Tell me why you would or would not want Houston in the B1G?
The powers that be in the Big 12 don't want anymore competition in the state of Texas recruiting wise, leaving Houston SOL. But what if the B1G jumped on the opportunity to gain a Texas presence. I know I'd like to have all those Texas high schoolers see the Big Red come stomp the Cougars every few years.
Jay Clemons on Land of 10 had this to say about adding Houston to the mix:
2 — HOUSTON
PROS
1. Unlike the ACC or Big 12 schools, the Big Ten wouldn’t have to jump through massive hoops to pry Houston away from the clutches of the American Athletic Conference.
2. Houston currently ranks as America’s 11th-ranked media market. As part of the Big Ten, H-Town would serve as the conference’s fourth-largest market (trailing only New York, Chicago and Washington).
3. It’s hard to envision Houston being the Big 12’s first expansion choice — given its relative proximity to Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. For the Big 12 to become more attractive to competing TV networks – read more money – its expanded reach must go outside the Lone Star State. As such, the Big Ten wouldn’t have to engage in a bidding war for Houston’s expansion services.
4. With Nebraska, which joined the league in 2011, and Houston hypothetically in the fold, the Big Ten would have the Big 12 territory covered on two fronts — from the north and south, giving it the so-called “sandwich” effect).
5. As a Big Ten member, Houston would be a major national player with recruiting, scheduling and TV prominence, relative to the Cougars’ never-ending territorial battles with Texas (Big 12) and Texas A&M (SEC).
6. The Big Ten would relish the notion of having a strong financial and recruiting stake in the state of Texas, consistently a hotbed for blue-chip prep talent.
7. Houston’s Tom Herman – Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for its national-title season of 2014 – is arguably the nation’s hottest coach, leading the Cougars to a Peach Bowl victory over vaunted Florida State in Year 1. His presence would bolster the Big Ten’s already-decorated roster of blue-chip coaches (Urban Meyer, Mark Dantonio, Jim Harbaugh, Kirk Ferentz, James Franklin, Pat Fitzgerald, Lovie Smith, Mike Riley).
CONS
1. Regular travels to Houston wouldn’t be a major hindrance for the Big Ten West schools, but the same could not be said for certain teams in the East division. However, in a 16-team football league offering nine conference games (seven divisional, two crossovers), the Cougars would only see the likes of Penn State, Rutgers and Maryland twice over an eight-year period (home/away).
2. Houston has been considered something of a renegade program through the years, running afoul of the NCAA in several sports, including football and men’s basketball. That reputation might a lot to get past with the Big Ten higher-ups, who hold their schools to high standards.
What do y'all think?
The powers that be in the Big 12 don't want anymore competition in the state of Texas recruiting wise, leaving Houston SOL. But what if the B1G jumped on the opportunity to gain a Texas presence. I know I'd like to have all those Texas high schoolers see the Big Red come stomp the Cougars every few years.
Jay Clemons on Land of 10 had this to say about adding Houston to the mix:
2 — HOUSTON
PROS
1. Unlike the ACC or Big 12 schools, the Big Ten wouldn’t have to jump through massive hoops to pry Houston away from the clutches of the American Athletic Conference.
2. Houston currently ranks as America’s 11th-ranked media market. As part of the Big Ten, H-Town would serve as the conference’s fourth-largest market (trailing only New York, Chicago and Washington).
3. It’s hard to envision Houston being the Big 12’s first expansion choice — given its relative proximity to Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. For the Big 12 to become more attractive to competing TV networks – read more money – its expanded reach must go outside the Lone Star State. As such, the Big Ten wouldn’t have to engage in a bidding war for Houston’s expansion services.
4. With Nebraska, which joined the league in 2011, and Houston hypothetically in the fold, the Big Ten would have the Big 12 territory covered on two fronts — from the north and south, giving it the so-called “sandwich” effect).
5. As a Big Ten member, Houston would be a major national player with recruiting, scheduling and TV prominence, relative to the Cougars’ never-ending territorial battles with Texas (Big 12) and Texas A&M (SEC).
6. The Big Ten would relish the notion of having a strong financial and recruiting stake in the state of Texas, consistently a hotbed for blue-chip prep talent.
7. Houston’s Tom Herman – Ohio State’s offensive coordinator for its national-title season of 2014 – is arguably the nation’s hottest coach, leading the Cougars to a Peach Bowl victory over vaunted Florida State in Year 1. His presence would bolster the Big Ten’s already-decorated roster of blue-chip coaches (Urban Meyer, Mark Dantonio, Jim Harbaugh, Kirk Ferentz, James Franklin, Pat Fitzgerald, Lovie Smith, Mike Riley).
CONS
1. Regular travels to Houston wouldn’t be a major hindrance for the Big Ten West schools, but the same could not be said for certain teams in the East division. However, in a 16-team football league offering nine conference games (seven divisional, two crossovers), the Cougars would only see the likes of Penn State, Rutgers and Maryland twice over an eight-year period (home/away).
2. Houston has been considered something of a renegade program through the years, running afoul of the NCAA in several sports, including football and men’s basketball. That reputation might a lot to get past with the Big Ten higher-ups, who hold their schools to high standards.
What do y'all think?
