OU: This Time We Are In Charge

good article, but why isn’t utah colored in?

hearing from friends around america. UT is slowly, for now, starting to get a negative image around the world of college football. Most of hate ND bc of the advantages they get with NBC, BCS, etc. We have a great national brand that is positive and it would be nice when the dusts settles to both, reap the benefits and $ of the LHN and have a Positive image & brand in college athletics!
Hope DeLoss continues to keep Texas in the best position. I just hope it doesnt backfire on us!
Hook’em!!

Does this mean that the LHN will be folded into an PAC16 East regional network and include programing for Texas, Tech, OU & Boone Pickens U?

So let me get this straight… in the summer of cheating we’re getting a bad rep for making the best possible deal for ourselves?

I say screw them. There isn’t a school in the country that wouldn’t have done what we did if they could and they know it too.

 I would much rather get negative PR now and end up where we want to than start trying to make nice with people who don’t like us. We’ll be fine and 5 years from now no one (well except the aggies) will care or remember how this goes down.

Kilgore:

No — Texas and Tech would be aligned in one regional network, and then OU would be with Boone Pickens U on the other.

@KT no assuming we go with TT, OU, and OSU, the LHN would become the Lone Star Network and be shared with TT. OU and OSU would get their own regional.

I hate to oversimplify, but people hate people with money. Fans of other teams love to hate the Cowboys, the Yankees, and Manchester United. With the LHN, Texas entered that realm—at least in terms of collegiate sports. Everybody loves an underdog, and we aren’t one.

If T. Bone and others feel like they are getting pushed around then by all means get pissed and do something about it. But it is strange to see self made multi-millionaires play the entitlement card. Texas is the bully because they do something better than others so they better share because everyone else does it that way. T.B. is that how you got where you are now? Maybe Dodds/Powers and ESPN need to retool but in the end very little is happening that would not have eventually happened anyway.

I really hope that the whole PAC 16 thing works out. I’d really like to go to some games in LA and PHX. Obviously, the LHN will need a ton of tweaking for UT to get to join. TTU stands to benefit the most from their big brother, so that would make me happy.
I kinda think that Texas goes independent though. Nobody tells Deloss what to do.

I don’t mind sharing money if we have to (rather not) but the LHN brand is the most important thing to me. I love the idea of the PAC-16 if we don’t have to share a channel with Tech and cN continue to call it the LHN.

I do not want to rush this thing, but it may be forced upon us. I’d be curious to see what the ACC has to offer us. I’m glad I do not have to make this decision. I see one serious game of chicken happening in the near future.

Deloss should call bullshit on these other schools threatening to move. There’s no way Texas-OU gets cancelled even if OU leaves for the Pac 12.

If Texas is going to be forced to share TV revenues anyway, let’s partner with schools that contribute a large TV audience or recruiting base: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, BYU, USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Illinois. Cherry pick the best partners and let the super-conferences keep their trash.

Let’s ignore all of the sour grapes, communist ,share the wealth rhetoric coming from less fortunate schools. There isn’t a single school in the Big 12 that hasn’t benefited from being in the same conference as Texas. If the malcontents think they have a better deal, they should take it. They can be replaced. All of this “sky is falling” talk is getting really old.

Larry Scott, Harvard graduate, needs to look up “infer” and “imply.”

What I think Texas should do is go back-channel to the B10 and the PAC10, see which conference gives us the best deal with respect to the LHN, then go with that conference.

If that conference turned out to be the B10, wow. If the B10 assimilated Texas and its LHN, then ND would likely follow, meaning the B10 would be the most valuable conference in the nation, given its immense TV clout. We’d stay in CDT in many of the biggest cities in America on the north and east coast.

If its the PAC10, then I hope we insist on 4 pods, not 2 divisions, much like the old WAC16 had back in the day. That way Texas would be a dynamic part of the West Coast, not just mired in the “desert division + CU”. We’d get California Cool, redwoods, and the Pacific Ocean.

I’m all about a move to the PAC 16. Let’s do this.

I live in the heart of SEC country, and people aren’t starting to hate us, they have for a long time.

thecontractor – IMO, UT’s development of a negative image isn’t a slow phenomenon. Dodds’ refusal to play media games has allowed the other Big 12 members to quickly form a narrative about realignment that casts UT as the bad guy. This, when those other schools are acting out the exact same blind self-interest they pretend to abhor. But the news cycle is a beast that devours without regard to details and will gladly magnify those false statements for the sake of ratings and web hits.

Dodds probably thinks it’s a tempest in a teacup, so to speak, and comforting himself with thoughts that any publicity is good publicity. But I can’t help but think that the routine clobbering UT gets in the national press these days won’t take a toll. UT’s made a lot of progress with its brand over the years promoting itself as a “white knight” of college football. Those days are pretty much over. That said, being the “black knight” has its benefits too.

I wonder if we could go PAC 12 but have BYU as our partner so we each just keep our network?

Just a thought.

Dagga:

There is no “White Knight” in college football, nor will there ever be. We are way past that stage in the sport — we are into mini-NFL Territory.

Everyone kiss and make up…and then bring back the old school Southwest Conference!
Texas
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
TCU
SMU
Baylor
Houston
Arkansas
Rice
Texas Tech
Texas State

XOVERX,

Would you like divisions better if they would go North and South rather than East and West?

NORTH SOUTH

California Texas
Stanford Texas Tech
Oregon Oklahoma
Oregon State Oklahoma State
Washington Arizona
Washington State Arizona State
Colorado UCLA
Utah USC

Quite a few good match ups with this configuration.

I suspect that things are heading toward Texas and OU to the Pac12, with Ok State riding OU’s coattails as well. Texas is not interested in bringing TT along and the Pac12 is not interested in TT. Texas would like a north/south division vs the east/west so they can play in Los Angles yearly. Texas not wanting TT gives us the LHN as it is designed without sharing an “in-state” network with our friends from Lubbock. I’m guessing the Pac12 wants KU or BYU as the 4th team.
As for OU taking charge? My understanding is that Texas and OU have been meeting daily at the highest levels regarding all this and that Boren made the statement was no surprise to Powers nor Dodds.

ACC anyone?

Ugh.

As long as we stay in partnership with ESPN I think we will get some favorable press from them at least. As long as we run a clean program we will get some positives and as long as we win there will be plenty of fans. You can’t please everyone and if you try, you end up pleasing no one. I don’t care if some people hate us for the wrong reasons. That’s there problem not ours.

Curious to know if this ACC talk is at all serious or if we’re just trying to manufacture some additional leverage with Larry Scott.

If OU wants to lead the exodus, all the better. We get to say everyone else (CU, NU, A&M, OU) caused the dissolution of the conference while reaping the end result most of us crave, Texas to the Pac. The Pac will of course take Texas even with the LHN, the benefits to the Pac are too great to refuse as Scott has subtly “implied.” Ultimately, as long as we get what we want, while not being the source of the death of the Big 12, who cares whether OU or Texas instigated the move?

Those were my initial thoughts also, Wyatt.

I’m not sure why we couldn’t keep LHN in he PAC, allow OU to start their own (which they want), and then have Tech and OSU share a regional. This model also offers upside for any other big brand that wants it’s own network. Lots of flexibility here.

I also like the pod structure. Last summer most of the talk of the 16 team superconferences seemed to assume the pods. Check out frank the tank posts from last summer.

Damn I used the wrong “their” There will be hell to pay for that miscue.

who is sayin acc? wait…which messageboard slackjaw is sayin acc?

Why not Texas, OU, Kansas and Missouri to the Pac 16. Does Texas Tech or Oklahoma State bring significant additional revenue?

srr50 – certainly true. I guess what I’m saying is that all the effort UT has made to keep its nose clean in competition has had a positive PR effect, and all the rabble-rousing about UT’s “unfair” behavior in off-the-field competition threatens to hurt those PR efforts. I wouldn’t be surprised if some 14-year-old future recruits get the wrong idea about UT from all of this bad press and starts dreaming of playing elsewhere. That shouldn’t happen with most recruits, of course, but the influence of the press isn’t negligible.

OMG. Dagga,. you think this is because UT is slow to the news cycle?

Have you noticed that maybe its just UT left holding the bag because they pissed everyone else off?

I know we can say "screw you" but there are a lot of tshirt UT fans and I would like to keep getting merchandise $ from them. I am not saying I care what the world thinks but it would be nice not being hated like ND is. When we travel with UT shirts we get smiles.

I think Independence is a bad idea when superconferences exist but if ND and Byu and Texas are independent there will be a formula for us to get it. I just don’t like that idea.

I too am curious about ACC, especially bc Espn runs LHN and Acc! I feel that the ACC will not disband if UT is added. I also like regions and feel if UT goes East then the west (Pac)has absolutely no where else it can turn to make it a real superconference, regardless of who they add west of the Mississippi.

Marron carrots, ur idea is nice but no way to Florida or the Big 10 schools or most of who u mention leave their existing conference.

I don’t know how to argue the people that say you have to have revenue sharing to make conferences work? They argue that Fla and Bama could ask for more $ bc they are worth so much more than Kentucky and Ole Miss.

What really is good for college football realistically?

keep up the good discussion guys!!

Its funny that OU is ultimately going to be the one that killed our golden goose. Aggie wanted to give us the business, but their move really wasn’t the key one to push us off of our position of strength, heck even Mizzou holds more power over us than Aggie. I feel like our strongest position would have been in a couple of years, so I hope Dodds can make something happen that preserves what we have built.

I have liked the idea of independence in the past, but I worry what happens if 4 superconferences coalesce quickly. Dodds and the administration won’t let us be left in the cold, but I would certainly hate to have to end up watching some crappy regional conference-run network rather than the LHN.

I find it hard to believe that Boren made his comments with no other purpose than to thump his chest about OU. These kind of guys tend to have a very specific purpose and message anytime they something noteworthy like this. My personal opinion is that the fanbase with the most to worry about with the events of the last few days isn’t UT, or OU or the have-nots of the Big 12. It’s A&M.

I believe Borens message had a real purpose and was carefully orchestrated in terms of the message, the audience, and timing to serve as a shot across the bow to the SEC. In fact I’ll call my shot right now and say the SEC will not extend an invite to A&M and the Big12 is still intact with all ten teams next year.

Before you call bullshit read my basis and tell me what’s faulty. The SEC has made clear that with any expansion they want to avoid causing massive instability and extinction of conferences. This isn’t because of some altruistic feelings on the part of the SEC but because they recognize that striking the first blow to something with that kind of fallout could well lead to lawsuits and other legal action on the part of have-nots that lose massive TV and other revenue.

Boren made his statements Friday as a direct message to the SEC that if they extend an invite to A&M, they (and by extension OSU) are leaving. That will leave Texas with no choice but to leave as well with TT. The Big12 either founders with remaining members or disintegrates. Whether the remaining teams find another landing spot or not they are certain to lose tremendous revenue compared to what they would have had in the current Big12. Lawsuits to recoup those loses may well ensue against the initiator of the process. The initiator would be the SEC, since A&M goes nowhere without the invite and the rest of the Big12 stay put.

From the SEC perspective they know they can have A&M anytime they want. Why force your hand into taking them now if it entails massive baggage rather than waiting a few years until a more favorable landscape develops. Despite any embarassment to A&M right now they’ll still jump at the SEC down the road if offered.

I also tend to think that the timing of A&Ms move was not what the SEC wanted. I suspect there may have been some unhappiness within the SEC for A&M forcing their hand right now. Despite that I’m sure they’re glad to have A&M as long as the baggage doesn’t come now. However, if there were fallout, then combine that with the unhappiness about the timing and I think the SEC will say no thanks at this time. Boren was making clear that the undesired fallout will definitely follow.

While there seems to be a good bit of resentment among some fanbases and the media against Texas I don’t think at Boren’s level he’s acting out of some notion of “showing Texas or the rest of the country who’s the boss”. I think he and Texas people are on the same page and his message was an orchestrated action.

Texas is glad to let OU make the statement implying they will lead the charge to breaking up the Big12 and OU can use it as an opportunity to assert that they aren’t just following Texas. But in my opinion the message was much more than that. It was a warning to the SEC that the fallout they want to avoid will indeed follow if they extend the invite.

I don’t believe the timing of this has been to the liking ot Texas so if there’s a way to keep the Big12 together with A&M a few more years I think Texas is happy to do so. The same for OU. Certainly all the other have-nots of the Big12 will be happy to stay together.

hotdam, I find it almost humorous that Texas made it clear to anyone that asked, for years, that it wanted to start its own network. It offered a piece of said network to A&M, which didn’t even consider it long enough to get treated unfairly.

And yet, after having followed through on that promise, the reaction is, “Those selfish bastards! I can’t believe they went through with it!!”

Please step forward if you’ve used the words “gentleman’s agreement” and OU in the same sentence in the past 3 weeks…HayZeus?

Nunna: That’s why the SEC is telling A&M to make its peace with the Big 12 before applying. There basically is nothing to sue on (and win) if the SEC doesn’t move until A&M is gone.

I agree with you, though, in that I did not expect the SEC to cause the problem. They don’t need A&M right now, and A&M will be waiting by the door like a puppy when decide they need them.

Actually, I think I read that from El Mahico on OB. HayZeus warned to listen for rumblings from Norman two weeks ago.

I know we can say "screw you" but there are a lot of tshirt UT fans and I would like to keep getting merchandise $ from them. I am not saying I care what the world thinks but it would be nice not being hated like ND is. When we travel with UT shirts we get smiles.

Two different issues there. Being hated won’t negatively affect our merchandise sales. Look at the Yankees; they’re both the most loved and the most hated team in baseball. Success simultaneously attracts fans while alienating neutrals. So we’ll continue to attract “t-shirt fans” in great numbers, but fans of other teams might shift their views towards Texas from ambivalent to negative. But the latter group wasn’t buying UT gear anyway.

nunya’s reasoning seems like it has some merit.

@Bob in Houston said: Nunna: That’s why the SEC is telling A&M to make its peace with the Big 12 before applying. There basically is nothing to sue on (and win) if the SEC doesn’t move until A&M is gone.

Problem is A&M didn’t leave unconditionally. They specifically said they were leaving contingent on getting an invite (or as as soon as they get an invite). I forget the exact verbage. Either way it basically says A&M only leaves with an invite. As such, everyone including the SEC knows that extending the invite is what precipitates the fallout. If they extend the invite, knowing this will happen, I think the remaining have-not schools would have enough of an argument to have things drag out in very expensive fashion in the courts for several years whether they win or not.

I hope Nunna Yo Bizness is right. His analysis makes the most sense.

The SEC should consider the unintended consequences of their expansion. Their teams can be raided too. Florida and Georgia are subsidizing the rest of the SEC. If Florida and Georgia can earn hundreds of millions more in another conference, why wouldn’t they leave the SEC?

The best thing about our Big 12 partners is that they can’t say “no”. That’s a selling point to other flagship programs that might be tired of carrying dead weight.

nunya’s reasoning seems like it has some merit.

Thanks yeh. However, There is another poster called nunya that based on some of his comments Saturday I want to be sure I’m not mistaken for.

Is the LHN like one of T Boone’s wind turbines, quiet? If so, it must be ‘good energy’.

He’s just mad because Oklahoma was getting some facetime on the LHN. It’s ugly when billionaires pout!

UT going to the ACC to keep BuckleVision would be an epic stupidity of the highest level. There is no way that happens. You are going to the PAC and going to get in line and be treated like everybody else.

BTW, my prediction of no invite from the SEC is pretty far removed from everything that’s being reported, so if I’m wrong I’ll be here to own up to it for all the trolls and those who disagree.

Am wondering why the P12 is going with a Noah’s ark (2×2×2...) approach for local school channels instead of simply giving each subscriber the option of choosing one school to be that channel’s brand? Could still use the same pool of shared content as needed, TT might draw from that a lot while UT would likely have more local content. Do that and TLN fits right in, though revenue sharing is still a hurdle.

Charley Atkins is hilarious! If he’s not an Aggie, he must be a Cornhusker. Hey buddy, Nebraska’s best days are over :-)

stubborn1: Yes, USC and UCLA in the same division would be much better.

I wonder if it would happen, though. My understanding is that the old PAC8 schools want to be aligned together, all over again. A sort of “cake and eat it, too” kind of a deal.

But yea, USC/UCLA in a division with Texas would be great.

The quote from the Booner is fantastic. As a businessman it’s so transparently hypocritical of him to make that statement that I can’t help but wonder if he chuckled as he said it.

Obviously the worse we look in the court of public opinion the more likely we are to acquiesce to the have-nots – THAT’S YOU, SHITBIRD. But luckily, DeLoss isn’t afraid of going to the mattresses.

The villianization of Texas – stemming from it’s wealth and intent to capitalize on it’s market potential – is awesome…and extremely ironic.

the 4 pod system would be great with the Pac16 imo.

How would you like this as a possible schedule in the Pac16?!
You get to play every team 2x(home and away) every 4 years! So you get to be in Zona, LA, SF every other year. Nobody can complain that we dont get access to Cali or Tx.

Year 1___Year 2____Year 3___Year 4 

OU……….OU…………OU………OU 

TT........TT.............TT…….TT 

OkSU……OkSU.......OkSU.....OkSU

@UA…….ASU………..UA………ASU 
CU.........Ut………..CU.......Ut 
USC…..UCLA……….USC…….UCLA 
 Stan.......Cal……….Stan....Cal 
UW……WSU……….UW……..WSU 
Ore........OrSU…….@Ore……OrSU

You all would have to understand better than you do the need for ou, and to some extent OSU, to make ‘tough’ statements to appease their UT-obsessed fanbase.
There is nothing worse for toothless okies than the feeling that they are not in charge of their destiny [and that Texas is], no matter what the facts say. Boren had to straighten his toupee and make these kinds of statements or face the wrath of a state full of people who never attended his school, yet live and die by its every movement. You gotta live here to understand.

Problem is A&M didn’t leave unconditionally. They specifically said they were leaving contingent on getting an invite (or as as soon as they get an invite).

But what A&M did not say which conference would offer. That is the out. If A&M shows the SEC a signed deal on terms, then the SEC can offer. Technicality, sure. But the law is built on technicality.

Nunna – you’ve brought up the case that I’ve been espousing for weeks: A&M does not have an offer yet, and they won’t get one if the remaining Big 12 members don’t want them to.

I’ve never understood why UT would want to bail on the Big 12 before the LHN property matures; until then, any counterparty in the negotiation (i.e., the Pac 12) will be able to undervalue the LHN and lowball UT on a compromise. So if UT is forced to leave the conference early then independence becomes a serious possibility. But OU doesn’t want Texas independence. The foundation of their football program (and increasingly, their student body) comes from Texas and being able to regularly claim conference bragging rights over UT matters to them. So yeah, I could see how this is an effort to signal to the SEC that confrapocalypse is around the corner if the SEC invites Aggy.

One thing bothers me about that analysis though: Slive and the SEC have some pretty damn good lawyers and I’m not sure that Big 12 schools would have much standing to sue the SEC, especially after putting a price on their right to sue A&M in the letter sent to Aggy last week. The whole rigamarole of the SEC non-invite, then all the formal measures A&M took over the last two weeks to declare an intention to leave sans invitation is clearly what the SEC proscribed as protection for them against legal action. Now their confidence in their own legal defense is surely being tested with the realization that without A&M the Big 12 is almost immediately toast. But it wouldn’t surprise me either if the SEC felt comfortable in their legal standing and offered the invite anyway.

Yet…why haven’t we heard anything about negotiations for a 14th team? Wasn’t that one of the two major hold-ups of the A&M-to-SEC deal? Surely if such conversations were ongoing some peep about it would have made it to the press by now. Makes you wonder.

Contractor,

I must be misreading your schedule; who are the four teams in OU’s pod?

The reason UT is cast as villians is not due to some jealousy over your weath/revenue. You’ve actually earned that through your actions. No other top tier revenue producer is so universally despised by their conference mates as UT.

I am hoping we can come on here in a few weeks and tell Nunna that he’s won the internets. I really like the reasoning and I hope he’s right. The only thing I think I would like better than seeing the Aggies go, is to see them have to stay for a few more years knowing that their ultimate destination basically denied them a entrance visa. Knowing that we are about to see them ride away from the sunset, but getting to watch the meltdown of them having to wait to move until the rest of the college football world tells them they can would be priceless.

Dagga, again, that timing makes the whole issue curious to me.

But a couple of weeks ago, the balloons were floated that the SEC would live with 13 if it had to. That’s a scheduling nightmare — IIRC, there are important rivalries that are locked in cross-division… Tennessee-Alabama, Auburn-Georgia.

The logical conclusion is that it’s taking Mike Slive more than 15 minutes to get his deals done.

Dagga – I pretty much agree that with you. I don’t necessarily think it would be a strong case against the SEC, but lawsuits have been brought and dragged on in the courts for years on lesser basis. Even if you think you’ll ultimately win, the process can still be extremely expensive. Furthermore, if you think you can get the same goal (adding A&M) a little further down the road with less chance of such complications then why do it now?

If however the SEC does invite and OU/OSU follow through on leaving I tend to think Texas will bite the bullet and follow to the PAC even if it means not getting to maximize the LHN.

The easiest move for Slive would be to raid the B12 for the 14th team.

MU’s out there. Nice school, great geography, good population centers, possibly willing.

Nunna’s point makes absolute sense when you consider the point that Jesus and El Cohiba Grande made about UT talking Baylor out of suing A&M. That move didn’t make sense to me in the context of a long term plan to screw Baylor and the rest by getting the hell outta Dodge. So my thinking now is (it absolutely pisses me off to say this) that PAC 16 for UT is a smokescreen. Somebody please explain to me in great detail why I’m wrong, because I HATE the Big Algebra right now with passion.

Be happy to oblige TexanNick: Money.

The SEC would be seriously foolish to turn down aggy. Mike Slive is no fool. Taking appy opens up the Texas markets to TV, money, and recruiting. The State of Texas is a natural addition to the SEC footprint, and aggy is a very good school. A&M also acts as an SEC hedge since Texas doesn’t want to come.

If the SEC waits, you never know what the future holds. Probably aggy is sitting there. But why chance it? Stike now while you are sure of the result.

I do disagree big time with NYB, especially with the comments out of Norman, and, now, Missouri, but we’ll see pretty soon now.

Let’s drop the “PAC” moniker and go with the “Big 16”

Well, if we’re going to be diplomatic about it, zizzy, let’s just call it the “Texas 16.”

sorry, nunna ya, i should have been more observant.

i agree with you guys who think the sec wants a&m free and clear. their house in order, so to speak. the ags haven’t done that, and it is a huge risk to take.

XoxerX, I agree on the money, but I don’t know if I agree that adding Aggy is a net money positive. If you assume a 14th gets added, then the expanded revenue divided 14 ways would have to be larger than the current and future revenue divided 12 ways. That’s the reason the Big 12 survived last summer. SEC already leads the market, so are they sure that money goes up by enough to cover litigation costs AND the two new mouths? I think this is Cuban’s main point, and there may be validity to it.

Texas is not going to the acc.

TexanNick: I’m sure Slive and the SEC are crunching the numbers. I just can’t imagine that adding the State of Texas, plus, say, Missouri, wouldn’t significantly increase the TV gross. A&M is the number 2 school in Texas, with tremendous prestige. Lots of huge cities in Texas.

OTOH, the waiting won’t be much longer.

According to the DMN the state legislature is thinking about getting involved.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/texas-longhorns/20110905-texas-legislature-considers-involvement-if-shifts-threaten-survival-of-big-12.ece

That might slow things down a bit.

stubborn1,
The pods could be
1)Texas, Ou, Osu, TT
2)Arizona, ASU, Colorado, Utah
3)UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford
4)Wash, WSU, Oregon, Oregon St.

this would be Texas schedule:
Every year UT would play, OU(dallas), Osu, TT.
Alternate every year with the groups of 2(usc/ucla, cal/stanford, zona/asu, colorado/utah, oregon/osu, wash/wsu).

Year 1___Year 2____Year 3___Year 4 

OU……….OU…………OU………OU 

TT……..TT………….TT…….TT 

OkSU……@OkSU…….OkSU…..OkSU 
UA…….ASU………..UA………@ASU

CU………@Ut………..CU…….Ut 
USC…..UCLA……….USC…….UCLA 
 Stan…….Cal……….Stan….Cal 
UW……WSU……….UW……..WSU 
Ore……..OrSU…….@Ore……OrSU

TexanNick,
You raise a good point, but I think the Baylor issue actually works against the idea that UT and OU are trying to scare the SEC out of taking A&M. If the idea is to scare the SEC into blinking then having Ken Starr threaten legal action would seem to be a good thing.

JS’s contact was suggesting we want A&M to leave and will then save the conference by adding BYU and perhaps other schools. But OU talking about leaving really puts a big hitch in that plan since it would have to have a chilling effect on anyone thinking about joining the conference, even an independent like BYU.

That said, I suppose having Baylor play nice would help bring a jilted A&M back into the fold and then perhaps we strengthen the conference by adding BYU and another team to get back to twelve.

I saw Pickens’ quote about DeLoss having all the cards and insisting on playing all of them on TV the other night.and laughed outloud. If ever there was a bigger bully in business than T. Boone in his heyday, I’ve never seen him. What a monkey.

Contractor,

Thank you for the explanation.

The NCAA allows for 12 regular season games and 1 conference championship game if the conference has 12 or more members. How would these NCAA regulations be followed with the pod system of scheduling?

According to the DMN the state legislature is thinking about getting involved.

That might slow things down a bit.

Even the article says if the Big12 starts to dissolve there’s probably not much the lege can do at that point. That’s another reason I believe Texas was fine with Boren leading the way indicating that they and OSU will bolt if A&M gets the invite. As my other comment stated it’s first of all a warning to the SEC of impending fallout if they invite, and if that still happens Texas has the cover for also leaving and following to the PAC.

If A&M ends up staying, it will remind me of this scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmHDHwb4vQU&feature=related

“Now, you can’t leave”

The NCAA allows for 12 regular season games and 1 conference championship game if the conference has 12 or more members. How would these NCAA regulations be followed with the pod system of scheduling?

Two pods each are paired up in a division. You play all three teams in your pod every year (3 games). You play two teams in each of the other three pods every year (6 more games), rotating with a home and away every two years. Thus you play every team in the other three pods every two years. That’s 9 conference games. Division standings come from combining the two pods associated with each division. Thus there would be two teams each year in your division you don’t play (the ones in the other pod). This allows 3 non-conference games and the conference championship between the two division winners.

One tricky aspect is that you could have teams tie for division championships that didn’t play each other and have no head to head. Nonetheless you can develop other tie breakers.

The DMN article was interesting in that A&M’s move seemed like such a non-event. If the state lege were really interested in saving the Big 12 they would have nipped A&M’s hissy fit in the bud. The more I think about it all, I think something has changed over the past several days that has made the Big 12 less viable from where we stood when A&M made their official statement. Did BYU turn us down? Was ND really on the table as a full member but once that completely fell through OU and UT agreed to lay the ground work to bail? Or are OU and OSU acting on their own?

Thoughts/comments:

I think Nunna Yo Bizness has the most plausible theory explaining how OU & OSU will effectively c-block A&M from the SEC. It would give Texas plausible deniability, and game theory professors in B-schools must be getting loads of class discussion examples from all these conference shenanigans.

Regarding T. Boone, isn’t it funny that no other Big XII football program lets a rich donor/benefactor speak for the university?

And regarding Pac-16 pods, I move that the pods be named “earth”, “water”, “wind” and “fire”? Anyone to second? ;-)

stubborn1,
thats a good ?. Good explanation Nunna.
read somewhere that the ncaa doesnt allow/frowns upon(haha) the pod system and would rather have an equal split. though 16 team conferences in football havent been discussed yet, so i am sure the ncaa would allow the pods.

each team in superconferences(16 teams) would have 3 OOC games a year. I assume we will play Baylor as 1 OOC game and maybe Rice(at least on occasion). Aggies maybe? and maybe a game on the east coast or in florida(UCF? Wake Forest?).

poofy, as long as Texas gets Earth!
Earth)Tx, Ou, TT, Osu
Wind)Colorado, Utah, Zona, Asu
Water)Oregon, Osu, Wash, Wsu
Fire)Ucla, Usc, Cal, Stanford

JB and Ricky, the Lege has pretty much rendered itself irrelevant. It can’t pass a law telling schools not to leave, and A&M has already announced. David Dewhurst is a useless fuck who will get out in front of any parade he is told to. The only threat they’ve ever had is funding but if both we and Tech go and Aggy is alreay gone, then there isn’t anything to thtreaten anyone with anymore. I suspect Branch backed off because we asked him to. The only reason he might get back into it would be to fuck around with Aggy and threaten them but that ship has probably already sailed. It would be fun to see if they’d try to keep them here, but I think it’s too late, and they have no leg to stand on in holding us and Tech hostage after Aggy was allowed to leave.

Besides any of that, if OU, OSU and possibly Missouri start to leave, how will the Texas Legislature prevent the collapse of the Big 12? They have no authority over any of those schools.
Posturing and political pandering, IMO, probably to keep Buddy Jones’ clients happy.

There’s also the possibility that we want OU & OSU to go to the PAC first, then let the PAC invite someone else (say BYU or Air Force etc.), then we say in order to keep from being left out of the superconferences, we have to go PAC, but can’t take BU or TT b/c they already have 15.

Also could be we let OU & OSU go PAC and we try to get to the Big 10, perhaps with ND (would be worth it just to see Nebraska’s reaction).

Funny title for the article seeing that it may be doubtful the PAC would want the Oklahoma schools without TX. i mean seriously, there’s more people in the DFW area than all across Oklahoma. They don’t bring that many tv sets to the table.

Unbelievably, Mack Brown thought the Big 12’s future was secured for at least a decade after NU and CU left. Dear God, please don’t ever let this man become our AD.

Re: the DMN article…wow. This report’s got higher level of sources than Dan Branch. If Dewhurst and Strauss start applying pressure then…well that’s it, isn’t it? The price of exit goes (or threatens to go) drastically up. The status quo prevails, for now. And I get to decide whether to cry in misery or laugh my ass off in schadenfreude for still having Aggy to kick around for a couple more years.

Not that I know what exactly Dewhurst, et al. want to extract from the Ags. But I think it’s safe to say that if the Ags leave and then OU leaves, Aggy’ll be owing an extra pound of flesh to the State. And frankly I don’t think they can afford it.

But honestly I hope they don’t obstruct it. The Aggy trolls need to go somewhere else and find something new to obsess over.

thecontractor, seems to me that the Arizona and Texas schools are more aptly named “fire” while OU, OSU, CU and Utah are more “wind” category schools. And the Sooners deserve “wind” even more since we all know OU sucks. :-)

J. Lonergan – interesting take, but it’s not about Aggy’s decision at this point, it’s about the SEC’s. The Lege only needs to get involved to the point where the SEC withdraws its offer. And if the Lieutenant Governor gets involved I think it’s a good bet Mike Slive wants no part of it, whatever variety of meathead Dewhurst may be. Slive’s best defense is lawyers. Lawmakers trump lawyers, literally.

Now if Aggy stays and THEN OU goes…now that’s a different story. The Lege wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath. And that may happen. I have a hunch it wouldn’t. There’d be no push from the Lege for Aggy to stay, and no leaked stories to the press today, if the Big 12 was dying immediately regardless of what Aggy did.

And, if Aggy doesn’t leave before OU hightails it West, then isn’t Larry Scott just inheriting the legal issues from Mike Slive? They both seem to be awfully tip-toe-y about breaking up conferences.

I posted this a few days ago under the “Bill Byrne, meet King Pyrrhus” thread. Seems more potent today:

zzzizzzy said:

September 2nd, 2011 at 10:06 pm

Here’s what happening:

TAMU threatens to leave Big 12

UT wants to blow the Big 12 to start-up the Big-Big Conference (UT/OU/ND/BYU/Michigan/USC/etc.), but not until LHN is up and running a few years.

UT floats a move to Pac 12 and OU is going wherever UT goes; therefore, OU shows uncertainty about staying in the Big 12.

Big 12 now chances to lose everything, so they threaten to sue the SEC for starting this whole thing.

SEC votes down TAMU and TAMU stays or goes somewhere — doesn’t matter b/c now Big 12 has a new short-term deal that lasts long enough for UT to mature LHN and piece-together Big-Big conference.

For Nunna’s theory to work, it would mean that OU and OSU are posturing, which is possible, but it would also mean that Larry Scott is complicit in pretending to buy what OU and OSU are selling, which to me, seems unlikely.

And incidentally, it’s nice to have a decent discussion about these issues without a gaggle of Aggy trolls around. I guess the Aggy boards haven’t linked to this post yet.

I laugh at the fact that if we want’d to, we could join the Aggies in the SEC without changing a thing about the LHN.

Texan323:

Based on your logic, if you gave the Big 10 a choice between Missouri and Nebraska, who do you choose? Exactly. The kiddie table is right over there. Have some chicken fingers and chocolate milk, and let the grown ups talk.

RS:

You live there, but you still don’t understand. Shit, half the BC readership actively dislikes you. You don’t even understand your own team/fanbase. I’d ask that, given this obvious failing, you do your level best not to spread that ignorance around, but that’s like asking Dollar Bill Byrne to stop mumbling about guano.

srr:

Here’s another quote or three from the newsok article you referenced:
"We’ll be disappointed if Texas A&M leaves," said Longhorn athletic director DeLoss Dodds, "but if they do, we wish them well." Compare that to Dodds’ statement a few days ago to the Austin American Statesman: "I think it’s important that Oklahoma and Texas be on the same page."
(later from the same article)
Dodds said he and OU athletic director Joe Castiglione "talk every day" and he said the same for Boren and UT president William Powers. "Oklahoma and Texas need to stay arm in arm."

I think the melee that ensued from the LHN trying to go national with HS recruits fucked up the OU-UT relationship ever so briefly. I also think that if you asked Dodds and Powers which they would rather have, a good working relationship with the OU higher ups or the LHN, they’d opt for the former. UT doesn’t need more money or more publicity. If you want to know how you’re going to get HS football on the LHN, I’ll tell you the compromise that you’ll get. No HS games from anywhere outside of Texas whatsoever. Inside the Texas border is all fair game.

UT only needs to make sure they’re not volun-told to go independent when they’re not yet ready to do so. Working with OU ensures that. If OU (and thus OSU) and Texas (and thus Tech and Baylor) were all that remained of the Big 12, it could rebuild and still keep its BCS automatic bid no matter who they added.

Ok Dagga, I’ll bite. Exactly how does the Texas Legislature get involved in a way that will cause a legal problem for the SEC? What legal threat do they pose? They’d have to pass a law that would be violated if A&M left with a signed agreement with the Big 12 before an SEC lawyer(s) will fear them. They aren’t in session so how will they do that? Mike Slive doesn’t have to give a shit about what David Dewhurst thinks and I don’t think the SEC has anything to fear from the Texas Legefrom a legal or political perspective. Perhaps Aggy does, but not the SEC. Now the SEC definitely fears Aggy not reaching an amicable divorce with the Big 12, which everyone knows is why they have not offered an invite and won’t until they do so even of the Lege could do anything legal, the SEC hasn’t given them reason to. I certainly agree and stated that if the Lege wants to start fucking with Aggy I’m all for it, if for nothing else than the fun of it. And they may be able to keep Aggy from leaving, but they’ve not played it very well if that’s their purpose. But any potential legal consequences among Aggy, the SEC and the Big 12 are fixed once and if Aggy gets its signed exit agreement. Someone like Baylor may be another matter (for Aggy), but we’ve already apparently gotten them to stand down as I understand it.

Fried Rice – If Larry Scott isn’t prepared to negotiate with UT over the LHN, he has every reason in the world to scuttle the A&M-to-SEC deal. It means he’s not forced to play catch-up with the SEC until he’s ready to deal with UT. They too have a network of undetermined value right now, and if they want Texas, it’d be easier for everyone involved if both parties had some solid numbers about what their networks are worth.

Plus, Larry Scott actually said nothing.

And also it’s worth noting: when we’re talking about OU and OSU in negotiations, we’re really talking about Dan Boren and T. Boone. You can’t become either a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma or a Southwestern oil tycoon without being able to masterfully orchestrate backroom deals and invisible high-stakes negotiations. It’s unwise to take what either of those men say to the press at face value unless their motives are crystal clear.

After reading your follow up post Dagga, I think we’re saying the same thing with a slightly different conclusion. The Lege had a chance to slow this down and backed away, I suspect, based our lobbying Branch to stand down.

I will say again that while they haven’t yet blessed the Aggy departure, they’ve damned near done it with their inaction to date. All they can do if they chose to is make it a lengthier process and make veiled threats about funding. Once and if Aggy gets signed walking papers from the Big 12, then that’s effectively over and the SEC, which hasn’t made an offer by the way, can then extend one. If the Lege makes it take a lot longer, that seems just as likely to hasten OU, etal’s departure because of the lingering uncertainty and then the dirty deed is done.

The SEC just needs to bide it’s time. They have nothing to fear from the Texas Legislature. What do they have to lose by waiting?

The party line from the Big 12 office is that OU is “posturing”. I don’t know if that’s true and frankly I’m pretty sure the person who told me that isn’t sure either. But that’s that pary line nonetheless.

Lonergan – I though Slive made it pretty clear the last time around that the Lege’s interest was not welcome.

It’s also a matter of basic business principle. Let’s say you’re Mike Slive. Do you want to expand your base of operations into a state with a large number of hostile legislators, most of whom have fealty to schools outside your conference? Legislators who may, for example, make it difficult to address your conference’s specific concerns when passing the next law governing collegiate athletics? Slive’s lawyers can’t easily defend the SEC from the Lege, and the simple idea that it could be problematic down the road might be sufficient to scare Slive off.

To put it in analogy: let’s say you’re a senior in high school and taking the Sheriff’s daughter to prom. And when you pick her up, her Dad comes out and whispers to you, “touch my daughter and I’ll throw you in a max security prison for statutory rape”, clinking his handcuffs for effect. Does that affect your post-prom plans? Point is, crossing people who make and enforce laws is dangerous and it’s good business to avoid it as a matter of principle.

Jake – reading your follow-up, I’d agree we’re not far off from one another. FWIW, I don’t think anyone’s necessarily posturing here. I think OU really does want to take off for the Pac 12 ASAP. I think the Lege really would be fine if Aggy leaves and the Big 12 stays intact, and I think there’d be a lot of pissed off folks there if the Big 12 collapses as a result. I think there is some posturing, but it’s not lying. More like going through the motions. OU can argue for joining the Pac 12 now in good faith while privately betting that in the short run a Big-12-plus-Aggy is better than a Big-12-minus-Aggy, and that in the long run a Pac-16-with-UT is better for them than a Pac-16-without-UT and that may require keeping the Big 12 afloat a while longer.

But I have no looking glass. This just all seems a little choreographed to me. There’s a reason A&M needed to declare its intentions before the season began and it makes no sense for OU to bring this up now for its own sake.

Part of me (the part that’s sick of cry baby Tech and Aggie fans) wants Texas to cut the cord and go Independent or join another conference and leave Tech behind. Texas has put in the work and used their head to build a very desirable brand, and is reaping the rewards. The other schools in the Big 12 have likewise experienced the benefits of Texas’ success, but all we hear is complaining about how evil Texas is for being more succesful than other schools and for not sharing more of the wealth. I keep waiting for John Galt to come take the whole University away.

I seriously can’t believe that there is a debate going on about whether or not A&M is going to the SEC. Amazing.

i don’t see how larry scott would need to be complicit for nunna’s theory to hold water. agree that it would take a buy-in from ou, osu, and us, but what david boren has said wouldn’t require scott to be in cahoots.

nunna’s idea clicked with me immediately because i’ve been smelling the same sort of fumes. witness the lege clicking their brass knucks and you start to see a pattern emerge. these guys aren’t aiming at the dufous (british spelling) ags; they are speaking to the sec. the sec was all hot for this until the water began to get warm in texas, and then they postured into their wait and see. if we (the alliance, not just texas) aren’t ready to do this, the threat of nuclear reconstitution is probably much more effective and much more immediate than threats of legal action. nuclear reconstitution would impact the sec’s bread-and-butter boys, and that might bring down some serious heat that a&m and a presence in texas isn’t worth.

the sec has distinctly stated that a&m needs to ‘get its house in order’ before they will proceed. the ags aren’t within view of achieving that at this date, and their wimpy ’we’re gone if we can find a place to go’ doesn’t give the sec cover.

if you want a textbook case for how not to conduct your business, look no farther than c-station.

It’s all they have left. Delusions that they are still in control.

Meanwhile Rice is giving them the game of their lives through most of the first 3 Qs Saturday and then there’s the realization that they are currently the 6th worst team in Texas.

1) A&M
2) Baylor
3) TCU
4) UH
5) SMU

being generous too. tech might beat the longhorns this year. They are certainly worse than all the other 5 though.

Starting to get nervous guys?

Branch was Loftin’s guest to the game on Sunday. A&M to the SEC will be official by the end of the week.

By the way, good luck with the PAC negotiations. I know you guys aren’t comfortable going independent at this time, and that’s a smart decision.

B1G wouldn’t be a bad sport for you either, but travel in either the PAC of the B1G is going to be a bitch.

spot, not sport…

another thing.

the pac-xx is in much better position for expanding to 16 teams than is the sec. that 14th team is causing such trouble that there doesn’t seem to be any impetus right now to locate it. word from the southern blogs suggest that that part of the country is so settled that finding a suitable 14th team is a real problem.

the sec has said all along that it didn’t want to be the party that kicked off the superconference era, and i think they are serious about that. also, i think the recent tv deals really whetted the appetite to bring in somebody splash-worthy so they can get a look-in. my bet is the word has come down for them to not expect more money just for adding the ags and that that has tempered enthusiasm for this move.

i don’t think the ags are going anywhere until they are told they can.

another another thing.

i don’t think we (texas) are pulling the strings by ourselves by any stretch. however things might look (and there seems to be a world of posturing going on) i think the input from boren and t-boone into the decision-making is no doubt equal to ours. this is a community deal however it is cast to look.

quote from Bob:
hotdam, I find it almost humorous that Texas made it clear to anyone that asked, for years, that it wanted to start its own network. It offered a piece of said network to A&M, which didn’t even consider it long enough to get treated unfairly.

======

Bob, either you and others don’t get it, or refuse to admit, because it makes UT look so disingenuous.

Its not the fact of the network. Everyone in conference agreed to the current B12 model, knowing about the LHN.

Texas went behind everyone’s back and got in bed with ESPN, completely tilting the media coverage, recruiting, and monetary situation FOREVER in Texas’s favor. This and this alone has made the B12 conferenece “unfixable”.

Bob, You can keep making pointless comments like you did in this article, and keep wondering why your best Conference allies leave your side….

Or you can actually look at the root of the problem and talk about a solution. that’s its now too late for anyway….

Problem is, Texas is so heavily vested in LHN, they can’t possibly fix the very thing that is driving A&M and OU to leave them.

Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, A&M, OU and OSU…all want to get away from Texas. see a pattern? also notice how these are all the schools that drive value into B12 and Texas own market?

Bye, Bye.

Other pertinent FACTS:

1)What texas offered to A&M in the Lonestar network was not an ESPN backed entitity, and was propsed as a money losing proposition.

2) Take special note to all comments from other conferences about equality and partnerships.

i’m going to post specific points again for emphasis….

Its the fact that ESPN is backing the LHN and promoting Texas over everyone else in the conference.

Its the fact that ESPN has a vested interested in Texas being successful.

Its the fact that the Texas and ESPN contract backstabbed every conference members ability to get market value for 3rd tier rights.

Texas did all this without a single discussion with any conference member.

That is why everyone (besides Tech and Baylor, with pee on their legs) is giving Texas the middle finger.

TTR dreaming said: September 6th, 2011 at 7:11 am

Meanwhile Rice is giving them the game of their lives through most of the first 3 Qs Saturday and then there’s the realization that they are currently the 6th worst team in Texas.

1) A&M
2) Baylor
3) TCU
4) UH
5) SMU
--
So it’s your opinion that A&M is the worst team in Texas this year? On that point I agree with you, Captain Dipshit.

I dread the rise of superconferences. Say hello to playing the same group of 16 teams with one patsy warm-up game. Say good-bye to non-conference home and home games with Ohio State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Cal, USC, etc.

I’ll even take the current BCS mess over superconferences. Let’s just add UH, SMU, and Tulsa and have a conference that basically makes us independent.

Texas went behind everyone’s back and got in bed with ESPN, completely tilting the media coverage, recruiting, and monetary situation FOREVER in Texas’s favor. This and this alone has made the B12 conferenece "unfixable".

Seriously WTF?

Is it your premise that Texas went to A&M with the initial offer of a network (which at the time Fox was interested in putting together and was expected to make $3-5 million a year) knowing that ESPN was in the weeds waiting to pounce?

ESPN contacted Texas late in the process. ESPN has a long history of “overspending” for inventory, because they are fully confident in their ability to make money off of said inventory.

So was Texas supposed to say to ESPN, “Gee, thanks for offering us 6-8 times more than we imagined we could make off of the LHN, and thanks for being willing to take on the responsibility of selling it, but gosh, we really need to say no, because, you know, our conference partners might think badly of us.”

Thats bullshit, even for an Aggy. If ESPN came to your administration with the same deal, you would have jumped on it.

yes, srr, and they would be braying to the far hills about how savvy their guys are.

And they would be laughing at how stupid ‘t.u.’ was for not getting their own network.

I had to jinx it.

my thought, too, dagga. : )

Aggie IS, as Aggie DOES…

Not your fault Dagga…its the first day of the work week. Sooners and Aggies don’t have internet connections at home so they have to wait until they get to work to pollute the site. I love the conservative, pro-capitalist positions they demand in politics seems to suddenly end when it comes to college football and wasting their employers’ time and money to troll on an opposing team’s fan site.

Texas is going wherever ESPN decides Texas is going.

No need to go indy. If the P12 won’t compromise enough on the LHN, and the B1G and ACC take a similar hardline stance, there is always the BEast. Let the Okie schools create a P14 and the SEC take Ag and MO, the BEast would jump at the chance to grab us and friends while accommodating the LHN the way they tolerate ND. Saves Baylor and satisfies the politicians, though Tech will be pissed (ungrateful leeches that refuse to move out of our basement.) If the ACC or B1G adds a few schools, well that’s just more room for buddies like ISU or UH (politician pleasing.)

May be disappointing to some, but is still a Conference With Benefits with most of the upside of independence with few of the risks. Might also be able to negotiate a reduced conference schedule, leaving more flexibility to use OOC to bump up schedule strength and get marquee matchups. Easiest path to the BCS and the leverage that many schools realize that 4×16 could easily leave them on the outside, while 5×14 saves them. And if 4×16 is inevitable, at least it buys time to mature the LHN and continue backroom negotiations with the max leverage of relative stability and no deadlines.

Skeebo said:

Starting to get nervous guys?

Not in the least actually. I’m more confident than ever now that we have a comfy landing spot available in the PAC whenever the time is right as a worst case scenario. I’m actually enjoying watching all of this play out.

Oh, BTW, aren’t you in the SEC yet? What day is that invite (which was supposedly an already existing standing invite) coming?

For Nunna’s theory to work, it would mean that OU and OSU are posturing, which is possible, but it would also mean that Larry Scott is complicit in pretending to buy what OU and OSU are selling, which to me, seems unlikely.

It’s not purely posturing. It’s stating a simple fact to the SEC. If the SEC invites OU/OSU is headed to the PAC and probably Texas/TT after that. Think long and hard about that invite given these certain consequences. it would only be posturing if OU isn’t really serious about going to the PAC should the SEC still follow through on the invite.

Somebody wrote:

Actually it will probably be the opposite. If 4×16 pull away and form their own NCAA division, then the 4 conference champs (or 8 division champs) will meet in a playoff. Thus the polls will be removed from the process and OOC losses will no longer matter, since all you’ll have to do to make the playoff is win your conference or division. There’d still be the temptation to rake in $ with more home games, but would also promote playing tougher competition instead of mid-level schools for home and home OOC opponents, since marquee matchups draw more viewers, better TV slots, and more $.

Nunna, I think you’ll end up in the PAC as well, but the LHN will have to be either significantly modified or dropped completely.

I hear talk that some of your team are considering are considering the ACC b/c you’d be able to keep the LHN network and its additional revenue. I really hope your decision makers aren’t that stupid, your extra revenue over and above the other ACC schools is not going to match what you’d make without the LHN in either the PAC, B1G, or the SEC (which I understand isn’t an option from your decision makers perspective).

There will be no formal “invite” from the SEC, there will be an announcement that A&M has been accepted into the SEC. Should be this week.

Same deal with Nebraska, there never was a formal invite from the Big10, just an acknowledgment that if Nebraska applied they’d be accepted.

It’s not purely posturing

right now it is, but it won’t be if the sec pulls the trigger, so i guess it isn’t only posturing.

Why don’t you ag twits just get the F outta here and befoul your OWN message boards.

We’re uninterested in your uneducated and uninformed opinions.

Join the S$C, marry your sister, we don’t care… except that you all just get out.

Now go back to playing with yourselves. That is all.

Something to take from OU’s recent machinations that might not be getting enough play, perhaps because it’s so obvious, is that OU will not be going to the SEC. Period.

I’m still of the belief that the SEC’s willingness to rattle the Big12 cage was mainly in hopes of shaking out OU as #14, and now without #14, they’re content to let this draw out potentially over at least 2-3 more years. Looking back at this summer, realize that it was the joint public outcry from A&M and OU over the LHN with high school broadcasts/a second LHN football game that caused the SEC to draw close to the action again. If it had been A&M alone freaking out, I’m not so sure SEC is right there.

Question for Ags – will the Ags be playing SEC ball in 2012? If not, why not?

A&M will be playing SEC ball in 2012.

No one will be playing Big12 ball in 2012.

When it’s all said and done Texas will still be Texas! We can still pretty much choose our conference as we wish. Who wouldn’t want the flag ship program from the largest state(that has football) and the largest fan base in their conference? It’s all about money anyway and that’s something we have and can provide. The only thing that can really make us upset is that are natural rivals are choose to run and hide instead of trying to keep our relationship intact. Wherever we end up I hope that we can still play OU every year and I can care less if we ever played our slack jawed cousins from the east ever again.

hot dam and Skeebo: You’re both incredibly disingenuous. UT wanted to do something with 3rd tier rights for YEARS. They lobbied A&M to join in, and then they want to the ENTIRE Big XII and pitched a conference network similar to the B1G model. The vote was 11-1 against creating a conference network. So just what in the hell did you want?!? To just have everybody IGNORE their 3rd tier rights in the name of “equality”? That’s unmitigated BS. You say that the LHN/ESPN merger depressed the market value for every other commodity? Where was your administration in pushing YOUR commodities?!?

If you’re just upset that UT got that much money, you might try developing your own brand and marketing to the point where it’s WORTH that much. UT was begging for YEARS not to have to go it alone, and you guys screwed the pooch. You guys want market value for your own network? Try finding your own blog as a first step.

I’m liking me some Nate heupel

Even though he is a (gulp!) sooner – he makes sense. His remarks are tinted crimson but he doesn’t come off as a typical troll.

We need more like him.

Nick, the package that Texas tried to negotiate with A&M was untenable from the start. Going in and saying, “Hey we’d like to start up a network, we’ll both throw in 50/50 to fund the start-up, but since we’re Texas, we’re going to get 75% of the revenues, m’kay?” isn’t going to fly with any program in the Big12 outside of Baylor.

Disingenuous… Ha. Your leaders know a thing or two about that noise.

“Oh no, no, no… it’s just 3rd tier rights, we’d never dream of putting a Big12 game on the LHN…”

“But, but, it’s not us, it is big bad ESPN…”

gimmie a break.

TexanNick

Thank you for articulating what we all have been saying – I am going to steal your statement, if it is ok with you?

g’69 said:

September 5th, 2011 at 5:24 pm

“If T. Bone and others feel like they are getting pushed around then by all means get pissed and do something about it. But it is strange to see self made multi-millionaires play the entitlement card. Texas is the bully because they do something better than others so they better share because everyone else does it that way. T.B. is that how you got where you are now?”

I love this point g’69!! I wonder how T. Bone acts when he’s up against some small regional oil/gas company that he is looking to put out of business!!?? I wonder if he is all about doing what’s right for “the Industry” or if he is just looking out for his own profits?? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Funny to see people like him, and A&M for that matter, whining and crying once things don’t go their way for once. You would think that people with so much bravado and self-righteousness, again…..looking at you A&M, you’d think that these people would figure out a way to make it happen for themselves instead of playing the part of innocent victim standing on line at the welfare counter. Makes me laugh because comeuppance is a bitch sometimes.

Nick, the package that Texas tried to negotiate with A&M was untenable from the start. Going in and saying, "Hey we’d like to start up a network, we’ll both throw in 50/50 to fund the start-up, but since we’re Texas, we’re going to get 75% of the revenues, m’kay?" isn’t going to fly with any program in the Big12 outside of Baylor.

That’s your side of the story — that obviously is not what the other side is saying.

"Oh no, no, no… it’s just 3rd tier rights, we’d never dream of putting a Big12 game on the LHN…"

Home Big 12 games are a part of 3rd tier rights — if they are not picked up by the 1st and 2nd tier holders.

"But, but, it’s not us, it is big bad ESPN…"

What makes you think we believe there is any blame for the LHN deal, much less that we are trying to lay it off on “big bad ESPN”?

We got a great deal from ESPN, one that even we did not imagine was out there when looking into the LHN. What we are tired of are others laying all the blame for the shake up of the Big 12 all at the feet of the LHN when you know damn good and well your administration would accept such an offer in a heartbeat.

Well Skeebo, I guess I’m having trouble understanding your gripe. UT/Kansas or K-State IS 3rd tier, am I wrong? You say UT’s the backstabber, but it’s really ESPN’s involvement that has y’all pissed off? Can you clear that up for me?

And if your beef is that you didn’t like UT’s pitch on the Lone Star Network, what’s your excuse for running away from a conference network package?

Personally, I don’t blame you guys for that so much as I blame Beebe and a general lack of conference leadership. They should have been working on a conference network the minute the ink was dry on the Big 10’s deal.

Snide Aside… be my guest, pal!

Fellow Longhorn commenters: DON’T FEED THE TROLLS.

These people do not care to argue in good faith. If they wanted to do that they’d be on their own board, commisserating with like-minded folk.

These people are not like you. Chances are, these people were emotionally neglected as children and confuse negative attention with positive. They get a thrill from upsetting apple carts and causing chaos.

It’s a pretty common thing actually but most people grow past it once they get beyond the age where stealing kid’s lunch money becomes socially taboo. Problem is, Internet anonymity makes it consequence-free and for those people it can quickly get addictive. If they indulge too much in it, it can start affecting their daily lives, where they shun real-life social connections for unending rounds of flaming strangers online. It’s a sad sickness and responding to their trolls is like telling an anorexic person that she looks fat. Don’t encourage them. Feel sad for them and completely, totally ignore them.

Dagga, my fault, I completely ignored the sign that said “don’t feed the animals”.

75-25 split of the LHN? Who started this rumor?

Modifying my previous question for Ags and their perspective on this:

Assuming A&M will join the SEC at some point in the future, and assuming the chances of them NOT playing in the SEC in 2012 is less than 10% (acknowedging Ag certitude), from an Ag perspective, what would be the reason Ags don’t play SEC in 2012 in the unlikely event that it gets postponed?

sRR50…well if you want to put things really simple…yes, you should have told ESPN…in reality you should have approached ESPN about changes or approached conference members.

if you didn’t want to piss everyone off and keep a conference around you, then you should have considered some way to preserve individuals value to themselves, prior to signing off with ESPN.

So either Texas was stupid, or just plain greedy and calling everyone’s bluff. which one is it?

Texas told the conference one thing in June, and then something much grander and much more damaging in December.

What kind of moron acts surprised that everyone is pissed off at Texas? How would you expect everyone to react? How would you react if a coworker or business partner did this to you?

Straight from Dodd’s mouth:
========
When the league came back together in its 10-school iteration in June 2010, Dodds said he made no secret of the Longhorns’ desire to go forward with their network. He said no one objected. “Everybody knows that one of the things that kept us in the league was this network,” Dodds said. “It was before we knew what the money was. We didn’t know what the money was when we stayed in the conference to keep our network.”

The deal with ESPN to run the Longhorn Network wasn’t completed until Christmas Eve. That, Dodds believes, is when other schools grew fearful of the network. “The only surprise in this whole thing was the amount of money and that ESPN did it,” Dodds said. “Prior to that, it was not an issue with anybody. Once that happened, it became an issue with a lot of different people. Not everybody, but a lot of people don’t feel good about it for us
=====
Read more: ”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/09/01/texas-dodds-realignment/index.html#ixzz1XC3hUGqs" target="_blank">http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/09/01/texas-dodds-realignment/index.html#ixzz1XC3hUGqs

So it’s really NOT UT’s fault? It’s ESPN and the money? That’s what you’re saying?

BCO – exactly – it’s rumor, just troll bait repeated on Aggy boards until it’s accepted truth. None of the principals have ever publicly stated what the terms of the early offer was, beyond Byrne saying he didn’t reject a $150 million deal. I personally doubt the negotiations ever got far enough to be negotiating splits.

TexanNick, you could put it that way, and i wouldn’t disagree.

The concept of the Network itself was OK by everyone in conference. everyone envied it, but could live with it.

The fact that ESPN is now a Texas sponsor, the money, the permanent damage to everyone elses’ third tier value….thats why the conference is now dying.

And Texas is the one that signed off on all that. did they have the foresight to see this?

My neighbor just won the lottery and hes not moving off to a mansion in the sky. That pisses me off. I’m putting my house up for sale.

Srr50, your reaction and everyone else’s is just hilarious.

Dodd’s obviously thought the same thing.

and now all of the Texas admin and fan base just can’t figure out why everyone wants out.

let us know if you ever figure out, and send us a telegram in our new conference homes. Good luck with Independence. at least you had the foresight to include that possibility in the contract.

You also have to wonder what the SEC stands to gain by disrupting the status quo (beyond grabbing A&M) and starting the super conference dominoes falling. If they are able to bring aboard the right teams (OU, UT for example) they strengthen the SEC brand while not allowing two of the crown jewels to go west. However this scenario is unlikely. The more likely is that those schools are forced west and, as a result, strengthening a rival conference into a potential equal. If they can’t have some of the bigger prizes, what do they stand to gain by creating a situation that flushes those programs into other conferences, while they only get Virginia Tech, Florida St. & Missouri I think all things being equal, they’ll take A&M as long as the ripple affect doesn’t drive Texas and OU into the PAC.

hotdam: You can’t be serious.

Remember, in June 2010, when all this settled down, [b]Bill Byrne said a one-school network wouldn’t work.[/b] He didn’t even say, at that time, that Texas had offered him a piece of the action and he turned it down (although he could have).

Under your train of thought, if you were, say, an oil driller with partners, and your partners were not interested in supporting you on a particular project, and you went ahead on your own and that project turned to be worth several times what industry estimates thought, it would be incumbent upon you to 1) decide not to go ahead with the project, or 2) offer a piece of the lease to your partners.

Ok, hot dam, so take your point to the next logical step:

1. It’s ok and WAS ok with the conference for UT to do their own network.

So who would you be okay with being a “Texas sponsor”? ABC? NBC? CBS? My point in asking is that, who exactly was UT supposed to partner with on a network? Or are you saying it wasn’t ok for them to partner with ANYBODY?

Second, how much money was too much? If $300 Mil is too much, at what dollar level are you NOT bothered?

TDL – excellent points. Beyond A&M the only excellent ratings property the SEC can easily get is FSU and they share a ratings footprint with Florida. Unless they can somehow convince UNC to join with Duke in tow, a four-team SEC expansion wouldn’t match the Pac 12 adding OU and Texas. And that’s why all the talk of OU bolting to the Pac 12 pronto – plus, the Lege re-awakening – are game-changing developments that should make everyone reconsider the inevitability of an SEC offer for A&M.

And a quick rejoinder to the discussion about why the Big 12 schools are angry about LHN – and I’ve said this before – I think the fanbases of schools like A&M and Nebraska have been used as tools, to get them so angry at the Big 12 setup that they forget their century-long rivalries with schools like OU and UT so that the admins can capture a marginally better financial situation. The LHN is simply not a big enough deal to make a substantial difference because UT is the runaway leader in revenues without it or any other TV money for that matter.

Check out the numbers:

hXXp://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/ncaa-finances.htm (replace "hXXp with http)

Between ticket sales, alum donations, and IMG brand money UT makes more dough than A&M could ever dream of making. That’s what happens when you have the largest university in the country with top-ranked business and law schools. UT could sacrifice ALL of its TV money to the rest of the conference and UT’s lead over everyone save OU would still be $30 mil annually or more. And schools like Ohio State and Florida have similar advantages over NU and A&M that no revenue sharing deal addresses.

It’s not about UT. It’s about going to a stable and appealing destination in its own right, and misdirecting the fanbase to avoid blowback over losing rivalries.

TDL – I second that take and it weaves with what I touched on above – 1) the latest OU machinations indicate they will not be joining the SEC, 2) the SEC fundamentally wants OU/Texas plus A&M and a window for OU appeared to have opened albeit briefly during the LHN HS football flap this summer. Beyond that, I agree with you that OU’s pronouncement indicates that if Big12 chaos happens, OU/OSU go West, and only West.

Under that scenario, the PAC wins the national realignment sweepstakes, and the SEC risks watering down its brand with leftovers. If I’m the SEC, I’m better off pausing without A&M than triggering the heavyweights to simply fall into the Pac’s lap.

TexanNick

It’s not ok to partner with anyone. What everyone agreed to was a UT network that was run, funded, and promoted by UT only, not any outside entity that has a vested interest in UTs success, and can pour money and media content into tilting success in it’s favor. Same business model as Byu, I think.

That’s awesome that y’all got espn. But don’t act surprised now that the power schools in country want nothing to With UT.

You earned an ability to not have a fair fight.

Everyone else has the right to leave.

Oh, look everyone is leaving….

Bob, that analogy isn’t even the right situation. Make an analogy about how a businessman secretly stabbed one of his partners in the back, locking him out of any opportunity.

Hot dam, I don’t think that IS what everybody agreed to, cause I don’t think there’s a school in the country, including UT and Ohio State, that would have the ability, much less the desire, to completely fund and produce their own network. Everybody partners up, and I expect that every other conference member EXCEPT Aggy was probably smart enough to figure that out. And if you wanted to restrict UT’s actions, Aggy could certainly have pushed forward some conference bylaw legislation to do just that.

When the history of this divorce is written, it will be said that A&M passed on an opportunity to market its 3rd tier rights, that the entire CONFERENCE passed on the same opportunity, and that UT went out and got the best deal it could. This resulted in Aggy making a move. That move might be good, might be bad, doesn’t really matter. Wish you luck in your new digs, and don’t forget to write.

“The fact that ESPN is now a Texas sponsor…”

It is also fact that ESPN is the biggest SEC sponsor. How is that fair to other conferences that have to compete with them?

Has anyone seen the “SEC on ESPN” gear they’re selling?

What about ESPN All-Access with OU this fall? Don’t you think OU had some editorial control and had some financial gain and recruiting interest out of the deal?

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Hot Dam – I think you are arranging the facts…after the fact. These Aggies “99 theses”, instead of being tacked on the wall of Big 12 headquarters and Bellmont from the beginning are simply trickled out one at a time. Each time facts burst the aggies bubble-of-self-righteousness and it become necessary for Aggie to offer up a new “reason” with tweaked arguments hoping that this time they may plausibly attain the moral high ground. It’s like a retrovirus constantly spinning off mutated versions of itself until it finally has one that works.

   It stems from Aggie Infallibility dogma.

hot dam – I’m going to regret this but…

Got agreement that on paper? If not, I call bullsh*t. You have absolutely no clue what was agreed upon, you’re just repeating sh*t you saw on a bulletin board somewhere, same as that 75/25 split bullsh*t. I seriously doubt UT’s lawyers would OK any arrangement that violated any explicit agreements UT had with the Big 12.

Now, on the other hand, if you’re saying that Bill Byrne et al. weren’t expecting ESPN to jump in with a $300 mil bid to run the network, well, durr. Neither did DeLoss, by my reckoning. But if that’s the case and there was no subterfuge, only surprise, y’all have no right to be pissed. Our natural financial advantage over A&M is so immense that the law of diminishing returns makes the LHN deal practically meaningless from an equity standpoint.

Now back to my regular ignoring-you programming….

If this hot dam is the same one on Shaggy, then he, she, it is a Sooner. I imagine it is the same person since they have only come around here since OU became the next school looking for rationalizations blaming UT for other teams blowing up the Big 12.

What kind of moron acts surprised that everyone is pissed off at Texas? How would you expect everyone to react? How would you react if a coworker or business partner did this to you?

I’m not surprised at the moronic response the LHN has engendered from Aggies and others. I find it amusing that you bitch and moan about the greed of UT ruining the Big 12 while you run off as fast as you can to the Conference that is the most connected to “big, bad ESPN.”

Bob, that analogy isn’t even the right situation. Make an analogy about how a businessman secretly stabbed one of his partners in the back, locking him out of any opportunity.

Once again for those with reading comprehension problems. No one was secretly stabbed in the back. The business partner turned down the offer because he didn’t like the terms. There is no obligation to go back to that business parter and say, “guess what? The deal has turned into a gold mine, and since you turned it down, I thought I should let you in now that the heavy lifting is done.”

dagga is the only one willing to wade into the re(tard)alignment waters to set a moron straight. i appreciate it but i also fear for his sanity.

now poor ssr is at it. i don’t think it matters how many times you dudes slap their drool cup loose

I know, I know — it is a slow day at the office, but I will stop now. I promise.

Gentlemen, there is a reason why you currently have no offer to join a conference that includes you keeping the LHN.

Aggies and others are upset by the magnitude of the deal and the influence of the new partner.

If Fox had gotten the contract, at the lower rate, people might be unhappy, but it wouldn’t change their attitude about Texas.

“Dagga Roosta said: September 5th, 2011 at 11:37 pm

Jake – reading your follow-up, I’d agree we’re not far off from one another. FWIW, I don’t think anyone’s necessarily posturing here. I think OU really does want to take off for the Pac 12 ASAP. I think the Lege really would be fine if Aggy leaves and the Big 12 stays intact, and I think there’d be a lot of pissed off folks there if the Big 12 collapses as a result. I think there is some posturing, but it’s not lying. More like going through the motions. OU can argue for joining the Pac 12 now in good faith while privately betting that in the short run a Big-12-plus-Aggy is better than a Big-12-minus-Aggy, and that in the long run a Pac-16-with-UT is better for them than a Pac-16-without-UT and that may require keeping the Big 12 afloat a while longer.

But I have no looking glass. This just all seems a little choreographed to me. There’s a reason A&M needed to declare its intentions before the season began and it makes no sense for OU to bring this up now for its own sake."

Dagga, the “posturing” comment from my friend at the Big 12 was said in such a way that I don’t think he knows and, trust me, if he doesn’t, then the Big 12 is in even deeper trouble than everybody thinks. If it’s true that OU is posturing, it could still be their way of informally giving notice in advance that they are gone, which I believe is the case. So I think it’s better than a 60-40 shot that OU has in fact “taken a blowtorch to this whole damned place”. And if so, we knew they were going to. Not because they needed our permission, but because they wisely chose to keep us in the loop. Their taking the lead in this is in fact shielding us from the only potential criticism we care about, which brings me to:

Before recently retiring, I spent 15 years working in and around the Texas Legislature and its befuddling process/culture. it’s how i made my living so i had no choice. I was married to a lobbyist for 12 years and my Firm had three major lobby firms at various periods on our payroll that I worked very closely with. All of that colors my viewpoint but doesn’t guarantee that my opinion is rock solid. One thing I learned during those years is that predicting with any certainty what or how much they will do and how much is some form of posturing and sabre rattling vs real intent is a game that many “experts” have played and gotten wrong. So neither of us should be embarassed if one or both miss the boat by a mile here.

As an example, Buddy Jones, a Baylor grad, is well known to be by far the most powerful lobbyist in the State, meaning he swings a big bag of political contributions and has unlimited access. Does that mean Baylor Lege friends/alums currently have the power to stop this by themselves like Bullock, Sibley and Richards did when we and Aggy tried to leave for the SEC back when the SWC imploded? No, but Jones can stir up enough righteous indignation, especially in the Lt Gov’s office, to make it look like there is a real threat whether or not one exists due to the fact that a lot of his big clients give a lot of money. Therefore certain members, as a favor, may be starting the public outcry and shit stirring even if that’s all they ultimately do. Absent of some direct academic affiliation, what consistently matters to them all is, “what does any of this have to do with my getting re-elected”? The degree and effort exerted by any one of them usually plays out in direct relationship to that variable.

OBTW, I have mucho respect for your contributions here, so I’ve enjoyed this exchange and my apologies for the mini autobiography. Interesting times, these are.

Charley Atkins said: September 6th, 2011 at 12:44 pm

Gentlemen, there is a reason why you currently have no offer to join a conference that includes you keeping the LHN

Except the SEC of course. UT doesn’t have an offer (that anyone knows about) because unlike some schools, it is not soliciting one yet (that anyone is aware of). A deal with the SEC would take about two seconds if UT wanted it to happen. That is the conference that would welcome the current structure with open arms.

Jake – Fantastic and relevant autobiography, so no apologies necessary.

And yeah, I’d agree that there’s no guarantee as to what the Lege will actually do. My experience with the Lege – which I’d rather not elaborate on here for employment reasons, but suffice it to say it’s not yet as expansive as yours – confirms that. It’s often just an interplay of leverage in a fervently chaotic hodgepodge, and the final outcome is usually in the dark to everyone until the last second. But I guess I’m just pointing out that the arbitrary nature of Lege folly is a risk that the SEC must consider if they scoop up A&M when big players in the Lege aren’t entirely on board. The SEC’s a solid partner with the states in which they currently operate; in Texas it’d be a little different. If the Big 12 implodes, maybe way different. But who knows, maybe Slive knows the risks better than me (a good bet), and maybe he doesn’t figure it matters all that much. We’ll see.

As far as OU and “posturing”, with the Big Cig’s report today I admit I’m feeling a lot less confident that OU’s being a team player here. In any case if A&M doesn’t get an SEC invite I don’t see OU leaving right away either. The big conferences won’t pull the pin on the Big 12; the Big 12 members must do it themselves first, and whoever does it will lose a pound of flesh to the others. OU may be perfectly content to bolt once Aggys pull the pin, but in the off-chance the SEC puts the A&M move on pause, will OU pull the pin themselves? I’m doubtful. Sounds like they’re not all on the same page, even in the A&M-leaves-first situation, and that doesn’t lend itself to a collective decision to fork over $30 mil or so, especially since the current TV contract terms remain in effect as long as A&M’s around.

And BTW, I know I come across as an imperious argumentative bastard sometimes but you’re one of my favorite posters around here. Consider your compliments returned in full.

SEC Presidents are meeting this afternoon with announcement of A&M joining the SEC coming tomorrow. Please stop embarrassing yourselves and debating whether or not A&m is going to get invited.

And you know this how, oh Gay one?

Because I know shit.

That’s one way of putting it.

“Two conflicting stories are being reported on Big 12-related websites this afternoon. Both are behind paywalls, so we’ll simply provide you with summary information. (Sort of silly considering the info will be copy and pasted into a million messageboard posts this afternoon, but hey, we’ll play by the rules).

First, AggieYell.com — the Rivals site for Texas A&M — is reporting that all of the SEC’s presidents and chancellors are at Hartsfield International Airport this afternoon. AggieYell believes this could be the final vote to invite A&M and to discuss other potential targets for expansion.

However, PowerMizzou.com — the Rivals site for Missouri — is claiming that according to their sources in College Station, "the SEC might be slowing things down." According to PowerMizzou, the SEC felt fine bringing in A&M and then taking its time to find School #14. They do not — supposedly — feel comfortable inviting A&M in the face of total armageddon. Instead, the site claims, the SEC would rather have a full 14-16 school lineup in place.

Andy Staples of SI.com reports that the SEC should know by tonight whether or not A&M has the nine votes necessary to land an SEC invite. If so, a deal could be announced tomorrow and then the dominoes could start falling in other leagues."

http://www.mrsec.com/2011/09/sec-expansion-the-latest-scuttlebutt/

Dagga with the dagga to the Gay troll’s empty skull.

I hope Gay boy’s accidently right, so everyone can get on with an orderly procession to the next level. Speaking just for myself, Aggy not leaving is both highly unlikely and the worst possible outcome for all involved.

srr50 is my kind of Longhorn. I hate me some aggy, too.

triplehorn – odd, doesn’t sound like conflicting reports to me. The SEC is meeting, and maybe they’ll slow things down. Or maybe not.

Jake – For the record, I’m all about UT to the Pac 12. The sooner, the better. I’m not convinced it’s gonna happen that way or as cleanly as I’d like if it does, but I’m NOT rooting for more of the status quo. For everyone’s sanity A&M needs to GTFO and the residual Big 12-3 is unappealing.

Roosta – It’s noteworthy that the other source is Mizzou, a school that might be more prone to dwelling in wish than reality given the implications of Big12 demise.

Gay said:

September 6th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Because I know (jack)shit.

triplehorn – yup. The only clear nugget of info is that the SEC’s honchos are getting together; the rest seems like both sides speculating with a presumptive slant.

With Mizzou being rumored today as the 14th team, it’s odd their slant would be that the SEC wants to slow things down.

I won’t believe anything until Jow Schad tells me it’s so… Oh wait…

Well, that joke would have worked better without auto correct. Joe.

Rumor now has it that WVU is the 14th team. if so, another bathroom blowjob for Missouri. Oh, well.

I just wonder if the SEC heads are ready for all the unintended fall out this will create. They have to be smart enough to realize that inviting two teams requires they find two more to invite. Once the SEC goes 14 teams the house of cards the current status quo is built upon crumbles and the super conference scramble begins. The point of invites is to build the best possible conference with regard to television footprints and quality of institutions not to have 16 teams. At this point, I see the SEC heads tapping the brakes until they can figure out which 4 teams the want that will likely accept an invitation otherwise they are being shortsighted.

…also, those 4 teams would have to add enough value to offset the possible strengthening of rival conferences. This is basically a redundant point to some of my posts yesterday, but I think it’s important to consider when trying to understand what rational, smart people are planning to do with their already first-rate conference.

TDL,

I think 14 is a relatively smart move though I think the pieces they are looking to add don’t really bring them maximum value, though it looks like the quality of the team isn’t quite as important as the TV markets they ‘bring’. By going only to 14 they give themselves some wiggle room to score big when complete realignment occurs.

I think they took themselves out of the Texas sweepstakes too early considering how keen Dodds is to keep the LHN. They are the only conference that wouldn’t have to rewrite their rules to accommodate the network and that could have been a big plus in their favor. I suppose they could still be talking with Texas but I think taking A&M now is the final nail ending the Texas-to-SEC conversation. I know the chances of Texas going to the SEC were limited, but they could have waited and hoped that Texas’s desire to keep the LHN overcame our other issues with the conference.

I agree with what you are saying. I agree that TV market is hugely important to the SEC, but the quality of the institution (not just the football team) matters in sense that the TV market and marketability of the university go hand in hand.

My point with going to 14 is that it WILL cause the conference landscape to shift to super conferences. And it will happen fast. The SEC, in my opinion, ought to understand this and plan accordingly. If they are planning for a super conference paradigm (which I’d argue is not presently even in their best interest) they need to decide which institutions bring the most value and be proactive about acquiring them. Otherwise, why would they potentially risk "watering down their brand "*, elevating a rival conferences brand, or both?

• hat tip to triplehorn

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-sec-texasam

The aggies win! TheEeEeEeEeE aggies win!!!

Or maybe not (just yet)…

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6939017/texas-aggies-accepted-sec-legal-threat-delays-move

Looking at your map on the front page… is Nevada being kicked out?

Aaaand whodathunkit…Baylor throws a stick in the spokes, Aggy up in the air again. Ha ha ha ha (sigh).

But, but, but A&M isn’t going to be invited to the SEC. But, but, but we told Baylor to stand down so A&M would leave if there is a miracle and they are invited. But, but but we’re Texas.

Gay,

How many different threads is this now that you have come on to tell us all that we are dumb, and that A&M to the SEC is a done deal and will be announced (insert the 20 different dates you have now used)?

In case you haven’t noticed, most everyone is fine with Aggy leaving, but spends most of the time saying you will find someway to screw this up.

By the way, how is that celebration in College Station going today? You know, the one that your competent administration planned…

A&M being invited and accepted into the SEC has been a done deal and agreed to behind closed doors for a long time. Obviously Baylor acting like a 7 year old girl was not expected. They will be dealt with soon enough though.

Gay,

Not saying you are wrong, I would still expect this to get wrapped up quickly…. but, Baylor is a private institution, so most of the sticks that you think you have (legislators, governors, etc.), you don’t have in this case. This is Baylor’s only card, and they can play it without concern about anything you can do to them in a public arena.

Also, there are rumors that Baylor was not the only school to decide against the “waiver” they are just the only one openly talking about it right now.

I could care less how this ends – but it is pretty fun to watch. Aggy and the SEC always acted too cavalierly about this process, imo.

gay, do you write sit-com for a living?

The Baylor-aggie game this year should be a good time.

Baylor, for whatever reason, showed some restraint until today (or yesterday) If they intended to threaten and/or actually sue over A&M leaving, they’d have done so a few weeks ago, unless something changed in the last two days. What make the most sense to me, is that Baylor restrained itself (whether you credit UT Bigs in that is your choice) when they only believed A&M was leaving, but the second OU starting grumbling up there in RedDirtistan, they decided they had to protect themselves.

How is Baylor acting like a 7-year-old girl any differently than aggy is?

Both schools are aggressively trying to protect their own self-interests, and neither cares what their superior thinks about it.

Gay’s sole purpose in posting here is to demonstrate that the Aggies clearly have the least-knowledgeable and most delusional fanbase in the entire sport. Best not to acknowledge to him; like a sideshow exhibit at a carnival, you stare for a moment, shudder to yourself, and then move on quickly.

Young Williams,

Couldn’t agree more with that point. This is Baylor’s only option to slow down or derail the inevitable implosion of the Big 12. What does it buy them? Who knows, but it at the very least, it buys them some time.

Aggy fan is acting like this will cost Baylor dearly… but what will it cost them? Its not like they are expecting an invite to the PAC or Big X and this is now poisoning the well. They realize their fate lies in the MWC or C-USA, and this will not impact those invites.

Team Dirty Leg sez: Reddirtistan

Improper capitalization, imo. Should be “Reddirtistan”.

Yon William ast: How is Baylor acting like a 7-year-old girl any differently than aggy is?

Coupla three years older behavior by Bearettes. Being left behind while Big Bubba’s out boinking cheerleaders does that to pre-pubes, regardless of whether yearning is for Bubba or for said cheerleaders (equally likely).

Mayhap just “Dirtystan”?

So, uh “Gay”…why don’t you just go boink one of your milkmen?

But I’ll defer to your superior capitalization expertise. We have an image to uphold here at the finest fan blog sight on the internets.

Hi Gay boy! You said yesterday in another post that you’d be announcing your acceptance of the SEC’s offer today. Has that happened yet?

You also said you knew that "because I know shit". Well, you certainly do know shit—in fact, you know Jack Shit! Looks like you were wrong again except for the "knowing shit" part!

Since you are openly gay, I’d suggest you take some "man" lessons like Nathan Lane in The Bird Cage before you go to Starkville, Oxford and Tuscaloosa and don’t bend over at any tailgates just in case. That is, of course, if mighty Baylor lets you leave.

Looks like someone has been laying in the weeds to fuck up your coming out party. I wonder who might have encouraged them to do such a thing?

HaHaHaHa! HaHaHaHa!

Why in the world would the Pac-12 want only OU and OSU? They don’t bring many tv sets, only OU has a credible academic standing, PAC-12 stretches its travel tremendously – and the best football team in the PAC-12 conference is instantly third best.

Very little upside, lots of downside – I don’t see any way OS/OSU get invited without Texas.

Somewhere in Bristol…

How much did we pay those cowboys for their own station??!!

Uhhh, 300 million give or take

Hysterical laughter fills the room – I’d have paid 500 million for this!!

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