Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners Coming Soon, But Then What?

January 7, 2023

FRISCO, Texas – Now that Texas and Oklahoma are headed to the SEC probably as early as 2024, the query everybody needs to be asking is straightforward.

Who’s subsequent?

The most rational reply is staring the league proper within the face, fairly actually.

TCU.

The Horned Frogs give the SEC a agency foothold within the Dallas market and would lock down all 4 of the foremost TV markets in Texas for good.

Now is the very best time to strike. The Horned Frogs are a media darling in soccer and have grow to be fairly the touchdown pad for elite SEC transfers bored with the outdated wait till it is your flip system that’s depriving them of NIL cash and taking part in time in locations like Alabama.

They’re at the moment a Top 25 group in basketball and completed as a Top 25 baseball group final spring as effectively.

It’s greatest to nab them whereas every part is rolling down in Ft. Worth so an SEC announcement can propel their market worth even increased. Accepting such an invitation would make them prime greenback Frogs in TV negotiations.

It would additionally give SEC groups a high quality journey vacation spot. The SEC is thought for lots of issues, however attending to an opponent’s venue is not precisely considered one of them.

Flying into DFW and making the quick 27-mile drive to TCU’s campus is a dream for SEC groups.

Not solely is it a straightforward journey, it is an amazing journey for followers and recruiting. The stadium is gorgeous and located in an amazing a part of Forth Worth.

If you’ve a partner who likes to journey, however is not into soccer, she and any youngsters who may need to tag alongside however not go to the sport can spend a day on the Fort Worth Zoo [literally the only zoo experience I have ever enjoyed] or make the quick jaunt to Arlington for a day at Six Flags.

Then you possibly can meet up for dinner in Sundance Square and catch a movie on the Coyote Drive-in with the Fort Worth skyline immediately behind your film simply throughout the tiny Trinity River.

Of course the SEC at all times likes to order its new members in pairs, so that you may as effectively throw in Oklahoma State. While not as simple to get to as TCU, this can be a fan base tailor made for the SEC and as enjoyable to get irritated at because the cowbell ringers in Starkville and the mustard throwers up in Knoxville.

Just ask Arkansas followers how enjoyable a decent shootout might be with the Cowboys.

While OK State brings solely modest progress in viewership, they do carry high quality in all three main sports activities, plus one different extremely worthwhile commodity that it shares with TCU.

Cheap journey for non-revenue sports activities.

I’ll prevent the time wanting up what number of miles it’s from Gainesville, Florida to Stillwater. It’s 1,176 miles and it does not matter. Florida will journey to Stillwater even lower than it already travels to Fayetteville, which has solely occurred twice in practically 20 years in soccer.

The Razorbacks head to The Swamp subsequent season for the second consecutive time within the collection and should not get a return recreation as soon as every part is shuffled round to accommodate Texas and Oklahoma ought to they arrive a 12 months early.

As for Oklahoma State and TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and even Ole Miss all clock in at round 500 miles or much less. Add in LSU and Mississippi State and also you’re taking a look at eight groups inside roughly 650 miles of each other on the most.

That’s good for the underside line whereas making the convention as an entire higher.

Some may assume it a bit unkind to the Big 12 to steal what would be the newly topped tentpole packages as soon as Oklahoma and Texas are gone, however that convention is already effectively on its solution to turning into “Group of Five” standing.

Does anybody assume the Big Ten is not going to annex Kansas and Kansas State quickly to assist fill in gaps between the remainder of the convention and Los Angeles?

Penn State is not flying out to L.A. on the common. That’s an issue for the Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa to cope with. Slipping in brief rides to Kansas whereas including high quality on the basketball facet is a pleasant solution to easy issues over.

It’s borderline unimaginable to think about these two plus Oregon and both Utah or Stanford not getting sucked in sooner or later.

The two tremendous conferences will struggle over a handful of different groups, however that is the trail ahead.

The breadcrumbs are fairly simple to observe.

We’re headed towards the SEC and Big Ten following the mildew of the AFC and NFC the place the 2 host their very own playoffs and have the ensuing champions play one another in a university soccer Super Bowl recreation.

The 12-team playoff is simply one other step towards getting individuals used to an concept that may finally result in the most important monetary payoff in all of school sports activities.

There’s a great likelihood that if it will occur, that ball begins rolling this weekend if it hasn’t already.

After all, you by no means know who SEC commissioner Greg Sankey may “bump” into on the TCU-Georgia nationwide championship recreation.