psychomatt

June 15th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^

Short term, TX, A&M and OK came out great. If the rumors are accurate, the $20 million in penalties owed by CO and NE are being split among those three schools alone. But you are correct, each time the other B12 schools give in to TX they cede more and more power. If I were A&M and OK, I would be in discussions with the SEC to move east as soon as they can pull it off politically. The B12 is a dead conference walking; even A&M and OK must see this.

Long-term, TX has destroyed the B12 and burned alot of bridges. In doing so they have hurt themselves, because the best option for them probably would have been to keep the existing B12 together (including CO and NE) and start their own TX network. That option is no longer available.

ats

June 15th, 2010 at 7:34 PM ^

You are assuming that they both owe penalties which I'm not sure is a valid assumption to make given the going ons within the conference.  At a minimum, I expect we'll see a lawsuit from both Colorado and Nebraska asking for the penalty to be reduced to rejected outright. 

psychomatt

June 15th, 2010 at 8:38 PM ^

I would be extremely surprised if both CO and NE do not try to fight the penalties and, in fact, all of the parties settle for something less. But I am not sure why you would think they both would not owe penalties. The B12 charter or membership agreement purportedly requires that any team that leaves the conference must forgoe or repay 50%-100% of its annual payout (not sure which year they use) depending on how much notice they provide. And from what I have read, both CO and NE are in the $8-10 million range per year. There is a provision that allows the conference to be dissolved, thereby avoiding penalties, but nine schools must vote to trigger that provision. NE is leaving a year earlier than CO, so maybe NE falls under the 100% rule and CO falls under the 50% rule, but they both have announced they are leaving and presumably will sign contracts with their new conferences and provide formal notice to the B12 of their planned departures. Technically, they both should owe penalties.

With regard to fighting the penalties, it will be interesting to see how firm a stance the B12 and TX take and if this actually goes to court. Through the discovery process, CO and NE would have access to all sorts of B!2 and TX emails and other correspondence and even would have the ability to depose their key officials and advisors. The B12 and TX might not want to open the books to that extent and reveal exactly how everything went down.

ats

June 16th, 2010 at 4:16 AM ^

The interesting legal angles involve on what exactly was said/written regarding the ultimatum that was given to Nebraska along with any information that was withheld.  Basically, it can certainly be argued that the B12 doesn't have clean hands and/or told Nebraska to leave.

Don

June 15th, 2010 at 7:14 PM ^

A&M and OK may think they're up there with TX, but the Longhorns would bugger them in a heartbeat if they so desired.

psychomatt

June 15th, 2010 at 7:27 PM ^

TX has used the threat that it would take its marbles and go home to get its way since the beginning of the B12. Having so destroyed the conference, I doubt it could survive the departure of OK, A&M or possibly even MO. TX could suddenly find themselves scrambling to find a new home for all of their non-revenue sports should even one of these schools get offered a better deal from another conference (MO to the P10 along with CO anyone?).

Don

June 15th, 2010 at 7:36 PM ^

I think Mizzou would be a great addition to the B10 if they were paired with ND. I can't seem them moving to the Pac 10, though. I think they're screwed until/if they move to the B10.

psychomatt

June 15th, 2010 at 9:09 PM ^

Is there really much difference among the three? The P10 took CO and supposedly is considering Utah. MO has been better in both Fball and Hoops than CO over the past 10 years and has better media markets than Utah. MO also is respectable in baseball, a sport which is popular in P10 (CO has no baseball team). The obvious negative to MO is the distance.

The P10's smartest move might be to stick at 11 and petition the NCAA for a waiver so they can hold a championship game. After all the craziness and fear of megaconferences devouring the world, the NCAA just might feel some pressure to grant that waiver. But if the P10 has to go to 12, MO is as good (mediocre?) as anyone else I see on their list. It also comes with the added benefit of forcing the B12 and TX to scramble to try to find a replacement. Payback is a bitch.

MH20

June 15th, 2010 at 7:37 PM ^

I don't see MU getting an invite to the Pac-10...I don't see what the school offers to the conference other than being a warm body.  Just like I doubt the Tigers end up going to the B10 alone, because again, it would be adding a team just to add someone.  I think NU (or UN-L or whatever) is a good enough addition on its own.

Of course if ND decides they want in then all bets are off and mass hysteria could develop again.

psychomatt

June 16th, 2010 at 3:15 AM ^

I sort of agree that MO would be mosty a warm body, but so is CO and so would be Utah. They each have their pros and cons, but none are "must haves". The most compelling thing about CO is the Denver market. Similarly, MO brings St. Louis and Kansas City. Maybe CO is "hippier" or they smoke more weed or something that makes them the best cultural fit of the three, but I am not sure what the argument is that makes Utah superior to MO.

FGB

June 15th, 2010 at 7:43 PM ^

swing 'round on the Longhorns, but realistically I just don't think it will. When the Big Twelve goes to dust this time next year or two years from now, UT will probably have a nascent but sustainable TV network to cart with it to its new conference, along with the special revenue sharing a school-specific network will require. You'd hope that the other conferences would look at that network and at the manner in which UT conducts negotiations and say "sorry, seat's taken" but you know one of these conferences will look past all that to the seemingly ideal athletic school, and give in to them and their network.

I can only hope it'll be the SEC, and 10 years from now Florida will go toe to toe with Texas for uber-athletic department supremacy and the entire conference will implode.

coldnjl

June 15th, 2010 at 7:57 PM ^

I buy it...It explains how Chris Brown knew things that under no situation he should know. I also was suprised by the lack of possitioning by the B10 and SEC. Both were very quite. And no, i don't believe the Northwestern board poster at all

psychomatt

June 15th, 2010 at 9:01 PM ^

Not sure I buy the whole thing (I think this was a big bluff by TX and it backfired when B10 offered NE on an expedited timetable and NE accepted), but I agree Chris Brown had spot on information repeatedly and the most likely source of that information is TX. Whether this is exactly how TX wanted things to go down or it somewhat backfired, TX was clearly playing everyone against each other and very possibly never intended to go to the P10 all along.

ChicagoB1GRed

June 15th, 2010 at 7:58 PM ^

...was like the guest you invite for dinner, but decides to move into your house, take over the master bedroom and the keys to your car, grabs your credit cards and bank accounts and forces you to live in a double wide in the valley.

As soon as the 'Horns discovered there wasn't going to be enough room in the Pac 10 for their massive egos, the marriage was off

ameed

June 15th, 2010 at 9:34 PM ^

The article/theory also fails to point out that Nebraska will make more money and be on equal footing in the best conference in America, instead of getting a raw deal with Sinbad:

SINBAD

BlueinLansing

June 15th, 2010 at 11:51 PM ^

highlites why the northern 'old Big 8' schools were so fed up with the politics of the Texas schools and  their influence over conference decisions.  Colorado couldn't bolt quick enough and jumped at the first chance.

 

Within 5 years we'll be revisiting this again and the Big 12 (with only 10) will be on the verge of imploding again.

 

I wish Texas would go to the SEC, then maybe the SEC would understand what its like to hear someone saw over and over how awesome their team is when they really aren't.

 

Maybe just maybe the SEC will say 'jeez we've been real dicks haven't we'