Baylor Fan's Guide to Week 13

Jockeying for final position is in full effect. With only three more weeks to go, the most important thing for Baylor fans to do is to cheer for the Bears and the Bears just need to win-win-win. That said, if you are looking for some other football to watch and wonder what could best help the Bears in their quest to the top, here's my extremely lay-opinion on the topic.

Note - these in no way are predictions, just comments on how things could be...also doesn't even reflect my allegiances, per se. Just geared solely towards how to best position Baylor, and that's it.

Wednesday Nov 19

Kent State at Buffalo - Bears obviously need the Bulls to win out to gain bowl-eligibility and strengthen that "cream-puff" schedule of theirs. Kent State has only won one game, so this one, at least, looks like a possible W for Buffalo. If they can get out from under the 6 feet of snow. Also Kent State was on Ohio State's non-con schedule, which is pretty weak.

Thursday, Nov 20

K State at West Virginia - Baylor needs Kansas State to do what they could not - win at Morgantown. They need to have K State looking pristine coming into the last game of the season. Still, a close game makes WVU look like a good team. Keep it close, but Snydercat victory in the end.

Saturday, Nov 22

Indiana at Ohio State - tOSU will win this game most likely, but if it is anything like the low-margin-of-victory that TCU had over Kansas, Baylor can still leapfrog.

Rutgers at Michigan State - Rutgers win weakens tOSU's SOS. That is all.

Kansas at Oklahoma - Sooners need to blow KU out of the water with a 30 point victory. After losing and being ticked off, they just might.

Minnesota at Nebraska - Not sure how much longer the playoff committee can justify tOSU and TCU being higher than Baylor if Minnesota is a difference-maker with more than 3 losses. Baylor would do well with a BIG Nebraska win.

Marshall at UAB - Marshall wins this one, going 11-0... and yet still not in the discussion. Probably fair, but BCS would likely have had them in the top 25.

SMU at UCF - Ponies need a win, badly, but probably won't come at UCF. Still, root for SMU.

Penn State at Illinois - PSU took Ohio State to double overtime. That looks horrible if Penn State (currently 6-4) loses big to Illinois (4-6). Just saying.

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest - Go Demon Deacons - Make that Va Tech victory over tOSU look even worse for the Buckeyes.

Washington State at Arizona State - Just rooting for the underdog here, WSU. No other real factor at play.

Boston College at Florida State - Stranger things have happened. Perhaps Jameis Winston can't come from behind to win again? I doubt BC has what it takes, but that's the underdog to root for.

Ole Miss at Arkansas - Arkansas shocked LSU. Let's have them upturn the apple cart on Ole Miss as well.

Arizona at Utah - no real gung ho need here, but a Utah win knocks another 2 loss team further out.

Wisconsin at Iowa - Same deal with an Iowa win.

Louisville at Notre Dame - Take your pick.

Maryland at Michigan- another pick'em. 

Texas Tech at Iowa State - we need Tech to win at least one more game, preferably solidly. Not sure they will, though.

Western Carolina at Alabama - Well, Alabama has such a cream puff non-conference, I don't expect them to lose, perhaps the Playoff Committee punishes them for... oh wait, no they won't. To be fair, they did have (and beat) WVU in their non-conf. schedule, which somehow excuses the other three non-power-5 games. But of course, Baylor had how many non-power-5? Oh yeah, 3.

Colorado at Oregon - Oregon will win. Very little can be done about that. Maybe it is sloppy?

Samford at Auburn - OK, now if Samford (7-3) could somehow beat an Auburn (7-3) team that could then upset Alabama after getting really mad? Perfect dumpster fire.

Miami (FL) at Virginia - a poor showing by Miami should make FSU's near escape last week less impressive. Then again, what FSU win has been clean and impressive lately?

Vanderbilt at Miss St. - Vandy. Won't happen, but the SEC dumpster fire completes by rooting for the underdog in every SEC game. Best hope to knock Mississippi State out is Ole Miss next week.

OSU at Baylor - Everyone in Black. Baylor needs to win. Big. Statement win. But I'll take a W any way we can get it.

Missouri at Tennessee - A Tennessee win would continue to burn down the SEC, this time in the East.

USC at UCLA - however unlikely, I'd like to see a USC win to keep UCLA from having too high ambitions. Make them both 3 loss teams.

What games am I missing?

Play on...

McLane Stadium - The Inaugural Thoughts

Behold McLane Stadium, the Jewel of the Brazos, resplendent in all it's evening glory.

This past Sunday marked the start of the 2014 football season for the Baylor Bears, and the inaugural game of the inaugural season of anything else we can use inaugural for McLane Stadium, Baylor's new $266 million adventure on the banks of the Brazos River. I could go into my analysis of the game and how it went (45-0 shutout against SMU), but that has already been done here and here and here. Nor am I going to give any sort of medical analysis on Bryce Petty's day-to-day back injury (or even how well we played considering Petty was injured and we were missing Goodley and Coleman for pretty much the entire game). Instead, I figured for my first blog post in about 6 months, I would give a report on the good, bad, and ugly of the stadium and game day experience. So here goes.

The Good

Let's start with the good. I mean, Baylor got several things right when they built this stadium. For starters, the stadium. It is quite easily the nicest athletics facility I have ever attended (better than AT&T, save the massive video screen). Even the positioning of the stadium so that over 2/3 of the stadium were shaded by kickoff of the 6:30 game was prime.

Then let's talk food. I'll be honest, I did not partake in much stadium munching, but man the bacon-wrapped onion rings and bacon-wrapped hot dogs seem like they are a tradition I will soon take part in at another game. Overall the number of vendors increased quite a bit, and that's a plus. Also have to admit the condiments stations appeared to be an upgrade over the clear plastic towers of packets at the Case, but they were out of ketchup at one and mustard at another during the first quarter, so they might could do a better job watching that.

Video board - amazing. So good I caught several people even in our lower section watching the game on the board rather than the field - much like you see at AT&T. I'd call that comparable behavior complementary of the video board performance.

The Baylor In-Game App. Gotta admit I didn't use this much, mostly because I was watching the kids while watching the game, but I did play with it a little. Two features I checked out enough to give definitive thumbs up - Parking assistance - gave clear directions and map on how to get to our parking area, and the on-field cameras where I got live-feeds of one of 5 or 6 field-level camera angles. That was nice. I do suspect the app was responsible for some of our collective battery drain (both of our phones and several other folks complained of no cell phone battery), but the app has potential. If I were there without children, I would likely have a constant, ongoing second screen.

A little bit of "sailgating"

The boats. You can't argue with this one either. The "sailgating" experience looked tremendous, with what I hear were around 50 boats in the area. Downside? Not enough slips. I think it was around 10 first-come-first-served as well as the 16 pre-reserved slips. Might need more boat parking.

The bathrooms. Looking for a trough? Try again. And the number of bathrooms also a positive.

The tailgating areas. Large and spacious, and with generally good views, the new tailgating areas were superior to the riverside spots at The Case in many ways. Not to mention the fact that they were out of the general path of traffic.

Grant Teaff Plaza. Looks like a lift-and-lay from Floyd Casey. I was happy to see it made its way over there.

The tailgating experience. Overall, there seemed to be a broader expanse of tents and food and beer and love of football, etc.

Also loved the "mid-deck video banner" - just something that seems commonplace in new stadiums, but was definitely missing in Floyd Casey.

Seating. The seating had narrower sections (requiring fewer people to stomp over you to come in and out of the row) as well as more legroom (reducing need to stand up to let people in or out of the row, even for a giant like me).

The coin toss. I know we will have different folks, but having RG3 fist-bumping George W. Bush when tossing out the first coin at McLane Stadium (and surrounded by the McLane family) was a nice touch.

Finally, I was a big fan of the repositioning of the Baylor Line. At Floyd Casey, the Baylor Line resided in a couple of sections in the middle of the "visitor side" of the field. The thought process was that they would be able to effectively heckle the opponent throughout the game. McLane maximizes this by reducing the DEPTH of the Baylor Line section, and stretching it the length of the sideline so they can more effectively heckle away. I also like the picture of the golden "dragon" with the line waiting on the team with the fire-spewing arch for them to pass through.

The Bad

OK, maybe it isn't all bad here, but could be filed under "could be improved" instead. These are things that generally made the day less pleasant than it could otherwise have been.

Number one complaint: parking (or lack thereof). Sure, you can make the argument that we are in no worse or different situation than other Big XII schools or otherwise. That said, we were spoiled. Floyd Casey had ample parking within 100-200 yards of the stadium that you could park around the stadium even when it was sold to capacity. McLane lacks that tremendously. Not only are there no "day of game" parking spots available, but the prepaid spots aren't even enough to satisfy the Bear Foundation members, and many/most of them require shuttles (or a 15 minute mile long walk) to get to the bridge, which are certainly impediments to dragging a full cooler and tailgating chairs if you are joining others in the tailgating area.

East-West bridges (or lack thereof). Currently, there is one bridge connecting the primary tailgating area with the stadium. This becomes particularly important during the Bear Walk (which is the next unfortunate planning), but in general, this bridge was so crowded during the hour prior to game time that I saw 4 people trying to SCALE THE OUTSIDE of the bridge to get across heading against the grain of traffic. Two went back, and two were given scoldings by the police after they made it across. Still, that's a problem. Additional bridges, rails or something dictating "flow of traffic" to create channels of people that can go West to East as well as East to West, or other options might help the congestion. It was also suggested that after people stop gawking at their bricks in the walkway or the RG3 statue in the concourse that the congestion improves. We will see. Of note, it did clear up closer to kickoff, so perhaps that's a sign of things to come.

Lack of additional East-West and North-South bridge options. Not only the above, but further East. There MAY very well be smooth ways to head east to the Ferrell Center parking, but they were not readily apparent and advertised. As such, there was heavy reliance on foot traffic along University Parks drive with no relief from heat or sun. A shaded, along-the-river walk would be preferable, and if there were additional North-South cross-Brazos bridges to the tailgate area or otherwise, the long walk to get to the footbridge could be broken up and foot traffic might also be reduced.

The Bear Walk. Further complicating the lack of bridges is the decision to block the ONLY connector from the tailgating area to the stadium for an HOUR to allow the players to walk single-file across the bridge. While it provided a cool visual and a great "tunnel" experience for them, it was a model of inefficiency in terms of allowing traffic on EITHER side to pass across. Again, having some way for traffic to be less congested would be beneficial.

Some better bathroom signage. The women's restroom was on the back wall of the stadium with signs that did not adequately point all the way around. Led to several women looking lost or taking up the family restroom (leaving several families standing around outside). I also heard the tap water was hot - that sounds like a problem.

More food. I saw the bacon wrapped onion rings, and visited a couple of places and saw they had some good offerings, but I appreciate a variety. Doesn't have to be State Fair of Texas sized variety, but would love more than what I saw. As it was, there were several "burger, chicken tenders, and fries" with one tricky additional option available. Maybe I was at the wrong places.

RG3 in bronze

The RG3 statue. Hey, it's a great statue. And Robert Griffin III definitely is a class-act without whom this stadium might not be in existence. That said, I am extremely reserved about immortalizing people in statues when they are still alive, let alone when they have active career in front of them. Same argument goes to not awarding Heisman trophies to Freshman (crab legs or autographs, anyone?). I think it was a great gesture, the panels look great all lit up, but just want to caution against getting too giddy over living legends in the future. Don't think it could be a problem? Ask Penn State about their Paterno statue.

The Net

In summary of this giant post, McLane Stadium is awesome. You should visit it for sure. Only if you have not already visited, you likely cannot since it is sold out for the year. So there. I, on the other hand, will visit it. Again. And again.

Big 12 Bowl Selection Special

So, this is how my regular season of football wrapped up, watching Baylor beat Oklahoma State at home on Senior Day, and then hanging out for the (well done) montage of Seniors on the big screen.

Then I fully intended to hurry up on Sunday and write a nice post in which I predicted the outcome of the bowl selection activities (much like I predicted Eddie Lackey's first quarter pick-6, though that prediction diminished in value with my subsequent failed predictions throughout the game).  But, alas, I made no such post.  Instead, I did other things all day, and therefore, you will have to take my "I didn't think this would go this way" type of comments as fact.  Or not.  Doesn't really matter to me.  Anyway, here's some bowl game selection reaction from me, and we'll go in pecking order...

Fiesta Bowl - No surprises, Kansas State here as the champion of the league.  Should be a really good match-up with Oregon, and I'll be happy to see this game.

Sugar Bowl - Why is this here?  The Sugar Bowl didn't pick a Big 12 team.  EXACTLY.  For the second year in a row, the Sugar Bowl turned its nose up at the Big 12 to take a random other conference in as SEC fodder.  Last year's turning of a blind eye to Kansas State bumped the rest of the league down, and this year, Oklahoma gets left out in the cold.  Oh well, I guess they didn't want to front-load the Big 12/SEC matchups, since that's the tie-in that they have going forward.

Cotton Bowl - Well, when the Sugar Bowl drops the ball like that, leave it to the Cotton Bowl to pick up the slack.  Great pick of Oklahoma, and they will produce a better game against A&M than Texas would have (though I could see some Cotton Bowl committee members salivating over Texas vs. A&M...)

Alamo Bowl - Not surprising, picking Texas.  Should be a good draw to San Antonio.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl - I'm not surprised to see TCU picked here, though originally I had thought Oklahoma State would be hanging out here before any of the 7-5 teams.  I guess their lackluster finish destroyed their bowl pickability?  When two 7-5 private schools are picked up above 8-4 Ok. State, something gives..  I will enjoy the TCU vs. Michigan State matchup though.

Holiday Bowl - Here comes Baylor.  Wha-what?  Yup, I am very happy to see Baylor picked above Tech & West Virginia of the 7-5 crew, especially given that 3 of the 5 Baylor losses were one-score, and we're riding high.  Also, given the Holiday, Pinstripe, and Meineke Car Care, I figured WVU to Pinstripe made sense.  I also figured the Dallas and Meineke would take 2 of the 3 Texas schools in the 7-5 range.  But I also thought Oklahoma State would go to Tempe...so...

Meineke Car Care Bowl - Well, like I jsut explained, Houston was going to pick up a Texas school in my opinion, and with TCU & Baylor gone, they'll take Tech's high/low yo-yo team with a potential for an explosive offense to match up against what little offense Minnesota will bring to the table.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Certainly Oklahoma State will...what?  Oh yeah, West Virginia was a shoe-in in my mind for this since the second they got bowl eligible.  The thought of WVU-Pitt had some drooling, but we'll take WVU-Syracuse anyway.

Heart of Dallas Bowl - Ok, I seriously thought there'd be a Texas team from the 7-5 crew here, or maybe Iowa State would jump in, but no... Oklahoma State picked vs. Purdue.  Again, I did not see in my wildest dreams every 7-5 team in the Big 12 picked before Oklahoma State given they had a better conference record.  I could insert my comments about Gundy's hair or other tasteless jokes here, but I think I just did.

Liberty Bowl - There was no doubt that all our bowl-eligible teams would find a bowl, and Memphis is a fun city - here's hoping my Iowa State friends find some fun on Beale Street.  I'm not going to say I'll be glued to the set for the Tulsa matchup, but it could be a good game.

So, when all is said and done, a few things stand out.  First, 90% of the Big 12 are attending bowls, which no other conference has ever accomplished.  Only Kansas doesn't travel for post-season play.  Second, the bowls do not have great confidence in the state of Oklahoma.  Oklahoma gets overlooked by the Sugar, and Oklahoma State gets overlooked by everyone...

And finally, Baylor finishes strong, and ends up with a nice trip to San Diego in the process.  Good deal.

Sic Em!

Recap of the Big 12 as of yesterday.

A&M: We’re committed to the Big 12
Rest of Big 12: Cool.  Let’s sign a big TV deal.  Good thing we will all get more money now with Colorado and the Cornhustlers gone.
(one year later)
A&M: We’re leaving for the SEC
Rest of Big 12: Whatever, good riddance.
SEC: Yup, you’re in if nobody wants to sue you.
A&M: Hey Beebe, don’t sue us.  We’re leaving you.  And taking the dogs.
Beebe: The Big 12 won’t sue you
A&M: good enough for me, here we come
Rest of Big 12: Whatever, good riddance.
OU: Our conference is crap, we might leave
Rest of Big 12 (minus OU): OU – you think A&M is really worth that much?
OU: Not really, but we’re trying to get a piece of Texas’ TV money, since we’re ranked #1 and all
Baylor: That’s it.  If OU leaves, we’re losing our TV deal and stuck in the Mountain West playing on Boise State’s blue field.  What’s that, SEC?  We can stop all this by suing A&M?  Done.  Or at least we’ll threaten it.
ISU: We’ll sue too.  We’re not influenced by Baylor, but similarly have few options.
KU: Us too.
KSU:  Ditto.
TTU: On this train.  Maybe we can score some cash.
Missouri: We got lawyers, too!
OSU: Whatever, fine, we’ll sue you too, if OU leaves.  Unless they take us with them to the PAC 12.
Texas: OK, we couldn’t be first, but, sure, we want to sue too.  We just love making your lives difficult.
OU: (crickets)
A&M: Come on, you guys, you said we could leave!!! (wahhhh)  You said you wouldn’t sue!
Rest of Big 12:  No we didn’t.  That Bobo Beebe said that he wouldn’t sue you.  You heard what you wanted.
Beebe:  I am a bobo, this much is true.  And my last name is pretty funny.  Want to watch me backpedal?  I said the Big 12, Inc. wouldn’t sue you.  You should have known I don’t own the schools.  And by the way, if you re-read the letter, I just said that the SEC commish and I agreed it would be better if nobody sued.  Didn’t promise.  And my fingers were crossed too.
OU: Did BYU join the conference yet?  If not, we’re still probably considering potentially leaving.

Musings on Conference Realignment (2011 edition)

Bye bye, A&M.  At least that's what seems to be happening.  A&M, seeking as much attention as Texas got by looking at the PAC-12 expansion last year, is headed to the SEC.  They're getting the attention, but not the "Oh no, the Big 12 is going to die as a result" reaction that came last year (along with my predictions for the outcome, the first of which happened to be right - for a year - with the 10 teams).

Now, though, the Commish is saying we would take aggressive action to replace A&M, and some of the ADs seem even giddy to have A&M gone and get the chance to replace them.  So, if we did, who would get the invite?  ESPN has an interesting analysis, but my analysis is usually more ridiculous.  With random other candidates.  Some that make no sense.

That said, I still think the conference should aggressively pursue not 1, not 3, but 7 teams to replace A&M.  Not because A&M needs 7 teams to replace them, in fact, we could easily add any one of the following schools and end up just fine.  I just think the Big XII expansion to 16 teams allows for trademarking Big XVI before the Big Ten gets there.  That said, are there even 7 teams out there worthwhile?  Here are some thoughts on candidates (some of which have not been mentioned by others, just my pulling names out of a hat)

• BYU - this seems to be the favorite choice of ESPN analysts.  I think it's a likely move for them as they're already playing Texas this year, and it makes sense from a viewership for the conference, too.
• Air Force Academy - I still think this is a good fit and a worthy replacement for the missing Buffaloes from last year.
• TCU - Questions are out there about TCU's attendance being too small, but they have been successful as a BCS-busting team for a few years and we know they still are upset they weren't invited the first time the Big XII was formed.  Maybe they join up before they play a down in the Big East.  And since they're playing BYU this year, perhaps that's a preview of a conference game to come.
• Pitt - I'm not sure where this rumor surfaced either, but I read it in the Dallas Morning News yesterday.  But Baylor's Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett came from there, so maybe there are "ties" between Big XII coaching staffs an administration with Pittsburgh.  Not sure what this adds other than a totally new market for Big XII athletics.
• Boise State - Obviously the problem here is "what do they offer outside of football and a blue field?" and that's a question, but perhaps if we're expanding beyond 12, all we need is football for the extra 4.  That's where the money's at.  Boise is ready to move to bigger, better conferences (which it thought it was getting by a move to the Mountain West before the MWC defections), and an AQ invite might be looked favorably upon.  I still think Baylor would be served well with a home field of gold.
• Arkansas** - OK, would they really want to come back to join the SWC buddies?  Maybe, maybe not.  The money's gonna be better in the SEC, but then again, A&M could fit into the SEC as an Arkansas replacement, leaving the SEC without the "who's the 14th team" dilemma and fitting the Big XII with a good replacement.  And Arkansas gets to stay regional.
• Clemson - on the non-regional front, Clemson might be a fit - they have a full complement of sports, and are a whole new geographic market.  And if there are any Clemson fans holding their breath to be the next SEC team, they should exhale.  There is already a South Carolina team and a pair of "Tigers" in the SEC.  They don't need a third.  Clemson could join Missouri in the Big XII and we could match the SEC in number of schools with a Tiger mascot as well.

Thoughts on other replacement candidates (realistic, previously mentioned, or otherwise):

• Houston - Other than reviving the SWC and some top 25 football votes, I'm not sure what Houston adds other than potential for Art Briles to confirm he made the right move to go to Baylor.
• SMU - Other than reviving the SWC, I have no clue why SMU would be considered, other than the fact that they are jumping up and down saying "Pick me, pick me"
• Notre Dame - would be interesting, I doubt they will give up their independence, though.  This may cause problems in getting BYU, too, if they continue to play "copy Notre Dame" as their university strategy.
• Louisville - Agree with David Ubben this could be a nice complement but not sure if they're being considered seriously.
• Florida State - So the SEC wants a foothold in Texas recruiting?  How about the Big XII get one in Florida recruiting?  The ACC is not a powerhouse, and then we would have potential for some Big XII/SEC in-state rivalry games.
• Georgia Tech - See Florida State.
• Arizona - Have Bob Stoops call up Mike and start the negotiations.  Raiding the PAC-12 while unlikely sure would be fun.
• Northwestern - Hey, having another private school might be fun.  Especially one in a Chicago television market and a full list of sports.  And maybe NU and KSU could get discounts on purple fabric (and TCU if they join as well).  Granted, would we want two sets of Tigers AND two Wildcats?  I dunno.  It's not really a fair trade for Nebraska, but it would also throw some spikes on the highway in front of Big Ten expansion plans.

OK OK, so likely scenario is that Big XII adds 1-3 teams, and most likely it won't be teams that truly solidify the conference's future before Texas decides to take a few of its friends West sometime in the future.

But I can hope.  And I can hope that Baylor is able to stay in the Big XII and not end up in Conference USA.  But if the replacement teams are Conference USA teams, have we accomplished much?

We'll discuss again in 2012 when this happens again.

---

**Note: I have since read an article indicating that Arkansas could stand to make at least $2 million a year MORE by taking A&M's revenue share. I thought the SEC model would give them more money, but perhaps I am wrong. If you have more details on this feel free to share in the comments.

Bowl Bound

It was just a short while ago that Baylor defeated Kansas State, causing the fans to rush the field in excitement as Baylor became bowl eligible for the first time in fifteen years.

Well, tomorrow, for the first time in sixteen years (yes the last time we were bowl eligible we did not get an invite to a bowl thanks to the Southwest Conference's limited bowl agreements), Baylor will be playing in a bowl game.

So tomorrow, in front of over 60,000 people at Reliant Stadium, Baylor will play Illinois in the Texas Bowl.

So, if you can't be there in person, flip on your televisions at 5:00 p.m. Central Time tomorrow and tune in to ESPN.  Put on some green and gold.  Shout "Heeeeey, Sic Em Bears!" at kickoff.  Enjoy the moment.

Chicken Fried Bacon and other delights

So I did not get a chance to try fried beer or fried frozen margaritas this weekend at the State Fair of Texas, but I did get to check out Chicken Fried Bacon, a corn dog, frito pie (not the deep fried type), and some curly fries.

It was a much less adventurous food outing than last year, but I did squeeze in a football game (although we lost by a touchdown).  I am still confused about how you can "change your mind" on accepting or declining a penalty.

Anyway, the food at the fair was good and greasy, as per my expectations, and I will just have to file away fried beer as something to try out next year.  I may have to try riding the "Windsurfing" ride as well - it's a crazy ride that appears to flip you repeatedly and occasionally spray you with water.  Here's a video of it in action (at another fair):

Baylor Basketball Update

So earlier in the week I had read that Baylor Basketball star LaceDarius Dunn was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.  As a result, he has been suspended from classes at Baylor, and suspended from the basketball team, potentially jeopardizing his participation in the season and his NBA draft prospects.

While I think we can all agree this is far from the worst thing that has ever happened to Baylor Basketball, it is still quite disheartening.  Even if charges are not pursued, I am not sure that the fans and/or school can get over it with LaceDarius.

That said, I suppose we will for sure have to see how good a player Perry Jones really is...

Random Musings on Conference Realignment

So, as I have been theorizing a billion insane theories on what could happen with the possible Big 12 Conference re-alignment, I figured it was worthy of (in a pre-Texas decision announcement) writing down.  So here are some insane pro-Baylor possibilities for where we land.

Option 1: We're Done
That's right - no more changes.  We'll stick to a 10 team Big XII and snicker when we think about Nebraska and Colorado.  Maybe we look to pick up two more teams in the next couple of years, but in the interim we switch to a 9 game conference schedule and keep trucking along.  This, of course, would require EVERYONE to stick around that hasn't already left.

Option 2: Ciao, A&M
Just like option one, minus Aggies.  A&M goes to the SEC, everyone else stays, and the Big XII grabs a tenth team in the short term (Utah?  Air Force?  TCU?) and moves along.

Option 3: Mass Exodus and a "new" Big XII
So, in the event that half the world leaves for the PAC, and A&M goes to either the SEC or PAC-N, there is the possibility that the remaining five stick together and take five more teams (probably from the Mountain West).  The Big XII makes a play to keep the automatic BCS bid, keep the automatic NCAA bid, and pick up various Mountain West Teams and a few from to rebuild (TCU, Utah, Air Force, Boise State, BYU, Louisville, someone else?).  In doing so, and preserving the Big 12, the conference would then be recovering penalties from EVERY SCHOOL THAT LEAVES - in the millions, which could at least provide a good short term buffer to the change in television negotiations.

Option 4: Baylor takes A&M's Slot?
If A&M heads to the SEC, there's gonna be one more PAC-16 slot to fill - could Baylor sneak in?  Realistically, I don't see that happening, but it's a thought if the intent is still to keep a large chunk of the Big 12 South together.

Option 5: Baylor heads East
OK, this is ridiculous.  But I think it would be fun to look at the ACC as an option for Baylor.  We've proven we can compete with SOME of their football teams (namely Wake) in years past, and we have played some of their basketball teams competitively as well.  I think it would be a fun fit, though I don't really think the ACC is looking to add a private Texas school to the mix.

Option 6: Mountain West...
TCU came out over the weekend saying they would not look to "block" Baylor joining the Mountain West.  While I wonder if that's their positioning of themselves to join the Big 12 in the event that it does not totally disappear, it still presents an option.  Baylor's joining the Mountain West conference along with the other Big 12 schools in a block could give it 15-16 teams and provide an argument for an automatic BCS bid (instead of giving two to the PAC-16) and still have a competitive environment.

Option 7: Big 16
This is like option 1 with a twist:  The remaining Big 12 schools stay, and find 6 other schools (possibly out of the Mountain West or otherwise), and bump up to 16.  Then they trademark the name "Big 16" before the Big 10 gets that big.  Conference uses the influence to negotiate better TV contracts, and Texas can still get its own channel if they want.

Reality Sets In:
So, with all this speculation about how things could theoretically work out as a positive for Baylor (and Kansas and the others), I am not convinced that anything good will actually happen.  So I will cross my fingers and hope for the best, and meanwhile prepare myself for what the WAC or Conference USA means to Baylor's Athletics across the board.  Assuming that we can even get into those.

Fingers crossed and just waiting to see.  I am sure it will all play out by next week.

Sweet 16 Bound

Baylor Bears are headed to the Sweet 16.  We are headed to Houston to Reliant Stadium to watch the Men's Basketball team in their first Sweet 16 in school history.  Sic 'Em Bears!