WHY WOULD A CONFERENCE BASE ITS LONG-TERM STRATEGY FOR STABILITY OFF THE MOST READILY AVAILABLE MEMBER?? That entire notion laughs in the face of logic. Just like the farce that is the Dude of WV.
I could go on and on. But taking all things into consideration, and as biased as I might be, UC seems to be in good shape.
I really don't like responding to NTS (because it is clear that he is trying to get a rise out of everyone...sad as that is) but I had to throw this in there for anyone who might stumble across this board and question the legitimacy of his claims.