OU and Texas formally submitted their request letter to the SEC today.
Also, I read elsewhere that games not involving OU or Texas pulled about the same TV rating as an AAC game. So if you're Cincinnati do you really wanna join that? What's the benefit?
If you mean joining the crippled Big 12 - there is no reason.
If you mean joining one of the new super conferences - I can give you tens of millions of reasons.
The former. Of course they would join the super.
It depends who is staying in the "new" Big 12. Maybe I'm jaded by considering basketball, but from a basketball perspective I think that'd be an extremely attractive league for Cincinnati and "not bad" for football.
Unfortunately basketball has never been the driver in a lot of these decisions. You can't do much better than Kansas, TxTech, OkSt and Baylor in that regard.
And I'm afraid they'll run into the same issues that WVU has with the league in regards to travel. But if a few other local schools were added maybe it won't be so bad.
Here is my Super-Optimist vision to bail on the MAC:
East
UConn
Buffalo
UMass
Temple
WVU
Ohio
Louisville
Cincy
West
Memphis
Tulane
SMU
Houston
Texas Tech
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Kansas State
Why would anyone want the Athens TV market? They wouldn’t. Most of our alumni are in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. It’s time to stop pretending our TV market is Athens and Nelsonville and acknowledge we have some Bobcat fans who would prefer to watch the Bobcats over the Buckeyes around the rest of the state.
Hey if you wanna get silly, at least be a little bit realistic.
Conference-USA blows up and the remaining parts are spread to the MAC, Sun Belt, and upcoming new WAC. Army decides they want to join a conference because of the new playoff structure.
Calling this 16-team conference BIG MAC, sponsored by McDonalds.
POD 1: Kent State, Akron, Buffalo, Army
POD 2: Miami, Toledo, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan
POD 3: Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, Northern Illinois
POD 4: Ohio, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee
In this scenario Ohio is probably getting screwed the most because they don't maintain any of their natural rivalries. But this makes it easiest on travel for everyone.
Nine game conference schedule, playing everyone in your POD every season. Then you play two opponents from every other POD on a rotation schedule.