And Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech. Alabama lost to Ole Miss. Oregon lost to Arizona. Baylor, as noted, lost to West Virginia. Everybody except Florida State lost to somebody, so that can’t be the entire reason for not being included in the top 4.
Some of the talk for a while has been about going to four 16-team megaconferences, which makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little … but if that is indeed the fate, either the ACC or the Big XII is going to be dismantled and reconstituted. That’s probably where the “doomed” talk is coming from.
I personally don’t think jumping to add two teams right now is in the Big XII’s best interest. You have a one-season playoff sample size here, and this year things broke against the Big XII. Other years will play out so a championship game might hurt you. Had things gone only a bit differently - maybe two games go another way over the course of the entire season, not just championship weekend - the Big XII might have gotten two teams into the playoff. It was a near thing.
There really aren’t many good choices for expansion anyway. The Big XII practically had Louisville throwing themselves at the conference a few years ago, and (stupidly, in my opinion) turned them away. So now they’re in the ACC. BYU wouldn’t be terrible, except after adding WVU that’s a really far-flung geographic conference. Cincinnati doesn’t do a lot for me, but it’s not the worst. UConn, Central Florida, South Florida, Tulane, Memphis … none of those are great choices.
Remember, for the conference payouts, the Big XII only has to divvy up their money 10 ways, and not 12 or 14. The “per team” payout is what the current members have to consider, regarding expansion.
Agreed, and I doubt that they’ll do it right away. And if next year not having a CC helps them, they’ll be happy. But I’m guessing that as time goes by, it will hurt more than it helps, and the pressure will build to be like everyone else. I’m thinking 5 years or so. And of course, I am assuming that the Pac-16 isn’t a possibility, though the more I think about it, it makes more and more sense.
Really, they screwed themselves by letting Missouri and TAMU bolt.
I’m not sure if “letting” is the right word. As I understand it, the egos of A&M and Texas just weren’t going to survive in the same league, so one of them was going. And Mizzou harbored dreams of jumping to the Big Ten, even making some overtures. When Nebraska got the Big Ten invite instead, the combination of Mizzou’s embarrassment at being jilted and their new reputation as “traitor” to the Big XII made it easier for them to run.
I still don’t know that the SEC suits them; especially since they’re in the SEC East (which has made it easier for them to get to the conference championship; not win it, but get there). It also really hurt them in basketball, I think.
I miss the Big 8. Outdated conference model these days, of course, but taking in the Texas/SWC contingent really changed the dynamic of the conference, for good and bad.
Well, yeah; by “they” I more or less mean “Texas.” IMO and AIUI their shortsighted ego forced the split; TAMU and Mizzou (agree that they’d fit better in B10) had alternatives, the rest didn’t and are stuck with the Longhorns like children with an egocentric parent.
I wouldn’t rule out a Pac-16: Western division is the old Pac-8, and eastern division is the Arizonas, CO, UT, OK, OKst, Kansas … maybe TCU? Let Texas form their own conference … they can go 11-1 every year, beating up on Rice and UTEP and getting left out of the playoff for poor SOS. 
Did you mean TTU instead of UT?
Where’s K-State? And Baylor?
I agree that Longhorns bit off their nose to spite their face. And I would love it if the most of Big XII teams merged with the PACxx.
Personally I think UCF and Cincy would be great additions to the BigXII
I hear ya. The collapse of the old SWC is having ripple effects 20 years later.
I certainly miss the OU - Nebraska yearly matchup from the Big 8 days. That was something people really looked forward to every year. The last time they played it was quite poignant, reflected in the color commentary and comments from the coaches and players. Each program and their fans had enormous respect for the other, almost the opposite of Texas - Nebraska and the things that led to Nebraska’s departure.
The OU-Nebraska rivalry did not have to end. It might have been unlikely that it would be played at the end of the season but there is no reason why and OU/Neb game could be a blockbuster game in September.
Yearly OoC rivalry games are not against the rules.
Ever hear of FSU/UF?
Ga Tech vs UGA?
These games could work if both sides want to make it work (Hello Texas, the TAMU vs UT game did not have to end).
Even though the game was more regional, the rivalry game between Mizzou and Kansas ended three years ago. And that game has been played 120 times, 2nd most in Div 1, and will be caught by two other rivalries next year.
When there is a will there is a way and at least one of the participants don’t want it to continue.
True dat. Nebraska set its sights on other shores and sailed away. OU apparently preferred to schedule elite matchups for OOC as much as possible. Still, my sentiments remain unchanged. Thank TPTB that OU finally beat ND and got that monkey off their backs (to go way back.)
Wisconsin Coach Gary Anderson just left Madison to take the Oregon State job. He leaves a perennial Top 20 (or netter) program for one of the five worst jobs in P5 Conferences. That’s two coaches who have left in three years - not fired, but quit to take another job.
What’s going on?
By what definition is Oregon State “five worst jobs”? Just curious.
I don’t know anything about Wisconsin, but I’d say their AD is the prime suspect.
I think Johnny Manzielknows the answer.
Michigan State - Notre Dame. After my sigh over that dying this year to become an “occasional rivalry” I went to check on the status and found this from May.
MSU scheduled Boise State for a home and home. A P5 conference team didn’t just schedule Boise State but it willing to go on the road to Boise. Hell yeah!
Just saying hey, don’t forget the FSU v. Miami games; Miami only joined the ACC in 2004 but the rivalry goes back to 1951 (59 games now).
OU-NU pretty much ended when the Big XII split North and South. OU went south, NU went north. For whatever reason, they made rotating schedules between north and south.
Scuttlebutt at the time was that NU wanted a permanent crossover game, but OU wasn’t willing to keep the series going. At the transition period, Nebraska was the best team in the nation and Oklahoma was struggling though the Schnellenberger/Blake years:
1995: NU 37, OU 0
1996: NU 73, OU 21
1997: NU 69, OU 7
On the very bright side, both teams have a home-and-home scheduled for 2021 and 2022; 50 year anniversary of the 1971 “Game of the Century”.
Upon joining the Big Ten, Penn State was our designated “rival” and permanent cross-over game. Husker fans were looking forward to this, as Osborne and Paterno had quite a history together, especially in the early 80s*.
Then stupid Maryland and stupid Rutgers happened.
*Just don’t ask Husker fans about Penn State’s extra 5-yard sideline in 1982.
I had forgotten that there was no permanent crossover game in the BigXII. Thanks for that. The ACC has permanent Crossover games. GT plays Clemson every year and FSU/Miami. That does mean that it could be years before some Conference teams ever play each other. Its been a long time since Tech has played Wake and Boston College, and Syracuse and Louisville may never get on the schedule before there is another Conference Shuffle.
I think most of the ACC permanent crossover games have Geographical sense. GT vs Clemson, FSU vs Miami, Duke/UNC vs Wake and State etc. The Big East additions/Maryland loss disrupted the permanent crossovers
Miami/FSU at 59 games is not even on the radar as long -standing series. Heck GaTech-Duke game has been played over 80 games. Although the FSU/Miami is definitely more Nationally known.
That’s a fine job of rebuffing a claim and/or argument that I never made. My point, since it seems I was unclear, is that FSU/Miami is/was also an example of an out-of-conference rivalry, since the two teams have been playing each other for more than 60 years and have only been in the same conference for 10.
Sorry I misunderstood.
FSU and Miami were independent most of those years and I was pointing out teams that were constrained by in conference schedules.
Although to be honest, Ga Tech was independent for 20 years or so from the mid 60’s to mid 80’s
If you notice I didn’t bring up Notre Dame rivalry games either.