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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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USA Today Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll Out!

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:35:36 -0500

Looks like the coaches are first on the board with the preseason poll hype. Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon and LSU all garnered some first place votes. The defending champion Auburn Tigers come in at 19th. While that position is better than last season's preseason ranking, it is the lowest slot ever for a national champion since the USA Today poll premiered in 1991.

Rank	Team (first-place votes)	2010 record	Points	Final 2010 ranking
1.	Oklahoma (42)	12-2	1,454	6
2.	Alabama (13)	10-3	1,414	11
3.	Oregon (2)	12-1	1,309	3
4.	LSU (2)	11-2	1,296	8t
5.	Florida State	10-4	1,116	16
6.	Stanford	12-1	1,101	4
7.	Boise State	12-1	1,065	7
8.	Oklahoma State	11-2	933	10
9.	Texas A&M	9-4	885	21
10.	Wisconsin	11-2	829	8t
11.	Nebraska	10-4	814	19
12.	South Carolina	9-5	779	22
13.	Virginia Tech	11-3	767	15
14.	Arkansas	10-3	750	12
15.	TCU	13-0	687	2
16.	Ohio State	12-1	631	5
17.	Michigan State	11-2	536	14
18.	Notre Dame	8-5	440	NR
19.	Auburn	14-0	329	1
20.	Mississippi State	9-4	301	17
21.	Missouri	10-3	266	18
22.	Georgia	6-7	260	NR
23.	Florida	8-5	240	NR
24.	Texas	5-7	162	NR
25.	Penn State	7-6	161	NR

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USC Stripped of 2004 BCS National Championship

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:32:11 -0500

With the final appeal by USC against sanctions resulting from the Reggie Bush Incident (RBI) denied by the NCAA on May 27th, the BCS came out today and stripped USC of their 2004 national championship. Duh, some of you might say, this happened over a year ago. Actually, it didn't. After sanctions were handed down last June, USC mounted an appeal of the case, one which took almost a year to complete. Initially, the BCS remained mum on the subject as they were content to allow the appeals process to run it's due course. The AP Poll said that regardless, USC was their champion and that they would not revote. Only the Football Writers Association of America, arguably the 3rd highest ranking MNC selector, opted to immediately vacate USC's crown they had awarded for that year.

"The BCS arrangement crowns a national champion, and the BCS games are showcase events for postseason football," BCS executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement. "One of the best ways of ensuring that they remain so is for us to foster full compliance with NCAA rules. Accordingly, in keeping with the NCAA's recent action, USC's appearances are being vacated.

So where does that leave us now? The BCS has elected to have the 2004 national championship remain as vacant as Detroit real estate, as has the FWAA, and the AP still lists USC as their champ. All of this makes things about as awkward as Father's day at the Schwarzenegger house.

I KNOW I said I'd never bring the subject up again, because my opinion on the matter has been known for many years and many of you think I talk about it ad naseum. But the fact of the matter is this: given the tremendous ambiguity of MNCs in CFB in the past, a national championship in FBS is simply too big a void not to be filled. Who cares about the BCS and the AP? Their are 30 something different selectors in a given year and other teams got some votes. Even Miss America has a runner-up. Why the hell not?

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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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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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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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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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Fanblogs Open Thread: Realignment-ageddon Edition

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:23:46 -0500

With today's official announcement of Colorado to the Pac10 conference and the expected announcement of Nebraska to the Big10 conference (which officially makes it a Big12, don't you think?)... it would seem that the summer realignment-ageddon has officially begun.

Here's a quick what we know, what we can surmise....

- Colorado is officially joining the Pac10. It's unclear as to whether the Pac10 intends to hold at 11 teams, but we should expect the Pac10 to seek to add at least one additional member. For years the argument against expansion centered around the round-robin schedule format and - with 11 schools - that format is officially out the window for college football. Adding one more school would give the conference the option to conduct a CFB championship game in some of the largest television markets in the country. Does the Pac10 stop at 12 (Texas??) or expand further with Big12/MWC/WAC teams???

- The Big10 will have 12 teams with the addition of Nebraska. Will they stand pat at 12 teams or expand to 16 as had been rumored?

- The SEC has said that they will not sit idly by if the Big10 expands. Sports Illustrated has confirmed that the SEC has held discussions with Texas A&M. Is that prelude to further SEC expansion? Who, in addition to the Aggies, are on the SEC radar?

- The ACC & Big East seem to be awfully quiet. Are they targets or could a merger be on the table for the two conferences?

- The MWC will not offer membership to Boise State at this time, setting themselves up to be the home of any Big12 refugees. Is the MWC destined to become a BCS conference by default?

DISCUSS!!!

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Nebraska given ultimatum; Texas legislators pushing Baylor to Pac10

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 03:01:59 -0500

In the ongoing saga of "As the Big 12 Turns", Rivals.com site Orangebloods is reporting that the conference has given Nebraska less than two weeks to decide if it will remain in the Big 12.

According to sources, Nebraska is on the fence as to its future with the conference. The nine schools that are actively working to maintain the current conference, including powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma, are convinced that the league can survive the hypothetical departure of Missouri or Colorado; however, the Huskers are seen as key to the viability of the conference, given the Huskers' stature and marketability.

If these reports are accurate, then kudos to the Big 12 for not standing idly by and being held hostage by a growing list of conference suitors. I'm not exactly sure how you enforce the ultimatum without requiring members to sign a revised agreement with a substantial buyout provision, but perhaps that's what the Big 12 has in mind.

Meanwhile, with rumors of a possible Pac10 offer coming for six of the Big 12's teams, a group of at least 15 Texas legislators are working behind the scenes to ensure that Baylor is among the teams offered membership by the Pac10. Astute fans will recall that a similar move by legislators in the mid-90s that secured a place in the Big 12 for the Bears over TCU, among others.

"If you're going to have an exported commodity involved in this, do you think we're going to allow a school from outside the state of Texas to replace one of our schools in the Big 12 South? I don't think so. We're already at work on this," said a high-ranking member of the Texas Legislature who asked not to be identified.

The Texas legislators point out that Baylor is financial viable and already fields a full compliment of sports, including baseball and softball, something that cannot be said of Colorado.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect to the Pac10 rumors is the revelation that Texas AD DeLoss Dodds is the leading voice for keeping the Big 12 intact.

According to Orangebloods, Texas would have to walk away from considerable revenues resulting from its planned UT television network if the Horns joined the Pac10, given the Pac10's current television plans. And while membership in the SEC would allow UT to launch its network, Dodds does not feel the SEC fits Texas' vision academically or otherwise.

If it's true that Texas is the driving force behind maintaining the Big 12 conference, then it would seem most likely that the Big 12 will be able to survive efforts by the Pac10 and Big 10 to pilfer the league's best teams. As has been discussed before, Texas is the crown jewel in the league financially. While the members may feel that Nebraska is the key to sustainability, it's clear to me that, as Texas goes, so goes the Big 12.

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More Expansion Rumors: Pac-10 to Add Six Big 12 Teams?

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:40:18 -0500

While college football waits seemingly forever for the Big Ten to announce their expansion plans, The Pac-10 might be prepared to steal their thunder and send invitations out to six teams from the Big 12. Chip Brown, a former Texas beat writer for the Dallas Morning News says today on his pay site Orangeblood.com, which is sponsored by Rivals, that the Pac-10 is ready to extend invitations out to Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado as early as this weekend. Yup, that's what's known as rolling thunder.

Brown cites multiple sources on his site, which we can't see currently because of it's subscription status. This new PAC-16 will then split into two divisions, with the new kids on the block joining the Arizona teams to form one division with the remaining PAC squads forming the rest. Such a move would leave both Kansas teams, Iowa State and Baylor out in the cold, assuming you believe that Mizzo and Nebraska have already made up their minds on those alledged invitations to the Big Ten.

With both the Big 12 and SEC schools in spring meetings this week, what else could we expect to see before Sunday? Could we get a quicker confirmation from the Big 12 schools, unlike the secrecy and denials we saw from the Big Ten over their expansion? Will this event be enough for the SEC to impose the Bush Doctrine of CFB and go ahead and announce their expansion plans based on the fear of being up-ended? For you history buffs, this kind of maneuvering and posturing is what led to World War I.

Updates coming early and often!

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SEC expansion list has six teams on it

Sat, 22 May 2010 06:48:27 -0500

As has been mentioned on several occassions by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, the SEC will not stand pat if the Big 10 Conference elects to expand beyond twelve member schools.

"I'm aware of all the interest and all that's being written, but given the success that we have experienced over the past decade, we're comfortable with the position in which we find ourselves," Slive told FLORIDA TODAY on Wednesday. "Now having said that, if there's going to be a significant shift in the conference paradigm, the SEC will be strategic and thoughtful in order to maintain its position as one of the nation's premier conferences. We are watching carefully what's going on and keeping our antenna up and our eyes open as to what's going on around us."

The Wiz, who's antenna is always up, caught this piece that says Slive is doing more than just watching. It's reported that the SEC has held talks with executives from CBS Sports and outlined the conferences plan to target six teams for conference expansion.

According to Hyams, Slive told CBS executives in a recent meeting that the league’s goal would be to keep pace with a 16-team Big Ten by pursuing Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State and Clemson.
If Texas and Texas A&M cannot be lured in, then Miami and Georgia Tech will join Florida State and Clemson on the SEC’s wish list.

The post is based upon the reporting of Jimmy Hyams of WNML-AM 990 in Knoxville. Hyams, who's covered SEC sports for more than 30 years, cites anonymous sources close to CBS. Given Hyams's stature in the broadcast community, I would tend to agree that this story has some legs to it.

In looking at the "plan", the discussion around Texas and Texas A&M wouldn't be shocking to anyone. Texas represents the premiere "get" in the country and the 'Horns won't be permitted to go anywhere by the Texas Legislature unless their take perennial rival with them. The Aggies may be the little brother in the mix, but they're the lynchpin to the entire deal.

The move to bring in Texas would cement the SEC's footprint into two of the country's top ten television markets: Dallas (#5) and Houston (#10). It's unclear to me if the conference would be able to go back to ESPN and ask for more television money right away, but the long-term benefit of adding the two schools would be substantial.

As far as adding Florida State and Clemson, I get the sense that the SEC is merely the SEC keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. The Noles and Tigers add a little more color to the conference, but don't necessarily represent a blockbuster addition in terms of potential revenue. If anything, it would be a move against the ACC to limit the conferences marketability and - in turn - keep more money on the table for the SEC. Ditto for what appears to be the backup plan of pursuing Georgia Tech and Miami.

On the flip side of the equation, I'm not convinced that the SEC would be able to land all four ACC teams, especially given the extra $7.5 million per year that the teams will now be earning from the new ACC television agreement. The ACC teams still earn less than the SEC teams, but it's no longer such a wide margin.

For it's part, the SEC is denying that any meeting has taken place; however, Hyams is standing by his reporting.

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