American Athletic Conference

[LuskingforGuttin]

But back to these small private schools, if the SEC had to redraw its membership, they would probably drop Vandy if they could add another football power. Private schools who emphasize academics over athletics aren't really popular in P-5 conferences. The only reason they exist is to provide a snack for the athletic elite in their conferences. Kind of a break in the schedule, as it were.

TCU and Baylor seem to be exceptions to this rule.

How about...oh I don't know...Stanford, Northwestern, and Duke?

To suggest that the SEC would drop Vanderbilt or even mildly entertain the thought is preposterous. Academics do very much matter in conference realignment. And although Cougar High is having their best season ever, the fact that they are a commuter school with a mediocre academic reputation will likely keep them out of the Big XII. And so it should. Frankly they don't fit the membership of the conference very well.

[LuskingforGuttin]

So you're saying the 'Coogs are the best team you've never heard of. I like that! :)

U of H is a well-kept secret outside Houston.

Also note that there were 80K fans at the stadium yesterday (the game was at NRG, where the Super Bowl will be held in February) and most people of them were U of H fans.

They're getting in on a LOT of 4 and 5 star kids from the Houston area. That's why Mike Gundy is bitching. If he doesn't recruit Houston or Dallas well, he's toast.

Houston has the opportunity to put together a Miami-like run.

This is what happens when you have a good recruiting base of over 6 million people in your back yard.

Plus, I really like Coach Herman. He reminds me of HCGM.

I'm hoping the 'Coogs win out and make the playoffs. Shocker fandom certainly understands the value of rooting for the little guy, especially when they stick it to the elite P-5 programs.....

A couple of things:

Mike Gundy is the best coach in the history of Oklahoma State. He is not toast if UH gets in the conference. He is not afraid because UH is "in on a lot of 4 and 5 star kids."

I know you are a UH fan. So I get that you are looking at this with Cougar High glasses on. Nothing wrong with that...BUT...the notion that Houston has the opportunity to put together a Miami like run is certifiably insane. That is Casey-Sun Belt Conference secret courier level of crazy. UH lost to UConn last year. Not in basketball or women's basketball. But in football. The Canes back in the day, had some of the most dominant teams in college football history. Houston, although a major metro area with immense talent, does not even remotely compare to the talent in South Florida. And none of those kids with UM offers left the "State of Miami." UH is at best the third most popular college program in their own city. Houston is an Aggy town first and foremost, you know this. They can have success but they aren't matching the glory days of Thug U UM. Not happening.

Lastly, I hate to be the burden of bad news but in a little less than a hundred days or so Tom Herman will be at a press conference in Baton Rouge, LA or Auburn, AL. He is not going to stay when a top 10 P5 job comes along. Now Houston has reloaded nicely after Briles and Sumlin so I have confidence the next coach will keep it running but this isn't some sort of destination job. Just two years ago Vanderbilt was beating them in a bowl game.

Oh I lied. One more thing: UConn. They lost to UConn in football last year. Seriously. C'mon man!

[shocka khan]

How about...oh I don't know...Stanford, Northwestern, and Duke?

To suggest that the SEC would drop Vanderbilt or even mildly entertain the thought is preposterous. Academics do very much matter in conference realignment. And although Cougar High is having their best season ever, the fact that they are a commuter school with a mediocre academic reputation will likely keep them out of the Big XII. And so it should. Frankly they don't fit the membership of the conference very well.

You're pretty dumb and not so good at doing research. Houston is a tier 1 university, so you come across as being totally clueless making that remark.

I think I would do a little more research in the future before making such ill-informed remarks in the future.

As for Stanford, they are ranked #10 in football this year and have success in most of their programs, so they are an exception as is Northwestern. I'm holding my opinion on Duke out until I see if their success last year was a flash in the pan or a permanent change. Duke has been to the ACC as what KSU (prior to Bill Snyder) was to the Big 8/12.

[WstateU]

[atlwsu]

My guesses were close, but off. Texas has 12 FBS schools, not 13. Georgia has four. Texas has five P-5 schools, Georgia has two. Drilling down, Texas has an additional eight FCS schools, for a total of 20 D-1 football programs. 20! Georgia has three FCS programs for a total of seven D-1 programs.

Furthermore, if you look at California and Florida, with populations of 38 and 20 million, both have fewer P-5, FBS and FCS schools than Texas. And when you throw out populations, and just look at how many D-1 schools along with how many top recruits come from each state, it really shows how stressed the Texas recruiting territory has become. Texas, A&M and Oklahoma will always score their recruits, but each time you elevate the status of another Texas school, you make it more and more difficult for the Kansas State's and Iowa State's.

I have lived in both Texas and Georgia, and the only thing bigger in Georgia than Georgia football is the Braves who have been down for a few years now. Every other school in the state is an after thought. I don't follow HS football at all, even the school my kids went to. But I always amazed when I see a Georgia kids starting for another school like Florida, Tennessee, Clemson... Sometimes there may be a valid reason (i.e. Ward @ Clemson) but not always because the coaches wanted you to change position or someone in front of you. Georgia football seems bigger in Atlanta, than Texas was in Dallas when I lived there. On most Saturdays I can walk up and get a Georgia Tech ticket on game day.

As dominant as Georgia fooball it amazes me they don't get every 4/5 star Georgia player.

[shocka khan]

A couple of things:

Mike Gundy is the best coach in the history of Oklahoma State. He is not toast if UH gets in the conference. He is not afraid because UH is "in on a lot of 4 and 5 star kids."

I know you are a UH fan. So I get that you are looking at this with Cougar High glasses on. Nothing wrong with that...BUT...the notion that Houston has the opportunity to put together a Miami like run is certifiably insane. That is Casey-Sun Belt Conference secret courier level of crazy. UH lost to UConn last year. Not in basketball or women's basketball. But in football. The Canes back in the day, had some of the most dominant teams in college football history. Houston, although a major metro area with immense talent, does not even remotely compare to the talent in South Florida. And none of those kids with UM offers left the "State of Miami." UH is at best the third most popular college program in their own city. Houston is an Aggy town first and foremost, you know this. They can have success but they aren't matching the glory days of Thug U UM. Not happening.

Lastly, I hate to be the burden of bad news but in a little less than a hundred days or so Tom Herman will be at a press conference in Baton Rouge, LA or Auburn, AL. He is not going to stay when a top 10 P5 job comes along. Now Houston has reloaded nicely after Briles and Sumlin so I have confidence the next coach will keep it running but this isn't some sort of destination job. Just two years ago Vanderbilt was beating them in a bowl game.

Oh I lied. One more thing: UConn. They lost to UConn in football last year. Seriously. C'mon man!

I would say that Jimmy Johnson and Les Miles were at least as good as Gundy. Perhaps they did not stay as long, but I'll give both of them some credit for bringing the program up to the level where it is now.

Also, there are 7 players on OSU's roster from the Houston area and 65+ from Texas (out of 114) and that's why Gundy is bitching about U of H. Around 60% of his players are from Texas. If it weren't for his Texas players, he'd be struggling to beat KU.

[shocka khan]

nm

[LuskingforGuttin]

I would say that Jimmy Johnson and Les Miles were at least as good as Gundy. Perhaps they did not stay as long, but I'll give both of them some credit for bringing the program up to the level where it is now.

Also, there are 7 players on OSU's roster from the Houston area and 65+ from Texas (out of 114) and that's why Gundy is bitching about U of H. Around 60% of his players are from Texas. If it weren't for his Texas players, he'd be struggling to beat KU.

Good point in regard to Les and Jimmy. I was meaning at Okie Lite but those guys both did win there for a time and obviously elsewhere as well.

Agree completely with your Gundy point.

[MoValley John]

http://diycollegerankings.com/tier-1-school-university-college/19594/

Hmmmmmmm...........

[LuskingforGuttin]

You're pretty dumb and not so good at doing research. Houston is a tier 1 university, so you come across as being totally clueless making that remark.

I think I would do a little more research in the future before making such ill-informed remarks in the future.

As for Stanford, they are ranked #10 in football this year and have success in most of their programs, so they are an exception as is Northwestern. I'm holding my opinion on Duke out until I see if their success last year was a flash in the pan or a permanent change. Duke has been to the ACC as what KSU (prior to Bill Snyder) was to the Big 8/12.

We've had this before. I am not discrediting UH's academics. I hang around too many Longhorn fans and so I like using Cougar High and Okie Lite. I don't think they are a great academic fit but it is true that Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are in the league. I might be being too harsh. I will reconsider the matter.

Duke is kind of interesting because they had some success around WWII and then Steve Spurrier won there before he moved on to UF. Cuttcliffe has had several successful years at Duke once he got it turned around in 2013 or so. I would consider Wake Forest to be the K-State of the ACC but I am splitting hairs here.

[LuskingforGuttin]

I have lived in both Texas and Georgia, and the only thing bigger in Georgia than Georgia football is the Braves who have been down for a few years now. Every other school in the state is an after thought. I don't follow HS football at all, even the school my kids went to. But I always amazed when I see a Georgia kids starting for another school like Florida, Tennessee, Clemson... Sometimes there may be a valid reason (i.e. Ward @ Clemson) but not always because the coaches wanted you to change position or someone in front of you. Georgia football seems bigger in Atlanta, than Texas was in Dallas when I lived there. On most Saturdays I can walk up and get a Georgia Tech ticket on game day.

As dominant as Georgia fooball it amazes me they don't get every 4/5 star Georgia player.

That is an interesting commentary of Georgia. You would know better than me obviously but my impression has always been that there are a ton of Bama and Auburn fans there too. Proximity to Auburn, AL is a big thing. Sort of similar to the OU/Texas thing and the fact that OU gets a ton of Texans with UT offers. Regardless, as good as UGA is historically, they are underachievers considering the amount of raw talent in that state.

[shocka khan]

We've had this before. I am not discrediting UH's academics. I hang around too many Longhorn fans and so I like using Cougar High and Okie Lite. I don't think they are a great academic fit but it is true that Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are in the league. I might be being too harsh. I will reconsider the matter.

Duke is kind of interesting because they had some success around WWII and then Steve Spurrier won there before he moved on to UF. Cuttcliffe has had several successful years at Duke once he got it turned around in 2013 or so. I would consider Wake Forest to be the K-State of the ACC but I am splitting hairs here.

TTech is also a tier one school, their program for achieving tier one status was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2011.

Pretty damn funny, but Oklahoma State is not a Tier1 university and yet you're knocking U of H's academics.

From ESPN

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17316372/how-academics-really-affect-big-12-expansion

"Of the Power 5 leagues, the Big 12 also has the fewest number of schools classified as Carnegie Tier 1, which is based on "research activity." Texas Tech, West Virginia and Kansas State joined Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa State as Carnegie Tier 1 institutions this year, nearly doubling the league's tally from the year before. Yet by comparison, 12 of the SEC's 14 schools achieved Carnegie I, as well."

[MoValley John]

And... Jimmy Johnson is overrated. Not just in NASCAR, but in coaching. He won at Miami, after Schnelenberger built the program. Johnson's legacy was to allow the inmates to run the program and the bench clearing brawls. Yep, Johnson is responsible for Thug U. At Dallas Johnson won, but it was all of the talent and money brought in by Jerry Jerry Jones. The freaking Hershel Walker trade made the Cowboys, not Jimmy Johnson. A washed up, disinterested Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl at Dallas.

I'm not saying Jimmy Johnson want a good coach, he was, but his Godlike status as a supercoach is way overdone. In many ways, Jimmy Johnson was the recipient of some very good luck, the fateful day the USFL snatched Howard Schnellenberger, and then, his at the time friend, buying the Cowboys with a fistful of cash. If he was so great, his four years at Oklahoma State would have been much more memorable and his last stint as the coach of the Dolphins wouldn't have been so embarrassing.

[shocka khan]

That is an interesting commentary of Georgia. You would know better than me obviously but my impression has always been that there are a ton of Bama and Auburn fans there too. Proximity to Auburn, AL is a big thing. Sort of similar to the OU/Texas thing and the fact that OU gets a ton of Texans with UT offers. Regardless, as good as UGA is historically, they are underachievers considering the amount of raw talent in that state.

Don't forget Clemson. They're in the Greenville, South Carolina area and are also very close in proximity to the state of Georgia (and only 128 miles from Atlanta).

Seems like some of the Georgia stats might be distorted by a couple of P-5 schools located just outside of Georgia (Clemson and Auburn).

[MoValley John]

http://diycollegerankings.com/tier-1-school-university-college/19594/

So, Shocka Khan and Casey are arguing the merits of UH based on being a "Tier 1" school, when being a "Tier 1" school seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

And Shocka has me on ignore so he doesn't even see that I posted this link. Twice!

Oh, boy is this great!