Horns247 Board

Wake me up when something significant actually happens with the Big 12 and realignment. The endless hypotheticals are a bit overkill, IMO.

The SEC-Big12 "Champions Bowl" is the classic case of an oxymoron. Seriously, what are the chances that the Big12 and SEC champion will ever meet in that game. More than likely, it will be the Big12 Champion against the SEC number 2, SEC Champion against Big12 number 2, or most likely of all the Big12 number 2 against the SEC number 2. If the Big12 and SEC champions ever meet in that game, it means that both conferences have fallen on hard times.

Interesting how Dodds always uses Dodd as one of his media monkeys to project his powerful image and agenda

"As a Texas-ex and massive Longhorn fan, I think of everything through a burnt orange lens. I think you could put a gun to the head of DeLoss Dodds and he still wouldn't sign a deal saying that Texas is fine without receiving a penny more in TV revenue if the Big 12 were to add Notre Dame. The only reason Texas is courting Notre Dame is because it would be a financial windfall for Texas. The only reason Texas does anything is to make more money for Texas, and this is how it should be."

This 100%.

No, it is not as it should be. It is exactly backwards. The only reason Texas should do anything in athletics is to win championships and you win championships by setting championships as the standard that matters most. You win championships by creating a mindset that UT is going to be the home of champions and you adopt a willingness to take on all comers rather than cower behind "easy routes" that never work and suppressing competition within the conference. If you win a lot of championships, you will make a lot more money than you ever will placing money first and championships somewhere down the priority list.

UT has been making lot of money for a lot of years but winning championships at a 15% rate under Mack Brown. Even if making money is all that matters to you, winning a lot of championships is the only way to maximize making money. The reality is that UT has been leaving a lot of money on the table because it does not demand consistent championship performance in football or basketball. That lost money could be invested in raising UT's academic standing to a much higher level to the benefit of all UT alums.

If you do not believe this, just look at the state of Alabama where the last 3 MNC's have been won in a state that has a tiny fraction of the people and the resources as the State of Texas. The difference in Alabama is that championships really matter and winning them often raises the enthusiasm of the potential fan base thus increasing the TV ratings and ancillary revenues. The UT fan base would explode if UT started winning championships consistently.

Step one in a change of philosophy to a championship mentality is adding FSU and Clemson and making the conference and its TV footprint as strong as possible without adversely affecting the path to the MNC in any material way. There is not a real UT fan who would not welcome these additions and it would create enthusiasm in the fan base, the media and in the minds of the players and potential recruits. It would also being the perfect ending to the aggy implosion.

If busting up the BCS/bowl system is their primary goal, then do something really bold and say the SEC and Big12 champion will meet in the Champions bowl, without any qualifiers attached. That would be really bold, but it's not going to happen.

As far as leverage is concerned, they have none because of point one. And, as long as the qualifiers are attached to the participants of the game, they will have none. Do you really think a network is going to pay a premium for a game that is most likely to feature the second best teams in each league. That is nothing more than what one now sees in the Cotton Bowl on a yearly basis.

The only thing that will change the current BCS/bowl system are super-conferences and a true playoff system.

What do you expect UT fans to accomplish here?

They have a contractual obligation to the BCS through 2014. They are not fools. They arrange this for leverage no matter what the next form of the BCS/Playoffs/Bowl system is. This is the first bowl owned by conferences. If you can't see why this is a game changer, I can't help you.