Would The Ducks Jump To The Big-12?

[SuperDuck]

This is just purely hypothetical on my part, but the thought crossed my mind this morning after reading more on the new Pac-12 division alignment. There's still a chance that Oregon may be placed in a north division that includes no schools from California. If that ends up being the case, I wouldn't be surprised if the Ducks would be willing to listen to what the Big-12 might want to offer. They need to replace two schools in order to have a championship game and the Ducks might be willing to listen, considering the current circumstances.

Honestly, I'm not sure how it would work out. The Ducks would surely be placed in the Big-12 North and have to face Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri each year. However, they'd also get to play 1-2 games each year in the recruiting hotbed of Texas, where they're already making their presence felt. You'd have to believe they'd become a much bigger player there if they could guarantee these kids at least one trip to their home state each year.

Another benefit would be that the balance of power would immediately tilt in their favor because those teams mentioned above are mediocre at best. That would leave an open path the to the Big-12 Championship game most years for a marquee matchup against Texas or Oklahoma.

I doubt that it would hurt recruiting in California much either, as the annual games their are being drastically reduced with the introduction of this new divisonal format.

As far as long time rivalries go, we wouldn't miss playing WSU. We'd definitely want to keep the Civil War (would the Beavers want to join the Big-12 too?) and the Washington game would be up in the air. It might have to be sacrificed in order to make it work, but it also just might be worth it.

Outside of football, the Ducks probably wouldn't be very attractive in basketball for a few years, but we excel in baseball, track and other sports.

As I said, this is all coming from my own thoughts, but imagine the possibilities.

Any thoughts?

[Oregonian]

Oregon doesn't have enough pull for the Big 12 to offer. They're not just looking for some random team, they need somebody in a market. Oregon doesn't offer much in that regard, at all.

It's not just about being able to play a championship game or whether or not we can recruit there. As far as the inverse, the Big 12 gains nothing from Oregon - we literally have like 2 or 3 decent recruits a year.

[Handsome Dan]

In a word: No.
In two words: No, no.
In a mathematical expression: No^n

[spinseeker]

In a word: No.
In two words: No, no.
In a mathematical expression: No^n

+1


Why go to the Big 12 North for 1 or 2 games a year in Texas? Even with a North South split we will get 1 or 2 games a year in California. Just not SoCal. On top of that, our road to the Pac12 championship game is not much different than the big 12 north, since we have dominated all the other north teams for the last two years and not counting OSU for the last four years.

[maxduck]

Think of the travel expense for both basketball teams, track, baseball, softball, lacrosse, golf, etc. Think of regularly changing 2 time zones. Throw in no alumni base and the difficulty for fans to attend away games and you get the same answer as everybody else---no.

[uostudent]

Think of the travel expense for both basketball teams, track, baseball, softball, lacrosse, golf, etc. Think of regularly changing 2 time zones. Throw in no alumni base and the difficulty for fans to attend away games and you get the same answer as everybody else---no.

^^ This

I know a few alums in Texas, but there definitely isn't a significant presence. There probably aren't many in Missouri either.

You most likely won't find any alums in Iowa, Kansas, or Oklahoma.

Like Max said, how many Ducks fans are going to want to travel to College Station, Manhattan (KS), Waco, Stillwater, etc.?

Can you imagine trying to convince your wife to take off work to vacation in Oklahoma? Is there anything more appealing than hiding in a basement during a tornado?

[uodux1212]

I want some of whatever Superduck is smoking

[greenyellow]

Just can't see this happening as the university and AD seem pretty happy about the Pac-12, even if the divisions don't seem fair. As long as Oregon keeps winning, it won't matter which division it's in.

[SuperDuck]

Just can't see this happening as the university and AD seem pretty happy about the Pac-12, even if the divisions don't seem fair. As long as Oregon keeps winning, it won't matter which division it's in.

As long as their happy with it, I agree. Like I said, it was just a thought, though I didn't think it was that far fetched considering we almost had a Pac-16 just a few months ago when several of those teams nearly joined our conference.

[greenyellow]

Just can't see this happening as the university and AD seem pretty happy about the Pac-12, even if the divisions don't seem fair. As long as Oregon keeps winning, it won't matter which division it's in.

As long as their happy with it, I agree. Like I said, it was just a thought, though I didn't think it was that far fetched considering we almost had a Pac-16 just a few months ago when several of those teams nearly joined our conference.

But that was with all the other Pac-10 schools still with them. Moving to the Big-12 would be a much bigger move than that since they would possibly be the lone West Coast team in there amongst all Midwest teams.

[SuperDuck]

Just can't see this happening as the university and AD seem pretty happy about the Pac-12, even if the divisions don't seem fair. As long as Oregon keeps winning, it won't matter which division it's in.

As long as their happy with it, I agree. Like I said, it was just a thought, though I didn't think it was that far fetched considering we almost had a Pac-16 just a few months ago when several of those teams nearly joined our conference.

But that was with all the other Pac-10 schools still with them. Moving to the Big-12 would be a much bigger move than that since they would possibly be the lone West Coast team in there amongst all Midwest teams.

True. Like I said, just a thought.