VectorVictor

New developments regarding A&M, Missouri, OU, OSU leaving for the SEC: Article on Scout.com Of note: The takeaways: -Okie Lite is screwed if OU can't finesse the Pac-12 to take both of them, as OU would cut ties with OSU in a heartbeat if it meant saving it's own (significantly more valuable) skin by going to the SEC. -Missouri wants out, badly. If not to the SEC, though, I could see them leaching on to Kansas/KSU and a Big East deal. -The bigger takeaway for Missouri is that they seem to act as if they know they won't get a Big 10 invite. Don't know why, but perhaps they know if the Big 10 comes calling in their neck of the woods, Kansas would be taken over them too, and their ego can't handle much more rejection. -Kansas, now with KSU, is talking with the Big East. Don't be shocked to hear that Kansas' discussions with the Big East started the day after the MO Governor made overtures to the Big 10--despite their current AD issues, they know they'll have to work 5x harder to land a spot in a BCS conference, and without the Big 10 wooing them, the Big East also seems to be the easiest row to hoe. -The SEC wants either OU/Missouri/A&M, or just Missouri/A&M. This is because the SEC wants Clemson back in the fold...but not at the expense of opening the doors to Texas recruiting and the Houston TV market.

In reference to the graphs. At what point did any of my posts say Bush/Regan did great things for our current economy? What exactly is called out in the graphs? How do they indicate that 'Baggers' are wrong in the debate? Did Cap & Balance fail because of politics or because it doesn't work? What should we do? When do we 'Stop Kicking the Can?....Obama"? At what point is it too high? When do we think it would be ok to start addressing the issue? Millions of people run homes as businesses this way. Why is passion for the plan 'petulant'? What would you do? Since I know it's coming I'll just tell you what I would do. I would first start with a Tariff on imported goods from China. What this would do is atleast preserve a dying manufacturing sector in this country. I would then look at closing corporate tax loopholes for companies in this country. Companies are spending a ridiculous amount of money just to figure out how not to pay taxes. It wouldn't hurt really get into Hedgefunds and what they are doing to our economy. I would then look a percentage cuts across the board for all government funded programs from Military to Acorn. I would look to reward those that are able to maintain their same level of production/output/service on a reduced budget number. I would also look to put rewards/compensation in place to those that expose issues like welfare/medicaid fraud which are a serious issue in this country. I would push very hard for a consumption tax and destroy the income tax system completely. And probably the hardest, I would make all those that are able return fruit fields, construction sites and drive thrus that they have vacated because it is easier to sit at home and collect a check. Honestly, what is it with the 'baggers that they only see the world in black and white; Christian and non-christian; good and evil? The real world is much more complex than what the 'bagger rhetoric addresses, yet we only see simple-minded solutions. --- First off, a tariff on imported goods from China would only move the factories to Taiwan and Veitnam, among others. Plus, it will infuriate China to the point they call in debt that they are owed, which kills the US economy. Plus, this line of thought does nothing to address the more immediate and resolvable issue which is the manufacturing that the US lost to Canada and Central/South America. You want appreciable results that won't result in economic retaliation? Then make it difficult for Ford and GM to manufacture vehicles south of the border--that would, almost overnight, create jobs in Detroit--one of the areas most in need of new jobs. --- As for closing tax loopholes, the 'baggers aren't in favor of that. Any bill with such a feature was shot down quickly by Boehner because of 'bagger opposition to such an endeavor. Why? Because the corporate shills that are funding the astroturf 'bagger dance love nothing more than to exploit those holes harder and more often than a john that just dropped a grand on a high-priced call girl. Income tax is a must--states that have no income tax (read: Texas) are currently on tenuous fiscal footing at best, and are a hair's breadth from insolvency at worst (which is closer to reality). Income tax is a requirement for doing business, but that doesn't mean it can't be reformed (e.g. remove Bush tax cuts, create flat tax). Problem is, 'baggers aren't in favor of that, either--they want the Bush tax cuts to stay in place (despite the data which shows it's the largest contributing factor to the current debt problem) because their corporate sponsors want it in place. As for program cuts, you can't just make a blanket cut--doesn't work like that. Again, the whole black/white problem with 'baggers. Then again, were we not in Iraq, then military spending/debt doesn't become a concern. Afghanistan and Libya are, more or less, unavoidable, for various reasons, and were we not in Iraq, the later becomes another three-day war like 1991. Also, why can't the 'baggers drop Acorn? It's like 'remember the Alamo', but with a 'bagger blogger who cut a video to make their desired outcome visible. It contains as much ethos as a Michael Moore piece, if not less, considering the audience it was pandering towards. Huh? It's implied, as the 'bagger platform has been about FUDding the deficit and Obama's spending ever since he took office, though the actual numbers represented on the chart show otherwise. Cap and Balance cannot work, as we should not hamstring our country in such a way that it can't operate. Had we Cap and Balance in place as an amendment when, say, we wanted to enter WWII or Korea, they would be very short-lived excursions. Freedom isn't free, it costs a hefty ******' fee. That fee becomes a deficit...kind of like the three theaters we have going on currently. No one is saying 'kick the can'--that's rhetoric 'baggers made up as a chant to prevent themselves from being exposed to rational thought by accident. This debt cannot be paid down instantly--it will take a number of years to pay this down, and anything towards paying it down should be considered a positive step. Yet, that isn't good enough for the 'baggers--instead, they'd rather take the whole of government down if they don't get all of their demands met. That isn't compromise or cooperation--if the 'baggers were acting like this in a first grade class, they'd be sat in the corner for misbehaving, and the same thing should happen here. Taking a 'my way or the highway' approach is divisive and destructive. That doesn't benefit anyone, except for the 'baggers own ego. As for the charts, they spell out the real contributing factors for the current issues: the Bush tax cuts and military spending. Frankly, were the tax cuts to expire, then there is no 'debt crisis', as manufactured by the 'baggers. In short, baggers are more of a Manchurian Candidate than Obama ever was--at least Obama did something useful like take down Bin Laden. I have yet to see anything come from a 'bagger on Capital Hill other than intolerance, vitriol, and ignorance.

Excellent find and read! Despite what has been going on and opponent's attempts to deride him, one has to admit it took a big brass pair to call for the strike and for what the SEAL team did on the ground. I'd love to buy these men a beer, but I have a feeling we'll never know who all of them actually were, and that's probably for the best.

Gobiggergoredder, where is the name-calling in these charts? They pretty much spell out why 'baggers are more than wrong in this debate. Yet, you and the rest of the 'baggers have yet to come up with a retort other than sticking to the failed 'Cut, Cap, and Balance' idea like a petulant three year old.

Hell, they called themselves Tea Baggers before they realized what it meant. What's funny is the deafening silence after someone on Fark.com posts the supporting evidence which does indeed show 'baggers wanting to be called 'baggers. I'm Republican, but very much against 'baggers--they're an example of what happens when crystal meth merges with politics.

Shatel isn't a hack. If he was off the record, he wouldn't have written it. I'm sure Pelini knew that he was on the record too, especially if Shatel had a notepad out or something. My guess is Pelini doesn't have too many conversations with journalists that are off the record... could be wrong though. Yeah...Shitell isn't a hack. Shouldn't he have at least considered asking this question right after the game or at least in the week following it? I guess he found it more important to try tear down Bo and UNL. Hell even in this so called favorable column he alluded to the fact that Bo ruined fan day. Wouldn't that comment be better clarified with a statement that the players asked for it to be moved? He alluded to the Big Red Breakfast coming to an end and associated it with Bo like it was his decision when really its TO and Paul Meyers trying to stream line all the booster functions into something more manageable for all coaches in all sports. I always wondered how a coach could be up till 11 or 12 then turn around and leave for Omaha at 5 am to eat breakfast with a bunch of blow hearts who want to feel important when that coach should be getting ready for a football game. That was 3 or 4 hours wasted during a very important time of game preparations. I've attended several BRB over the years. They're over rated and a waste of time for most coaches. It was important to have something like that before their was such a concentration of reporting on the team, but with the internet, message boards, and a slue of reporters from the Pinnacle Sports Network getting out information 24/7, there isn't the need for this kind of an event like there once was. Interesting take on the BRB getting canceled. It seems contrary to what those close to boosters are insinuating. Was Dean Kratz happy with this? Probably not, but what 'da skers' sounds very right. Haven't been personally, but friends that have stated the demographics of that room skew heavily towards the AARP/Village Inn breakfast crowd, which isn't nearly as inclined as the 25-34 crowd to get online for news. At this point, one must weigh the PR benefits versus what is essentially regurgitating information for a select, older group of fans. Perhaps instead of coaches burning time we'd rather they spend on game prep, we just pick some young 'whippersnapper' college student to surf to Huskerboard.com and read the threads aloud to the group? It would serve the same purpose. We could even line up multiple 'young'ns' so each post could have a different voice. Hell, I'm sure the UNL Forensics squad is still going...and probably needing money as always...so they'd be perfect for the task.

It has been before. Good call. Forgot all about that. Thanks Redblooded. For all the good it does (very little), it appears that the tinfoil hat wearing Nebraska fans may have been right all along, too, especially when it came to this officiating crew. I'll admit to wearing an aluminum hat, especially after the '09 Title Game, and I don't think it's a stretch to think if we were jobbed by the conference in 2010, we were jobbed in '09. Then again, it's easy to scream conspiracy when you have an in-conference (UT) alum as the head of officiating for your conference. :| And to use the girlfriend analogy, it's as if you broke up with your girlfriend, and you find out down the road she was screwing other people behind your back. It's nice to have your decisions validated by the actions of others.

Two sides of the same man If I'm an AD in the Big XII whose last name isn't Dodds, my takeaway from this article is that I'm going to have a busy week looking for a new home for my program. Anytime conference officials conspire to keep a team down, that could very well be your team that is being conspired against. Plus, for some schools that don't have a pointy orange vagina for their logo, football is their only means of making money--we're talking about officials jobbing a school out of potential millions of dollars and hurting not just a football game, but an entire program. And yes, Nebraska fans should move on. Problem is, Nebraska fans don't do well with blatant, targeted injustice against our program. How many times have we rehashed '82 Penn State as a fanbase or the CBS media snow-job on the '95 'Huskers? We seek (in vain) to have said injustice corrected. Articles such as this are the only means Nebraska fans have of correcting said injustice.

LINK Missouri has the most to lose if Bevo TV takes off like the 'whorns want it to. They're a growing team that needs Texas recruits, and Pinkel can't compete against UT, A&M, or OU once they all have networks. Missouri is years (decades) away from the necessary pedigree to start a competing network. And even if Missouri could get something off the ground, , they are competing for time against Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, and K-State, in order of likelihood, in MO itself. At least OU and A&M could get a competing network off the ground...granted, for a lot less income than Bevo TV, but at least they could get something going and have a reasonable chance at success. If anything, this may be a reason why the Big 10 passed over Missouri before, and (personally) why the reports of Missouri chasing SEC tail may not be hyperbole.

That's some groundbreaking sh!t right there. D00d11!! I can't wrap my mind around that.

Chattanooga: 95% Win Fresno State: 65% Win Washington: 75% Win Wyoming: 85% Win Wisconsin: 55% Loss Ohio State: 60% Win Minnesota: 70% Win Mich. State: 70% Win Northwestern: 75% Win Penn State: 60% Win Michigan: 60% Win Iowa: 70% Win Big 10 Title Game: Nebraska over Wisconsin 65% (75%) Rose Bowl: Nebraska over Stanford 70% (25%) NC Game: Nebraska over Oklahoma 60% Put percentage certainty behind the wins and loss. Percentages are likelihood for bowl games--figured one loss will get us the Rose Bowl unless our lone loss is early to Wisconsin, in which case we'll have redeemed ourselves and have a shot at the NC.

That can't be true, Beebe said yesterday that 30 years ago when he was with the NCAA enforcement he found that a majority of the A&M fans and supporters did not want them moving conferences. That's only because the going rate for paying players in the SWC was cheaper than the SEC.

Forgot all about show-clause. Good call Redblooded. Makes perfect sense to pin on Tressel.

Apparently the Brown Clown, Chip Brown, is saying s**t is getting real with the A&M to SEC deal. Aggies have this thread going on their board: TexAgs.com

The SEC may ultimately be Mizzou's only play. I don't think the Big 10 will bite on Missouri a second time, especially if Kansas is available. Plus, I'm sure the Big 10 will tap Dr. Tom and Harvey for input on what remnants of the Big XII to add when the whole thing goes down the crapper. And if you were in Dr. Tom's or Harvey's shoes, which program would you recommend to Delaney?

It's about 50/50 or 60/40, with the 60 going towards marquee programs/matchups vs. TV markets. You still need something of local interest, and that localized interest and local footprint factor into ad revenue as well. Currently, the Big 10 is, comparatively speaking, stacked with talent. Now you need to need to expand the local footprint to give people a reason to tune in. For example, we discussed Maryland as a possible target--Maryland normally may not give two ****s about the Nebraska/Ohio State matchup normally, but now that they're in the conference, it has an indirect (and possibly direct) bearing on their fortunes--they're invested locally, specifically in the sizable Baltimore/DC markets. Like most things in life, you have to take a balanced approach to achieve optimal success. That's why schools like Rutgers and Maryland have been floating around--the schools and their programs are nothing great on their own, but they command viewership from large media markets.

If you're liking the Kinect (it's fun, and even the kiddo can get involved without too much difficulty) and you're a Star Wars fan, then I would suggest waiting for this uber-bundle: Star Wars 360 + Kinect Bundle w/Star Wars Kinect game My wife, who sometimes grows weary of my online gaming shenanigans, even had to stop down for a minute before telling me 'no' on this bundle--usually the 'no' is instantaneous. Oh, and being an owner of both a PS3 and a 360, I would suggest the 360. Getting online with the PS3, while having improved, is still a chore compared to XBLive, and Sony is beginning to move it's key features behind a paywall known as "PlayStation Plus" that costs the same as XBLive per year. Unless you're lacking a Blu-Ray player--then I'd suggest a PS3. Just don't pay $49.99 for a year of XBox Live--you can find year membership cards on sale for as low as $34.99 (recently, NewEgg and Amazon) if you're patient enough, and the cards/memberships stack when you enter them.

Possibly--if the Big XII doesn't implode (unlikely), but other events could trigger it. Those include, but aren't limited to, the SEC raiding the ACC and Big East to go to 16. Depending on how many the SEC were to take, it would force the ACC to start robbing from the Big East and (possibly) the MAC/CUSA teams available. This idea came about as a way design for the Big 10 to land Notre Dame (by pulling the rug out from under their Olympic sports). If there's a move to 16 team conferences, many pundits don't see the Big East surviving ACC and SEC expansion raids. Ultimately, it's like the movie Wargames: WOPR will run through all the College Football Global Thermal Nuclear War scenarios, but in the end, WOPR, too, will settle for a nice game of chess with Dr. Stephen Falken and wait for the inevitable to happen.

Besides giving them an invite a year ago or not ruling it out at their media days this week you mean? Or not censoring the analyst from the network which airs your games from saying four Big XII schools are talking with the SEC?

Rex Burkhead says, "I ain't wearin' burnt orange, baby!" But serially, though - screw Texas and the horse they rode in on. Wait, that's not what I meant. What I meant was... Texas is supposedly already getting the pick of the litter. But by branding Texas High School football with the Longhorn Network, they make it ever more likely that the best kids in Texas will grow up wanting to stay in Texas. This is not necessarily a play for this year, or the next five years. It's a play for the next two dozen years. Long term, this is a home run for the Whorns. That's why A&M and the Sooners are realizing it's no good being Texas' bitch. Finally. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Give the man a cigar. And in the case of OU, A&M, et al, better to take the short-term hit now and get stability and a better paycheck for the future than to risk getting the rug yanked out from under you. Plus, if Mizzou is talking with the SEC, I wonder how bad the Big 10 thing hit them. That, or the Big 10 simply told them you're not on the short list unless we go to 16...especially if Kansas is available.

Got this covered, including the recent news from the CBS football analyst Tim Brando saying MU, OSU, OU, and A&M to the SEC: Link

Per the HuskerMax board, Tim Brando of CBS is saying OU, Okie Lite, Mizzery, and AtM to the SEC, and that talks behind closed doors are underway. Link Granted, this is a CBS talking head that is discussing this, but they have been in bed with the SEC for some time now. If he's saying as such, then I'm inclined to think this is beyond closed-door discussions, and there's a sense of certainty in the air about this. While I'm still not sold on the SEC going to 16, I am sold on something happening soon.

You, my friend, win the internet. You just ruined a keyboard with water. Thanks.

This is why I'm not nervous. I'm used to scoring by threes. Yeah, but we're losing the man who was damn near automatic with those threes.