Horns247 Board

I believe the Big 12 and ACC are trying to work out a scheduling alliance.

I am told that Florida State would be a target of the Big 12 but they are waiting to see if they might be in the long term plans of the SEC now that the SEC has expanded to 14. There is some thought that the SEC commissioner Slive would like to add FSU.

The SEC wants Texas but as long as Deloss is there, there will be no movement on that front. Same with the Big 10.

In short, nothing would surprise me as it relates to expansion. The problem is that all of this is merely patchwork IMO. Anything done or announced now can be undone the very next year because the Big 12 and its membership are not playing from a level of relative strength compared to the SEC and Big 10.

Despite its prowess and allure individually, Texas is brought down by the Big 12.

I've heard nothing that leads me to believe that stability is coming soon to the Big 12.

That grant of rights won't be worth the paper its written on if the entire conference dissolves (which it will if Texas and ou decide there is greener grass to be had).

what makes people think we're tied to anybody legally in this state? Did you miss A&M leaving?

You're missing the point. We have very good relationships with those schools and they have some very powerful people still politically. That's just another reason why tamu being able to leave was a huge hinderence for us because it just made the anchor heavier. We're the flagship school. We can't do what tamu did. We have more power and funds so we will have pressure to keep Tech and Baylor at our level.

Tamu made some enemies politically but they had the governor in their corner. They played their best poker hand ever and the best time ever and cashed it in.

The Big 12 is not "stable". But neither is most of college sports.

Four teams have left the league in the last 5 years. Texas has openly weighed its options. OU and Oklahoma State would have gone to the Pac-12 if they had been invited.

Regardless of TV contracts and/or the SEC championship game, it's all window dressing. Any thought of stability is a facade as long as Texas has to carry so many others schools when it comes to TV contracts.

I guess it depends on how you define stable. To me, the league is unattractive and therefore unstable over the long haul.

The Fighting Texas Aggies would like to say "Howdy". If the departure of A&M from the Big XII did one thing it showed that the supposed political interconnectivity of the Texas schools is one big bag of hot air. Thank you, Governor Goodhair and President Bowtie.

I'm not advocating a Texas departure from the Big XII. I happen to like this conference and would love to see schools like FSU or Clemson or VT added. But...if Texas made the decision to leave for another conference you can be sure ou would be right behind them (same conference or another, no matter) and with the departure of those two schools the Big XII would likely no longer be a viable entity.

I agree with Bobby that the conference in its current form is not terribly compelling over the long-term. And a scheduling alliance with the ACC does absolutely nothing and sounds like another stupid idea from Deloss. With that said, I think the conference would be in a very different position if 4 to 6 ACC teams were to be added. FSU, Miami, Clemson and Virgina Tech would all be outstanding additions. The conference would immediately be more credible from a sports and demographic (business) perspective. Great geographic additions with very solid football.

My issues with the Big 10 are UT's geographic isolation and I'm only impressed with three or four programs in that conference. The SEC is an option I would consider if grant of rights was not in place. I would only consider a move to one of these two conferences if Oklahoma were included. Like them or not it is important to stay connect with our main rival.

The Big 12 is as stable as any other conference, like it or not. The Pac 12 and Big 10 both have GOR's in place. As soon as someone leaves one of those conferences, then you might have a stronger point.

Four teams did leave the league. Yes, Texas DID weight it's options and so did OU and Okie State. That's in the past. Since then the conference has added two significant protocalls to promote future stability.

The Granting of Rights
The Equal distribution of tv money among all conference members, regardless of # of times on TV

Also, you seem to gloss over the fact in order for Texas to go to another conference, they will have to scrap the LHN as it exists today. The Pac 12 won't allow it in it's current format. The Big 10 certainly won't. The ACC won't or we would have been there already. The SEC maybe but we're not going to the SEC ever. This is not an athletics decision, this goes above the AD, President, etc. Texas will never affiliate with the SEC/Old south stereotype. Generations of UT benefactors and influential alumni, families, etc will make sure that doesn't happen. Also, I don't see a way in hell the Belmont parts with the LHN at this point.

I do agree with you and think the league is totally unattractive for a variety of reasons. There is no redeeming factor this conference has. I'm with you there. And I would love UT to bolt and join the SEC or any of the other conferences as long as we can play OU every year.

Maybe I'm too jaded and pessimistic but I just think we're stuck and our best hope is to wait on what the Big 10 does and see what ACC schools fall in our lap.

One last question, are you confirming that Dodds is seeking the ACC/Big 12 alliance???

Thanks for the discussion guys. I hope I'm way off base but I've been following this for two years.

The Big 12 is a dieing dog that needs to be put down.

I agree on this. Big 12 took a HUGE hit with KSU and OU embarrassing themselves in bowl season.

The Big 12 was not stable when 4 teams left and Texas and OU openly weighed their options. If you don't think that it is stable now, then you have a different agenda.

I don't think that the Big 12 brings Texas down a whit. It is important to schedule some good OOC games though. Texas has done that. Every conference carries other schools. If you want proof of that, look to the SEC. There promises to be much more money in the future from sources other than TV contracts. The Big 12 splits those increasingly large pots 10 ways. That will make a difference. The LHN will someday be extremely profitable. We just need ESPN to get their money back. The 12 million per year is not where the money is at, although it beats the 400K per year we used to get.

Nice to have you here.

Going independent would have been awesome for the fans. I don't know how it would have affected our access to the playoffs, however. Probably would have been a huge detriment.