Big 12 Lives--but still has a Texas problem

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

NE Statepaper Commentary

 

The Big 12 Lives - But Still Has a Texas Problem

Commentary: A&M, TV deal UT happy - for now. It won't last.

 

With bluffs and threats and proverbially shaking fists, Texas tried to bully the Big 12 South into bending to its will and heading to the Pac-10. Or so it seemed.

 

Master! The Big 12! It’s alive!

 

It’ll be Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne who inadvertently helped save the league. His refusal to play the “UT says” game - and his keen understanding of just how awry “Pac-16” travel schedules could get - was the lone stumbling block in the plan of Texas President Bill Powers, a California-Berkeley graduate - to send Dust Bowl football on the last train for the coast.

 

That stumbling block bought some key people - whom ESPN says you’ll never know- enough time to cobble together a weird, long-term TV deal - that, as of this hour, has remained oddly secret - that satisfied UT enough to make the Horns’ final demands to the Pac-10 utterly unreasonable.

 

Long story short: The TV, BCS and NCAA people weren’t ready for interstellar war and the Congressional snooping that was sure to come with it. They pulled Texas back from the brink, intervened on the behalf of the hapless Dan Beebe and saved a lot of butts.

 

And Nebraska slipped out of one hot mess of a league just in time.

 

It’s going to take years to truly unravel what happened over the last several months.

 

Because Rivals.com seems to have funneled its coverage through the reporter with the chattiest source, you’ve primarily heard UT’s side of the story. And what a side of beef it is! Somehow, while Texas flirted with three different conferences - the Pac-10, the Big Ten and SEC - while stringing along its Big 12, and it remained a steadfast savior, the Boss Horn.

 

Garbage. Until Monday, the Longhorns appeared willing to drag a coalition of the half-willing to the Pac-10. It would have been, over time, a disaster. To repeat: Texas was courting its own demise trucking itself to a league that has been, and will continue to be, irrelevant to the East Coast unless USC’s on the tube.

 

The “savior” will now get to own and control its Longhorn Sports Network while Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri lick cowboy boots. They’ll be thankful, of course - what choice do they have? - but they’ll be hired hands on UT‘s ranch.

 

A&M survived a slew of Texas threats but stood firm, using a threat of its own: The SEC. The Aggies’ surely intended to make the leap. Their intent staved off the Pac-10’s power play.

 

If you wanted to know what scares Texas, the Aggies unloaded the kryptonite. If Texas is Sentenza il brutto, the SEC is Tuco il cattivo. If the A&M gave the keys of Texas high school football to the SEC and its greasy palms, UT could no longer so easily usher in its preferred prospects on Junior Day and pressure them into committing. You don’t want a guy like Nick Saban sniffing around the DFW Metroplex and Houston, selling kids on the best football conference in the nation (which it still is).

 

But A&M’s bluff had a lot more bite than UT’s threat to disavow College Station. An encroachment from the east by the SEC, coupled with an inevitable partnership with the West, would have put Texas in a kind of checkmate. Far from consolidating its power from Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, the two moves combined would have eroded what makes Texas…Texas.

 

Now, the Longhorns don’t turn in to the Roman Empire, don’t erode the traditional Pac-10 brand and maintain a Midwestern presence.

 

Minus Nebraska, of course.

 

The Big 12’s survival will cause some NU fans to glance back at a league that may dump its conference title game and create a round-robin scheduling format that would have allowed the Huskers to renew their Oklahoma rivalry.

 

Maybe they‘ll ask: If we could trade places with Missouri right this second - would we do it?

 

(And Mizzou says: Sure!)

 

But Nebraska should be thrilled with its choice.

 

The “Texas problem” is never going away. Not for the Big 12, not for Beebe - who will try to jump ship at the first sign of shore - and, perhaps worst of all, not for Texas, whose appetite is insatiable and antithetical, frankly, to good sense. The Horns’ reaction to the mere prospect of realignment was both childish and hypocritical, an impulse of jealousy and base greed. Think Jett Rink. Or Hud. The efficiency with which UT controlled and spun the story through the media is startling. Lone Star state politics is a cutthroat game in its own right.

 

And mark these words: Texas will test the open market again - with its Longhorns Sports Network firmly in place - and present itself to whichever conference is willing to bend its rules to fit UT under the umbrella.

 

Don’t forget this little nugget from the Denver Post, which quoted an exasperated Pac-10 negotiator: “At the 11th hour, after months of telling us they understand the TV rights, they're trying to pull a fast one on the verge of sealing the deal in the regents meeting. They want a better revenue sharing deal and their own network. Those were points of principle. (The Pac-10) wants to treat everyone fairly. It's been that way for months of discussions."

 

M-o-n-t-h-s of discussions. Texas can and will flirt. Long-term TV deal or not.

 

So Nebraska needs to walk away. No regrets.

 

And in a decade, you’ll see why. NU will be in a coffee shop talking research with its new friends. The Big 12 will be in another barroom brawl. Texas will be standing on a table, looking to dive into the scrum, a broken bottle in one hoof, a money clip in another.

[g-man]

Until someone provides evidence to the contrary, I believe this was all a smokescreen by Texas to get more money from the rest of the league. I don't think they ever had any intention of going to the Pac-10. Now, they will run a conference where every other school has to bow down to Bevis(I mean Bevo)and Butthead(I mean Beebe)anytime those two want something else. Just reinforces why it was time for us to move on.

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Until someone provides evidence to the contrary, I believe this was all a smokescreen by Texas to get more money from the rest of the league. I don't think they ever had any intention of going to the Pac-10. Now, they will run a conference where every other school has to bow down to Bevis(I mean Bevo)and Butthead(I mean Beebe)anytime those two want something else. Just reinforces why it was time for us to move on.

Actually, a conspiracy theory I had is this was a ploy/smokescreen to get Nebraska out of the Big 12. I think Texas realized Nebraska would never agree to the things UT wanted for the betterment of their university and not the conference. Have Nebraska leave, makes life a little easier for UT. But this is just a conspiracy theory I have running thru my head. Either way, it was time for NU to move on to bigger and better things.

[GBRsal]

this. so now the best home game texico can offer recruits is Ksux every other year. unless north texas really beefs up their game... this should help us tremendously on the lone star recruiting front.

 

 

[Ponderosa]

Until someone provides evidence to the contrary, I believe this was all a smokescreen by Texas to get more money from the rest of the league. I don't think they ever had any intention of going to the Pac-10. Now, they will run a conference where every other school has to bow down to Bevis(I mean Bevo)and Butthead(I mean Beebe)anytime those two want something else. Just reinforces why it was time for us to move on.

Actually, a conspiracy theory I had is this was a ploy/smokescreen to get Nebraska out of the Big 12. I think Texas realized Nebraska would never agree to the things UT wanted for the betterment of their university and not the conference. Have Nebraska leave, makes life a little easier for UT. But this is just a conspiracy theory I have running thru my head. Either way, it was time for NU to move on to bigger and better things.

 

I would like to think people are somewhat competent and that this was a series of calcuated risks.

 

This drill was to get more TV money. But the arm twisting needed to be believable. And unless at least one team left the needle wouldn't move.

Texas (Big XII) knew Colorado would jump if given half a chance. Missouri was unhappy and Nebraska was a risk, but acceptable.

 

What were the vote for Jerryworld and the ulitmatum but a negotiating tactics. Intended to PO MU and NU.

 

Then flirt with PAC-10, Big 10 and SEC but without a good fit in any of them.

 

The Texas League gets a new TV contract and can add to grateful programs. TCU? Houston?

 

UT was always going to win - never a doubt. They are just reforming the SWC.

 

But did Nebraska win as well? You bet yer ass.

[irafreak]

Great article. I think a lot of us knew this was what Texass really wanted. Their own network and to control their own conference so it was obviously a smokescreen. They painted us and missouri the bad guys (no one cares about cu) and got everything they wanted plus an easier road to the BCS bowls.

[GMoose]

I can't help but think that they will take a 5 minute power nap then start trying to add teams. Now that the Big 10 and Pac 10 (soon enough) will have 12 teams and CCGs, the little 12 without a CCG is likely to be getting the short end of the BCS stick one of these days if they don't add 2.

[Foppa]

Aggie fans seemed to agree with this.

 

My link

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Aggie fans seemed to agree with this.

 

My link

Gotta feel bad for the Aggies. They at least attempted to leave and get out from under UT's shadow.

[sd'sker]

Aggie fans seemed to agree with this.

 

My link

i feel bad for the aggies, they should have jumped to the SEC and abandoned TU. the aggies were one of my favorite big 12 teams, a lot of tradition and good fans. hopefully they will compete in the big 12-2.

 

although the big 12-2 will be unstable, i think it will survive. TU has nowhere to go (apparently, none of the other schools have anywhere to go without TU, except aTm), and they will always have complete control, which is all they want. if they want more money, they will threaten to leave, and more money will appear somewhere. this will become cyclical.

[Count 'Bility]

Until someone provides evidence to the contrary, I believe this was all a smokescreen by Texas to get more money from the rest of the league. I don't think they ever had any intention of going to the Pac-10. Now, they will run a conference where every other school has to bow down to Bevis(I mean Bevo)and Butthead(I mean Beebe)anytime those two want something else. Just reinforces why it was time for us to move on.

Actually, a conspiracy theory I had is this was a ploy/smokescreen to get Nebraska out of the Big 12. I think Texas realized Nebraska would never agree to the things UT wanted for the betterment of their university and not the conference. Have Nebraska leave, makes life a little easier for UT. But this is just a conspiracy theory I have running thru my head. Either way, it was time for NU to move on to bigger and better things.

 

100% agree. Had a thought of this right when the talks began, but now that it's over, my suspicions are rendering true. Texas had one goal, get Nebraska to leave, or get Nebraska to follow. That's it, Nebraska's gone, now Texas can get back to business of running the conference THEIR way. You know what, they are.

[colosilverado]

So, now UT has potentially alienated themselves from the Pac-10. I suppose they will always be attractive, but they are tarnished for now. When these other conferences expand, and they will, where will Texas go?

If you're not in one of the conferences, a BCS conference at some point, you will not get into a bowl. Harvey Perlman's role in the BCS and I think that was attractive to the Big 10 as well. What kind of influence will Harvey Perlman have on the BCS as far as locking out independents at some point? It is an unfair situation and would be more so if UT were allowed to get away with it too.

 

UT to:

Pac-10: All of this ugliness could have an impact there. Stanford might not be so willing the next time around, nor the other schools because the next TV contract is coming up.

Big-10: Ditto, plus the little brothers.

SEC: Significantly lowers their academics; regardless of SEC spin.

MWC: Will it be around in the same capacity? Utah is already gone it sounds like. So they swapped Boise St. for Utah. They've gotta be a little miffed. Pac-10 might raid them now to save some face.

[Pasadena Husker]

great article. thanks for the post. i loved the last couple sentences of the article.

 

"And in a decade, you’ll see why. NU will be in a coffee shop talking research with its new friends. The Big 12 will be in another barroom brawl. Texas will be standing on a table, looking to dive into the scrum, a broken bottle in one hoof, a money clip in another."

[HuskerInLostWages]

UTerus U there played the politics and I think they bit off more than they could chew this time. They found out that no other conference will allow them to actually have their own network, so they got stuck staying where they could have that network. UTerus thought the Pac-10 would give in because they are Texas, unfortunately for them they were told no, so they took their ball and went home. Now we have 8 other school suckling the teet from Uterus U and they will all end up suffering in the near future. Still another 5 years before a TV deal can be received, thats quite a bit off.