*****The Super, Mega, Huge Big 12 Expansion Thread*****

[benjay]

That source doubted Texas was going anywhere. That source also doubted that Oklahoma would go anywhere without Texas.

Sources said Texas officials told them last year the Longhorns were reluctant to go to the Pac-12 because they would lose a lot of the power they enjoy in the Big 12. The sources said Texas feared being out-voted and muscled in the Pac-12 by the power brokers in that conference - the original Pac-8 (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State).

But Texas' move to the Pac-12 would also be difficult because of the legislative heat the Longhorns would likely face. Legislative sources said Friday night that part of the reason Texas A&M was allowed to withdraw from the Big 12 was because of assurances from the rest of the Big 12 that the league would survive.

Now that it appears the Big 12 is in serious jeopardy, lawmakers will not be so passive, sources said.

Two Big 12 sources said if Oklahoma and Texas are preparing to lead a charge to the Pac-12 there would almost certainly be a tortious interference lawsuit filed against the Southeastern Conference. That's if Texas A&M indeed submits its application for membership to the SEC next Tuesday or Wednesday as expected, according to sources.

"Texas A&M leaving has started this whole thing," one source said. "There is a big-time lawsuit here."

The potential of such legal action and the real possibility the Big 12 could collapse prompted another Big 12 source to wonder if the SEC would now hesitate to accept Texas A&M, considering the fallout that could befall the Big 12.

There's a little bit of hope here. Reminds me of last year.

 

[QBUMizzou]

Texas president Bill Powers, Oklahoma president David Boren and Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin were excluded from the call, sources said. But Beebe advised the other presidents in the Big 12 to "work on Texas" to get the Longhorns to stay in the Big 12, sources said.

Really? What a load of horse manure. Work on Texas? Get real, this is such a stupid, stupid tactic. Why didn't Beebe ask the other presidents of the Big 12 to work on Nebraska or Colorado last year? Pinkel said it best. The real problem with the Big 12 has been a lack of any leadership from Beebe. This conference is a one trick pony named TU.

It's Beebe's belief that if Texas refuses to go to the Pac-12 that Oklahoma would not get a bid from the Pac-12, sources said. But another source close to the situation said if Oklahoma and Oklahoma State indicated to the Pac-12 that they wanted to be a part of that league, they would be admitted.

Hilarious. He thought the whole world revolved around Texas, and is finding out it doesn't. Oklahoma is powerful enough to make its own way in conference realignment. Bout freakin' time they prove it. Does he really think Larry Scott is going to say no to Oklahoma? Really? Seriously? What an absolute moron!

Beebe released a statement to Orangebloods.com Friday night that said, "We continue to work hard for the long-term stability of the Big 12 Conference."

Newsflash. It's not that the Big 12 is in danger of imploding, it ALREADY HAS. This conference is over. Finished. DOA. I take no joy in saying so, but I do want this crap to end. We can't even fully enjoy football because of all of the uncertainty.

When I texted a key source close to Texas Friday night if the Longhorns were preparing to head to the Pac-12 with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, the source texted back, "Leaning that way." The source later said there was a "50 to 60 percent" chance those schools would end up in the Pac-12.

Any move by Texas to the Pac-12 would not be an easy one. First, there is the issue of the Longhorn Network. No schools in the Pac-12 are allowed to have their own network. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has set up a series of regional networks that partner two schools together to share revenue from third-tier rights with each other and with the Pac-12.

So Texas' Longhorn Network, which launched on Aug. 26 and still can't even be seen by most of the Lone Star State, would likely have to be turned into one of the Pac-12's regional networks (and most likely partner with Texas Tech).

And that would mean Texas basically tearing up the 20-year, $300 million deal it just inked with ESPN and giving up its riches.

An industry source with direct knowledge of the Longhorn Network said turning LHN into a regional network in the Pac-12 would be "very difficult." When I asked if it was impossible, the source said, "After last year, I don't subscribe to that word anymore."

That source doubted Texas was going anywhere. That source also doubted that Oklahoma would go anywhere without Texas.

Very presumptuous.

Sources said Texas officials told them last year the Longhorns were reluctant to go to the Pac-12 because they would lose a lot of the power they enjoy in the Big 12. The sources said Texas feared being out-voted and muscled in the Pac-12 by the power brokers in that conference ? the original Pac-8 (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State).

This is the only truthful part of the article.

But Texas' move to the Pac-12 would also be difficult because of the legislative heat the Longhorns would likely face. Legislative sources said Friday night that part of the reason Texas A&M was allowed to withdraw from the Big 12 was because of assurances from the rest of the Big 12 that the league would survive.

Now that it appears the Big 12 is in serious jeopardy, lawmakers will not be so passive, sources said.

Two Big 12 sources said if Oklahoma and Texas are preparing to lead a charge to the Pac-12 there would almost certainly be a tortious interference lawsuit filed against the Southeastern Conference. That's if Texas A&M indeed submits its application for membership to the SEC next Tuesday or Wednesday as expected, according to sources.

"Texas A&M leaving has started this whole thing," one source said. "There is a big-time lawsuit here."

The potential of such legal action and the real possibility the Big 12 could collapse prompted another Big 12 source to wonder if the SEC would now hesitate to accept Texas A&M, considering the fallout that could befall the Big 12.

And this is the real purpose of this article. It's a threat. It's what Texas does best. It threatens to leave, and flirts with other conferences, but gets all ferklempt if anyone else does. Read this last part as "We are Texas, and we can stop your move to the SEC if we want to A&M. We can stop you from going to the Pac 12, Oklahoma.

How can we do that? By flirting with those conferences and saying "we will never come to your conference if you take one of our *&^&(*^ (female dogs). That's what they pulled on Mizzou (Big Ten) last year. That's what they pulled on the other Pac 12 contenders last year. And that's what they're pulling on A&M and Oklahoma this year.

 

[Rickybaby]

Man, that orangebloods report.. if Beebe is meeting without OU\UT (and A&M, obviously), things certainly don't look good.

I have a new hate for UT, OU, and A&M tonight.

I think your anger is misplaced. The blame for this rests solely on UT. I don't really blame TAMU and most certainly don't blame OU; they are just looking out for themselves and we would be doing the same thing if we were in their shoes. We are not.

As for TAMU imagine the following scenario: Iowa and Iowa State are in the same conference. Iowa gets their own network and millions of dollars more than us. Every year, for years to come. Their network not only blankets the state, it is in every home within 800 miles of us. Try recruiting against that.

The the real culprit here is UT and their refusal to treat the rest of the B12 as equal partners.

QBU: We posted at exactly the same time and essentially came to the same conclusion: UT arrogance is the cause of all of this.

 

[gwoodclone]

I'm trying to remain optimistic. Last season we seemed even closer to seeing the Big 12 fall apart and 5 south teams + Colorado jumping to the Pac10, but the conference managed to hold together.

If we do lose four more teams to the Pac12 and 4 16 team conferences happen, I doubt they last more than ten years or so. Sure, they'll be making more money. But many of the current football elite will be stuck with year after year of middle-of-the-pack finishes in their new conferences and will get restless. Their fans will get angry and start to lose interest, and it will just be a matter of time before the egos that created the superconferences blow them up.

It would seem like it's in Texas's best interests to see the Big 12 survive, and they have the power to hold the conference together. However, we've seen that universities don't always act rationally or in their best interests (aTm), so who knows. As of now, I'll believe the Big 12 is done only when Texas announces that they are leaving.

 

[cyatheart]

Baylor AD saying now b12 conf expansion on hold till OU decides.

 

[snowcraig2.0]

I even mean a couple days ago when we thought BYU was in.

 

[CycloneNC2015]

Pollard and the other forgotten five ADs played with fire (Texas) and got burned.

UNI you are one of the few that has been with me on this from the beginning. The forgotten 5 were drunk on haterade when NU snuffed out the Whorns last year. Anyone who didnt see this coming, i feel sorry for you.

 

[CycloneNC2015]

Just a few months ago we were celebrating a seemingly unified conference with great new 2nd tier tv deals and re-written revenue sharing (towards more equality), with promises for more money coming with the tier 1 deal in 2015.

Oh......you actually bought into that garbage? Ouch.....i was being sarcastic in my response. Once NU and CU left you pretty much could see the writing on the wall especially with Missery being so vocal about wanting to leave.

 

[ShopTalk]

Breaking news from Chip Brownstain at brownstainscoop.com: The first one to crap his pants loses!

 

[Rogue52]

Geoffrey is likely a bigger player than Pollard right now as was the case Summer 2010.

 

[CarrollCyclone]

From the Orangebloods.com article:

Sources said Texas officials told them last year the Longhorns were reluctant to go to the Pac-12 because they would lose a lot of the power they enjoy in the Big 12. The sources said Texas feared being out-voted and muscled in the Pac-12 by the power brokers in that conference - the original Pac-8 (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State).

That's the definition of how Texas plays right there. Texas was afraid to go to the Pac-12 because they would lose all of their power. If they can't control a league, they want no part of it. They threatened to leave before they even joined the Big 12 in 1994 to change Big 8 rules, they flirted last year with the Pac-12 to get traction for the LHN.

Everyone outside of of the "great state of Texas" can see that for all that the Longhorns bring to the table, it probably isn't worth the cancer they are to a league.

 

[dahliaclone]

that wasn't Gottlieb that said that tweet....someone was saying that to him. he's still a dbag though

 

[alarson]

Geoffrey is likely a bigger player than Pollard right now as was the case Summer 2010.

Yep.

Speaking of... what a wonderful time to be hunting for a replacement.

 

[QBUMizzou]

Serious question.

Do you guys think OU's announcement stemmed from an inability to find any willing expansion candidates for the Big 12?

Also, why would any program want to join this mess? BYU wanted assurances from OU and Texas before coming. FAIL

 

[QBUMizzou]

From the Orangebloods.com article:



That's the definition of how Texas plays right there. Texas was afraid to go to the Pac-12 because they would lose all of their power. If they can't control a league, they want no part of it. They threatened to leave before they even joined the Big 12 in 1994 to change Big 8 rules, they flirted last year with the Pac-12 to get traction for the LHN.

Everyone outside of of the "great state of Texas" can see that for all that the Longhorns bring to the table, it probably isn't worth the cancer they are to a league.

Exactly. The truth is coming to the surface now.

 

[UNIGuy4Cy]

What Pinkel said today was only the voice of reason and what the other 9 schools have thought forever. I applaud him for manning up and just saying what every one else is thinking. Texas is just going to sit back and count cash and point to NU and A&M and say it was their fault. You know what **** you Texas. Cant wait until you finish off the Pac 16.

 

[alarson]

Exactly. The truth is coming to the surface now.

Now that i think of it... Remind me what that tigerboard poster you were talking about said the other day.. 'mondo' i think it was.

Still holding accurate or no?

 

[Rogue52]

Serious question.

Do you guys think OU's announcement stemmed from an inability to find any willing expansion candidates for the Big 12?

Also, why would any program want to join this mess? BYU wanted assurances from OU and Texas before coming. FAIL

We've gone from "move aggressively on expansion" to every school for themselves in about 48 hours.

 

[shawn_200m]

I can't wait for October 1 and October 22 in JTS...we had better make life hell for TX and ATM, give them something to remember us by.

 

[UNIGuy4Cy]

We just need to hope that invite is still open to the Big East. IcSyU said a source from ad believes it is a 30% drop in revenue. I will take that over the MW. Beer sales can curve the difference.