Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

[TheGamingChef]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Also crossing my fingers that Mizzou is leveraging the Big 12 (UT) and/or placating the fans that are rabid about an SEC move by "exploring options".

Who knows at this point. Only thing I feel okay about is that is Mizzou does head to the SEC, all bets are off concerning the Big 12 and the Big East. Louisville and West Virginia would be very attractive among others.

[dickey1331]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I dont even know what to say except its not gonna happen.

Another possible destination?
SEC latest conference rumored to be considering SMU

The hottest topic of discussion in recent months among college sports fans has been the next wave of conference realignment. Nebraska is in its first season in the Big 10, while Utah and Colorado have begun play as a members of the Pac-12. Texas A&M publicly flirted with the Southeastern Conference until the conference invited the Aggies to join last month, while Pittsburgh and Syracuse appear headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The conference shuffle stems from the desire by schools to lock down spots in the conferences with Automatic Qualifier status when the next wave of realignment is complete — whenever that is. Locally, speculation has been rampant about SMU's future. Do the Mustangs stay in some version of Conference, with the conference perhaps merging with the Mountain West Conference? Perhaps a move to the Big 12? What about rumored interest from the Big East, or even the ACC?

Two people involved in college athletic conference realignment efforts have said that the information in an e-mail acquired by PonyFans.com (a portion of which appears below) is, in fact, true: SMU reportedly has had conversations with the heavyweight of college athletic conferences, the SEC.

The two sources spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The president of an SEC university (which was not identified), they said, initiated contact with someone familiar with SMU's realignment effort, and the conversations did center around the possibility of SMU as a target institution for further SEC expansion.

Part of the attractiveness of SMU, the sources said, stemmed from the fact that as a private university with lofty academic standards, SMU could become "the Vandy (Vanderbilt) of the West Division" of the SEC. Considerable attention also was paid to the conference's desire to have a presence in the Dallas/Fort Worth market and the value of tapping into the Dallas area's base of potential corporate sponsors.

The sources declined to characterize the intensity of the conversations and did not divulge whether the talks got as far as beginning construction of a plan to add SMU or if they were merely exploratory conversations.

It is unknown if further conversations have been scheduled.

[TDenverFan]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

SMU would drop off the map faster then if someone killed their program. Oh wait...

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

SMU would drop off the map faster then if someone killed their program. Oh wait...

Naw they could just start paying their players again like all the other SEC schools and they'll be fine.

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

The SEC already has enough powerhouse teams. The SEC needs market penetration. The SEC has a product in place that ANY team that joins it is going to see an increase in the quality of their recruits simply because they will be playing on an SEC team. Hell, even Vandy football is on the rise.

SMU is the Dallas team and if the team was SEC instead of C-USA it would Instantly become one of the top destinations for Texas recruits as well as national recruits.

While they may not be the first pick right now for SEC, SEC is tied to ESPN and ESPN sells stories. No program in FBS has a story like SMU. ESPN would be drooling over this addition and all the stand alone shows they could create about the "Rebirth of SMU".

As crazy as it sounds, I could almost see it happening if the SEC is that forward thinking.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I still don't really see it happening. The SEC has already penetrated Texas with Texas A&M. Adding SMU would be adding a school just for the sake of expanding conference size. The SEC is in a situation where they don't really need to do that.

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

I still don't really see it happening. The SEC has already penetrated Texas with Texas A&M. Adding SMU would be adding a school just for the sake of expanding conference size. The SEC is in a situation where they don't really need to do that.

Texas is a very big state with lots of institutions. The one institution for penetration rule doesn't apply quite the same in Texas. One more addition makes for definite penetration and a yearly Texas vs Texas game within the SEC just in case A&M gets ostracized by the other Texas programs.

[dickey1331]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Four of the top 20 spenders in college football — AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Dr Pepper and Tostitos/Frito-Lay — are based in the Dallas area and reportedly are interested in supporting SMU and/or the local economy. With an endowment of over $1 Billion and a Top 60 University, SMU has a chance.

[He1nousOne1]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Four of the top 20 spenders in college football — AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Dr Pepper and Tostitos/Frito-Lay — are based in the Dallas area and reportedly are interested in supporting SMU and/or the local economy. SMU has the money, education and donors to become a big time college football team.

Yeah and some folks might make the mistake of thinking TCU gives the same penetration into that community as SMU would. They would be mistaken, correct?

[dickey1331]

Yeah and some folks might make the mistake of thinking TCU gives the same penetration into that community as SMU would. They would be mistaken, correct?

TCU won't become Dallas' team. They are Ft Worths team. SMU has the potential to become Dallas' team but TCU never will.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[lonewolf371]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Being in Dallas helps about as much as being in Memphis or Cincinnati:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2009/07/how-much-revenue-did-your-favorite-fbs-school-take-in-in-200708-this-chart-will-tell-you.html

Texas is a state that for the most part supports UT or A&M. SMU has always been an afterthought, even when they were good.

[dickey1331]

Being in Dallas helps about as much as being in Memphis or Cincinnati:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college/2009/07/how-much-revenue-did-your-favorite-fbs-school-take-in-in-200708-this-chart-will-tell-you.html

Texas is a state that for the most part supports UT or A&M. SMU has always been an afterthought, even when they were good.

Yeah and SMU is in C-USA and that was in 07-08. Of course UT and A$M make more money.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

First of all, Texas is big enough to support two teams in a major conference. Dallas is about the halfway point between Fayetteville and College Station, and it could be a great place to start a major SEC team. If you could start up an SEC program in the Metroplex whether it's Texas Christian or Southern Methodist, it could really get attention in the sixth largest media market in the United States.

That being said, Southern Methodist is FAR from being SEC ready. First of all, Ford Stadium would have to be expanded twice over to be BCS Conference ready, the team is having enough problems against the C-USA teams of the world, and the initial base just isn't that large. There are much better teams out there right now (just look at Texas Christian just thirty miles west) that could fit in the SEC footprint than SMU.

[Bondgirl0072]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Mizzou panel votes to look at leaving Big 12

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7060457/missouri-tigers-curators-vote-consider-leaving-big-12

[Redacted01]

Re: Conference Re-Alignment Thread Part Who Knows

Mizzou panel votes to look at leaving Big 12


http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...leaving-big-12

For what, the 99th time? How many times is Mizzou going to say they are going to leave?