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CU has rejoined the Big 12 and broken college football - talking out asses continues

I think Mandel's merger idea was one that had serious potential to be a very entertaining league, solid TV revenue, scheduling structure that made travel very feasible, and a creative/innovative way to get more attractive inventory during the back end of the season when it really matters.

4 pods of 6 teams (Pacific, Mountain/Desert, TX/Midwest, and East)
Preserve current rivalries
8 conference games - 1 against the 5 pod mates and 1 against another team from each of the other pods
The 9th conference game over Thanksgiving weekend being a 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, etc matchup with another pod with the 1v1 matchups being a SemiFinal game with winners advancing to the Conference Championship Game
I kind of like that idea as well. Of course, it’ll never happen. So I’m back to looking at our current situation and then looking at the situation in the Big 12 and I come to the conclusion that there’s very little difference between the two. Unstable conferences without marquee programs and bad TV distribution. The Big 12 is basically the PAC 10 without the benefit of familiarity between institutions. Why go from one “meh” conference to another “meh” conference? Because Texas? I mean, that’s a reason, sort of. It’s an unconvincing argument to me, but I’m getting the impression that’s the overriding factor for lots of folks here. I just don’t get it. Hell, the Baylor factor alone ought to be enough to make all of us extremely wary of joining that group. The closest thing the PAC 10 has to Baylor is ASU, and they’re not even in the same galaxy of sleaziness.
 
The tagline: "The Conference of Misfits and Castoffs" has a strange attraction.
Lord Of The Rings Reaction GIF
 
I kind of like that idea as well. Of course, it’ll never happen. So I’m back to looking at our current situation and then looking at the situation in the Big 12 and I come to the conclusion that there’s very little difference between the two. Unstable conferences without marquee programs and bad TV distribution. The Big 12 is basically the PAC 10 without the benefit of familiarity between institutions. Why go from one “meh” conference to another “meh” conference? Because Texas? I mean, that’s a reason, sort of. It’s an unconvincing argument to me, but I’m getting the impression that’s the overriding factor for lots of folks here. I just don’t get it. Hell, the Baylor factor alone ought to be enough to make all of us extremely wary of joining that group. The closest thing the PAC 10 has to Baylor is ASU, and they’re not even in the same galaxy of sleaziness.
You like your wine and cheese. Just admit it-because your arguments ****ing suck.
 
Some of the Admins, and some Allbuffers, seem to think that because you're in the PAC you're automatically drinking Stags Leap and solving the world's (...er, the "planet's") weighty problems, and conversely if you're in the B12 you automatically have cow crap on your shoes and and you're chewing on a wooden matchstick. This is partly the result of CU not having much of an identity of its own. Newcomers to Colorado in the last 15 years or so don't understand how little the state itself, and many of the state's long term lifers, identifies with CU and how little it gives it a second thought.

We're just talking about sports leagues here folks. Sports leagues and nothing more. I'd suggest that the real semi-crisis/issue for CU football is NIL and not conference placement. Texas Tech NIL is going to pay 95 guys $25,000 each. That's a functional used car and a heck of a lot of pizza and beer......and Tech isn't pulling in a lot of Cherry Creek HS types for whom $25,000 is small potatoes. Without some meaningful NIL, CU's recruiting becomes a greater uphill battle IMO.
@rickgeorge
 
Says the guy who is using “conference stability” as an argument for moving to the most unstable conference in college football.

Programs added/lost since the early 1990s (including pending moves):

  • SEC added: 6, lost: 0
  • B1G added: 6, lost: 0
  • ACC added: 7, lost: 0
  • P12 added: 2, lost: 2
  • B12 added: 6, lost: 6
  • BigEast added 8, lost: 11
  • SWC added: 0, lost: 9
When your primary argument for stability is "Hey, we've lost fewer athletic programs than a conference that doesn't play football anymore and a conference that doesn't exist", then maybe it's not as strong of an argument as you think.

Looking at this list, it's pretty clear that the B12 is pretty much where the Big East was in 2005 or so, the Pac12 is where the Big 12 was in 2011, and the ACC is where the Pac12 was roughly 2-3 years ago.
 
Programs added/lost since the early 1990s (including pending moves):

  • SEC added: 6, lost: 0
  • B1G added: 6, lost: 0
  • ACC added: 7, lost: 0
  • P12 added: 2, lost: 2
  • B12 added: 6, lost: 6
  • BigEast added 8, lost: 11
  • SWC added: 0, lost: 9
When your primary argument for stability is "Hey, we've lost fewer athletic programs than a conference that doesn't play football anymore and a conference that doesn't exist", then maybe it's not as strong of an argument as you think.

Looking at this list, it's pretty clear that the B12 is pretty much where the Big East was in 2005 or so, the Pac12 is where the Big 12 was in 2011, and the ACC is where the Pac12 was roughly 2-3 years ago.
We should join the SWC, we could win the championship there....seriously.
 
Programs added/lost since the early 1990s (including pending moves):

  • SEC added: 6, lost: 0
  • B1G added: 6, lost: 0
  • ACC added: 7, lost: 0
  • P12 added: 2, lost: 2
  • B12 added: 6, lost: 6
  • BigEast added 8, lost: 11
  • SWC added: 0, lost: 9
When your primary argument for stability is "Hey, we've lost fewer athletic programs than a conference that doesn't play football anymore and a conference that doesn't exist", then maybe it's not as strong of an argument as you think.

Looking at this list, it's pretty clear that the B12 is pretty much where the Big East was in 2005 or so, the Pac12 is where the Big 12 was in 2011, and the ACC is where the Pac12 was roughly 2-3 years ago.
Indeed, not stable. But they survived. That’s the point.

This is now a death match again. 5 to 4. 4 to 3.

Your chips on B12 or P10 for the 5 to 4 move?
 
You like your wine and cheese. Just admit it-because your arguments ****ing suck.

Says the guy who is using “conference stability” as an argument for moving to the most unstable conference in college football.

Oh FFS can we just agree that we’re ****ed and get it over with? We’re ****ed in the P12, we’re ****ed in the B12. We’re ****ed. ****ed. ****ed. ****ed.

The only way we get un-****ed is going to the SEC or B1G but nobody wants us because we ****ing suck. So we’re ****ed.

You’re arguing over how we might be mildly less ****ed.
 
Oh FFS can we just agree that we’re ****ed and get it over with? We’re ****ed in the P12, we’re ****ed in the B12. We’re ****ed. ****ed. ****ed. ****ed.

The only way we get un-****ed is going to the SEC or B1G but nobody wants us because we ****ing suck. So we’re ****ed.

You’re arguing over how we might be mildly less ****ed.
So you think things are not going well?
 
Oh FFS can we just agree that we’re ****ed and get it over with? We’re ****ed in the P12, we’re ****ed in the B12. We’re ****ed. ****ed. ****ed. ****ed.

The only way we get un-****ed is going to the SEC or B1G but nobody wants us because we ****ing suck. So we’re ****ed.

You’re arguing over how we might be mildly less ****ed.
I’ve never claimed otherwise. We are good and truly ****ed. Changing conferences won’t change that. At all. So why bother? And also Baylor.
 
Programs added/lost since the early 1990s (including pending moves):

  • SEC added: 6, lost: 0
  • B1G added: 6, lost: 0
  • ACC added: 7, lost: 0
  • P12 added: 2, lost: 2
  • B12 added: 6, lost: 6
  • BigEast added 8, lost: 11
  • SWC added: 0, lost: 9
When your primary argument for stability is "Hey, we've lost fewer athletic programs than a conference that doesn't play football anymore and a conference that doesn't exist", then maybe it's not as strong of an argument as you think.

Looking at this list, it's pretty clear that the B12 is pretty much where the Big East was in 2005 or so, the Pac12 is where the Big 12 was in 2011, and the ACC is where the Pac12 was roughly 2-3 years ago.
Then there are the G5 conferences.

C-USA is completely different.
WAC tried the supersized conference, then split and later lost teams.
AAC was on the edge of being a power conference and now is gutted.
Etc.

Only really stable conference has been the MAC.
 
I was born and raised in SE Denver. I watched the Miracle at Michigan in my uncle's den, I remember seeing Salaam walking across the tarmac with his Heisman, I was there when CU beat NU 62-36, and I was there every game during Hawkin's last season. I now live in Chicago and being here you see there are huge political and institutional hurdles that CU has to clear up before they ever become relevant again (which is saying a lot because Illinois has some huge higher ed problems of its own), changing conferences isn't going to change a darn thing...might help in the very long run, but not immediately. Being here it's incredible to see how cutthroat it is to get into U of I. I understand that Chicago is close to triple the size of Denver, and Illinois is much larger than CO, but the desire for so many kids to attend U of I is insane. Changing admissions standards at CU to breed to more in-state love of CU won't be a game changer. I'm constantly reminded by folks here that CU is significantly behind U of I in academics and prestige - sad, but true. I grew up thinking CU was a "public Ivy" and the "Ivy of the Rockies"...spoiler alert: it's not. There are far greater institutional and political challenges, both internally and within the state of CO, that will prevent CU from becoming a household name even in the Rocky Mountain region at large IMO. If CU and CO can change that legislatively, maybe that drives greater interest in the school writ large. I keep going back to U of I, but it blows my mind that this school is better academically, sucks at most sports, but every Saturday people tune in, and gets way more attention across the board and with the national media. Maybe part of that's a function of being in Illinois and the B1G, but I think that's also a part of having a more devoted fanbase in a larger state and doesn't matter how lousy they are. I hope over time (maybe 20-30 years) that population and demographics change in CO and the Front Range to the point that CU can't be ignored, like U of I, or Indiana, or Wisconsin, and that the national media and the "super conferences" have to pay attention to it regardless of its athletic prowess but I think that point is way off on the horizon.

Which is all to say that after Mel Tucker kicked us in the crotch, and I stopped drinking the Kool-Aid, and my hangover wore off, I've come to realize that CU has been relegated. I don't know much about English soccer other than that crappy teams get relegated, and it's pretty clear that CU's been relegated. Maybe it was inevitable (See political and institutional limitations, above), I don't know. Maybe if Betsy Hoffman didn't ****-over the whole school and Barnett, maybe things would've turned out differently. Although, Barnett was also trending down after 2001 and I think his best years were behind him, but who knows. Point is, I've come to grips with reality and the fact that CU will never win another Natty. I also don't think that's the point anymore, save for a few select schools. I want them to be relevant, I will always root for CU football no matter what conference they play or who they're facing. As a sport I like basketball WAY MORE than football, but I just like watching CU football more and always will. Maybe we get added to the B1G some point down the road, but is that really going to change the trajectory of the football department or the athletics department...I don't think so if the structural limitations holding back CU don't change. Maybe we get Tad's equivalent of a football coach who knows who to recruit, how to develop talent, how to retain talent, how to coach, and can string together a bunch of quality seasons with a few extraordinary seasons every 2-3 years sprinkled in as kids develop. And maybe in the next 40-50 years this all happens (demographics change, laws change, CU gets promoted, and gets a good coach who actually wants to coach at CU) and CU catapults to the top...which would be sweet (but unlikely). But the reality is that CU is a bit-player now; it'll still be fun to watch on Saturday, I don't think it matters what conference we end up in, and I don't think what happens in the next year will alter the inevitable fact that until CO gets its act together on higher ed in general nothing will change. End.
 
I’ve never claimed otherwise. We are good and truly ****ed. Changing conferences won’t change that. At all. So why bother? And also Baylor.
Baylor..... this hatred to me would make the games against them more fun. Haven't really had much hate in the Pac10.
 
I was born and raised in SE Denver. I watched the Miracle at Michigan in my uncle's den, I remember seeing Salaam walking across the tarmac with his Heisman, I was there when CU beat NU 62-36, and I was there every game during Hawkin's last season. I now live in Chicago and being here you see there are huge political and institutional hurdles that CU has to clear up before they ever become relevant again (which is saying a lot because Illinois has some huge higher ed problems of its own), changing conferences isn't going to change a darn thing...might help in the very long run, but not immediately. Being here it's incredible to see how cutthroat it is to get into U of I. I understand that Chicago is close to triple the size of Denver, and Illinois is much larger than CO, but the desire for so many kids to attend U of I is insane. Changing admissions standards at CU to breed to more in-state love of CU won't be a game changer. I'm constantly reminded by folks here that CU is significantly behind U of I in academics and prestige - sad, but true. I grew up thinking CU was a "public Ivy" and the "Ivy of the Rockies"...spoiler alert: it's not. There are far greater institutional and political challenges, both internally and within the state of CO, that will prevent CU from becoming a household name even in the Rocky Mountain region at large IMO. If CU and CO can change that legislatively, maybe that drives greater interest in the school writ large. I keep going back to U of I, but it blows my mind that this school is better academically, sucks at most sports, but every Saturday people tune in, and gets way more attention across the board and with the national media. Maybe part of that's a function of being in Illinois and the B1G, but I think that's also a part of having a more devoted fanbase in a larger state and doesn't matter how lousy they are. I hope over time (maybe 20-30 years) that population and demographics change in CO and the Front Range to the point that CU can't be ignored, like U of I, or Indiana, or Wisconsin, and that the national media and the "super conferences" have to pay attention to it regardless of its athletic prowess but I think that point is way off on the horizon.

Which is all to say that after Mel Tucker kicked us in the crotch, and I stopped drinking the Kool-Aid, and my hangover wore off, I've come to realize that CU has been relegated. I don't know much about English soccer other than that crappy teams get relegated, and it's pretty clear that CU's been relegated. Maybe it was inevitable (See political and institutional limitations, above), I don't know. Maybe if Betsy Hoffman didn't ****-over the whole school and Barnett, maybe things would've turned out differently. Although, Barnett was also trending down after 2001 and I think his best years were behind him, but who knows. Point is, I've come to grips with reality and the fact that CU will never win another Natty. I also don't think that's the point anymore, save for a few select schools. I want them to be relevant, I will always root for CU football no matter what conference they play or who they're facing. As a sport I like basketball WAY MORE than football, but I just like watching CU football more and always will. Maybe we get added to the B1G some point down the road, but is that really going to change the trajectory of the football department or the athletics department...I don't think so if the structural limitations holding back CU don't change. Maybe we get Tad's equivalent of a football coach who knows who to recruit, how to develop talent, how to retain talent, how to coach, and can string together a bunch of quality seasons with a few extraordinary seasons every 2-3 years sprinkled in as kids develop. And maybe in the next 40-50 years this all happens (demographics change, laws change, CU gets promoted, and gets a good coach who actually wants to coach at CU) and CU catapults to the top...which would be sweet (but unlikely). But the reality is that CU is a bit-player now; it'll still be fun to watch on Saturday, I don't think it matters what conference we end up in, and I don't think what happens in the next year will alter the inevitable fact that until CO gets its act together on higher ed in general nothing will change. End.
Oh, and I can't wait to take my kids to see Ralphie. We'll always have the best mascot. And if they get rid of her, then all bets are off and I'm done with the school.
 
Oh FFS can we just agree that we’re ****ed and get it over with? We’re ****ed in the P12, we’re ****ed in the B12. We’re ****ed. ****ed. ****ed. ****ed.

The only way we get un-****ed is going to the SEC or B1G but nobody wants us because we ****ing suck. So we’re ****ed.

You’re arguing over how we might be mildly less ****ed.

 
I think Mandel's merger idea was one that had serious potential to be a very entertaining league, solid TV revenue, scheduling structure that made travel very feasible, and a creative/innovative way to get more attractive inventory during the back end of the season when it really matters.

4 pods of 6 teams (Pacific, Mountain/Desert, TX/Midwest, and East)
Preserve current rivalries
8 conference games - 1 against the 5 pod mates and 1 against another team from each of the other pods
The 9th conference game over Thanksgiving weekend being a 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, etc matchup with another pod with the 1v1 matchups being a SemiFinal game with winners advancing to the Conference Championship Game
The merger makes the most sense, except for the people who will have their jobs eliminated because there will only be one leadership group.

I’m sure the leadership teams of the Big 12 and the Pac 10 came up with all kinds of reasons why it wouldn’t work, but at is core that is why.
 
Again-what makes them unstable?

I'll wait.
The only way they're stable is if no one would potentially have a B1G/SEC chance to leave for and no one would leave for a better deal if offered from ACC, Pac or something new that formed a potential Power 3 entity out of the most valuable leftovers.

In short, nobody but the B1G and SEC are stable. And they're only stable for now - could face a future where the media companies don't want competing, independent conferences and force a single league governed under a single set of rules, including only the properties that big media wants, and kicking out some B1G/SEC members who weren't bringing value while riding the gravy train.
 
Oh FFS can we just agree that we’re ****ed and get it over with? We’re ****ed in the P12, we’re ****ed in the B12. We’re ****ed. ****ed. ****ed. ****ed.

The only way we get un-****ed is going to the SEC or B1G but nobody wants us because we ****ing suck. So we’re ****ed.

You’re arguing over how we might be mildly less ****ed.
If Buffs go 6-6 this year are we still *****ed or is there a newfound optimism?
 
I think UT had a rule where any in-state kid who graduated top ten in his/her HS class (something like that) was automatically accepted. To your point, if I was the CU Prez I would pitch something like that to Polis (a Boulder guy & someone for whom education is on-brand) for increased state funding in return. Seems like something that could work.
Can vouch for this - graduated top 10% from Lake Highlands High in Dallas and all o had to do was fill put an app, send $40 app fee and I was in.
Yet, I still went to CU. And ended up in the Navy to do so...
Thanks, Dad! (For forcing me to suffer through the lean years listening to the Buffs on KOA on your radio you had from your days at CU, thus making the 1986 victory over the Nubs the turning point followed by 89 and 90 and a visit to Boulder the nail in the coffin of my hopeless love affair with CU football, the desire to go to school in Boulder, and accepting that NROTC scholarship so I could do it.) THANKS, DAD!
😉
 
The only way they're stable is if no one would potentially have a B1G/SEC chance to leave for and no one would leave for a better deal if offered from ACC, Pac or something new that formed a potential Power 3 entity out of the most valuable leftovers.

In short, nobody but the B1G and SEC are stable. And they're only stable for now - could face a future where the media companies don't want competing, independent conferences and force a single league governed under a single set of rules, including only the properties that big media wants, and kicking out some B1G/SEC members who weren't bringing value while riding the gravy train.
Sure. The only other question with this round of realignment is what happens with the remainder of the Pac 12. You and I both know this conversation doesn't go away permanently until the ACC disbands.
 
Programs added/lost since the early 1990s (including pending moves):

  • SEC added: 6, lost: 0
  • B1G added: 6, lost: 0
  • ACC added: 7, lost: 0
  • P12 added: 2, lost: 2
  • B12 added: 6, lost: 6
  • BigEast added 8, lost: 11
  • SWC added: 0, lost: 9
When your primary argument for stability is "Hey, we've lost fewer athletic programs than a conference that doesn't play football anymore and a conference that doesn't exist", then maybe it's not as strong of an argument as you think.

Looking at this list, it's pretty clear that the B12 is pretty much where the Big East was in 2005 or so, the Pac12 is where the Big 12 was in 2011, and the ACC is where the Pac12 was roughly 2-3 years ago.
Remember what Harry Truman said about statisticians
 
Again-what makes them unstable?

I'll wait.
Is that a serious question? They just lost their two marquee teams for one. Their media situation is every bit as tenuous as ours for another. They’re geographically spread out. None of the schools has any actual allegiance to the league and is only there because they have no other options.

hope you didn’t have to wait too long for that.
 
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