Big 12 in 2016

[Lobot]

Columbus Dispatch from this morning:

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/cont...in-big-12.html

This is from the Des Moines Register on the 7th.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sto...ones/84012692/

Here's Memphis trashing BYU:

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...e76516747.html

Random Iowa St blog than can't spell Cincinnati:

http://www.widerightnattylite.com/20...ion-cincinatti




** I would be remiss if I didn't add that Colorado State may have entered the conversation as an expansion candidate.

[Lobot]

Memphis paper:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/colu...378896671.html

[blackattack]

Big 12 is a freakin mess. Boren is laying the groundwork to leave for the SEC if Texas won't agree to reform (they won't).

They (OU and Texas) are an old married couple who wish they could stay married, but have no reason to do so anymore.

Our choice will be between a hobbled Big 12 and the AAC.

I agree 100% with this^^^^. When Oklahoma, Kansas (and possibly Okie State) leave for greener pastures, Texas will be unfazed by it (just as they were unfazed when Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri left). In fact when more established programs leave, that only serves to help Texas consolidate even more power in Austin.
So when OU and Kansas leave, Texas will simply add some smaller regional schools that they know they can strong arm and dictate financial gain from like Tulsa, Houston, Rice, Colorado State, etc.
Texas is a big hemorrhoid. Theyre going to ride this financial gravy train for as long as they can..........at least until the GOR expires and maybe forever if the GOR gets extended. Given the politics involved with the SEC (UK would block us) and the B1G (obviously O$U would block us) the best landing spot for UC is the ACC.

[Bearcats1232002]

Best of all worlds

I don't think the ACC adds anyone unless they get poached which looks unlikely with their GOR.

[bobestes]

I agree 100% with this^^^^. When Oklahoma, Kansas (and possibly Okie State) leave for greener pastures, Texas will be unfazed by it (just as they were unfazed when Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri left). In fact when more established programs leave, that only serves to help Texas consolidate even more power in Austin.
So when OU and Kansas leave, Texas will simply add some smaller regional schools that they know they can strong arm and dictate financial gain from like Tulsa, Houston, Rice, Colorado State, etc.
Texas is a big hemorrhoid. Theyre going to ride this financial gravy train for as long as they can..........at least until the GOR expires and maybe forever if the GOR gets extended. Given the politics involved with the SEC (UK would block us) and the B1G (obviously O$U would block us) the best landing spot for UC is the ACC.

Texas knows, at the end of the day, they have a spot in whatever conference they want. Their issue has been that in-state politics prevent them from going to the Big Ten like they'd like to. If the conference implodes, they are free to do as they wish.

Oklahoma knows this and knows that the sooner they force Texas' hand (and the breakup of the conference) in a manner that makes them look like the good guys who tried to fix it, the sooner they can secure their future a la Nebraska in the SEC or PAC 12.

They're not going to invite us, and they're going to break up. The real choice is: stay in the AAC or join the zombie Big 12?

[bobestes]

I suppose there was no other play than to try to get football into a power conference, but it's going to be a shame to see a completely unsustainable athletic budget get cut, and see basketball fall below Xavier (AAC vs Big East).

Mick saw the writing on the wall, that's why he was looking for a well-funded basketball program that isn't distracted by football.

[blackattack]

Texas knows, at the end of the day, they have a spot in whatever conference they want. Their issue has been that in-state politics prevent them from going to the Big Ten like they'd like to. If the conference implodes, they are free to do as they wish.

Oklahoma knows this and knows that the sooner they force Texas' hand (and the breakup of the conference) in a manner that makes them look like the good guys who tried to fix it, the sooner they can secure their future a la Nebraska in the SEC or PAC 12.

They're not going to invite us, and they're going to break up. The real choice is: stay in the AAC or join the zombie Big 12?

What conference is Texas going to go to that will allow them to bring the Longhorn Network and keep all the revenue from it ?..............answer..... there isn't one. Texas knows if they leave for the SEC, B1G or PAC 12 they have to share the revenue and give up the LHN. And Texas will never agree to that.

[blackattack]

Texas knows, at the end of the day, they have a spot in whatever conference they want. Their issue has been that in-state politics prevent them from going to the Big Ten like they'd like to. If the conference implodes, they are free to do as they wish.

Texas was restrained by state politics before little brother Texas A&M left for the SEC. Since A&M left, there's not been anything to stop Texas from leaving for another conference. The Longhorn Network is an albatross that's holding them back. The folks in Columbus, Ann Arbor, and Birmingham will never accept the LHN in it's current format. That why Texas hasn't left the Little 10 Conference.

[Lobot]

What conference is Texas going to go to that will allow them to bring the Longhorn Network and keep all the revenue from it ?..............answer..... there isn't one. Texas knows if they leave for the SEC, B1G or PAC 12 they have to share the revenue and give up the LHN. And Texas will never agree to that.

The ACC does not have a conference network yet technically. I don't think the fit is terrific at all but if you're doing things via LHN and TV rights, the ACC could opt to let Texas come in as is, more or less the way that ND has, and convert LHN to the ACC network at a later date. ESPN owns the existing GOR for the ACC and partly owns LHN. LHN is a money loser. It's lost 48 million since its inception. I'm sure with the current mega cost cutting mode that ESPN is in right now they would love to chop LHN to save money. Converting it to a network in the ACC would be easier than doing it in the Big 12 because the 1st tier rights are with the same owner. Outside of this, Texas to the ACC makes no sense at all but where Texas is concerned, it's all about the money and power.

[coach]

I suppose there was no other play than to try to get football into a power conference, but it's going to be a shame to see a completely unsustainable athletic budget get cut, and see basketball fall below Xavier (AAC vs Big East).

Mick saw the writing on the wall, that's why he was looking for a well-funded basketball program that isn't distracted by football.

If the AAC stays together, i don't think that's a foregone conclusion. The $'s the AAC commands are likely to go up as the current group is investing more in their programs in hopes of elevating them. Thus, i think they will be able to monetize more money in terms of media, etc. It doesn't happen overnight in this business. However, if the AAC is poached, all bets are off. I believe the current deal is voidable if uc or uconn leave. However, i think the conference (as was shown last year in football) is better than anticipated, particularly for a content challenged market.

[Lobot]

Just now on Texas from Jake Trotter at ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_...decisions-loom

[Bearcats1232002]

If the AAC stays together, i don't think that's a foregone conclusion. The $'s the AAC commands are likely to go up as the current group is investing more in their programs in hopes of elevating them. Thus, i think they will be able to monetize more money in terms of media, etc. It doesn't happen overnight in this business. However, if the AAC is poached, all bets are off. I believe the current deal is voidable if uc or uconn leave. However, i think the conference (as was shown last year in football) is better than anticipated, particularly for a content challenged market.

I think the AAC teams are investing more money in their programs because they want out and want to look more attractive to the Big12. They are hoping that this investing will get them to a Power 5 conference with its big TV payouts. Once the dust has settled, the teams that are eternally relegated to the Group of 5, of which the AAC is one of, will stop investing in football to the extent they do now. There wouldn't be a reason to without the lucrative revenue stream. The nation doesn't care about the AAC and sees the league as just some Thursday and Friday night games to hold you over to the real games on Saturday.

[coach]

Unless...............the AAC, and their counterparts out west like the Boises, Byu's, San Diego St.'s, etc. find a way to put together a football affiliation. Then it becomes a more attractive package. The schools that are investing the money are not going to have the luxury of letting the peddle up in the near future. However, they will be looking at bigger subsidies to their athletic program. These big capital projects do not go away quickly.

[Lobot]

Unless...............the AAC, and their counterparts out west like the Boises, Byu's, San Diego St.'s, etc. find a way to put together a football affiliation. Then it becomes a more attractive package. The schools that are investing the money are not going to have the luxury of letting the peddle up in the near future. However, they will be looking at bigger subsidies to their athletic program. These big capital projects do not go away quickly.

And they aren't for us either. Bohn and company have already put the hammer down on travel expenses and numerous other things right now. If the Big 12 votes not to expand or does not choose us for expansion, I think we will see a major reduction in expenditures in football in particular. Eventually we have to crawl out from under this capital project debt and the subsidy that comes with it. It's obviously a lot easier if we move to a better conference with better TV money and bowl payouts. That status quo is not sustainable. We are currently the most subsidized G5 Athletic Dept. in the country if memory serves correctly. I believe that came from a USA Today article.

[red_n_black_attack]

There's been a lot of articles coming out recently about Memphis, Houston, Colorado St and some others. IF the Big 12 expands, there seems to be a lot of johnny-come-lately candidates (at least publicly). I am of the opinion that UC is #1 on the list of potential candidates for several reasons, chief among them is the relationship and campaigning UC has done directly and over a long period of time.

We have discussed and for the most part agree on the multitude of Pros for UC; however, I'd like to gauge if you feel that the campaigning has been as much of a factor as I believe.