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California and Florida are the top states for recruiting. OU’s recruiting in California is going to be hurt by this move to a more eastern focused conference. Florida is barely helped because OU will play maybe one year in four in Florida. Texas is the third biggest state for recruiting, and OU will be playing fewer games in Texas, not more. OU likely will not be hurt in recruiting in Texas by this move, but how could it help?
After that the best states are Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio and Michigan. The last two are not relevant to the move. But in the other three states is OU going to suddenly out recruit Alabama, Auburn, LSU and UGA? The home teams that are already more successful and have more money? No, that’s not going to happen. So where are these new better recruits going to come from? OU is going to battle now for the same “new” recruits where the top SEC schools are located and are already dominating recruiting.
It makes no sense. That’s why coach left. The movers in these conference changes have almost all really, really regretted it. Nebraska? Missouri? Colorado? Texas A&M? Have they done better in their new homes? Any of them? None of them are competing for championships, at the conference or national level.
Players from all over the country want to play in the SEC. The idea that the Big XII area vs the SEC area isn't going to matter to a west coast recruit. They are already going to the SEC in droves.
The idea that we aren't going to play Baylor, Tech and TCU isn't going to discourage Texas players from coming to OU since we will be playing ATM, Texas and a slew of big time teams in the SEC.
Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana will be higher profile for OU by playing in the SEC and we already have a footprint there. Don't need to recruit Alabama and Mississippi or Kentucky or South Carolina necessarily but it won't hurt.
And quite frankly the SEC will help us some in the Big XII recruiting area because recruits all over see the SEC as the ticket to "the league"....
Finally, your comments about these other schools? With the exception of Nebraska none of these teams were doing all that much in the Big XII when they left the league. And Nebraska and Missouri won the their division shortly after moving to new conferences.
Again, OU is trading in conference dominance for more money, more appeal to the best recruits and the chance to have their peak teams be national championship caliber. As you say, this will come at the cost of not winning the conference as often. But I think OU fans understand that. Having a gazillion Big 12 championships just doesn't scratch where it itches anymore.
Players from all over the country want to play in the SEC. The idea that the Big XII area vs the SEC area isn't going to matter to a west coast recruit. They are already going to the SEC in droves.
The idea that we aren't going to play Baylor, Tech and TCU isn't going to discourage Texas players from coming to OU since we will be playing ATM, Texas and a slew of big time teams in the SEC.
Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana will be higher profile for OU by playing in the SEC and we already have a footprint there. Don't need to recruit Alabama and Mississippi or Kentucky or South Carolina necessarily but it won't hurt.
And quite frankly the SEC will help us some in the Big XII recruiting area because recruits all over see the SEC as the ticket to "the league"....
UGA had 132 players on their national championship team this year. 118 of them came from states in the SEC footprint. Only 5 came from California.
UGA has 29 commits in this years class:
5 five star guys, two from Georgia and three from Florida.
15 four star guys, 5 from Georgia, 8 from other SEC states and 2 from outside the SEC (1 from California)
9 three star guys, 3 from Georgia, 5 from other SEC states and 1 from Australia (kicker)
SEC schools, even the defending National Champion, are getting by far most of their players from inside the SEC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eddie gein
Finally, your comments about these other schools? With the exception of Nebraska none of these teams were doing all that much in the Big XII when they left the league. And Nebraska and Missouri won the their division shortly after moving to new conferences.
Again, OU is trading in conference dominance for more money, more appeal to the best recruits and the chance to have their peak teams be national championship caliber. As you say, this will come at the cost of not winning the conference as often. But I think OU fans understand that. Having a gazillion Big 12 championships just doesn't scratch where it itches anymore.
And you are right, it IS all about the money.
I will further say, that part of OU's problem recently is the lack of good talent in Oklahoma. And that has a lot to do with central Oklahoma high schools not taking football seriously like what you see in Texas and to an extent, in the Tulsa area.
I am not a bitter OSU fan, I just hate to see college sports be all about the money. I dislike the old rivalries and traditions going away. It's killing college sports.
Personally, I went to KU and just last week we won another basketball championship, so no jealousy here. KU in basketball in the Big 12 is what OU is in football in the Big 12, except these days the Big 12 is the SEC of basketball. OU and UT won't hurt that at all by leaving either.
UGA had 132 players on their national championship team this year. 118 of them came from states in the SEC footprint. Only 5 came from California.
UGA has 29 commits in this years class:
5 five star guys, two from Georgia and three from Florida.
15 four star guys, 5 from Georgia, 8 from other SEC states and 2 from outside the SEC (1 from California)
9 three star guys, 3 from Georgia, 5 from other SEC states and 1 from Australia (kicker)
SEC schools, even the defending National Champion, are getting by far most of their players from inside the SEC.
And you are right, it IS all about the money.
I will further say, that part of OU's problem recently is the lack of good talent in Oklahoma. And that has a lot to do with central Oklahoma high schools not taking football seriously like what you see in Texas and to an extent, in the Tulsa area.
I am not a bitter OSU fan, I just hate to see college sports be all about the money. I dislike the old rivalries and traditions going away. It's killing college sports.
Personally, I went to KU and just last week we won another basketball championship, so no jealousy here. KU in basketball in the Big 12 is what OU is in football in the Big 12, except these days the Big 12 is the SEC of basketball. OU and UT won't hurt that at all by leaving either.
I perhaps misspoke a bit about "droves of California players in the SEC however the Heisman trophy winner from Alabama is from California, Georgia's freshman all America TE is from California, Kendall Milton RB for Georgia is from California. Matt Corall Ole Miss QB is from California. LB Henry To oto o from Tennessee/Alabama is from California. Eli Ricks from LSU/Alabama is from California. Kelee Ringo DB for Georgia is from Arizona. There are several other players from Cali, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.
Point is that there are as many star players from the west coast playing in the SEC as there are in the PAC.
As far as KU basketball, congrats on your newest championship. Bill Self grew up in my neighborhood. I played hoops with him in his driveway on a few occasions. My father played for OU and played against Wilt when Wilt played for the KU team that lost to North Carolina in 1957. KU had Bill Bridges right after that. I have followed KU basketball since the days of Jo Jo White and Dave Robisch. Not as a KU fan but as an admirer of a great and hallowed program.
California and Florida are the top states for recruiting. OU’s recruiting in California is going to be hurt by this move to a more eastern focused conference. Florida is barely helped because OU will play maybe one year in four in Florida. Texas is the third biggest state for recruiting, and OU will be playing fewer games in Texas, not more. OU likely will not be hurt in recruiting in Texas by this move, but how could it help?
After that the best states are Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio and Michigan. The last two are not relevant to the move. But in the other three states is OU going to suddenly out recruit Alabama, Auburn, LSU and UGA? The home teams that are already more successful and have more money? No, that’s not going to happen. So where are these new better recruits going to come from? OU is going to battle now for the same “new” recruits where the top SEC schools are located and are already dominating recruiting.
It makes no sense. That’s why coach left. The movers in these conference changes have almost all really, really regretted it. Nebraska? Missouri? Colorado? Texas A&M? Have they done better in their new homes? Any of them? None of them are competing for championships, at the conference or national level.
The former coach left because he knew his soft brand of ball wouldn't cut it in the Sec. He went to the Pac to play easier teams overall and have an easier path to the CFB Playoff (trying to regain the premier program in the west nonsense) and now he got surprised by finding out he'll be competing in a much harder league, the Big 10. Lol. Most Sooner Fans feel that we seriously upgraded on the coaching front and it appears that the current staff's recruiting approach is starting to pay off---getting a lot more defensive players from the Southeast (where they're much more prevalent as elite) as opposed to going after defensive players of the Southwest of tx and Oklahoma. The defensive mindset is what OU needs when it makes the jump to the Sec.
And the Sec brand is superior because of Espn---kids get more exposure being in the Sec. Espn was way ahead of the curve years ago seeing that the Deep South was going to have the best overall football players (especially defensive lineman who generally determine the outcome of the game more times than not) and that the support in the south is just a whole lot different. The only thing that comes close is the big ten obviously. The big ten has to reach coast to coast to rival the Sec's money and exposure while the Sec is held together much more by regionality/geography (contiguous states and conference members) and culture. And it will always be the most successful moving forward because of the rabid nature of the fanbases and the focus on football over pretty much everything else. This is why Oklahoma and texas are good cultural fits in the longrun even if the amount of success won't be there readily with more likelihood of losses and not just outright dominance.
As for all the former teams regretting leaving the conference? All of them (except Colorado) have made a lot more money and have performed about where they were in terms of wins/overall success as when they were in the big twelve. Nebraska is obviously a historical power but they had fallen off considerably even in the easy big twelve so at least they can say they're making more money now.
I think OU's matchup with the huskers (up in Lincoln) will be a good one coming up here soon.
Last edited by Bass&Catfish2008; 07-20-2022 at 04:32 AM..
That's a bit of revisionist history. I don't know about the other three, but the Big XII could have added the University of Houston at any time during its history, if only the Big XII "leadership" had been smart enough to do so.
Not to be snarky, but my descriptor of "major schools" is the primary point.
The Big 12 tried to lure big programs like Arkansas, Florida State and Clemson and Miami (along with Notre Dame I'm sure) as well as the Arizona schools previously but could never seal the deal. It was the Big 12 snoots who would not add teams below their caliber (their perception) and it ultimately led in the final dissolution of all the top brands in the conference: OU, tx, Nebraska, A&M, Colorado, and ahem...Mizzwho (which does bring nice television markets).
I do think the big twelve rebounded very nicely with its additions of UCF (major market), Cincinnati (successful program), Houston (major market) and BYU (large following and tv sets). It could even get a lot better for the big twelve if it can get the Arizona schools, Colorado, Utah, and maybe even Oregon and Washington in a homerun scenario. Lol at the Buffaloes having to come back to their home conference begging.
Not to be snarky, but my descriptor of "major schools" is the primary point.
Big XII teams didn't want Houston because they didn't want to elevate Houston to that status and have to recruit to against them. The Big XII brass didn't want Houston because the Texas already provided that TV market for them.
With Texas and A&M both gone, the Big XII brass wanted Houston because it was all that was left of the Houston market for them. Their best hope is to try and schedule TV games that don't conflict with Texas and ATM and get some home towners to tune in and watch them against Big XII teams.
The SEC only added 92 miles to the furthest game. We may not be SE but neither are Texas A&M, Louisiana, or Arkansas. We are southern. So I think it’s a good fit. Makes sense WAY more than west coast teams playing in the midwest. I can’t wait for next season.
I hope ou gets what they want out of the move. They tend to be very u and down to me. In sec less forgiveness as the teams at the top are in another league in consistency and depth of talent.
The reconstituted big 12 will be very weak at the top now compared to the sec and big 1- so hopefully the middle and bottom dwellers can put perform these conferences.
It's almost time to play Big Boy football in the Sec.
After this last year with the weakest and easiest schedule they've ever had in an already weak big twelve (and struggling to win 10 games), OU better get their act together and find a running game or the Sooners will be fortunate to win 7 or 8 games.
It's gonna be way different and most of the Sec games will be won in the last few minutes with defense, special teams (make your field goals!), and clock management (something Venables has to improve on).
Venables is recruiting better than the former guy so he's got that going for him.
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