Big12 Football - Fanblogs.com

Texas A&M Makes Formal Notice to Seek 'Other Conference Options'

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:31:47 -0500

With the SEC meeting two weeks ago when the presidents decided not to pursue A&M as an additional member of the conference, it looks more and more like that was just legal cover to prevent a lawsuit down the road where the SEC could be accused of tortious interference for an attempted poaching. Now followed today, when A&M sent a letter to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe that they wish to explore conference options.

"Dear Commissioner Beebe:

As you know, the Texas A&M Board of Regents has authorized me to take action relating to Texas A&M University’s ("Texas A&M") conference alignment. While this letter is not a notice of Texas A&M’s withdrawal from the Big 12 Conference (the "Conference"), we are exploring our options. There has been a great deal of speculation and comment in the media about Texas A&M leaving the Conference, including discussions of other institutions joining the Conference.

If Texas A&M withdraws from the Conference, we want to do so in a way that complies with the Bylaws and is supportive of your efforts to seek a new member of the Conference. We would appreciate your conferring with the other member institutions and outlining for us the process to be followed by Texas A&M should it withdraw from the Conference.

We look forward to hearing from you."

Looks like a deal with the SEC is a forgone conclusion at this point. One domino has fallen. The next will be who the SEC decides to poach from the ACC.

So this is it? This is when the SEC decides to blow up collge football? Could we run the total to 16 or more teams? In the words of one blogger, I hope these teams know that our conference is not a boarding house.

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Big 12 Stands Up to Longhorn Network. For Now.

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:49:30 -0500

Seemingly lost in the CFB universe this week was the story Monday that the Big 12 conference--otherwise known as the nine remaining teams not named Texas--put their foot down to nix certain aspects of the new Longhorn Network debuting the 26th of this month. If you recall back to last year's spring and summer, we saw the defection of Nebraska and Colorado to other BCS conferences and the subsequent shameless shopping of itself by the Longhorns to just about any conference that might make them a sweetheart deal. The possibility of Texas leaving the Big 12 had every major conference scrambling to shore itself up not only from possible defections itself, but for improbable Pangea-like expansions brought on by the sudden glut of marketable teams left homeless if the Horns bailed.

One of the reasons Texas decided to stick it out where they were was that the remaining schools quickly agreed to allow them their prize jewel, the Longhorn Network, partnered with ESPN, which would show 24 hour Texas athletics, including of course, football. This deal would be worth almost $250 million over 20 years to the Horns. Not surprisingly, the rest of the conference has realized what a monster they created and took steps Monday to stand up for themselves and remarkably, got what they wanted. For now.

Probably the biggest point of contention was the broadcast of high school games of interest to Longhorn fans, ostensibly those which feature future Longhorn recruits. Now before you go calling the NCAA and referring to the Nick Saban rules, remember that the NCAA doesn't recognize verbal commits, only signed LOIs, and every prep player featured on any such broadcast is still technically able to be recruited--even if they're showcased on something known as the Longhorn Network. Surreal, yes, but for now, Texas has agreed to a one-year delay of this aspect of the programming so that the NCAA can have time to weigh in fully and allow the remaining schools to assess their next move.

The other point of contention was that no conference game can be shown on the Network unless the conference and the opponent approves, which seems pretty automatic for both big and small teams. I'm quite certain that cupcakes signed away that distinction when they endorsed that big fat check. I've seen no mention of where they're going to get the announcers for the games, whether they'll be seasoned ESPN staff or Texas's own guys. Anyone know what Mike Leach is up to now?

I can only pretend to have a small grasp of the politics going on in the Lone Star state and the Big 12 conference, but I honestly can't imagine this status quo lasting for long. The next two biggest stars, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, may deepen the divide with their future plans. The Sooners are certainly big enough to have their own network and possibly the Aggies, too. Evidently, there's a large faction of A&M fans who are sore that they didn't defect to the SEC last year, which leads one to believe that those offer rumors were a lot more true than we realized.

There's no sense in having a conference at all if all your major players want to have their own little network and continually strive to carve out a larger piece of the revenue pie for themselves. While perfectly normal for normal businesses (YES, I KNOW COLLEGE SPORTS IS A BUSINESS), I just don't believe that college football is served at all by that notion. Is this what our sport is becoming, to have the cream of the conference crops tire of lugging the others around with them and segregate themselves forever financially from their lesser cousins?

There could be a good chance that Texas could become an independent once the honeymoon is over in the new Big Twelveten. Is that what we need, more Notre Dames? BYU going rogue is uninteresting everywhere outside Utah, but Texas could pull it off for a while--before all their historical rivals shun them out and the Horns have no one of historical or regional interest to play except for all the nerdy girls they used to blow off in high school like Houston, Rice and the acronym schools.

We'll never get to a playoff without the solidification of the major conferences with divisional play and having conference championship games serve as de facto first rounds of said playoff, and allowing the big guns in each conference to spin off into little independent satellites orbiting the CFB solar system is no way to accomplish that goal. Unfortunately, I don't see the Big 12 surviving the orbiting of the Longhorn sun for long and it won't be long before CFB plays musical conferences once again.

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To Hell With Math! Big 12 to Remain the Big 12

Tue, 24 May 2011 00:24:02 -0500

During the nationwide game of Musical Conferences in the spring of 2010, the Big 12 turned out to be the biggest loser, all in part to the whoring antics of the University of Texas, or Texas University as Texas A&M oft calls them (and don't forget to call the Aggies aTm, like their helmets read. Ahh, this is rich)

When the Big 10, another mathematically challenged conference itself, decided to put feelers out to draft up to three additional teams, the Big 12 became the first BCS conference not named the Big East to have teams poached away from it, losing Nebraska to the Big 10(11)(12) and Colorado to the PAC 10(11)(12). And the conference won the 2000 and 2005 MNCs. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that, other than Missouri, who tried to invite themselves to the Big 10, but needed a dance partner the likes of Texas or Notre Dame to have a snowball's chance. Get back in line, Mizzu!

Texas held itself out to the highest bidder from both the Big 10 and the PAC, and might have strayed away from the herd had Colt McCoy not gotten hurt during the 1st quarter of the negotiations. Nah, they weren't ever going anywhere. They just wanted to further cement their place as the big dog of the conference and have more of that TV revenue flowing back into Austin. And they probably now have veto power over what expansion teams are tendered offers in the near future, hence keeping the Big 12 name intact instead of reorganizing a new conference around the number TEN, (keeping in mind that the BIG 10 is already taken, damn!)

So with making all the mess with Texas, here's a few names I think the Big 12 should consider as being more appropriate nomenclature for the conference:

The Texas Ten-Step
Red River Reduction
The Big Southwest Eight Plus Two
Bags Fly Free on Southwestern Conference (sponsored)
The Big Southwest Ten (featuring the Texas Longhorns on lead vocals)
Texas Hold Up TCU and SMU
Cotton Bale Conference
All My Ex's Live in Lincoln

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Traditional Fanblogs Post-Season Playoff Address

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:59:38 -0500

Man, nothing takes your mind off BCS-bitching like having your team work within the system (without shooting the bastards) and winning it all. Okay, except for maybe having to then defend your national championship winning team from every out of left field attack that comes down the road. That really takes your mind off of the BCS and, more importantly, the playoffs. Remember those? Hey, don't take your eye off the ball or I'll have you running stadium stairs by the end of this post.

As is custom here, we discuss the fate of a FBS playoff right after the season ends, with the results of the latest BCS equation having just recently been played out for all to see and analyze. It's bad manners to discuss the subject during the season, as those who might be superstitious may believe, and no one really cares right before the season, as most fans think it's their team's year and no playoff will be necessary for them. No, immediately following the season is the perfect time for moaning about how unfair the whole system is, but admittedly, we have heard nary a peep out of the east side of the state of Alabama this go around.

Naturally, with me being an SEC fan, playoff talk sometimes falls on deaf ears, as we believe our conference schedule to be one de facto triple-elimination playoff onto itself. (drop more than two regular season conference games or the CCG and you are virtually guaranteed not to win the conference) Playoffs are what's needed for all those other conferences to sort their posers from the players. In other words, SEC fans may have their desire for a CFB playoff diminished because we believe the SEC champ to be a truly credible and deserving champion in their own right and everyone else is just playing for the right to meet us to play for all the marbles. And with our conference winner playing in the last five national championship games, apparently SEC fans aren't the only ones who think that. But playoff, schmayoff, southeasterners? No, not quite.

I truly believe that a playoff will be most beneficial to our sport when we finally get one, and to the SEC in particular. As we've discussed before, there are a few basic tenets that must exist in FBS college football for a playoff to have any chance of taking root. That's not to say that even those aren't subject to modification, revision or outright reversal. Some of my own thinking has done a 180 recently and we must always realize that CFB is constantly evolving--something so very epitomized in the Great Conference Land Grab of 2010.

Conference Championships Will Be the First Round of any Future Playoff: This is what I've been preaching for years now, and the light was finally seen by two of the old-guard BCS conferences in the biggest move to hit our sport in decades with the aforementioned Great Conference Land Grab of 2010, as the Big 10 and PAC 10 expanded--to the detriment of the Big 12 and possibly the rest of us. Expansion for those two wasn't as big a story as the defection of Nebraska and Colorado from the Big 12 (and the subsequent whoring out of itself by Texas, but that's another story).

Simply enveloping mid-majors like Utah wouldn't have ruffled any feathers, but with BCS conferences being redistricted, a panic almost ensued as the rest of the great powers looked to protect their turf in an attempt to form mega-conferences should the expansion have gone supernova. Wasn't that how World War I erupted? We may never know how close we came to essentially halving the number of BCS conferences into geographically-incorrect Pangea-esque blobs, but I think it's safe to say that expansion for the sake of having the conference championship game and it's requisite share of the limelight was finally realized in one great-big pigskin epiphany.

Perhaps we should consider ourselves lucky that the Big 12 was the only big casualty, and console ourselves that the net gain of only one CCG in FBS was probably worth it. With Texas flirting with any and all suitors in order to preserve itself the lion's share of revenue from the reborn remnants of the conference it more than anyone tore apart, those who believe in karma might see justice in their 5-7 season. Regardless, the Big 12 didn't have time to draft additional teams and it might behoove the big two teams in the Lone Star state to drop their snobbishness and consider allowing some of the old Southwestern conference stragglers and other proven state programs to form the reconstituted Big 12. A playoff might depend on that very scenario. However, the defection of TCU to the Big East says more about the perilous politics of Texas football than just about anything else and we might not want to hold our breath waiting for our Lone Star brethren.

Will our first playoff be a round-robin of strictly conference champions? It's hard to say because there's still such a lack of parity between the BCS conferences in any given year. One conference could have 2-3 teams that are capable of playing for and winning a national title, like the Big 10 last year. Maybe a playoff might grant at-large teams when a conference pares it's participants down to two schools--like the current BCS bowl rules allow. Otherwise, it might not be beyond the realm of possibility to have a conference like the SEC to have three schools in a 8-team playoff.

Polls Ain't Going Anywhere: Face it. Most of the complaints about the BCS are actually complaints about the polls, as the BCS just uses the data the polls provide. We're never going to have a true playoff, won on the field--like in the NFL. With 120 teams and counting, the polls will be around with us forever, to sift through and seed the teams properly, so get used to them. As a matter of fact, every time you complain about a poll, another one is born, to give us more choices and consistency in the results. Learn them, live them, love them. I'd be happy with a dozen polls in the BCS formula, but not stand-alone ones that crown their own champion. It could be like 1973 again.

The BCS is here to stay, too: In a strict interpretation, the BCS has been wildly successful in what it was designed to do--pair the two top-ranked teams in the nation in a bowl game that is essentially a 1-game playoff. Although a future playoff will be a little bit more complicated than the binary BCS code we're currently stuck with, the power of the BCS cannot be ignored and I do not believe it will be scrapped to be replaced by a different governing body. The name-recognition it currently enjoys, for better or for worse, makes it the ideal mechanism to remake itself into a rudimentary playoff when it is time.

The First Playoff We Get Will Be 4-6 Teams:More than likely four, as sufficient time must pass for CFB to grow at a desired pace and not diminish the product by over-doing it. Hey, March-Madness didn't start out at 64 teams, and those who think that the sport of football is ideally suited for a playoff where the national champion has to play and win six games--half the current regular season--are delusional. We'll start with one that has two or three games, possibly with two byes, and we may stick with that for years before expanding to a field of eight. Then we'll be there for decades or forever, whichever comes first. It took over 100 years to get to the forerunner of the BCS. Before that, it was just pot-luck.

The Playoff Must Follow the Money: Money is the lifeblood of any sport, and an eventual FBS playoff system of sufficient size will financially make the basketball tourney look like a booger in comparison. TV revenue will obviously guide the hand of the formation of the playoff and will begin in 2014 when the BCS broadcasting rights will be up for renewal. By then, everything will be on the negotiating table and I think we will finally see college presidents start to open up to the idea of a playoff.

Could we possibly see a move by a bigger player, such as ESPN/ABC, to wrap up the TV contract for a very long time? Raise your hand if you were thankful that the BCS had been moved from Fox and their predominately NFL, clueless-about -college-football crew over to ESPN who makes CFB feel more at home. Naturally, consolidating power in just one network could foster the implementation of an agenda, one that some fans feel is already there with some of the networks, and we'd all have to wonder about what was best for the sport and our conferences, with some whose contracts might rival a new BCS deal. Regardless of which of the major players wind up with the contracts, you can bet that the desire to possibly double-down by adding a playoff will be discussed in earnest.

The Bowls Don't Have to be Part of a Playoff:Except for the last round(s). Initially, it sounds nifty to try and work every no-name bowl to be the sponsor of one round of a mega-tournament, but the logistics of having teams travelling constantly to unfamiliar areas of the country to advance in the playoff just doesn't work for football. It would be like playing 2-4 bowls back-to-back, and would wreck havoc on fans' and schools' wallets, not to mention the players, whom the college presidents would protect from such a fool's errand.

Besides, we have two many loser bowls as it is. This past bowl season, with games swollen with TV revenue and palty attendance, it would be embarrassing for the sport to have the first round of 16 games played in the San Diego County Credit Union or Boise Humanitarian bowls or whatever the name de jeur was. Besides, all the bowls we need are already in place. The Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Rose could serve as venues for the semi-finals, with the rotating plus one for the championship game. The other bowls could operate as usual, with the earlier rounds of the bowls having been provided by conference title games and home football games for higher-seeded teams. Only a possible break-out by a bowl such as the Cotton or maybe the Chick Fil A bowl to ante up enough to qualify as a BCS venue could alter such a proposal.

So there are my continuing thoughts about the present situation and conventional wisdom of our eventual playoff. What are some of yours? How close will any of us be by the time the first one rolls out? I'm pretty sure we'll all still be here when the time comes.

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2010-2011 College Football Bowl Game Television Schedule

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:15:38 -0500

Despite what you may hear from skeptics, there's no better season in all of sports than college football bowl season and the complete television schedule for the bowl games is right here on Fanblogs, brought to you by BangTheBook.com.

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Date/Time/TV	Bowl	Site	Matchup
Saturday Dec. 18 2:00 pm ET ESPN	New Mexico Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Albuquerque, NM University Stadium	BYU vs. UTEP
Saturday Dec. 18 5:30 pm ET ESPN	Roady's Humanitarian Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Boise, ID Bronco Stadium	Northern Illinois vs. Fresno St
Saturday Dec. 18 9:00 pm ET ESPN	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome	Ohio vs. Troy
Tuesday Dec. 21 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Beef O'Brady's Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	St. Petersburg, FL Tropicana Field	Louisville vs. Southern Miss
Wednesday Dec. 22 8:00 pm ET ESPN	MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium	Utah vs. Boise State
Thursday Dec. 23 8:00 pm ET ESPN	San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	San Diego St vs. Navy
Friday Dec. 24 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Honolulu, HI Aloha Stadium	Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Sunday Dec. 26 8:30 pm ET ESPN	Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Detroit, MI Ford Field	Florida Intl vs. Toledo
Monday Dec. 27 5:00 pm ET ESPN	AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Shreveport, LA Independence Stadium	Air Force vs. Georgia Tech
Tuesday Dec. 28 6:30 pm ET ESPN	Champs Sports Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium	West Virginia vs. NC State
Tuesday Dec. 28 10:00 pm ET ESPN	Insight Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium	Missouri vs. Iowa
Wednesday Dec. 29 2:30 pm ET ESPN	Military Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Washington, DC RFK Stadium	East Carolina vs. Maryland
Wednesday Dec. 29 6:00 pm ET ESPN	Texas Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Houston, TX Reliant Stadium	Baylor vs. Illinois
Wednesday Dec. 29 9:15 pm ET ESPN	Valero Alamo Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Antonio, TX Alamodome	Arizona vs. Oklahoma State
Thursday Dec. 30 12:00pm ET ESPN	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Fort Worth, TX Amon G. Carter Stadium	Army vs. SMU
Thursday Dec. 30 3:15 pm ET ESPN	New Era Pinstripe Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	New York, NY Yankee Stadium	Kansas St vs. Syracuse
Thursday Dec. 30 6:30 pm ET ESPN	Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Nashville, TN LP Field	North Carolina vs. Tennesee
Wednesday Dec. 30 10:00 pm ET ESPN	Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	Nebraska vs. Washington
Friday Dec. 31 12:00 pm ET ESPN	Meineke Car Care Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium	South Florida vs. Clemson
Thursday Dec. 31 2:00 pm ET CBS	Brut Sun Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	El Paso, TX Sun Bowl Stadium	Miami vs. Notre Dame
Friday Dec. 31 3:30 pm ET ESPN	AutoZone Liberty Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Memphis, TN Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	UCF vs. Georgia
Thursday Dec. 31 7:30 pm ET ESPN	Chick-fil-A Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome	South Carolina vs. FSU
Saturday Jan. 1 12:00 pm ET ESPNU	TicketCity Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Dallas, TX Cotton BowlStadium	Northwestern vs. Texas Tech
Saturday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ESPN/ABC	Outback Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium	Florida vs. Penn State
Saturday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ESPN/ABC	Capital One Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium	Alabama vs. Michigan State
Saturday Jan. 1 1:30 pm ET ESPN2	Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	Mississippi St vs. Michigan
Saturday Jan. 1 4:30 pm ET ABC	Rose Bowl presented by Citi Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl	TCU vs. Wisconsin
Saturday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET ESPN	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium	Oklahoma vs. Connecticut
Monday Jan. 3 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Orange Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Miami, FL Dolphin Stadium	Virginia Tech vs. Stanford
Tuesday Jan. 4 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Allstate Sugar Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	New Orleans, LA Superdome	Ohio State vs. Arkansas
Thursday Jan. 6 8:00 pm ET ESPN	GoDaddy.com Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Mobile, AL Ladd Peebles Stadium	Middle Tenn St vs. Miami (OH)
Friday Jan. 7 8:00 pm ET FOX	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Arlington, TX Cowboys Stadium	LSU vs. Texas A&M
Saturday Jan. 8 12:00 pm ET ESPN	BBVA Compass Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Birmingham, AL Legion Field	Pitt vs. Kentucky
Saturday Jan. 9 9:00 pm ET ESPN	Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	San Francisco, CA AT&T Park	Nevada vs. Boston College
Monday Jan. 10 8:00 pm ET ESPN	BCS National Championship Game Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks	Glendale, AZ Univ. of Phoenix Stadium	Auburn vs. Oregon

The 2010 college football season will be capped by exciting college football bowl games, including the 2010 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the 2010 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, the 2010 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 2010 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, AZ.

The best college football teams from the major conferences, including the Big10 conference, Big 12 conference, Pac 10 conference, ACC conference, Big East conference, SEC conference, and Mountain West conference will face off in college football bowl games throughout December and into January. If you're looking for updated matchups, odds, insights, betting lines and online wagering for the college football bowl games, please be sure to try BangTheBook.com.

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TCU accepts offer to join Big East

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:16:53 -0500

TCU has scheduled a press conference for this afternoon to announce that it has accepted an offer to join the Big East Conference.

As first reported on AOL Fanhouse, the Horned Frogs will leave the Mountain West to join the Big East in all sports, beginning July 1, 2012. The Frogs first season of Big East football would be the 2012-2013 season.

By some estimates, TCU will be located an average of 1,140 miles from the other Big East football league members.

The move comes amid estimates that the Mountain West will not gain automatic-qualification status in the BCS during the next evaluation window, due in large part to the departures of both BYU and Utah. According to BCS spokesman Bill Hancock, teams that leave a conference take their performance during the evaluation period with them to their new conferences.

In this decade, TCU has been a member of the WAC, Conference USA and MWC.

Additional reports indicate that the Big East has also extended an offer to Villanova to become the conference's tenth football member. The Dallas News reports that Villanova"seems to be dragging its feet about a decision", a move that would bring the school up from the FCS division to FBS. Villanovais currently a member of the Big East in nearly all other conference sports.

If Villanovadoes not join the Big East for football, then the University of Central Florida is expected to receive a formal invitation to join for the 2012-2013 season.

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Big East votes to expand to 10 football members

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:23:38 -0500

And the conference shuffle begins anew.

The sixteen Big East conference presidents agreeing unanimously to expand from eight football members to ten football members.

Yahoo's Matt Hinton breaks down the potential candidates, including TCU, Houston, Memphis, and Central Florida.

Invitations to new members could be extended before this year's season concludes.

My two cents? Expansion is a bold, yet necessary move for the viability of the conference. Is dipping into MWC territory (TCU) the best idea? Probably not, but the Frogs are one of the more attractive schools on the conference's radar, given the school's football legacy, recent success, and potential recruiting exposure. There's no question that TCU would be a positive addition, but I still question whether the geography makes the Frogs a viable option long-term.

It will be interesting to watch this round of musical chairs, particularly with the Big 12 currently with ten members for the 2011 season. Will the Big 12 move to block the Big East, taking TCU or Houston before the Big East can? Will the two conferences petition to permit a championship game for leagues with only ten members? Will there be any Big East casualties among the current membership in order to create a more reasonable geographic split? And what is the trickle down? Will the Big 10 or SEC move again to expand to 16 teams? What will further changes in the WAC/MWC/CUSA mean to bowl contracts/other conferences/FCS teams?

Grab a seat... the music is about to stop again.

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Sunday Quick Hits: Escape and Advance Edition

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:06:58 -0500

A few thoughts and observations from this weekend's first few days. What are yours?

Is LSU a serious contender in the SEC this year? Based on last night's performance alone, I say no. LSU rolled in the 1st Quarter, but that was against a UNC defense that sat almost their entire starting lineup due to NCAA investigations. And -- once again -- LSU showed their paper tiger hallmarks by allowing the Tarheels to storm back at the end, despite missing their top two WRs and top RB. UNC's TJ Yates is a serviceable college QB, but it's hard to forget that he led the 108th rated offense last year. If this depleted UNC squad can rack up 400+ yards against LSU's best defense, then I shudder to think what Alabama is going to do to the Tigers. My early prediction? LSU has a new head coach in 2011.

Michigan has served notice to the Big 10 Conference - they have a new QB and the boy can play! Oh, wait... that was last year, before 4-0 UM crashed back to reality. I don't know what to make of QB Denard Robinson's game yesterday other than to the kid can definitely ball. Season openers in The Big House have been a little dicey lately for Big Blue, but the Wolverines looked salty much of the day against a well-regarded UConn squad. I'm not on the Michigan bandwagon (yet), but RichRod's triple-threat offense looks to be well on its way in Ann Arbor.

For much of the off-season, the Gator Haters have been pounding new Florida QB John Brantley with the nickname "Cantley", as in "can't measure up to Tebow". Brantley's first start as the UF quarterback was... well... memorable. Brantley single-handily made Miami (OH), who won just one game last year, look like Miami (The U). The QB led Urban Meyer's team to just 25 yards of offense through the first three quarters. The final scoreboard would show an unexpectedly close win, but the box score would include eight UF fumbles (almost all of which were snaps or QB exchanges with Brantley) and just 212 yards of total offense. Game balls have to go to the Florida defense and Redhawks mistakes. The Redhawks committed four turnovers of their own or may have knocked off the Gators. I don't know what Meyer is taking for his heart problems, but he better double up on it for what is bound to be a very intese week of practice before South Florida rolls into Gainesville next week.

TCU may not be the #6 team in the country, but I wouldn't want to have to play them. The Frogs played fast in their 30-24 win over #24 Oregon State. Despite losing their #1 rusher last season, TCU rolled up 278 rushing yards against the Beavers, showcasing surprising depth in the backfield. The Frogs ran from nearly every set and doubled up OSU's time-of-possession. QB Andy Dalton had two ridiculous throws that were picked by the Beavers on strong TCU drives, otherwise this game might have been a blowout. The Frogs ran the option with precision and threw the ball deep with effectiveness. Dalton isn't Terrell Pryor, but he is the leader in wins among active college QBs. With their toughest test now behind them, perhaps the biggest challenge for Gary Patterson is keeping the Frogs focused on their second straight BCS appearance.

Note to Oklahoma: Perhaps this trend of playing Utah teams in the season opener is a bad idea. The Utah State Aggies nearly BYU'd the Sooners. But for some gutsy calls by Bob Stoops and some Sooner Magic, this one would have been another opening-day loss. Stoops promised that QB Landry Jones was "night and day" better than last year. I guess I didn't realize how bad Jones was *last year* because the improved Jones still keyed in on his primary receiver every play and went to him - whether he was open, covered, or headed to the mens' room. The defense gave up over 341 yards passing (421 total yards) to Utah State and surrendered eight plays of 20+ yards. OU faces a bigger challenge next week with Heisman-hopeful Christian Ponder and Florida State on the docket. This just in: FSU's offense is better than Utah's State's. Ponder played just two quarters in FSU's win, but had 4 touchdown passes and missed only two completions. FSU must be licking their tomahawk chops, right OU-Ron?

Show of hands: Who thought the days of Ole Miss losing to a FCS opponent were over when Houston Nutt rolled into town? Yeah? Me neither. J-State played with guts and deserved that OT thriller.

I know it was a win over Western Kentucky, but I think Nebraska might have a little something going with new freshman QB Taylor Martinez, a.k.a "T-Magic". T-Magic went 9-of-15 passing for 136 yards and no INTS and showed big speed on seven carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns, including a 46-yard run on the opening drive. It's early in the season, but watch out for the Huskers in the Big 12. If Texas and OU aren't going to play big this year, Nebraska is going to leave the league as defending champs.

Finally, what's going on at Notre Dame? I know it's the first game of the Brian Kelly experience, but the team seemed to be playing all-out for one another. Given Kelly's track record, it shouldn't be surprising, but if BK can harness the talent at UND, watch out. This team won't make the BCS in 2010, but look for the Irish to make a return in 2011 under Kelly.

That's it for me, boys. Whatchya got?

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You ask, college football coaches answer!

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:15:58 -0500

In what may be the last absolute fluff piece of the off-season (hey... I said of the OFF-season!), the Seattle Times completed a survey of 29 FBS coaches to find out what they *really* think.

A few highlights:

Most Admired Coach:
Mack Brown of Texas, followed by Ohio State's Jim Tressel, and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Penn State's Joe Paterno. (What?! No Urban Meyer!)

Least Admired Coach:
Although most politely deferred on this question, USC's Lane Kiffin got the most mentions, followed by Brian Kelly of Notre Dame, Nick Saban of Alabama and Mike Locksley of New Mexico. (What?! No Urban Meyer!)

What does the NCAA need to change?
Playoffs got a few mentions, but I was more than a little surprised to see some others, like adding a fifth year of eligibility, adding more spring practice times, allowing early signing day, and permitting pre-season games.

And finally, the most important question: Where's a good place to eat?

Metropolitan Grill, Seattle
City Hall Steakhouse, Scottsdale, Ariz. (two votes)
Del Frisco's in Dallas (two votes)
Dreamland Barbecue in Tuscaloosa, Ala
The Crab Trap in Fernandina Beach, Fla.
Joe's Stone Crab in Miami
Handsome Harry's in Naples, Fla.
Chicken and More in Spokane
The Precinct in Cincinnati
Pascal's Manale in New Orleans.

Wow. Two of my favorites and even a hometown spot make the list!

OK... now it's your turn... most admired coach, least admired coach, NCAA change, and out-of-town restaurant. GO!

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A Prelude to the National Championship Game?

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:16:17 -0500

The boys from Bristol have given us another great ESPN College Football Gameday commercial. The latest video features Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown squaring off against Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban... in Jenga.

Good stuff.

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Coming soon to the Big 12: BYU?

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:29:54 -0500

In the wake of the rumored announcement that BYU is leaving the Mountain West Conference comes speculation from Salt Lake City that BYU may be trying to line up a Big 12 Conference invitation.

BYU's best-case scenario is for the Big 12 to expand and call the Cougars. But even then, BYU would need the fit to be right (no Sunday play, use of BYU-TV). BYU's mission, the bigger picture demanded by its sponsoring religion, dictates the facilities on campus receive significant usage. The Big 12 is an ESPN conference and it understands the need for a presence in the West since ESPN's WAC is now injured, Colorado is gone, and competitively the Pac-10 might be headed for a renewal with rival Fox.

With only ten confirmed members for 2012, what are the possibilities of BYU joining the Big 12?

While often considered a "small" school, the Cougars would instantly become the third largest member in terms of enrollment behind Texas and Texas A&M, according to Wikipedia. BYU also brings a string of football sellouts to what would be the fourth largest stadium in the Big 12.

BYU also sports world-class broadcast television facilities, which the Big 12 has already indicated its member schools are free to use at their discretion.

BYU definitely has a passionate fan base. It's not nearly the size of, say, the Longhorns fan base, but at one point the Cougars owned five of the ten largest television audiences in ESPN football history. To put it simply, BYU football brings in viewers. And after spending years relegated to the low distribution .mtn network, BYU is looking to bring Cougar football back to the masses.

Adding BYU to the Big 12 would bring the conference to eleven teams, which also opens the door to further conference expansion. By adding the Cougars, the Big 12 would have the perfect opening to pursue TCU or Arkansas. And the addition of the Salt Lake City market would effectively draw a line in the sand against the Pac 10's television plans.

Sound off, guys, should the Big 12 pursue BYU?

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2010 USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:30:18 -0500

2010 2010 USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll

Rank Team (first-place votes) 2009 record Points Final 2009 rank

1. Alabama (55) 14-0 1,469 1
2. Ohio State (4) 11-2 1,392 5
3. Florida 13-1 1,245 3
4. Texas 13-1 1,240 2
5. Boise State 14-0 1,215 4
6. Virginia Tech 10-3 1,052 10
7. TCU 12-1 1,051 6
8. Oklahoma 8-5 1,035 NR
9. Nebraska 10-4 1,001 14
10. Iowa 11-2 952 7
11. Oregon 10-3 940 11
12. Wisconsin 10-3 778 16
13. Miami (Fla.) 9-4 728 19
14. Penn State 11-2 508 8
15. Pittsburgh 10-3 492 15
16. LSU 9-4 476 17
17. Georgia Tech 11-3 455 13
18. North Carolina 8-5 445 NR
19. Arkansas 8-5 438 NR
20. Florida State 7-6 374 NR
21. Georgia 8-5 312 NR
22. Oregon State 8-5 263 NR
23. Auburn 8-5 260 NR
24t. Utah 10-3 169 18
24t. West Virginia 9-4 169 22

Others receiving votes

Cincinnati (12-1) 135; Houston (10-4) 76; Brigham Young (11-2) 66; Arizona (8-5) 65; Mississippi (9-4) 48; Clemson (9-5) 44; Stanford (8-5) 41; Connecticut (8-5) 40; Notre Dame (6-6) 38; South Carolina (7-6) 38; Washington (5-7) 26; Missouri (8-5) 23; Navy (10-4) 12; Oklahoma State (9-4) 11; Boston College (8-5) 10; Michigan State (6-7) 10; Arizona State (4-8) 6; California (8-5) 6; Texas Tech (9-4) 5; South Florida (8-5) 4; Texas A&M (6-7) 3; Northwestern (8-5) 2; Temple (9-4) 2; Central Michigan (12-2) 1; Mississippi State (5-7) 1; Nevada (8-5) 1; Northern Illinois (7-6) 1; Southern Methodist (8-5) 1.

Alabama defends their national championship from last year by starting #1 this year, exactly like Florida did last year. The SEC has six teams in the preseason poll, the ACC has five, the Big 10 has four (not counting Nebraska yet) , the Big 12 has three, the Pac 10 two, and the Big East two.

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SEC Revenue Disbursement: Status Quo or a Texas-Sized Hold-Up?

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:32:15 -0500

Those in the SEC are in the football beniss, and cousin, beniss is booming! With the recently concluded SEC spring meetings, it looks like the total take of the conference in revenue was $209 million last year and pay czar Mike Slive got to dole out $17.42M per school. As you may know, the SEC distributes it's revenue equally per school, which has served it well over the years. The status quo is good, but the recent shakeup in the Big 12 may have repercussions even in stable conferences like the SEC. In FBS, where the move is to close the gap between the haves (BCS teams) and the have nots (mid-majors), a new brand of social injustice for CFB has apparently reared it's head across the land--in the concept of the heavy-hitters of a conference now taking more of the lion's share of the TV money. Oh, if we only had some form of ACORN for college football to right these wrongs.

We all know now that some think Austin seemingly analgous to the Chicken Ranch in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and used fully it's weight to secure an unprecedented share of the upcoming new Big 12 agreement. Although details have yet to be given, many think that the Longhorns pulled out their Peacemakers and held up and robbed the rest of the existing members. But maybe that's what you get when a conference is too top heavy with too few stars. Under the old revenue -sharing agreement, half the money was split equally among the member schools, but the other half was given out based on TV appearances. Seems pretty fair on the surface. There has to be some incentive for the higher-achievers to earn more while protecting the rest of the conference herd. Kind of like college football capitalism--with some social security, disability and a good dental plan thrown in.

So is it pure socialism if the SEC splits their pie in twelve equal shares regardless of merit or achievement? Relax, it's not an apt comparison. Schools join conferences because they have common interests. They're neighbors, and they look out for each other even while they compete. Or at least that's how they used to do it when conferences were still regional entities. But now that the stakes are getting higher, could a change be in the foreseeable future? Well, maybe, but probably not in the next 14 years, which will be when the SEC's $2.25B TV contract with ESPN and the almost $1B contract with CBS run out. But in an age where a contract means little, don't think that the SEC might not have attempted to renegotiate if the conference expanded or contracted. Yes, I said contracted.

If the SEC would have added a couple of teams, especially one from Texas, it's natural to think that TV contracts would suddenly be worth a whole lot more, and any mega contract like those signed by the conference will have provisions for dealing with such contingencies. But what if the conference actually shrunk, and not only that, but shrunk the deadwood from it's roster? Not only would the resulting product be more valuable to the networks--without the affirmative action scheduling of the light-weights, but there would be far fewer mouths to feed. Imagine the $209 earned split among 10 teams, just like the Big 12 just experienced. You'd be looking at a 20% increase for the remaining SEC teams. Cousin, that's BOOM'in!

But who's going to start cutting teams from the SEC? Mike Bianchi over at the Orlando Sentinel recently proposed that, saying that the conference would be better off dropping both Mississippi teams from the conference (but leaving Vanderbilt for GPA-boosting purposes). He argues that no one out side of the Magnolia state would care and it sure wouldn't diminish any TV revenues. Silly Yankees. They move down and live here for years but they'll never understand the culture of the south. We just don't treat our kin that way. And besides, he's obviously never heard the phrase thank God for Mississippi. They may red-shirt Miss Americas, but someone has to be 50th place in just about everything else.

But he does make a good underlying point--that the conference has it's top crust and it's lower half, and save for the occasional superlative season, little changes for the lower tier teams. The top six--Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Auburn--get most of the exposure and glamor, especially in the BCS era. So what good are the lower half, except for ballast? More over, is there a better disbursement system than the current one to reward the higher achieving teams? Certainly a pay plan like the old Big 12 agreement sounds plausible, where half the money gets split evenly among the members and the other half by merit. Could the top half force the bottom half into such a scenario when TV contracts are renegotiated? Would resentment be rampant from just such a forced agreement? What could the bottom six do in protest, secede to form another conference? Certainly wouldn't be unheard of from SEC types. That's kind of been our thing, historically.

Or what about a future farther-fetched scenario: one of two top teams, say Alabama and Florida, enjoy so much success that they become the two-horse team that drive the rest of the league stagecoach. Sounds improbable, given the parity in the conference, but hear me out. Could they one day threaten defection much in the way Texas seemingly did to hold hostage the rest of the conference, to everyone's eventual detriment? I certainly hope not. I don't think that's ingrained in our SEC culture, but after seeing how Texas A&M acted in defiance to Texas's price shopping, even the oldest of rivals may decide to go their separate ways one day, and I don't think that the game could sustain such a blow if many others followed suit.

The money has gotten so large and the power bases have gotten so concentrated that revenue sharing might be the biggest threat to our beloved sport in the next decade or so. Not a playoff. Not conference expansions or defections. Not the Golden-Domed stepchild Notre Dame. But pure old-fashioned greed--of money and power. The last two decades have seen college football transition from past time to being a major industry unto itself. I hope that somehow as our sport continues to grow that we don't forget the simple love of the game that got us this far in the first place.

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Texas staying in Big 12, conference to survive as 10-team league

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:33:27 -0500

It's been a whirlwind day for Texas fans. This morning the Horns were headed to the Pac10, but by late this afternoon, UT declined an offer to join the Pac10 and will instead stay in the Big12.

According to The Dallas Morning News, Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott confirmed that the University of Texas has declined an invitation to join the conference.

In a brief phone conversation, Scott said: "We've been informed by University of Texas president Bill Powers that Texas will stay with the Big 12. We have not received definitive details about this decision."

While a few details still need to be worked out, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has a deal in place to keep the 10 remaining teams in the conference.

Under the new structure, the ten teams will play in a round-robin format, ensuring that each team plays one another in the regular season. The annual championship game that was a hallmark of the founding of the Big 12 will not be played under the new structure.

To boost revenues, the Big 12 will sign a new television agreement (rumored to be with Fox Sports) in 2011 estimated to be worth $14-$17 million per year to most conference teams; however, the conference will continue to split revenues based on appearances, making the deal worth as much as $20 million per year for teams like Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M who's games are broadcast more often.

Schools will also have the discretion to launch their own television networks, an arrangement which could be worth an addition $3-$5 million per year to Texas.

The new league agreement will also include a very, very substantial penalty for any school that splits from the conference.

UPDATE

Texas A&M and Oklahoma have confirmed that they will stay in the Big 12.

The Pac10 has also released an official statement:

“University of Texas President Bill Powers has informed us that the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 Conference intend to stay together. We are excited about the future of the Pac-10 Conference and we will continue to evaluate future expansion opportunities under the guidelines previously set forth by our Presidents and Chancellors.”

Details on this breaking story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Deal in works to save Big 12

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:28:19 -0500

If you've been following the Fanblogs Twitter Account (@fanblogs) this morning, you already be aware that negotiations are ongoing at this moment to salvage the Big 12 Conference.

According to multiple sources, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe has been working behind the scenes to line prospective television deals, if the remaining Big 12 schools (sans Colorado and Nebraska) would remain in the conference.

As first reported on Rivals sister-site Orangebloods.com, Beebe has proposed the following for the ten remaining Big 12 teams:

- A new television contract in 2011 comparable to the SEC's deal, bumping revenues from the $7-$10 million per year to $14-$17 million per year. The numbers would be higher - perhaps as much as $20 million per year - for teams that appear on television more frequently, such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M.

- Each of the ten remaining schools would receive $2 million from the buyout fees being paid to the Big12 by Colorado and Nebraska, with the conference keeping nothing

- The Big 12 would allow individual schools to launch their own television networks, such as the Longhorn Network that Texas has been considering, without sharing revenues with the member schools or the conference

- The Big 12 would introduce a round-robin format, with each school playing one another every year.

- The remaining schools could elect to petition the NCAA to permit a conference championship game with only 10 teams; however, it's widely speculated that - since the Big 12 coaches have never been in favor of a championship game - the conference may forgo the game.

And it appears that "The Beebe Plan" is gaining momentum. While Texas A&M was said to be looking to secure a spot in the SEC, all ten of the remaining Big 12 schools sat down for a conference call this afternoon to review the arrangement. According to Orangebloods, the Texas Longhorns are leading the charge to keep the conference intact.

As they say... stay tuned!

UPDATE

IT'S OFFICIAL: Texas staying in Big12. Press conference @ 11a tomorrow. Pac10 reports UT has declined invite. Longhorns reps have confirmed that Big12 will stay together as 10 teams. © www.fanblogs.com

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