I find all of this reorganization and cryptic responses fascinating.
Oklahoma/okie state were certain all they had to do was apply to the Pac-12 and they would be instantly invited. Oooops, the Pac-12 doesn't want them, UNLESS Texas goes along for the ride. But Texas wants to keep its LHN if they go to another conference. The problem is that the rest of the conferences have seen what giving special favors to one or more teams does to a conference, thus, if Texas wants to join a conference they have to become "just another member" and Texas can't do that.
The really funny part is that the rest of the teams in the Pac-12 have NO power to do anything about what Texas and Oklahoma want to do, they signed those rights away when the schools voted for uneven income. Then there are the perennial bottom feeders of the Pac-12 who have NO say and who HAVE to do whatever Texas and Oklahoma want them to do. They know if the conference breaks up the future is not very bright.
Then there is the Big East, who continues to lose its better teams to the ACC. The replacements are slim to none. Even if the Big 12 implodes, the teams leftover are certainly not marquee names by any means. If the Big 12 leftovers joined the Big East leftovers, the new conference should be named, "The leftover conference," composed of teams no other conference wants.
Now all the teams in both conferences say they are "committed" to their league, UNTIL those teams that can jump for a better opportunity that comes along to join a more stable conference and earn more money. West Virginia for instance will jump to the SEC at the first opportunity they get. UConn and Rutgers will jump to the ACC or Big 10 (if invited) at the first opportunity.
AND Texas, with their heads in the clouds, thinks they control college football and that conferences will either do what THEY want the conference to do, or THEY won't join. The problem is that the stable conferences are not about to invite Texas on Texas' terms. They will join under the conferences terms or they simply will not be invited. Same with Notre Dame.
The only conference that needs Texas is the Big-12 and Texas knows it can do whatever it wants in that conference and all the rest of the conference ADs are just bobbin heads saying yes to whatever Texas demands.
NOW even Oklahoma has to be subservient to Texas and its demands...for the time being, until a conference decides it wants Oklahoma--perhaps the SEC to complete its 14 team conference. The problem is that Okie St is tied to Oklahoma's leg like a wart on a hand, so wherever Oklahoma goes, Okie State has to tag along. No BCS conference is going to invite JUST okie st. The SEC is not going to invite both Oklahoma and okie state unless Texas comes along to even the package...However, they would invite just Oklahoma if they could...So Oklahoma is NOW tied to Texas' leg and Texas can tell Oklahoma what to do, just like they do the rest of the conference.
So Texas needs the Big 12 as much as the Big 12 needs Texas. Why, because Texas has no where else to go unless they decide to just become another member with all teams sharing equally. Ahhh, but some say, Texas will go independent. Will they really? What happens to the rest of their sports, especially baseball, basketball, and women's bb? Where to they go? Certainly not the Big 12...well the way the Big 12 works, maybe they would. In reality, where would these teams go...CUSA and become irrelevant in those sports compared to the rest of the major conferences?
And poor little Isu and Jamie Pollard (the biggest bobbin head of all ADs)...well, they accept whatever Texas and Oklahoma tell them to do. Oh, they might complain and act like they are an equal partner but they know they are one of the most irrelevant schools in the country and especially in the Big 12 and they simply have little to no say about what happens.
