Honestly, the only school that left the Big 12 that I would want back is Colorado. They left because of the chaos not because they thought the grass was greener. A&M, NU, and Mizzou can all **** off.
Watching Mizzou and Nebraska trying to figure out life without Texas recruiting has been quite enjoyable. Nebraska has the brand recognition and appears to be trending in the right direction but Mizzou is now the below average looking cousin at an Alabama wedding.
Yes - our volleyball, wrestling, softball, etc. programs would LOVE something like the Big 10 Network. Christy Johnson for example has mentioned it before...
Colorado can rot...they left for greener pastures only to find the PAC 12 field littered with buffalo chips and a costly TV network. They paid a $6.8M penalty to the Big 12 when they left and have a revenue stream that is more than $5M per year short of any team in the Big 12...and the gap is widening each and every year. Just a quick back of the napkin calculation shows that they are roughly $30M behind Iowa State looking at the past 5 years or so.I agree that the fate of the conference rests with OU and not Texas. But its also not as easy or a money making decision for OU as you make out. Last time I looked OU was still in the top 10 to 12 schools from their media contracts. Add in their tier 3 media rights and they will be making as much if not more than most of the teams in the big 10.
The question is does OU want to possible make a few more millions, but then decrease their chance at making the college football playoffs? The academics at OU are below every school in the Big 10, and they were found out to be giving false data last month, so maybe that increase that they claimed was not really happening. They also have the problem of OSU, will their BOR allow them to move if it endangers the Cowboys in any way.
Led the conference along with Texas or be just another member to Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama and Florida. and make a few million more, but decrease your chance at the playoffs. It would also increase their travel budget in terms of time and money.
Texas, as much as they say, is stuck in the big 12 unless they would like to pull a ND type deal, and go independent. With aTm in the SEC. UT will never stoop to going that conference. Hell, they look down on the Aggies like Iowa does us, and now they are following them to a different conference. ESPN will never allow them to go to the Big 10, they will not give the LHN programing to rival fox. So its the ND path and the ACC or staying put. I will add, in my opinion, UT never was actually planning on going to the PAC, they wanted the threat that they might go to get the LHN. If they try that again, the conference needs to call that bluff.
The Big 12 needs to just relax and wait to see what is happening with the Pac 12, their network is a **** show, and not bringing in anywhere close to the money that was promised. In 3 more years, both Arizona schools might be more than willing to listen to an offer to join the Big 12. If WV wants to leave, then offer Colorado its spot back, but the ACC will never take WV, if they were, then the Mountaineers would be playing there now.
So far your responses are "there are more sports than football" and "you're very wrong" while I give thought out responses which lean towards the idea that we don't need a conference network.I love it when people extrapolate "I don't watch that" into "nobody watches that."
Suffice to say, you're very wrong.
Texas is never letting go of that deal. So it's Big 12 or ACC/Independent through 2031. I dream of a day where we could talk Mizzou into swapping with West Virginia.
I agree with a previous poster we should return to an 8 game schedule in football to get more bowl eligible teams like the SEC does. Use divisions for scheduling purposes, but not determining the championship game. Take the two top teams no matter what.
Do you think TV partners (and I use that term loosely) are going to pay the same money if the BIg 12 were to replace one conference game with a game against a cupcake non-p5 school?
Probably not, but with the new espn+ deal it may be less than initially thought. I think the real question would be about opportunity costs. Would the money we would lose from the tv contracts be more or less than the revenue generated from having 1 or 2 additional bowl games, a much better chance for the playoffs, with a team in the playoffs big 12 teams all get shifted up a bowl game, an additional home game for each team? I don’t know the answer but these would be additional factors to consider.
Honestly, the only school that left the Big 12 that I would want back is Colorado. They left because of the chaos not because they thought the grass was greener.
The P5 teams have figured out the game...you get to pay them lots of money now if you want them to come to your place. And the Big 12 isn't the SEC...the Big 12 will get mercilessly beat over the head for that extra cupcake game come playoff selection time.
The payouts for the lower tier bowls basically cover expenses for the teams to travel to the game.
Honestly, the only school that left the Big 12 that I would want back is Colorado. They left because of the chaos not because they thought the grass was greener. A&M, NU, and Mizzou can all **** off.
Watching Mizzou and Nebraska trying to figure out life without Texas recruiting has been quite enjoyable. Nebraska has the brand recognition and appears to be trending in the right direction but Mizzou is now the below average looking cousin at an Alabama wedding.
.... Bring CU back, pick up Utah, BYU. Let WVU go to the ACC. They belong there with Pitt, UVA and VT. Get Arizona and Arizona State. Have a guaranteed cross division rival....
.
You are right, but for some reason everyone outside of the Big 12 doesnt think so. They all still think they are so stable and the Big 12 has one foot in the grave and our only saving grace is if the Pac saves us. Makes absolutely no sense. I see it as the other way around.
That deal ends and they aren't getting it renewed. So Texas doesn't really get that choice.
But the deal does not run out until 2031, by then this will all be rapped up. What will happen is ESPN will add the LHN into what it already has with the rest of the conference and stream it. Pay UT the same amount, but keeping them in the conference.
https://awfulannouncing.com/league-networks/what-does-the-future-hold-for-longhorn-network.html
Man ESPN made one heck of a bad deal on the LHN. I think it gets folded in the 2024-25 time period with all the other anticipated change. There is no way they continue the same payment for a channel that flopped big time.
Do you think TV partners (and I use that term loosely) are going to pay the same money if the BIg 12 were to replace one conference game with a game against a cupcake non-p5 school?
The next wave of conference realignment will involve teams leaving the Pac12 for the Big12.