Horns247 Board

Remember what all the SEC 'ers said when Aggy joined?

We would rather have had Texas, but we'll take A&M.

You are correct about the SEC network, but you are missing the bigger picture. My following comments are only about today, because I am not smart enough to see what will happen in the years to come. Currently, UT would bring significantly more viewers than A&M to actual game day broadcasts and therefore, advertisers would be willing to pay more to CBS, ESPN or whoever ultimately televises the games. It’s about viewers over forced subscribers that don’t watch.

Superfluous language aside, why not take a stab at answering his question?

Just a thought: at some point the LHN is either going to get picked up by a delivery system that matters or ESPN will settle the remaining contract. Last time I contacted DirecTV about it they said they had no plans to pick up LHN. ESPN is going to be the SEC's partner in the SEC Network. It isn't impossible to imagine a scenario where the SEC, ESPN and LHN find a resolution. Mike Slive gets what he wants. If he wanted UT, and if UT were willing, there would be a way to make it happen. Until things change at UT, it's a moot point but the Tier 3 rights matter isn't an impossible stumbling block.

Did you finish third in your division?

If so, then no. That's the choice y'all made in joining the SEC. You can have a top 5 team and still be third in your division.

I'm not saying y'all made a bad choice.

But you finished third in a tough division. Those are the facts, no matter how "disingenuous" it may seem.

Y'all can still put it on your stadium though. Facts have never stopped you guys before.

Damn,

Place is going shaggy on us.

Anyway to take out the trash and get back to the subject at hand?

Didn't OU just have a trophy ceremony for "winning" the conference after losing to KSU?

They have a "gentleman's agreement" not to add a school from any state already in the SEC. This was discussed extensively when A & M was added as the 13th school and people were speculating as to who would be the 14th school. As AUoutlaw mentioned, FSU and Clemson weren't considered since Florida and SC were already in the conference. This also applied to Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Miami. This is one of the reasons Missouri was added as the 14th team even though some of those schools have better football programs and are a better fit geographically.

Tied for the best record and had there been a conference title game and OU been left out of it, there would be no claiming of championships. In the current Big 12 with no championship game, right or wrong OU was co big 12 champions. Just like the Big 8 and SWC days. Aggy claimed conference titles despite not playing in the title game.

1. Texas and OU made all remaining members of the Big 12 pledge their TV rights for a decade to make sure the conference stayed together. My understanding is that the GOR has teeth and is much more effective at preventing schools from leaving than any exit fees that other conferences have in place. It makes it unfeasible financially to leave the Big 12. Texas and OU put the GOR in place and that basically prevents them from leaving too.

2. The SEC will not allow the LHN now and especially once the SEC Network is up and running. There is no way Texas will give up the LHN or share its revenue. The SEC is different than other conferences because they share revenue equally between the schools. Texas does not want to share.

3. The SEC has an agreement that prevents adding another school from the same state as an existing SEC school. Now that the Aggies are in, no other school from the state of Texas will be allowed in the conference. Plus, there has to be a unanimous vote of conference Presidents to admit a new school to the conference. At a minimum, A & M, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and Alabama would not vote for adding Texas for recruiting reasons alone.

Bottom line, Texas is not getting into the SEC.