OWH Take on Big 12 Meetings

[HuskerNMO]

Article here, most of it is a rehash.

 

http://www.omaha.com...r-big-questions

 

However this caught my eye at the end of the article.

 

But two Husker scholarship athletes said recently their coaches have given them a heads-up about a move to the Big Ten being more than smoke. Also, a couple of recent NU job candidates said they were asked during interviews about their recruiting ties in Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee.

 

Even with all of the speculation I am scared that NU gets left holding the bag, but I am really wondering what KU, KState, Baylor and Iowa State are thinking right now. Do KU, KState and Baylor join the Mountain West Conference along with Nevada, Boise State, Utah State and another team? Or does KU, K-State, Baylor and ISU head to C-USA?

 

I can't imagine KU falling to a non-BCS level, but i'm not sure what other choice they'd have.

[Nexus]

I caught that too. Very intriguing to say the least. However I'm not too concerned. I really feel like Perlman already has contingency plans in place for NU to land on its feet somewhere in good position.

 

With the new arena and research park in our future developmental plans along with a possible stadium expansion, I can't help but think Perlman already has us ahead of the curve as we speak? Purely from a future outlook perspective, when you look at what's in store for us, we're a very attractive option, both academically and athletically. And being that conference re-alignment is being pushed by the media as an athletically driven concept, the real power brokers behind it all are the Presidents and Chancellors. Most likely they value academics a little more than athletics in the grand scheme of things and NU is in prime position of upgrading its overall academic profile thanks to the new research park facilities.

 

We're going to be fine. We're actually really lucky to have a guy like Perlman during this time of uncertainty. He has clout with both the NCAA and BCS being that he's a board member in both organizations.

 

With all that said, I really have a great deal of confidence in Perlman putting us in good position to succeed somewhere when it's all said and done.

[GMoose]

I wonder how this whole Pac 10 fiasco is going to play in to this? I don't know why the Pac10 all of a sudden is so attractive to UT (if someone understands and could explain would be much appreciated ). I just want a decision to be made already! Or at least know definitively whats going on in those war rooms.

[Nexus]

I wonder how this whole Pac 10 fiasco is going to play in to this? I don't know why the Pac10 all of a sudden is so attractive to UT (if someone understands and could explain would be much appreciated ). I just want a decision to be made already! Or at least know definitively whats going on in those war rooms.

 

First off, UT is attractive to all the major conferences; Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC for the obvious reason and that is TV sets among other things. What people need to realize is that UT is the richest athletic department in the country, bar none. They are in a rare position of being able to "pick and choose" where they'd like to land. In other words, they have a nice bargaining chip in their favor and will likely use it at the negotiation table when the time comes. Interestingly enough, someone from Buckeye land posted a story about e-mail conversations being had between UT and Ohio St. authorities along with Big Ten commish, Jim Delany. I'll post it below.

 

 

A decision about expanding the Big Ten might be months away, but e-mail conversations indicate that the University of Texas is an object of the conference's attention. And the school's athletic director isn't making a commitment to stay in the Big 12.

 

Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee sent an e-mail to Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on April 20 saying that he had spoken with Texas President William Powers.

 

"I did speak with Bill Powers at Texas, who would welcome a call to say they have a 'Tech' problem," Gee wrote in an e-mail that was among several obtained by The Dispatch through a public-records request for documents and correspondence related to Big Ten expansion proposals.

 

Texas Tech is one of Texas' rivals in the Big 12 conference. Ohio State officials declined a Dispatch request to explain the "Tech" problem.

 

"Public record laws do not require us to provide further clarification on meaning," OSU spokeswoman Amy Murray said in an e-mail. "While a few of the e-mails are cryptic, we aren't obliged to provide additional explanation."

 

Although speculation about the Big Ten's interest in Texas has been widespread in the 5 1/2 months since the conference announced it would consider expansion, the e-mail is rare evidence of communication between the school and a high-ranking Big Ten representative.

 

Texas and Texas Tech are two of three state-sponsored schools from Texas in the Big 12. The other is Texas A&M.

 

Texas and Texas A&M are members of the Association of American Universities, a prestigious alliance of research-minded universities. Texas Tech is not. The Big Ten has made it clear that AAU membership is important for prospective members, with Notre Dame an exception because of its excellent academic reputation.

 

Although Texas Tech has had athletic success in recent years, it is considered a notch below Texas and Texas A&M athletically. After last season, Texas Tech endured an ugly firing of successful football coach Mike Leach amid allegations that he mistreated players.

 

Don Hale, Texas' vice president for public affairs, said he did not think the three Texas schools had a legal commitment to be in the same conference. But he said the Texas Legislature may apply pressure for that to happen.

 

"I think it's a political issue," he said today. "Because they're state institutions, I think the concern is that one can't move without the others."

 

Shortly after Hale's comment, Rivals.com reported that multiple sources indicated that the Pacific-10 is prepared to invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league.

 

Gee's initial e-mail to Delany on April 19 said that he is "of the mind that we control our destiny at the moment, but the window will soon close on us. Agility and swiftness of foot is our friend."

 

That e-mail was a day after Delany addressed the Association of American Universities meetings in Washington, D.C. Expansion was expected to have been on the agenda.

 

In the same e-mail, Gee commended Delany on his "brilliant presentation."

 

Minutes after Gee sent the e-mail, Delany replied with a thank-you note.

 

"We are fast-tracking it but need to know the $ and observe contracts," Delany wrote. "Also need to make sure we leverage this to increase chances of hr additions. Finally double chess # of moving parts including not harming brand as we executy."

 

In baseball, HR means home run. In the Big Ten, the addition of Texas would certainly qualify. The Longhorns have the only college athletic program that earns more revenue than Ohio State. Texas' revenue for the 2008-2009 school year was $138.4 million, nearly $20 million more than Ohio State.

 

The Longhorns have elite football and basketball programs, and Texas is considered a top-tier academic institution.

 

For Texas A&M, the allure of the Big Ten would be largely financial. The Big Ten Network has become a cash cow for member teams. Four years ago, Texas A&M's athletic programs were in such dire financial shape that the university loaned it $16 million.

 

Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds did not douse speculation that the Longhorns could be leaving their conference when he spoke Wednesday at the Big 12 conference meetings in Kansas City.

 

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe opened the meeting with a plea for the league members to stay together. But Dodds, whose school also could be a target for the Southeastern and Pacific-10 conferences, would not commit to that.

 

"You've known me for very long; I am not hanging back," Dodds said, according to the Associated Press. "I'm not waiting to see what other people are going to do. I'm going to know what our options are, so that's not going to change. My hope is that the Big 12 survives and you and I retire knowing it's a great conference. It's been very viable, and if it stays in place, it will continue to be very viable."

 

Dodds said Texas didn't start the talk about its possible departure from the Big 12.

 

"If we need to finish it, we'll finish it," he said. "We're going to be a player in whatever happens."

 

 

 

 

LINK

[wags]

i just cant see stanford voting for oklahoma, oklahoma state, and tech to get invites to join the pac-10.

[mmmtodd]

i cant see stanford having much of a choice. Or any school for that matter. The landscape is about to be blown up...and the alternative for pac 10 expansion may see them having to pick thru the scrap heap, the mwc or wac or whoever to try to assemble a respectful superconference. I think stanford or whoever could cope with 6 schools from an established power base collectively rather than hoping schools like utah and boise st and god knows who else can come together and stay successful.

[irafreak]

Nexus ....Gmoose's question was why the Pac10 would be so attractive to Texas especially after all this talk of forming their own network? I think the only way this is so attractive to texas is because the big12 is losing some members and texas now has to look at the reality of their conference possibly not existing anymore....

[knapplc]

i cant see stanford having much of a choice. Or any school for that matter. The landscape is about to be blown up...and the alternative for pac 10 expansion may see them having to pick thru the scrap heap, the mwc or wac or whoever to try to assemble a respectful superconference. I think stanford or whoever could cope with 6 schools from an established power base collectively rather than hoping schools like utah and boise st and god knows who else can come together and stay successful.

To an extent you're right. Stanford is in a bit of a pickle because of their excellent academic standards, but if the four superconference scenario plays out, they may have to allay their desires for the betterment of the conference. They certainly can't ignore the benefit of adding teams like Texas & Oklahoma when you take TV revenue into consideration.

 

Stanford would fit best with the Big 10 academically and athletically. They're just stuck 2,500 miles away from the nearest Big 10 school. Sucks to be them.

[AndyDufresne]

What I've heard - Texas has been shopping itself around for a while, but there is a lot of instate political pressure to keep Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech together. While the first two are obviously attractive to any conference, neither the Big 10 nor the SEC wanted to take Tech. If the PAC-10 is willing to take Tech, that could seal the deal.

[Nexus]

Nexus ....Gmoose's question was why the Pac10 would be so attractive to Texas especially after all this talk of forming their own network? I think the only way this is so attractive to texas is because the big12 is losing some members and texas now has to look at the reality of their conference possibly not existing anymore....

 

 

My bad, I misread Moose's question.

 

With that in mind, I'll take a stab at it again. In my opinion, I really think UT would like to go to the Big Ten. If you read the story I posted above about the e-mails between UT and Ohio St. you get the sense that UT would jump at the chance to join the Big Ten, but can't because of a "Tech" problem. Therefore the politics of Texas, A&M and Tech is preventing such a move at the moment. The Big Ten wouldn't allow Texas Tech into their conference because they're not AAU affiliated. The only school the Big Ten would accept that is not AAU affiliated is Notre Dame.

 

Having said all that, due to the politics preventing UT from immediately jumping to the Big Ten, the Pac-10 enters the picture with the offer that they'd love to have UT and if that means A&M and Tech have to come along for the ride, then so be it. This could also be one of those scenarios where Beebe and Pac-10 commish, Larry Scott concocted this plan a few weeks ago when it was announced that both conferences would like to do a joint TV deal. Perhaps a lot more was said, that obviously wouldn't make the news to protect certain interests until further notice.

 

So what do I think REALLY went on behind closed doors between Beebe and Scott a few weeks ago? This very scenario that we're hearing about at the moment. Perhaps the goal behind it is to: 1) Force NU and MU to reconsider staying in the Big 12, and if that fails? 2) Then make this 6 team expansion scenario a reality.

 

Afterall, I'm starting to believe that this latest expansion hoopla is a result of UT REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanting NU to stay in the Big 12 with them, even though they wouldn't admit to it since they can just mask it with "we don't need you guys, we've got plenty of other options."

 

So that's how I'm reading it so far. Could I be way off? Of course.

[Husker_N_TX]

I know one thing, I sure would like to be a fly on the wall of the corporate offices for the NCAA and BCS..... Got to be some serious oh sh#t memos flying around in them two places...

[irafreak]

I agree. It's a scare tactic first but a reality if need be. Texas' first option is to remain top dawg in it's conference. But this deal with the pac10 may have more to it...such as perhaps a rotating schedule where maybe Texas only plays say USC once every 3 or 4 years...you know Texas and it's current situation keeps them in the title hunt due to a weak north conference. Toss in an annual game with USC/Oregon and the other teams the pac 10 (which will be pac 8 west or whatever) will be stronger than the big12 north (CU swapped with Baylor)...

 

Texas' ego will not allow them to be outdone by nebraska/big 10. It's fun watching all of this.

[junior4949]

I don't know why Texas would want to go to the Big 10 if they could join the Pac 10 because they get to keep the boys from the South together while adding Arizona and Arizona State. With this set up, they more than likely get more than their equal share once again in another conference. Also, look at what it could open up in terms of recruiting for them. I do think the SEC would open up more in terms of recruits, but the SEC also adds a lot tougher schools and more competitive recruiting. Even though California is having its problems now, we all know that it will eventually rebound and there's a lot of money to be had there considering California alone has like the 12th largest economy in the World.

 

I think if everything shakes out like the rumors are suggesting that Nebraska football will be sacrificed. We may very well get a lot more money and academics will excel, but my gut tells me NU football will suffer once we join the Big 10 and the boys from the South join the Pac 10. Time will tell.

[irafreak]

So some feel the big 10 is a second rate conference and Junior thinks the big 10 will own us in football? I'm not understanding why you feel that way.

[knapplc]

So some feel the big 10 is a second rate conference and Junior thinks the big 10 will own us in football? I'm not understanding why you feel that way.

If I had to guess based on his past posts, I'd say he predicts bad things for Husker football because he thinks we would lose our ability to recruit from Texas.