Game Theory

[HawkeyesWin]

The Non-Tx B12 schools have figured out that Texas is a lot like the prettiest girl in school. Everyone wants to spend time with her, but she is high maintenance.

Texas isn't going to get to be a bigger fish than everyone else in the B10 and P10. The B10 and P10 have learned from the B12 mistake. The end game for Tx right now isn't jumping to another conference, the end game is sucking as much as they can out the the conference they are in.

Texas's perceived risk of leaving has yeilded home field advantage in the B12 championship game and a TEXAS network without having to share the revenue with the other schools. Most importantly, Texas gets to be TEXAS in the B12. The B10 and P10 are largely conferences of equals and won't let Texas be TEXAS like the B12.

The best course of action for the B10 is to expand without Texas, using the spector of adding Texas as leverage. Similar to John Nash in a "Beautiful Mind" if the B10 leaves the prettiest girl to someone else and goes after 5 almost as pretty girls instead it will be much better off.

 

[CAARHawk]

I have been thinking about game theory and this whole thing as well.

If the Big Ten and Pac Ten see themselves as competitors, then each will try to get as much as possible while trying to stop the other from gaining an advantage.

However, if they view each other as collaborators, then they will try to work in tandem to both benefit as much as possible.

My take has been that Fox is trying to work the collaboration angle without it trying to look like collusion.