The Big 12 may be doomed

[RShack]

Don't get me wrong' date=' I definitely agree with that. But Texas was used to being top dog and getting what they want. The mistake was made years ago, but everyone has to deal with that now. There's no going back from that. Their ego is way too big to concede any money to the rest of the schools. The last part of your post is what I was trying to get at. My guess is (or I sincerely hope) that the AD's are looking into contingency plans, and giving in to Texas just bought them another couple of years. Staying together was the best option, even though it wasn't that great of an option.

[/quote']

No reason for Texas to go anywhere. They get to have their own TV network, which won't show live football games but will still make them a few $million per year (FL earns $8 million/yr from theirs) and they get the easiest path to a BCS game. Another conference would have to give them *way* more money to compensate for a harder path to the championship, and that's not counting any conference rule about TV rights going to the conference. As long as the Big 12 has a BCS berth, Texas is best off being the big fish in a so-so pond. Same basic thing for the other Big 12 schools: where else are they gonna be better off than where they are? Probably no place...

[hoosiers]

Same basic thing for the other Big 12 schools: where else are they gonna be better off than where they are? Probably no place...

At some point, Texas' greed becomes too much and the other schools go somewhere else. Or Texas has a multi-year funk in football like Notre Dame and brings down the whole conference.

It's ironic that a conference like the B12 can talk about getting a better TV contract after losing both a quality program and the viewing eyeballs in Nebraska. I wonder if some of these TV networks are not threatened by the B10 network to the point they are overpaying for these other conferences. IF this is the case, there will be a day of reckoning.

[waroriole]

No reason for Texas to go anywhere. They get to have their own TV network, which won't show live football games but will still make them a few $million per year (FL earns $8 million/yr from theirs) and they get the easiest path to a BCS game. Another conference would have to give them *way* more money to compensate for a harder path to the championship, and that's not counting any conference rule about TV rights going to the conference. As long as the Big 12 has a BCS berth, Texas is best off being the big fish in a so-so pond. Same basic thing for the other Big 12 schools: where else are they gonna be better off than where they are? Probably no place...

I wouldn't agree with that at all. Other than the SEC, the Big 12 might be the toughest way to get an automatic spot. Especially when compared to the ACC and Big East.

[Birds of B'more]

No reason for Texas to go anywhere. They get to have their own TV network, which won't show live football games but will still make them a few $million per year (FL earns $8 million/yr from theirs) and they get the easiest path to a BCS game. Another conference would have to give them *way* more money to compensate for a harder path to the championship, and that's not counting any conference rule about TV rights going to the conference. As long as the Big 12 has a BCS berth, Texas is best off being the big fish in a so-so pond. Same basic thing for the other Big 12 schools: where else are they gonna be better off than where they are? Probably no place...

They'd be better off in any other BCS conference. Texas A&M and Oklahoma could have gone to the SEC or Pac 10 and been better off long-term. Kansas and Missouri, had the Big 12 dissolved and they became free agents, probably could have done better. I doubt the Pac-10 or SEC would take Texas Tech or OSU by themselves, but they have to be pretty depressed right now that it didn't work out.

The Big 12 is the AL East of college sports. One or two teams control all the revenue, while the other teams either have to be plucky or accept mediocrity.

[hoosiers]

I wouldn't agree with that at all. Other than the SEC, the Big 12 might be the toughest way to get an automatic spot. Especially when compared to the ACC and Big East.

Texas will have one of the easier roads to the BCS. No doubt about it.

Nice article on Texas' Rivals site about how the entire thing went down this week. It appears ESPN/ABC made major efforts to keep the B12 together - pay them the same rate on the contract without Nebraska and without a conference title game - because of the potential dominoe effect to the SEC and ACC.

[Birds of B'more]

Texas will have one of the easier roads to the BCS. No doubt about it.

Nice article on Texas' Rivals site about how the entire thing went down this week. It appears ESPN/ABC made major efforts to keep the B12 together - pay them the same rate on the contract without Nebraska and without a conference title game - because of the potential dominoe effect to the SEC and ACC.

Absolutely. The Texas/Oklahoma game now becomes the de-facto Big 12 Championship Game...and it's played in early October. No one else will stand in the way of either team.

[Orioles West]

The Big 12 is the AL East of college sports. One or two teams control all the revenue' date=' while the other teams either have to be plucky or accept mediocrity.[/quote']

That about covers it with a very nice, concise comparison.

[CrimsonTribe]

Texas will have one of the easier roads to the BCS. No doubt about it.

Nice article on Texas' Rivals site about how the entire thing went down this week. It appears ESPN/ABC made major efforts to keep the B12 together - pay them the same rate on the contract without Nebraska and without a conference title game - because of the potential dominoe effect to the SEC and ACC.

I agree, it was a great explanation of what happened, although it notes that the PAC-10 was the party trying to change things at the last minute when I read from other sources that Texas tried to pull a fast one at the end and ask for more money.

[Majin Buu]

I'm glad Texas et al didn't join the 12 Pac conf; I just didn't feel right. 12 Pac won't regret adding a top flight program like Utah. The unlucky five (Kansas, Missouri etc) have to look at this as a delay in the inevitable. The have until '16 to get their act together. This is a bad TV for the network and the Big Texas Conference won't be able to pimp ESPN/ABC forever.