http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/texasam/7129321.html

Further proving this conference is doomed within the next 5 years, you have one of the schools on the higher paying side of the agreement pissed.

Since Beebe has only orally promised the $20 million, and not really backed it up, A&M is growing skeptical and is saying if it doesn't happen they will sue, and probably run off to the SEC. Beebe came out and said again it will happen, but it was also just his vague, open ended promise that he has been giving all along.

There was an interesting thing in there that out of the 3 schools getting the bigger cuts (OU, UT, TAMU), than A&M was the only one that insisted on it. I think that's more of UT and OU knowing that they didn't have to say anything, it was implied that Beebe and the other schools had to basically kiss their asses to make it work. That vote was simply to save face and not make them (namely UT) look like bullies.

The Big East was long thought to be the shakiest conference, but it is clearly now the Big 12 (read: Texas 12). Texas A&M will bolt to the SEC and the Pac-10 will get their sixteen-team superconference. The dog and pony show in the spring was nothing but a bump in the road unless ESPN decides they don't want to see a Pac-16 exist and give the Big 12 a nice television deal.

EDIT: Although now that I think about it, there is no difference between having eight and eleven teams in the conference. So going from ten to nine is ultimately irrelevant in a way. If the philosophy of keeping the Big 12 a ten team conference was that ten teams gives everyone a bigger piece of the pie, that philosophy should more or less remain with nine teams. Maybe they pick up Texas Christian, but who knows.

I think it'll be fewer than 5 years; probably more like 3 as soon as Colorado and Nebraska are gone

Didn't Tommy Tuberville already get in trouble for saying this wont work earlier?

quaker0764;438172 wrote:Didn't Tommy Tuberville already get in trouble for saying this wont work earlier?

Yes

No surprise that aTm would do anything to get in the SEC, but they still need to bring another team with them, whether it is package deal with Okie or GT decides to bolt the ACC.

The new Big 12 will likely have a short lifespan.

GT is in the ACC

Indeed, which is why they would bolt from it if they were looking to join the SEC.

ahh sorry, misread

I'm not convinced anymore this means the sure demise of the Big XII. Think about it, if they have ten teams and one leaves, it won't effect them having a championship game or anything, it will merely get everyone a bigger piece of the pie.

If ESPN is adamant about opposing a Pac-16 because of the lost television dollars, they've still probably give the Big XII a nice deal.

If they wanted to stay at ten, wouldn't Texas Christian be willing to jump on board and take the cut the smaller teams get? There is a slew of teams willing to take shit deals from Texas and Co. as long as they get out of the WAC and into a BCS conference.

sjmvsfscs08;438378 wrote:I'm not convinced anymore this means the sure demise of the Big XII. Think about it, if they have ten teams and one leaves, it won't effect them having a championship game or anything, it will merely get everyone a bigger piece of the pie.

If ESPN is adamant about opposing a Pac-16 because of the lost television dollars, they've still probably give the Big XII a nice deal.

If they wanted to stay at ten, wouldn't Texas Christian be willing to jump on board and take the cut the smaller teams get? There is a slew of teams willing to take shit deals from Texas and Co. as long as they get out of the WAC and into a BCS conference.

The Big 12 won't be inviting TCU as long as Texas is still in the conference. There were major clashes between the smaller, private and/or Christian institutions and the big state schools in the dieing days of the Southwestern Conference and Texas has no intention of reliving those. Baylor was brought along to the Big 12 because they have a great deal of power and clout in the political circles of Texas. There are a lot of fans of the old SWC teams that are still unhappy with Baylor coming along with the other SWC refugees. They continue to view it as a mistake, as a weight on their collective shoulders. TCU doesn't wield anything resembling the same level of power that Baylor did at the time so they can't force the issue the way Baylor did in 1994, and Texas has much, much more than it did in 94. The Big 12 offices may be located in Irving, but the conference is effectively run out of Austin. I have no doubt that TCU would sacrifice 10,000 goats to the mighty god Ra in an effort to get into the Big 12. But the answer from Texas will always be the same, Fuck Off, so it isn't happening.

I agree with 3reppom, Texas is looking at its options now and being patient, which IMO is either the Pac-10 or Big 10 (I don't think the SEC is an option for a few reasons, but I won't get into that). Nebraska/Colorado defecting killed the Big 12 North, they represented 9 of the 14 North participants in the championship, and all but one of the victories, and more importantly represented the two biggest fanbases by far. With a gutted conference, Texas isn't likely to stand pat.