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Mondays In the Humidor | Barking Carnival
Realignment Update
We talked to the Big Cigar about the situation here and nothing has happened as of now that has soured him on the information he’s passed along. He reported that the penalty to withdraw for A&M would be between $20-$40 million, and reports are out there now indicating that the number is $28 million and would be paid in withdrawn TV revenue. Check. He reported that the going would get a lot easier for the Aggies once Texas placated Baylor’s litigious appetite with some assurances behind the scenes. All’s quiet on the lawsuit front after some furious bluster earlier in the month from our friends in Waco. Check. The drop dead date for the Aggies to leave without incurring further penalties was September 1st. We hear that’s a check as of yesterday.
So far the report has been eerily accurate despite what you may hear from other sources. The only hole in the information seems to be Notre Dame and BYU joining or affiliating with the conference in some form but don’t be fooled by preliminary reports. BYU and ND are still very much in play.
We’ve heard the only problem for both schools aligning with the Big 12 is the other sports scenarios in the short run. ND is kicking around the idea of coming as a football only affiliate and leaving basketball in the Big East. This creates a problem for the Big 12 because BYU wants to honor its other sport commitment to WCC for the next three years, leaving the Big 12 in lurch as far as hoops goes in the short term because they’ll be one team short. If there’s a Big East implosion, then all of these issues become moot because Texas, UND, and OU will just start picking the like-minded crème de la crème programs around the country, but that won’t happen this year.
In fact, none of this is going to happen overnight so ignore the AD’s and talking heads for now. BYU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas are VERY much in this together and have been contingency planning for over a year. Stay tuned.
