ts1227;886699 wrote:It seems to have ballooned from only Baylor to EVERYONE BUT Oklahoma after a Big 12 conference call this evening.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6939017/texas-aggies-accepted-sec-legal-threat-delays-move

Sykotyk;887010 wrote:I could see the Big East (thanks to TCU) jumping in and taking the leftovers (Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State!?) to give them marketshare in the midwest and help with travel out there. Bolsters the football side, and brings in a behemoth in Kansas for basketball.

Earlier this evening, Notre Dame and Texas jointly presented the Big Ten Conference with their proposed terms of entry into the conference. These terms resulted from lengthy discussions among both schools and the Big Ten over the past several months.

The major items include:
1. The preservation of an eight game (plus championship) conference football schedule. Both ND and Texas wish to preserve rivalries with non-Big Ten universities on a regular basis. This would require the Big Ten to abandon its current plans of a 9 game conference schedule.
2. The staggering of the schedule to allow for mid-season scheduling with non-conference football opponents.
3. The preservation of the status quo conference makeup until approximately 2014, unless the Big XII fails to retain key (NOT including A&M) conference members. This will provide the member schools, acting in unison, with the greatest leverage negotiating ongoing television contracts, particularly with ESPN.
4. Should Texas depart the conference for the Big Ten before ND due to the further disintegration of the Big XII, ND will remain independent until approximately 2014
5. The Longhorn Network would remain independent until approximately 2014, at which point the network would become a part of an expanded Big Ten Network (specifically referred to as "BTN2"), likely either in partnership with Fox, NBC, or less likely ABC

The Big Ten just wrapped up a meeting to initially consider all of the terms presented by the schools, including the aforementioned.

Notably, there is a general discontent with the reporting of the situation by ESPN with specific regard to Texas. ESPN has, for self-serving purposes, drastically exaggerated the lean of Texas to the Pac12 conference in nearly all commentary. ESPN has essentially waged a propaganda campaign to drive support among the Texas stakeholders to the Pac12 conference. ESPN has gone so far as to attempt to accelerate the disintegration of the Big XII to pressure Texas into making an immediate conference change decision. Texas has steadfastly resisted change, and will do so until the appropriate time occurs for Texas to stand in a strong position to renegotiate television contracts, including with ESPN.

In reality, the preference expressed by Texas' relevant leadership is to depart the Big XII for the Big Ten at the time that gives Texas the greatest leverage in negotiating a new television rights deal. The Big Ten and Texas agreed that Texas should do what is best for Texas, which they also both agree is a move by Texas to join the Big Ten Conference. Delaney's top priority has been to create an environment for Texas and Notre Dame to join the conference on mutually benefical terms.

Notre Dame has an interest in preserving its traditional rivalries, three of which occur already in the Big Ten, and creating a new national rivalry with a traditional powerhouse. The Big Ten believes that ND prefers independence, but realizes that it will soon have no choice but to join a conference. The Big Ten also believes that ND is trying to position itself so that if it must join a conference, it does so on the most favorable terms possible. Hence the return to the 8 game schedule and a protected game with national power Texas. The Big Ten will attempt to create a mutually beneficial environment for ND that allows it to preserve a great deal of independence to retain all its traditional rivalries within the conference context.

The initial mood at the Big Ten to the terms provided by the two schools is "receptive." This post was edited on 9/8 2:20 AM by PURPLE Book Cat

Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) tweeted this...

Quote:

Talked to someone well connected who said Texas-Big Ten talks are legit

gorocks99;887327 wrote: but if we're going to super conferences, may as well has the cream of the crop.

gorocks99;887327 wrote:Wow. Texas and ND? Big time in terms of exposure, not sure I like it as a "traditional" B1G fan but if we're going to super conferences, may as well has the cream of the crop.

ts1227;887336 wrote:There was also a story on one of the Rivals sites that the remaining 9 Big 12 schools were hammering out a deal that would go to equal revenue sharing in order to keep everyone from bailing (and then A&M could go on their way). So much shit out there right now.

If the Big Ten one is true, they need to completely kill the Longhorn Network, otherwise there will be tons of BTN channels if all of the other schools followed Texas' proposed lead to have their own school heavy subchannel, and that would be retarded. If a second channel is needed to cover all schools fairly once there are 14+ schools, that's a little different.

LJ;887429 wrote:There are already 3 BTN channels

ts1227;887448 wrote:Those are just overflow game feeds, correct?

sleeper;887354 wrote:I'd take both. ND for the money and history, and Texas for a program that's top 10 annually.

That would also give the Big Ten the top 5 winningest programs of all time and 6 of the top 7. People would still think the SEC is "better" because otherwise no one would live in the south.

BBaptistHoops Bob Baptist



RT @FootballBYU: BYU will accept Big 12 offer pending OU signs intent to stay contract... Could be announced as early as Saturday

enigmaax;887581 wrote:That would also give the Bee One Gee one more team that has lost to the SEC in a recent national title game, you know, amongst the unprecedented 5 consecutive titles won by the conference. Heck, even by cherry-picking all these top historical programs there won't be a period of five straight titles for current B1G teams. You know what would do the trick, though? Adding Texas A&M along with Notre Dame and Texas - that'd give the current B1G five straight titles from 1939-1944.

ts1227;887694 wrote:Texas and Texas Tech saying they won't sue if A&M leaves now too, to go along with Oklahoma saying it before. Slowly scaling back to making Baylor look like the asshole again.

krambman;887695 wrote:The B1G adding Notre Dame and Texas is about as idea as expanding to 14 teams could get. Would be a major win if they pull that off.

sleeper;887629 wrote:And how many more titles would the B1G have with the addition of ND and Texas?

They already have more titles as a conference, enjoy your lucky streak, but any credible football historian knows the B1G 10 is heads and shoulders against the SEC.

krambman;887697 wrote:Kansas State has also declined comment on whether or not they would waive their right to sue.


To answer the question I asked earlier, the Big XII conference waived their right to sue collectively, but that has no bearing on the individual institution's right to sue.