Yeesh. Push out an expansion round-up. Head out to do some things with the kids (summer vacation in full swing). Get back and find out that nearly as soon as I posted, that the Big 12 may yet survive.
Orangebloods.com: According to sources, Texas will announce as early as today that UT will commit to a 10-member Big 12.
One source said commissioner Dan Beebe’s last-minute plan to save the conference has “zero” chance to succeed. Another source said it is “very unlikely” to succeed.
Who knows at this point. Maybe Texas told the other members that they would stay if everyone agreed to stay and make a contractually binding agreement — filled with punitive penalties, costs to make it extremely prohibitive to leave and an extended unwinding. I would imagine Missouri would balk, and there would have been a good chance at Texas A&M also hesitating.
Here’s the thing. Texas has the position of strength that it can make, say a 5-year commitment to the Big 12/10. They will still be a sought after program by other conferences in five years.
Texas A&M and especially Mizzou cannot be that sure of things. If they make a commitment and then the Big Something does go to 16, they are stuck. They could find themselves missing their chance at the Big Something, the SEC could be set at that point, and then still see Texas leave them in the remains of the Big 12/10.
I guess, it just seems are too far gone for Texas (and even Texas A&M) to do a 180 and save the Big 12/10.
“Based on a TV deal in the works that could pay them upwards of $25 million per year, Texas is leaning toward staying in a 10-team Big 12 for the foreseeable future, Orangebloods.com has reported, citing sources familiar with negotiations.
Texas was meeting Monday with the other remaining nine schools in the Big 12 about a TV deal included in a plan put together by Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe that would keep the league intact with its current programs, according to multiple reports.
or KState means that the Fedx chairman’s offer of $10million to the conference that adds mighty Memphis will start to look good. I still believe that Pitt is in a very poor position. RU/Syracuse will be used to bring the NY market to some conference for TV. WVU is a very strong team in terms of fanbase (small TV market)that
has developed into a national power in basketball and football (perfect for the SEC).
UConn is a natural addition to the ACC because it further extends the footprint of the league in New England. Pitt had better be seriously thinking of finding a way to bail out of The Big East by selling our story to the ACC or The Big 10(12). We have no way to control what NDU will do because they are in the drivers seat with the huge NBC multiyear contract. Pittsburgh will not support a Panther team that is playing ECU, Memphis, UCF, Temple and Buffalo!!!
Big 10 $21Million
sec $17MM
Pac 10 $11MM
Big 12 $11MM
Big LEAst $7MM
This is all about money. Nothing else.
BCS conference Amount of contract
Big Ten $242 million
SEC $205 million
Big 12 $78 million
ACC $67 million
Pacific-10 $58 million
Big East $33 million
Should Beebe keep the Big XII together, then the Pac 11 takes Utah and goes to 12. Eventually, TCU and Houston get invites to the Big XII. Note that the University of Houston is raising a substantial sum of money to refurbish an arena and rebuild their football stadium, and Houston is a huge market. In the meantime, the Big Can’t Count stays at 12 and so does the SEC. Notre Dame stays as an independent.
This gives Pitt, WVU, UConn, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, Syracuse and USF some breathing room. The football schools must separate from the basketball schools and add who they can. If it means adding Temple, ECU and UCF, then that is what has to happen.
The BE FB schools have enough trouble filling their open dates as it is.
If aTm does to to the SEC, then Texas, Texas Tech, OU and OSU jump to the Pac 11 and they take one more school, be it Kansas or Utah to get to 16.
The SEC will then go after three ACC schools (Georgia Tech, Florida State and Clemson) to get to 16.
The Big Can’t Count goes after Rutgers and Syracuse, leans harder on Notre Dame and tries to lure Maryland. If Maryland says no, the they ask Pitt – or, they invite Pitt to lure Notre Dame. They will end up at 16.
In the end, the remaining ACC schools, the remaining BE FB schools and the remaining Big XII football schools come together. They will have to or they will all lose their BCS bid to the Mountain West.
it’s all up to the Texas A&M Aggies now.
As I have been saying for 2 months now …. no use getting worked up since everyone is reacting to one speculative report after another .. most of them have been incorrect. Who knows what and when is nect.
This will clearly be more lucrative for UT than sharing TV money, and they still get to rule the roost.
I think realignment will still happen in some form, but will be long and slow now.
For now, I guess, the BE stays together. Maybe this will wake them up enough to solidify the conference.
