Wannstedt claims he has heard

[ProudUte]

That OK State and K State will be joining the PAC12.  Other schools will be going to Big 10 and ACC.

Interesting.

Realignment

[Waybackutefan]

I would have to think all 3 of leftover B12 Texas schools would be a better fit than KU, at least from a football perspective. 

[AlohaUte]

But ONLY in football is that the case. I argue that Kansas is the most appealing of all the leftovers aside from Oklahoma State. Kansas is AAU and blue blood in College Basketball. I don’t think Kansas State adds anything to the Pac-12.

[Waybackutefan]

Sorry I meant Kansas state.

[younglurch]

The primary driving factor in all of these conversations is money, which ties in most closely with media markets and TV deals. Regardless of a team’s prominence in a sport, I think conferences want to expand their media footprint and reach other markets to pull in greater TV revenue. I’d be very surprised if the PAC didn’t want to enter the Texas market. OK St and K St are great schools and athletic programs I’m sure, but Stillwater, OK and Manhattan, KS are not exactly prime media markets. Maybe I could see KU having a TV draw despite being in a small market due to brand influence, but even then, I have to think the PAC would prefer to have a presence in Texas. 

The only way I see this specific expansion rumor being true is if the conferences see it as making them more money and the individual school’s slices of the revenue pie grow. But that seems unlikely.

I think while the dust is still settling on the SEC expansion, the remaining schools formed this alliance to provide themselves some temporary protection from a BIG 12-esque implosion and let them better chart out a path forward. 

[NarfUte]

Good ole Wannstache.

[Central Coast Ute]

I don’t buy it. How does Fox get WVU into the ACC with the ACC under ESPN for the next 15 years? Also, why KSU? That’s very weird imo. The only way it would make sense is if for some reason someone at Fox told the PAC 12 they’ll get SEC money if they let KSU in, and I highly doubt that’s the case.

[AlohaUte]

This seems very far fetched. The only schools the B1G would consider are Iowa State and Kansas as they are AAU. I could see the ACC grabbing WVU and maybe Kansas (to pair with Duke and UNC in BBall), but no chance they grab Texas Tech. And I think Baylor and TCU are sadly left out in the cold with the AAC. And I have no idea why the Pac-12 would want Kansas State.

What I hope happens is that the 8 stay together (well 7 and have WVU go to ACC) and for them to add a western wing in Colorado State, BYU, Boise State and maybe New Mexico, UNLV, or SDSU and an eastern wing with UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis, and USF (or some other team).

That would be a solid conference, much better than the current AAC and honestly could compete well with the ACC (minus Clemson) and Pac-12.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

I hope it’s not true.  Because this alignment will force Utah into a new division:  the Pac-12 East, which would then consist of Ariz, Ariz St, Utah, Colo, Okla St, Kan St, and only ONE other So Cal school.  Right now, we get both.

Furthermore, if we HAD to take a Big 12 team, I would have preferred Tx Tech over any of the others.  Kan St isn’t even a Tier-1 Research institution, and it’s not like we’ll be making major recruiting inroads by getting into Kansas.

Also, Stillwater is a hole in the ground.

[Dwight89]

Hopefully they would move away from divisions and move to a Pods-style conference alignment if this ended up coming to fruition. 

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Pods only work if we move to a 16-team league.  If we added OSU and KSU, that only brings us to 14.

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

Unless they’re ALSO ADDING Texas Tech and TCU. That’s 16.

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

What are you taking about? Kansas State IS a Tier 1. Look it up

[MotherJabubu]

I hope the Pac isn’t dumb enough to accept this deal. The only schools they should be considering are the Texas schools.

[CincyUte]

Someone’s messing with Wannstedt.

[Gugstanley]

I would rather stay at 12