Hard to Understand Oklahoma to Pac-12

The University of Oklahoma Regents will meet Monday in a closed meeting to discuss the school's conference options. On the same day the University of Texas Regents will meet and discuss the future of the Big 12 conference. Texas representatives have been in Norman this past week trying to convince the Sooners to remain in the Big 12.

Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State will not waive the right to litigation if Texas A&M leaves the Big 12. R. Bowen Loftin, president of Texas A&M, says his school is being held hostage right now.

If Oklahoma leaves everything will fall apart.

What doesn't make a lot of sense is the travel. The US map below is color coded to illustrate the three largest conferences to Oklahoma. In blue - the SEC, green - Big 10, yellow - Pac 12, and Oklahoma is orange.

From Normal Oklahoma in miles...

SEC
235 - Fayetteville, Arkansas
358 - College Station, Texas (when, not if A&M joins the SEC)
552 - Oxford, Mississippi
629 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
647 - Starkville, Mississippi
691 - Nashville, Tennessee
706 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
822 - Auburn, Alabama
851 - Lexington, Kentucky
868 - Knoxville, Tennessee
931 - Athens, Georgia
1071 - Columbia, South Carolina
1192 - Gainesville, Florida

734 - Average travel to SEC Schools

Pac 12

715 - Boulder, Colorado
1012 - Tucson, Arizona
1036 - Tempe, Arizona
1251 - Salt Lake City, Utah
1350 - Los Angeles, California (USC, Cal)
1630 - Stanford, California
1646 - Berkeley, California
1839 - Pullman, Washington
1961 - Eugene, Oregon
2019 - Seattle, Washington
2028 - Corvallis, Oregon

1486 - Average travel to Pac 12 Schools

Nothing is really close, it's interesting that over half the schools in the SEC, counting A&M, are closer to Oklahoma than the second nearest Pac 12 school at Tucson, the University of Arizona. The average is almost exactly double the distance to Pac 12 schools, 1486 miles, at the SEC schools 734.

Of course Oklahoma will fly whether they end up in the SEC or Pac 12. That's every sport and it will be double the air time. Not a piece of cake.

Even though there is plenty of travel ahead for the Oklahoma speculation by just about everyone has Sooners looking West where there are no shortage of good reasons to do so. Bob Stoops brand of football is a better fit in the Pac 12 than the SEC. The Pac 12 is well known as a passing conference with most of the best throwing quarterbacks in the country.

The SEC is more like a Texas, Nebraska or an Ohio State, it's a power league where you better be able to run the football and play strong defense. Not saying Oklahoma can't do that and couldn't adapt to the SEC.

Oklahoma State would be a great fit with the Pac 12 offensive style of play if the much rumored package deal of OU and OSU comes into play.

It's great for the Pac 12, they will help the West Coast teams get more appeal when they travel to Central USA. Kickoffs at 3:30pm EST are practical giving the East Coast fans more opportunities to watch. Of course some of the Sooner games on the West Coast would be too late for prime time on the Eastern side of the US.

Not only will joining the Pac 12 help the Oklahoma schools recruit California and the West Coast, playing in Oklahoma will hep the Pac 12 schools get a stronger presence in the state of Texas. Especially with the super conferences looming there will be some schools in the Lone Star state left out. Many recruits may look to out of state options where there will be a greater chance of national TV coverage.

Of course the SEC will be an option for those recruits when Oklahoma opts for anywhere, law suits won't work if the conference falls apart. Texas A&M would give the SEC a better shot at Texas recruits.

The flip side is if Oklahoma were to opt for the SEC they would have more appeal to rich areas like the state of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

It has been written that Oklahoma doesn't like the perception that they're some sort of puppet with Texas pulling their strings. Taking any step out of the Big 12 will change this national image.

Oklahoma State is looked upon more as a partner to Oklahoma than a tag-a-long. Besides neither of the Oklahoma schools have a huge private TV contract to worry about losing.

Looking for stability the Pac 10 has been together a long time, since 1915, they league started small with four teams (Cal, Washington, Oregon and Oregon State)and continued to add teams.

Stability is the SEC established in 1932 with 13 teams, 10 of the charter members are still in the conference (Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt). The SEC expanded to 12 teams back in 1991 with Arkansas and South Carolina, it's mind boggling to think those two schools are entering their 21st year in the conference. One could actually argue there is more stability in the SEC looking at those ten charter members.

In the end if Oklahoma joins the Pac 12 as many think they will, Coach Stoops won't be that happy because it will involve another conference championship game. But that should be OK for a while with USC's probation setbacks Oklahoma should battle Oregon for dominance of the league.

If Oklahoma were to surprise everyone and join the SEC, they will battle for the league title against the likes of LSU, Alabama, Florida and say a South Carolina or perhaps Tennessee and Auburn when they rebuild.

The SEC would love to have them.

Return - College Football Today

Still have the desire to write about College Football so I'll do so here.

Today is going to be fun, see if Auburn can continue pulling games out of their hat. Of course Clemson isn't very good so the War Eagles could go to 3-0 without a lot of difficulty.

Questions why Auburn would hire Gene Chizik, boy am I eating those words. He's turning out to be a great football coach.

Thinking FSU is going to be awfully difficult to beat, like their defense but wonder if their QB is ready to win this level of football game. Oklahoma isn't that good against highly ranked foes, not sure they've beaten anyone soon. So it's a matter of which team implodes? I'm not sure who wins this one think it's too close to call.

Florida and Tennessee should be a fine football game. The Vols 6-6 QB Tyler Brey will have to have one heck of a day. Will Florida's defensive line begin to play up to their recruiting hype? The story of this game might well be Florida's defensive front vs the blocking of Tennessee.

One thing is for sure, Florida hasn't shown any blitz packages. There is a good side and bad side of that. You keep it secret, that's nice, but your guys don't get the opportunity to run these blitz schemes in front of 90,000 screaming fans.

Think Florida beats UT's offensive front and wins this game. If they don't look for 80+ points to be scored in this one. Don't think that happens but we'll see, Brey is very good, Florida doesn't rely on their QB to win this game like Tennessee does.

Have a great day today...

After 44 Years Bobby Bowden will not be on the Sidelines...

Bobby Bowden was the coach at FSU for 34 years, his first 16 seasons FSU was an independent. After joining the ACC FSU went on to win the conference 11 of the first 12 seasons.

What is the most amazing feat is FSU finished in the top 5 in national rankings for 14 years, from 1987 to 2000. In that span FSU was ranked 4th and 5th by one service or the other three times. This mean that someone had FSU ranked 4th or higher in the country for those 14 consecutive seasons that included two concensus national championships in 1993 and 1999.

Below....
Wrote 'Bowden Should Quit' after the Florida - FSU game last season. Some strong points were made especially toward the end on the ACC vs SEC. This was prior to Bobby Bowden's announcement that he was standing down as FSU's football coach.

Right below is a comment I added to the post after seeing the FSU replay show the next day...

- - I watched the Sun Sports replay of the game this morning, Bobby Bowden was interviewed after the game and I swear it looked like he had been crying. His eyes were red, maybe that was it for him, he said he'd have to do some soul searching. Next season can't be appealing for him. - -


Bowden Should Quit.....


Swampie's Rumor Mill
August 29th, 2009

It shouldn't have come to this but the best thing Bobby Bowden can do is quit his job as the head coach of FSU. He wants to leave on his terms if he stays another year he will lose that opportunity.

FSU will push him out the door and all that he built will crumble. His run at Florida State will never crumble but the Seminole program has and will continue to do so.

Jimbo Fisher the famous coach in waiting hasn't done that much with FSU. He's developed a decent offense this season but everything the Seminoles did in this process has been wrong.

FSU has often been a trend setter like the Deion Rule or play to the Echo once again creates a first in college football. Although they didn't start the coach in waiting thing they dam sure finished it, no one can possibly think that's desirable now.

Gone for Fisher is that recruiting boom that usually comes with the hire of a new coach. Right now its same old same old which can't be very appealing. About all FSU has on defense is a linebacker who can run like hell and make tackles forty yards down field, something every sorry defensive team needs.

Who will coach Bowden be fooling next season, he won't have any input into what's going on, hell he may as well move a nice comfortable bed into his office and snooze most of the day away if he doesn't do that already. The man is 80, he looks good, he's had a wonderful career, he doesn't need this.

And FSU has proved they no longer deserve him.

He will think it over. He saw how far his football team was behind Florida yesterday. No amount of optimism can cause him to realistically think that can be made up in one season. FSU has some athletes but lack the horses.

Florida will be awesome again next season even if the Gators lose a small herd of juniors.

In the SEC this season there were only two top teams Alabama and Florida, then LSU, Ole Miss and six 7-5 teams. Yesterday two of those 7-5 teams South Carolina and Georgia beat the two teams headed for the ACC Championship game, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

FSU finished the 7th best team in the ACC at 6-6, 4-4 in the conference. Would a 9-to-10 win season next fall leave the program where Bowden can walk away in peace, especially if he had nothing what so ever to do with anything?

He can walk away now and hold his head high. Florida State betrayed him, he doesn't need to stick around like Ceasar and let the idiots up there spear him to death after next season. Et tu FSU!