Last night I was screaming at TCU to just win the stinking game! I love Baylor, but certain dominoes need to fall to make expansion a necessity for Big 12. (Anyone see the classless TCU fans mock Baylor's classy coach last night? TCU is white trash IMO).

We have one shot at this. If it doesn't happen, then don't look for expansion for a very long time. In the nuts and bolts, it is as simple as this: If OK loses, and Big 12 doesn't get into playoffs, they have to expand. If OK wins, Big 12 is set for the next five years at least.

Assuming the best of things -- if expansion does happen, BYU is a lock for Big 12 and might even get some renewed attention from Pac 12 looking to block Big 12 from Denver and UT/NV/AZ markets (that combo is what BYU brings to the table regionally). So I hope all of CougarFanDom is cheering on this Orange-faced Cowboys team of OKSt who lost to tumbling Baylor and who at #11 won't get up past #6 -- and let's Notre Dame or MSU in the back door. That means Big 12 is blocked for two years in a row from playoffs. Ten team playoff doesn't look hopeful for enough quality in conference games (essentially what it has now), so it must look to expand conference to a minimum of 12.

In the chaos that will ensue, look for Pac 12 to try to block Big 12 expansion and protect its perceived territory of the "west." In play: BYU and CSU.

So a word about CSU and why we need to promote CSU as our companion school going either to Pac 12 or Big 12.

For Pac 12, we rejoin CU and UofU which is the natural order of things from Pac 12's perspective. Fourteen schools would equal what Big 10 has and is certainly justifiable in today's division playoff world.

But . . . CSU and BYU are very conservative schools (CSU is a land-grant institution which means it receives funding from revenue raised by federal land use. Big 12 has 4 of 10 schools that are land-grant institutions. Big 12 is politically and religiously conservative. Geographically, Big 12 if mid-west centric, meaning Florida is a strange fit. (WVA is land grant institution so it is an exception to the geography, and is conservative religiously and politically). So, in truth, in a war between Big 12 and Pac 12 for expansion and reach into TV markets of CO (Denver)/Utah (SLC)/NV(Vegas)/AZ(Phoenix/Tucson), I think Big 12 wins out and it wants those 12 million home viewers from those markets.

In any Big 12 expansion CSU is a solid contender and BYU has a history with CSU, so it makes a nice geographic rival (compare with the made for TV rivalry of CU/UofU).

Did you know that CSU has an old fraternity fight song from the early 1900's that mentions BYU by name? They still sing it at football games. With the history of BYU and CSU in the WAC and MWC, we have a long history and it would be a good match moving forward.

Here are some tidbits from what I posted below that need reposting:

Both current football and basketball coaches come from P5 programs (Eustachy (Prior AP Basketball Coach of the Year and former Iowa St. Head Coach; Elite Eight in resume) and Bobo (Georgia football Off Coordinator)). Just before Bobo arrived, CSU lost Grayson (QB/NO Saints); Sambrailo (OT/Broncos); Gilmore (TE/Ravens); and Richburg (C/Giants). That's pretty good placement for a second-rate football school.

New stadium will be close to I-25 and hold 40,000 with easy expansion to 50k if needed. Future is plenty bright.

CSU's Women's volleyball is currently ranked #12 and Cross Country is ranked #25. Last year Women's basketball won Mountain West conference. Last year CSU sent 28 athletes to NCAA's in track and field. CSU is not BYU in terms of across the board excellence, but they are certainly part of the conversation nationally.

Academically CSU is strong. CSU is THE LARGEST UNIVERSITY IN COLORADO with 80% of its Alumni staying in state and more Alumni in Denver Metro than CU. Compare with CU which only keeps 50% in state after graduation.

CSU is #61 top public school nationally (US News World Report; compare UofU is #55); CSU is #127 of all National Universities (BYU #67; UofU #115). CSU has #3 Veterinarian school in the nation (Big deal in mid-west and with the multi-billion dollar horse racing industry); CSU is ranked as #231 global institutions of higher learning (Compare BYU #626 -- why is BYU so low globally??).

CSU's student body looks a lot like BYU's. Good or bad, CSU is mostly white. Mostly practicing Christian. School formed in 1870. Same climate as BYU. About 30k students full-time. A good online academic program.

In all, I continue to push CSU as BYU's partner. Do we really want to join the Big 12 if it also adds the likes of Memphis? South Florida? It just doesn't ring as true.