Bill Byrne is Fightin' Texas Aggie Mad!

I think we’ll hear talk of coming together and a mutual desire to resolve these issues after tomorrow’s meeting. But, don’t let the diplomatic talk fool you — one side of this is going to (in their eyes) “win”

Either the ‘Horns keep rockin’ in the free world with ESPN, an extra conference game, and high school games aired on our network , while Aggie heads east

OR

we don’t.

Which result has $100s of Millions backing it?

Bill Byrne, internet / phone / interview tough guy. Shouldn’t he be threatening to kick an alum’s ass instead of burdening himself with the business of being an athletic director at a major university?

Is anyone lining up with agy?

Aggies. Every article I read about them nowadays is filled with aggots commenting about how they ought to go ahead and head east, presumably renaming themselves “Mississippi State West,” in honor of their pending SEC football victories. Usually, someone will say that the more thoughtful and mature aggies want to stay in the Big 12, think going to the SEC would be bad, yada, yada, yada. Not that anyone ever actually identifies themself as an aggie who holds that opinion, mind you, it’s just assumed that such aggies exist.

On our end, the only real concern we have is that aTm joining the SEC would lure some recruits away, and, while it’s a valid concern, it’s also not a quantifiable one. Anyone with a double digit IQ (90% of aggtards therefore excluded) understands that aTm going to the SEC would render them more irrelevant in football than they are now.

And yet they continue to bark, like Reveille on meth, about everything burnt orange. UT took a gamble, and threw money into setting up a network. (If taking your time and carefully gathering information for purposes of calculating ROI can be called a gamble.) But that gamble paid off for us, and now little brother is so jealous that they’re ready to literally cut off their nose to spite their collective face.

Setting up the network has been a stroke of financial genius, but simultaneously driving aTm around the bend by doing it has put icing on the cake.

Arkansas loves the SEC. And yet they have never won a SEC football championship. Ever.

Do the Ags understand?

Why was the 1994 ruling implemented? What was the purpose? What was the problem the NCAA was tring to address? Does it apply here? It sounds like it might.

So lessee. The NCAA’s going to arbitrate this, right?

In one corner…the Big XII minus Texas.

In the other corner…Texas, Notre Dame, and the Pac 12.

Hmm. Wonder who’s going to win.

Dagga: You probably have the Big Ten as a friend of the B12 less Texas. Maybe the SEC with Texas et al.

IIRC, the HS contract was offered and signed before the moratorium.

The LHN needs to walk into that meeting with a tentative schedule that doesn’t include a Longhorn commit on every broadcast, make sure that it’s clear that the HS games are live filler, not an extension of UT Recruiting, Inc.

I heard it’s impossible to find a pair of panties at any store in College Station because every aggie is going through 20-30 pairs a week.

No, Bob, that is not what we need to do. We’re Texas and there is no need to “check” our hand so we can go all in at the turn. Dodds needs to show up with a list of HS games that we actually want to watch…those that include recruits.

Dodds should also tell Byrne to go join the SEC and encourage it to happen. Why so many of us want to stop that move is beyond me.

Mitchell:

Texas hasn’t put up a dime – don’t sell your school short. Then again, this wasn’t about ROI’s this was about ESPN making sure that 16 team conferences don’t take content away from the mothership and paying off Texas was a brilliant move to maintain the status quo.

I am a Mizzou fan and don’t believe any of this SEC stuff and agree aTm just seems to be crying over the LHN. However, would Texas being independent really be a good thing for you? Wouldn’t giving up your network and moving to the Pac16 be a better long term investment? A bad stretch that happens when TV rights are for sale can mean much less exposure.

After all the $15m/yr is chump change (and net its less because you get some $’s from the Pac16s tier 3) compared to what would happen if athletic donations took a big drop off.

Not what I meant to say. Some games with recruits, some without.

Dodds and Byrne both know that A&M can’t go to the SEC today, or anytime soon.

Pass the Hefty bags. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Bill’s Bette Davis impersonation has to be seen to be believed.

However, would Texas being independent really be a good thing for you?

Football maybe does better. Maybe. A new TV deal for football would have to be negotiated. Other sports are in limbo depending on the landing spot. Big deal for me, but since BYU made the leap and put its other sports in the WCC, maybe not for football-centric management.

Wouldn’t giving up your network and moving to the Pac16 be a better long term investment?

Pac-16 isn’t that great for several reasons. Assuming the Pac splits geographically, they’d be in with the Arizonas (probably not happy at all), Colorado, Utah, and, picking three for grins, Tech, OU, Okla. State. Not prestigious for football (although it would resemble the old Big Eight in terms of competitiveness). Questionable for basketball if they kept the two-division format, only slightly better if they didn’t. OK for baseball.

If the Ags landed in the SEC, the football recruiting landscape would change. Not enough interchange with the West Coast schools. Texas wouldn’t be able to offer more than one West Coast trip a year. A&M would have the more glamorous home schedule.

I’ve pretty much decided that if the B12 falls apart, the right move is to the SEC. Don’t like it, but that’s the way it is.

“Bill Byrne, internet / phone / interview tough guy. Shouldn’t he be threatening to kick an alum’s ass instead of burdening himself with the business of being an athletic director at a major university?” -bflt

Time to revisit this little gem:

Bill Byrne: We’ve Never Been Licked!

Bob – I would think 1 trip to either Az, 1 to either CU or Utah, RRS, and 1 to the west coast PLUS every other year we’d be traveling to our out of conference prime time match up (Notre Dame in the coming years) would be pretty decent. Not to mention it looks like we are stepping up the scheduling, so we may end up with 2 prime time OOC oppenents and make a good road trip every year.

I really don’t think it is that much of a step down from the mighty SEC schedules. People seem to forget that sandwiched in between games with UF and LSU are Vandy, KU, Ole Miss, Miss St, SC, and Arkansas. SC and Arkansas (the best of the bottom of the SEC) each have 1 good year and everyone seems to forget that they’ve averaged about 7-8 wins a season (with a number of 4 and 5 win years) for the past decade.

06: It would be up to UT to keep the n-c games coming… different issue from the conference schedule.

Sure, not all the SEC games are pearls, but what is interesting is that Texas likely would be selling road games to recruits, while A&M would be selling home games. Something is wrong with that picture.

Even with a nine-game Pac-16 schedule — actually, it’s a necessity to make this idea work — that means you’ll have one trip to LA in four years, one trip to SF, etc. And that includes one all-expenses paid trip to Pullman. You’ll be making two trips to Salt Lake City, too.

No to PAC16. No to SEC16. No to Big 10-11-12-16.

Total reorganize to Football Elite Eight Tournament with all 128 Div I teams at eight regions, 16 teams each. Better games = more $ for everyone, more fun as non-tourney games have zero impact on Nat Champ and only pressure is to be entertaining. Still have 28 bowl games non-tourney.

Wouldn’t it be two trips to LA every four years to play USC and UCLA?

I’m not excited about the PAC 12 or the SEC. It’s just the math that interested me.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/aggies/2011/08/uncertainty-aggies-are-clear-regarding-longhorn-network/

Less than two weeks ago, Loftin described the Big 12 as being in a state of "uncertainty" thanks to the intentions of the LHN. A reporter from the Bryan-College Station Eagle, a reporter from KBTX-TX and I were present for the interview following a closed-door session by the A&M regents. Since then Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has tried twisting Loftin’s words to say the A&M president meant the Longhorn Network was in a state of uncertainty – not the league.

Beebe’s Twist didn’t work, and let’s be clear: Loftin was talking about the league. He repeated it several times to the three of us. Loftin also was clearly upset that what he described as a much-discussed idea of equality among league members from the June Big 12 board meetings wasn’t coming to fruition.

Assuming you play all seven in your division plus two out, the two out will be one home and one road. Make it home and home as the B12 did out of division. You play UCLA at home, then on the road the next year.

You have to have a non-LA school for the other side of it those two years, and you have two other areas to cover the next two years.

shouldn’t this all be expected? aggy has to rattle its toy sword in advance of the NCAA meeting to try to maximize its position against the LHN and to appease the fanbase. seems to me that they are best served by trying to convince as many people as possible that they are serious about leaving.

at the end of the day, the reasons they are highly unlikely to leave still exist and haven’t changed. still have to clear the legislature, and would get hit with pretty massive exit fee by the Big 12.

How does this bylaw apply if the institution (UT) doesnt produce or provide the recruiting content? I dont see it.

this is a great time to be a college football fan. during the fall we can all look forward to the excitement of the off-season.

The way to end this would be to tell Bryne that we told that the SEC that if A&M ever decides to move to the SEC (assuming that unicorns and invites actually exist) we would gladly take their spot and bring OU.

The first move would be the aggies and the last move would be ours. The side benefit of this would be the creation of an all farmer conference. They can call it Farmville.

(And yes I know we don’t really want to go to the SEC)

this is a great time to be a college football fan. during the fall we can all look forward to the excitement of the off-season.

My thinking may be late, but I can’t foresee A&M being able to exit immediately for the SEC.

First, they have to get around Rick Perry’s clear objection to a breakup of the B12. I don’t think that’s right or smart, but that’s the way it appears to be.

Second, and probably more importantly, Mike Slive would be stupid to 1) precipitate the breakup of the B12 by inviting A&M at this time, or 2) do No. 1 without calling Texas to tell them the SEC definitely is expanding and to be sure that they didn’t want to join.

Once again, little Billy Byrne plays Jan Brady to DeLoss Dodd’s Marsha.

Texas, Texas, TEXAS!

http://twitter.com/#!/GeorgeSchroeder/status/98159239754809345

Once again, little Billy Byrne plays Jan Brady to DeLoss Dodd’s Marsha.

Jan (Byrne) is courting all the studs while Marsha (Dodds) is getting his nose broke by not getting to show HS games.

Good luck with George Glass longhorns.

Bylaw? What’s a bylaw?

Why is it so bad to show HS games on a network that no one is going to watch anyway?

Texas to Pac 16 makes me crazy. Watching Texas play CU again, Arizona, and Arizona State sounds boring. And, the idea of the other sports traveling out west is crazy. The aggies were right about not joining the Pac 16. That ship has sailed anyway so it is moot. The Pac 16 wouldn’t allow LHN and we aren’t going backwards on that.

Also, Big 10 and Pac 16 are going to start showing high school games at some point, ESPN and competitors will see to it. So, the SEC will follow suit and will eventually have their own network and show high school games too. The only thing diffrent about Texas and the Big XII-II is that Texas is staking the claim ahead of the confernce. We aren’t doing the 1 year moratorium for aggie’s sake, we are doing it to get everything in line with the NCAA and the rest of the conference.

Dodds and ESPN must be loving the free PR from the aggies and sooners complaining about how great it will make Texas for all recruits. Keep up the good work gentlemen.

That ship has sailed anyway so it is moot. The Pac 16 wouldn’t allow LHN and we aren’t going backwards on that.

I don’t know about that. Pac-12 is setting up regionals for each pairing. Seems like the LHN could be part of that, or at least accepted.

Also, Big 10 and Pac 16 are going to start showing high school games at some point, ESPN and competitors will see to it.

Big Ten says it has no interest. But I think there will be HS games shown on college networks if the NCAA allows it.

Good Brady Bunch smack. Just remember, even with Marsha’s broken nose, Jan was still jealous of her big sister.

So why WOULDN’T a school want to leave a conference that’s clearly biased in favor of another school? Texas fans love to call it jealousy but I think it’s more accurately desire for a level playing field.

Texas has the LHN, so be it (although I’m still curious to see who picks it up and how many people actually watch). But the Big 12 has shown it has no desire to enforce anything it says, evidenced by the declaration of no high school games and the network continuing to sign high schools to contracts.

A&M’s leadership has been soft on things like this in the past but I’m glad to see that changing now, and I don’t see why a school wouldn’t start exploring other options given this scenario.

ag96, what happens when Florida, Georgia, Alabama, or LSU get their own channels? Are you moving to the Big East? Yes, Texas has the first but it won’t be the last.

I don’t know if any of you fellas noticed, but ESPN’s multitude of streams (and others. I think) have already been showing HS games – and not just playoffs, either. I watched Brown and Green go at it last year. Given how badly Brown’s line blocked (or didn’t block, more accurately), I was really impressed with what he was able to do. Green was nearly as impressive, but had much better support. I couldn’t care less whether the splash screens show LHN or Agy-R-Us or even Tiger-Bait… as long as the games show up, my encampment is a place of gruntlement.

ag96, what happens when Florida, Georgia, Alabama, or LSU get their own channels? Are you moving to the Big East? Yes, Texas has the first but it won’t be the last.

I don’t imagine LSU can get more exposure in Louisiana than they already do so I’m not too worried on that one. In any case I’m betting an SEC deal that’s expanded into Texas viewership is more than lucrative enough to keep everyone happy.

If a lot of other schools start to expand into their own networks it’s also going to start to dilute the value of it. When there’s only a few it’s a very valuable thing to have, when everyone has one it’s much less of a distinguishing factor. Anti-LHN might argue that one of the best things that could happen would be for more networks to start popping up.

So why WOULDN’T a school want to leave a conference that’s clearly biased in favor of another school? Texas fans love to call it jealousy but I think it’s more accurately desire for a level playing field.

And where exactly was this desire for a “level playing field,” when A&M (along with OU and Texas) cut the media deal to get $20 million a year while the rest of the Big 12 teams get $14-17 million?

Or that matter when it was fine with the Aggies to join Texas and OU in taking all all of the Colorado and Nebraska buyout money and give the rest of the league nada?

You don’t want a level playing field — you just don’t want Texas to take advantage of all of the resources available to it.

1300 the zone is the “Longhorn station”. I’m pretty sure they broadcast high school games . Since it is also “media” in Byrne’s view, why hasn’t he gone after them?

ag96, that was poor deflect. Particularly if LSU gets one, you don’t think that affect A&M? Wow, way to be myopic. Myles: Hey [Guy from East Texas], why don’t you come to LSU where you will be in the SEC, have a channel devoted to you in college, and maybe we can even get ESPN to broadcast a HS game or two? Or you could go to A&M.

And the rest is hypocritical, LHN = bad other School networks = not bad. As has been mention many times before, the best way for A&M to dilute the value of the LHN is to continue to do well and start the A&MN to continue your brand development. Isn’t that the best course of action based on your own words? Because if A&M doesn’t have their own channel then it won’t matter how much the advantage is diluted overall, it will still be an advantage over you because you won’t have one.

And where exactly was this desire for a "level playing field," when A&M (along with OU and Texas) cut the media deal to get $20 million a year while the rest of the Big 12 teams get $14-17 million?

Level playing field doesn’t mean that everyone necessarily gets an equal share, it means everyone plays by the same rules. You still make whatever deals you make and live with the consequences. I’m not demanding a piece of the LHN payments, Texas made that deal and they get the financial benefits.

However, if everyone decides you can’t do something yet you do it anyway that doesn’t strike me as especially level.

“Level playing field doesn’t mean that everyone necessarily gets an equal share, it means everyone plays by the same rules.”

You don’t see the irony/hypocrisy in that statement? If you and the A&M administration really believed this the AD meeting yesterday wouldn’t have occurred. They would have waited for the NCAA to rule on it and been satisfied with the decision.

yes, i can see a time in the not distant future when the ags have their network up and they are ballyhooing to the four winds how their channel will do great things for kids they want to recruit, while ours still sticks to our vision of making the network a boon to the state in general when the lhn broadcasts hs games, and the ags will still cry that we are taking unfair advantage because most of the state pays more attention to our informational broadcasts than their extended, heavy-handed infomercials.

Ag: What have they done that they were told they couldn’t, since they were told?

You don’t see the irony/hypocrisy in that statement? If you and the A&M administration really believed this the AD meeting yesterday wouldn’t have occurred. They would have waited for the NCAA to rule on it and been satisfied with the decision.

Of course, we should all let the beacon of fairness and rulekeeping known as the NCAA decide how things should happen. Sometime in 2017 we should get a random report with no explanation as to what the ruling is.

Bob, as of last week LHN was continuing to sign deals to broadcast high school games despite being told they couldn’t by the Big 12 (as noted in the post). I’m assuming that’s changed at least temporarily with yesterday’s meetings.

They’d put the contracts out before the moratorium.

ag96, so who sets the rules? Are you saying the Big12 is a beacon of fairness and rulekeeping? You have 100% contradicted yourself since it is the NCAA that sets recruiting rules. If the Big12 is what you can ultimately rely on then why would A&M ever want to go to the SEC? They don’t play fair. They pay fare.

I missed your inbetween post, sorry, but my LSU comment was meant tongue in cheek. You’re also putting words in my mouth, I’ve never said anywhere that the LHN is bad, I think it’s pretty smart and wish we’d done it (and have stated as such here and in other places). How effective it is remains to be seen, I think the biggest advantage in it may simply be the “we have a network” angle as I don’t know that the viewership is going to be particularly impressive.

My comments on other schools having networks is in response to your proposition of the SEC teams getting their own networks, and I do imagine that if that trend picks up A&M hops on the bandwagon. While I do wish we’d done it (if only because someone else did) I’m honestly not that excited about the concept as I don’t think there’s really the market for these individual school’s networks to have substantial viewership.

Ok, now onto the rules. I haven’t contradicted myself, I’m implying that the NCAA hasn’t exactly made a name for itself in applying the rules well in the last 6-12 month (which I think most would agree on). I think you hit on one of the big problems, there’s really no telling who sets the rules as the NCAA doesn’t seem to have much of a desire to enforce them nor are they known for making timely decisions. I can totally see a situation where we wait for a decision from the NCAA on broadcasting high school games that comes after four or five games have been broadcast on LHN.

I think the Big 12 is more apt to at least attempt to treat teams fairly as they have a vested interest in keeping the conference together, how that all plays out remains to be seen. The SEC is definitely a whole different ballgame, it’ll be very interesting to see what happens if A&M to the SEC becomes a reality.

ESPN is signing up the HS games, not the LHN. They can still carry that game on ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU, assuming the LHN can not due to the moratorium.

Just to push buttons, I’d expect the LHN to be aggressively marketed on that broadcast.

I find ag96 to be very amusing.

Encore!

ESPN is signing up the HS games, not the LHN. They can still carry that game on ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU, assuming the LHN can not due to the moratorium.

Just to push buttons, I’d expect the LHN to be aggressively marketed on that broadcast.

I’d expect the same. But not to worry, it’ll all be done in the open with integrity.

I do what I can Joe. Someone has to keep it interesting around here, I think I’m the only one who doesn’t own an “I heart LHN” bumper sticker.

ag96 sez:
I think I’m the only one who doesn’t own an "I heart LHN" bumper sticker.

You think wrongly, sheephopper.

“"Level playing field doesn’t mean that everyone necessarily gets an equal share, it means everyone plays by the same rules."

You don’t see the irony/hypocrisy in that statement? If you and the A&M administration really believed this the AD meeting yesterday wouldn’t have occurred. They would have waited for the NCAA to rule on it and been satisfied with the decision."

I do not see how its any different then what happens today. The NCAA sets the rules in regards to recruiting, those rules apply to everyone who participates regardless of how much money a school makes. (Forget for a moment that not all schools are treated the same by the NCAA). If A&M thinks the network provides unfair recruiting advantage then more power to them in asking the NCAA to rule on it. If the shoe were on the other foot, I would expect our athletic department to ensure the network was not going to be used to provide an improper enticement. I would just hope ours would do it with a little more class and not sound nearly as whiney.

What BRAGGonUT said-This whole thing is about to backfire on A&M and OU. Our partner, ESPN, will simply put the games on ESPN2 or ESPNU and pimp LHN at every commercial break. Hell, the crawl at the bottom of LHN could just tell people to switch to ESPNU if they’d like to watch Jonathan Gray.

Don’t worry Tex Long, I’m sure yours is in the mail.

At the end of the day, what fear does aTm put in anyone’s heart?

Exactly! $Bill, what a maroon.

More details about the LHN deal with ESPN.

http://outkickthecoverage.com/espn-texas-contract-for-longhorn-network.php