Posted on 06/15/2010 9:51:30 AM PDT by BnBlFlag
Analysis: Big 12 follows UT's lead Other schools remain in fold, some grudgingly, as big dog barks By MIKE FINGER Austin Bureau June 14, 2010, 11:33PM . Mack Brown's football program was driving the entire realignment discussion. So it turns out Texas A&M won't get the satisfaction of secession. Baylor, having received the miracle its athletic director asked for, won't have to contemplate the ramifications of an alliance with UTSA. And Bob Stoops won't have to share a division with his brother. But even after all the flirtations, hidden agendas and indecision, and even after every politician, fundraiser and network executive from Venice Beach to the Dixie Chicken weighed in on the matter, there's only one reason college football's great realignment crisis of 2010 resolved itself the way it did. Because Texas wanted it this way. What began with the Longhorns weeks ago ended with them Monday, and what the conclusion lacked in drama it made up for in tradition. Not just the tradition of UT and A&M playing on Thanksgiving, but also the tradition of the rich getting richer. Realignment was always about money, and no one in college sports has more of it than UT. That's why the Big Ten and Pac-10 ignored geography to pursue the Longhorns, and why a team like Oklahoma State became a desired commodity. You think athletes and rap stars have big entourages? OSU nearly got admitted to the biggest college football party in history not because it was tight with UT, but because it was a friend of a friend. By Monday evening, though, the Cowboys announced they were declining the Pac-10's invitation and were committed instead to the Big 12
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
In the end, the Big 8 didn’t absorb the Southwest, it was the other way around.
I was really hoping A&M would go to the SEC. But Gene Stallings, early yesterday, said he hoped that the Big 12 would survive and A&M would stay. And so it has. I don't understand.
Go Tech, lead the way out of this mess.
“Tech is supposedly not on board with this phantom deal to save the Big12, and Tech fans are being told they have a landing spot if they bolt.
Go Tech, lead the way out of this mess.”
Interesting. I hadn’t heard this.
The Aggie “Administration”
What does this mean?
Probably should have said the Aggie Board of Regents.
Mandel is reporting it on his twitter feed.
I think the SEC talk was all smoke and mirrors. They got what they wanted and needed which was the money.
But even after all the flirtations, hidden agendas and indecision, and even after every politician, fundraiser and network executive from Venice Beach to the Dixie Chicken weighed in on the matter, there’s only one reason college football’s great realignment crisis of 2010 resolved itself the way it did. Because Texas wanted it this way.”
NO, NO, NO......Texas didn’t want it this way. This very same TV deal was floated two weeks ago at the Big 12 meeting. Texas one week ago said the league was no longer viable w/o Nebraska. They had it all set up, Bill Powers would realize his fantasy of joining his alma mater Cal Berkley. Larry Scott had given aTm a 72 hr ultimatum or else be left behind (lol). What changed everything was aTm and Mike Slive and the the big, bad SEC. UT is scared to death of the SEC gaining a foothold in Texas and someone was able to yank the moonbat Powers back into line,
Be assured UT isn’t happy with this, they had to give aTm 20 mill to keep them from bolting. Both the PAC 10 and the Big 10 thought they could carve up the juciest pieces of the Big 12, raid the ACC and Big East and ND would then fall as well into the Big 10. Instead the PAC 10 ends up with CU (what a joke) in trying to cut Baylor off from the Texas schools. They didn’t want Tech but they had to take them to get the deal done.
UT didn’t save anything other than not giving the SEC that open door to recruit in TEXAS. They’ll be causing trouble again soon enough but unless the SEC expands to 16 they’re limited in what they can do as the SEC will be courting A&M once again.
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Texas is to football conferences what the United States is to the United Nations. It’s the biggest of the big - in money, in fan base and in its way of getting what it wants. That breeds great resentment on the part of everyone else that wishes they were the top dog.
Nebraska, and to a lesser extent Colorado, both left the Big 12 with middle finger extended at Texas. A&M almost did the same and, frankly, if they had, it would have been the last straw.
So, Texas got on the phone and asked “what can we do?”, “where can we go?”. The Pac-10 spread out its arms but, ultimately, Texas saw it would have less power out there than it enjoyed in the Big 12. So, ultimately, they stayed.
In a similar vein, as the U.S. uses China to underwrite so many of our debts, we are slowly ceding our role as the big dog among nations. Communists like Obama and the Democrats are happy to have that happen. When the U.S. cedes power, the cause of freedom suffers. When Texas cedes athletic power, their conference foes ultimately suffer. That’s the ultimate lesson of all of this.
I’m glad to see the Big XII (or whatever new name they choose. “Heartland Conference” would me by choice) survive - at least for now. If it were me, I would reach out to two new schools not only to get back to 12 but to make the statement that they aren’t a carcass that remains to be picked.
Just now posted: “Big 12 Commissioner Sets Record Straight” at The Eagle on line.
The comments are very interesting.
I couldn’t see why on earth the Texas schools would want to join the Pac. Colorado, being the Berkeley of the Rockies, is no loss. If the Big 12 is smart, they will invite the Arizona schools to join. Hey, that’s what Cali gets for boycotting them!
“I couldn’t see why on earth the Texas schools would want to join the Pac”
Me neither. There’s no historical, cultural or political ties but their is much mutual loathing between the states of Texas and California.
How ‘bout the ‘Battered-Wife Syndrome’ Conference due to the constant abuse heaped upon the likes of Baylor, Ok St, Kansas, K St., and their willingness to come back for more.
In this current configuration, there will be one game of National significance per year: UT-OU. Perhaps an upset here and there, but a safe 9-10 win season every year for UT.
And we’ll all hear how “tough” the BWS Conference is...
People keep forgetting that the state of California is broke and is one step away from collapse. The future of the Cal. schools is not bright. Their value in the future is zilch.
Lol, some of you Texas fans really are getting a little carried away. I assure you Alabama envies nothing about Texas, and has no reason to as to tradition, or fan support, or facilities, or success, or anything else. The only thing Texas might have is a larger TV market, but it would be interesting to see the national TV ratings for games featuring Alabama and those featuring Texas.
Texas has a fine program, but some of you really are getting carried away. And the conference schemes for dividing revenue are different. The SEC leads the nation in total football revenue, not the Big 12.
And, Texas wanted a National Championship for 2009-2010, but it didn't get it.
I still can’t believe there was serious talk of Texas in the Pac-10.
Do these fools even own a map?!
Dallas is in the NFC East, and St Louis is in the NFC West (NFL)...
Oklahoma City is in the Northwest Division (NBA)...
Dallas is in the Pacific Division (NHL)...
Louisville is in the Big East, and
Louisiana Tech is in the Mountain West (NCAAF)...
Notre Dame (IN), Cincinnati, and Louisville are in the Big East,
St Louis and Xavier (Cincinnati) are in the Atlantic 10, and
Jacksonville (Alabama) is in the Ohio Valley (NCAAB)...
You were saying?
Point well taken. Still ridiculous though.
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