I really think you are vastly overestimating LSU's presence in Houston. Yes, there are a lot of LSU grads here but far, far less than Texas or A&M. And very few casual fans in Houston go for LSU. I would put good money that the fan bases in Houston of Texas/Tech/Baylor/TCU/OU/OSU > A&M/LSU/Arkansas/random other SEC schools.
As someone else asked, are you just guessing or is there a source for this? I haven't lived in Houston in about 15 years so I'm not saying you're wrong, just wondering about your info.
The distance is being overstated because the majority of jobs are still here and Dallas. Tech has tons of alumni here. I went there for a semester myself. As another poster asked, I'd love to see your data to conclude that the SEC will have more alumni in Houston than the Big 12 now. What did you look at? UT is arguably the #1 brand in sports. They are arguably more popular than any other school, as far as casual fans go. At least they are on the list in that regard. As long as they are in the Big 12 it's a big stretch to say this area will belong to a conference that doesn't include them. I guarantee you none of those SEC schools is getting a TV timeslot over UT in Houston. UT will still be on TV and the local radio more in this area than any SEC school. I think OU has more alums here than LSU. The trip from LSU to A&M runs you closer to Conroe then it does to Houston (I mapped it). That's past Spring and is around 45 minutes from downtown or the areas a visitor would want to go. No, I don't see someone adding an extra 1 HR to their trip each way when they could just stay in College Station. Now you are spot on about folks flying in, more than likely through Bush. But I don't see how that gives the SEC Houston. Especially considering how proud Texans are. You really see us loving a conference of outsiders more than a conference with a ton of our schools? You are really reaching.
You had me until here, you say you want to see numbers on how UT/BU/TTU/TCU would outnumber the new SEC numbers. I personally think it wouldn't be close, but that's my guess (12 > SEC) but you posted a little while back that it was the other way around and have nothing at all to back that up, when asked for stats on that assumption, you had zero.
I'm basing this on the Chronicle's reader polls about what teams people follow; that was the order last calculated; UH, UT, A&M, LSU. And before you ask, no, I don't have them offhand, it was in print. It also stands to reason if you factor in school size + proximity. Just logistical things like that. Then there's the anecdotal experience part of it all. I suppose if we want to go to brass tacks, we can call up the alumni offices of each school. The distance thing is not overstated, it has a very real effect on where people typically end up. Yes, the majority of jobs are here, but don't you think the SEC folk live according to that rule, too? That's great for UT, and probably true. But it doesn't mean that the Big 12's presence will supercede the SEC overall in Houston. The big advantage the Big 12 has going for it is simply history, historically this has been a Big 12 market. So, naturally, the casual fan is going to follow Big 12 football. As they grow more familiar with the SEC, that will change. I think you're dead wrong. And I think you're even more wrong if we're counting fans + alumni. You just played the "pride" card to validate your argument, and you think I'm the one reaching here?
Looking back on it, I probably really underestimated TTU and BU's enrollment. (I thought TTU was around 23K for some reason... and 15K baylor wtf?) So, I'm willing to concede that the majority of the Houston marketshare will be with the Big 12 for the foreseeable future, but there will be a pretty sizeable chunk taken out by the SEC. I think you guys are seriously selling LSU and their fanbase short in Houston, though. If I'm the Big 12, my marketshare in Houston isn't on the upswing anymore. And that would suck.
I wouldn't use a readers poll to conclude which area has more alumni. That poll probably had a few thousand folks fill it out? But to your credit, I have no data to back up my assumption.* I'm sure they do, but Tech is bigger than LSU. I'm sure more Tech alum stay in Texas than LSU alum that leave their state, and the major hubs in the state are Houston and Dallas. This area has tons of Tech alumni.* Why would that change as long as UT is in the conference? You are basically saying the SEC will be more popular here than a conference that has arguably the nations most marketable brand...in that teams own home state. As long as the area has tons of UT alumni and UT stays popular enough to pull more casual fans than most then I think the Big 12 is ok. Then you include all the other TX schools.* I don't but have nothing to validate it one way or the other.* I think the pride card is applicable when we are talking about football in the state of Texas. There was a recent article that interviewed SEC coaches about TX recruiting now that A&M was in the Big 12. One basically said "TX kids grow up wanting to play ball in TX".*
Congratulations to TCU and the Big 12, I guess this stops the bleeding for a little while. The Big 12 had to do something, and adding TCU makes the Conference stronger. UT would hate to bring UH into the Big 12, for the same reason Arkansas refuses to play Arkansas State in football. UT doesn't want to elevate the UH program in the minds of fans and recruits. UT was perfectly happy to send UH, Rice, TCU, and SMU to the minor leagues, and they are only bringing TCU into the Big 12 because they are desperate to keep the whole thing afloat. I live in Houston, and I watch college football every week. The teams I always watch are Rice, Houston, A&M, and UT. The only other games I have a strong interest in watching are all the SEC games. I can't even remember who all those northern Big 12 teams are, Iowa, Idaho State, or whatever they are. I feel like I have a connection to the teams in the SEC, but not so much in the Big 12.
Another private school? Really? Would have made more sense if the Big12 had kicked out Baylor for TCU. At least TCU wins $hit sometimes.
Not only that, but if UH is not admitted, I heard that the stars and bars will soon fly over city hall and separate lunch counters and drinking fountains are in the offing, with resumption of the slave trade by mid-century. That's just what I hear from the people I have been talking to.
I was trying to look up how many Baylor alumni there are in Houston but had no luck. I did find this in an article relating to the Houston bowl (attendance: 68,211) -- Come to think of it, almost all my Baylor friends are from either Dallas or Houston.
Would you agree that currently the Big 12 dominates coverage? I think there is no question that the SEC will cut into the market by having a local team. Yes, the Aggies are local. UH would have given the Big 12 a continued presence in the market. The Houston media will give exposure to the SEC...it will be cool to have Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, etc. play only 90 minutes away. Don't get me wrong. TCU earned and deserves the bid over UH. UH has no one to blame but itself. Four years ago, the teams played in the Texas Bowl. Since then TCU has put itself in the national spotlight. Fiesta Bowl. Rose Bowl. The Coogs? Back to back Armed Forces Bowls. Amazing yards gained on offense. Amazing yards given up on defense.
The thing is who is gonna be excited for the SEC with a local team being the doormat year in and year out?
I don't think the Aggies will be a doormat. I don't think they'll win SEC championships either. The Aggies are snakebit and I don't know whether Sherman is the answer long term. The Aggies will take their lumps but eventually will be competitive.
Next year is a transitional year. They'll be a doormat for sure. We'll see how they are moving past next year though..
Baylor was mid-pack in the old SWC, with the move to the big 12 we had years of pain. A&M was mid-pack in the Big 12, and I think they will have years of pain in the SEC. The difference is that Baylor fans tend to be a bit more jaded then your typical aggie fan, so we sort of shrug it off. There is no way the A&M fanbase will tolerate year after year of 3-8, 4-7records without losing their collective minds.
Replace "Sherman" with "Coach Fran" and we're back in the year 2003. Hey, should I get one of these new flip-phone dealies or stick with my Nokia?
