Big 12 Death Clock Ticking....

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2011/01/19/Texas-ESPN.aspx

Texas is setting itself up to go Independent. When they can get $300 million to televise Texas sporting events and propaganda ($15mil/yr) that might include one football game, it's over.

Some will say that this helps the Big 12...that Texas can have the best of both worlds.

Well, what happens when the Big 12 football schedule lets Texas down in the computer rankings? What if that happens? Not far fetched. Oklahoma is the only other perennial power in that league. Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have flashed at times, but not consistent. A&M has some drawing power too, and I can see Texas bringing them along.

The minute the Big 12 doesn't 'do something' for Texas, it's over...these next five years will tell that tale. I think many, myself included, felt the B12 was at the beginning of the end after it was 'saved' this past June.

IMO, this sort of a texas tv network is the death knell for that league...and if the 'Forgotten Five' thinks its a 'good thing' that Texas has this new revenue stream, they are kidding themselves.

As an Independent, Texas can control who it plays and when it plays them. They can play A&M, Baylor, Rice & Tech to satisfy Texas politicians. Notre Dame & BYU are independents and need dance partners. There is six games. TCU is another Texas school that could play the Lonhorns in the OOC as it will need to bolster its Big East computer rankings...Boise will need the same thing. Then schedule home and homes with two or three teams a year...Ohio State, USC, etc...

The road map is getting drawn up..bet on it.
 
Clownz treading water at best. no one wants them in their league. Mt. West didn't want them, and the Big East never formally offered them this summer either. More billboards are probably the answer.
 
What happens to the leftovers? Is there any chance that they could pull Louisville, Cincy, Houston, TCU, Boise et al into some sort of Midwestern Conference?
 
This would pretty much kill any chance of getting ND into the Big Ten in the foreseeable future.
 
Totally agree with you Jon.

Being the media nut that I am, i'm more curious as to how ESPN is going to distribute the Bevo Network. Will it be a start up channel from scratch or will ESPN filp ESPN Classic into the Bevo Network? IMO, I think the latter makes the most sense as ESPN is allowing cable & satellite providers to move ESPN Classic to digital sports packages and move ESPNU into the basic programming packages.
 
This is probably true. At the very least it makes scheduling a whole lot easier.

Agreed, and perhaps even more importantly, it makes the claim that Independence in big time college football is becoming extinct, entirely inaccurate.

The only thing that can force ND into the Big Ten is either 1.) The complete destruction of the Big East or 2.) A college football playoff/quasi-playoff that puts an emphasis on conference champions in determining the participants.

#1 seems unlikely in the near future, and #2 would be even less likely than it currently is if another major player was there to oppose that system.
 
I should add that I don't think Texas going independent is entirely likely....I kind of disagree with Jon on that point.

Here's the thing: you're Texas. If you go 12-0 and beat Oklahoma, you're probably going to the BCSNCG. If you go independent, you are forced to schedule at least 3 or 4 quality opponents, because if you don't, you're schedule will hurt you worse than it would in the Big 12. In the Big 12, you have no control over a large portion of your schedule, as an independent, you have total control over it.

If this deal goes through, they don't have share their profits with anyone, they get to be in a mediocre conference that they should dominate, and if they have a crappy schedule, they have no one to blame but the Big 12 - they have an excuse, and I think that excuse has some value.
 
Imported Ankle, It was pretty widely reported the Big East was offerring Missouri, ISU, Kansas, KSU & Baylor if the Big 12 dissolved. I think your wrong on that. I don't know if things would be different in the future with TCU in the league or not.
 
I should add that I don't think Texas going independent is entirely likely....I kind of disagree with Jon on that point.

Here's the thing: you're Texas. If you go 12-0 and beat Oklahoma, you're probably going to the BCSNCG. If you go independent, you are forced to schedule at least 3 or 4 quality opponents, because if you don't, you're schedule will hurt you worse than it would in the Big 12. In the Big 12, you have no control over a large portion of your schedule, as an independent, you have total control over it.

If this deal goes through, they don't have share their profits with anyone, they get to be in a mediocre conference that they should dominate, and if they have a crappy schedule, they have no one to blame but the Big 12 - they have an excuse, and I think that excuse has some value.
You are right. They are TEXAS. They can get away with scheduling favorably for them to go undefeated and they, unlike Boise State, have the Texas name to get them up in the polls even while playing lesser opponents. You won't hear very many analyst saying they don't deserve to be there because after all they have the reputation on their side.
 
Disgusting, a big FU to the rest of the league.

Texas reaches 20-year, $300 million deal with ESPN
39 minutes ago


ShareretweetEmailPrintAUSTIN, Texas (AP)—The University of Texas has reached a 20-year, $300 million deal with ESPN for a television network that will broadcast Longhorn sports and other content.

A news conference to formally announce the contract was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. University spokesman Don Hale confirmed the contract details.

The deal includes Texas’ licensing and marketing partner IMG, with more than 80 percent of revenue set to go to the university.

George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports, called the network “a testament to the school’s remarkable, tradition-rich success and widespread, devoted fan base.â€￾
 
https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2011/01/19/Texas-ESPN.aspx

Texas is setting itself up to go Independent. When they can get $300 million to televise Texas sporting events and propaganda ($15mil/yr) that might include one football game, it's over.

Some will say that this helps the Big 12...that Texas can have the best of both worlds.

Well, what happens when the Big 12 football schedule lets Texas down in the computer rankings? What if that happens? Not far fetched. Oklahoma is the only other perennial power in that league. Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech have flashed at times, but not consistent. A&M has some drawing power too, and I can see Texas bringing them along.

The minute the Big 12 doesn't 'do something' for Texas, it's over...these next five years will tell that tale. I think many, myself included, felt the B12 was at the beginning of the end after it was 'saved' this past June.

IMO, this sort of a texas tv network is the death knell for that league...and if the 'Forgotten Five' thinks its a 'good thing' that Texas has this new revenue stream, they are kidding themselves.

As an Independent, Texas can control who it plays and when it plays them. They can play A&M, Baylor, Rice & Tech to satisfy Texas politicians. Notre Dame & BYU are independents and need dance partners. There is six games. TCU is another Texas school that could play the Lonhorns in the OOC as it will need to bolster its Big East computer rankings...Boise will need the same thing. Then schedule home and homes with two or three teams a year...Ohio State, USC, etc...

The road map is getting drawn up..bet on it.

So Texas is going to go independent because the rest of the B12 lets them down, but then they are going to play A&M, Baylor, Rice, Texas Tech, TCU and Boise (who both could easily fall off in the next five years), ND and possibly Ohio St and USC? How is that schedule going to help them? If you're in a BCS conference not named the Big East or ACC all you have to do is win, not worry about your schedule.

I think teams will be much less likely to schedule big name out of conference games in the future. We've been seeing this trend already for several years and with the Pac-12 and Big 12 expanding to nine game schedules (and possibly the B10 to follow) it's going to be harder for Texas to put together a quality schedule as an independent.
 
The funny thing is there is a thread over at CF about this and most of them seem to think it won't hurt ISU, they are correct when they say it doesn't matter if Texas gets another $15 million a year but they don't understand that if they are getting this extra $15 million a year for "non-revenue" sports just imagine what they could get for exclusive rights to televise their football games if they went independent.

That's the big thing they aren't figuring in over there. Once Texas gets another $20 million or so just for football on top of this they are gone, then what will the Big 12 do?
 
I feel much better have reading what you just wrote Jon. When was the last time you were right on a prediction? Have you ever been right on a prediction?

All is now good in Big 12 land! Thanks!
 
I feel much better have reading what you just wrote Jon. When was the last time you were right on a prediction? Have you ever been right on a prediction?

All is now good in Big 12 land! Thanks!

Do you think the Big 12 is around is five years? I don't need a soliloquy, just a simple yes or no will suffice.
 
I feel much better have reading what you just wrote Jon. When was the last time you were right on a prediction? Have you ever been right on a prediction?

All is now good in Big 12 land! Thanks!

Here is an idea for you: Take your head out of the sand and become aware of your surroundings.

What happens to the Big 12 if ESPN comes to Texas and say's we will give you another $20 million a year or $35 million a year to televise all your sports including football?

This is just the first step for ESPN to get exclusive television rights to Texas football and your crazy if you can't see that, you don't give a school this much money to televise baseball and softball and whatever else without having plans for bigger things.
 
The funny thing is there is a thread over at CF about this and most of them seem to think it won't hurt ISU, they are correct when they say it doesn't matter if Texas gets another $15 million a year but they don't understand that if they are getting this extra $15 million a year for "non-revenue" sports just imagine what they could get for exclusive rights to televise their football games if they went independent.

That's the big thing they aren't figuring in over there. Once Texas gets another $20 million or so just for football on top of this they are gone, then what will the Big 12 do?

It's because they try and spin every tidbit of information into benefiting them in some way.
 
Imported Ankle, It was pretty widely reported the Big East was offerring Missouri, ISU, Kansas, KSU & Baylor if the Big 12 dissolved. I think your wrong on that. I don't know if things would be different in the future with TCU in the league or not.

I saw official offers to KU and KSU. I was following pretty closely and didn't see any other official invitations. Obviously there might have been stuff going on that wasn't reported, and I did read 'speculation' that other teams had Big East interest, but I did not read anything saying those others schools had official invites.
 

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