The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Maximus]

If byu even considers saying no I will be extremely pissed. Indy will always be there.

[Uncle Ted]

Chris Level of red raider sports says an ACC school is in talks with the SEC...

I don't know which ACC school is in talks with the SEC and the #TexasTech official declined comment when pressed further.

Florida St?

[Pheidippides]

Chris Level of red raider sports says an ACC school is in talks with the SEC...



Florida St?

I have heard fl st from a number of news outlets.

[falafel]

FO_College College F.O.
by TheUpsetBlog
RT @kbohls: Texas AD DeLoss Dodds tells me "it looks to me like they're leaving," says he thinks B12 would be OK with 9 teams, prefers 10.

[Uncle Ted]

Chip Brown:

Texas A&M appears to be playing beat-the-clock with lawmakers ...

The House Higher Education Committee has scheduled a hearing to take up the issue of Texas A&M's possible move to the SEC at 2 p.m. on Aug. 16.

But that hearing may come too late to stop the Aggies from bolting the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. The Texas A&M Board of Regents has posted a meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 15, to discuss "conference affiliation."

Sources close to A&M indicate the nine-member regents board will vote to leave for the SEC. The SEC presidents are expected to talk on Saturday in a special gathering to discuss A&M becoming the 13th member of that conference, according to sources.

Under state law, the regents only need 72 hours to post a public meeting, while a legislative committee needs five days to post a public meeting.

The House Higher Education Committee posted its notice for an Aug. 16 meeting on Thursday. The A&M regents posted their meeting on Friday in what appears to be a calculated maneuver to out-flank lawmakers. According to sources, the original plan was for the Texas A&M board of regents to meet on Aug. 22 to take up a possible move to the SEC.


Committee chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Two officials at Big 12 schools said the SEC is in talks with Florida State about becoming the 14th member of the SEC.

If Texas A&M was to leave the Big 12, the initial indication is that the remaining nine schools will stay together and possibly add a school to replace Texas A&M, sources said.

According to sources, the SEC has reached out to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as well. But several league sources indicate Texas and OU will stay together in the Big 12.

One administrator at a Big 12 school said he expected Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to see if Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would be interested in joining the Pac-12 with a regional network in their state as well as Texas possibly its Longhorn Network into a regional network in the Pac-12 with Texas Tech.

Scott expressed in an e-mail response to Orangebloods.com that he is "fully focused on developing the Pac-12" and would have no further comment.

One Big 12 school official said Texas and Oklahoma would be "fools" to leave the Big 12 now because the league still has a BCS bid and may present the easiest road to the national championship game without a title game to play.

"Texas A&M should have been in the top three in the Big 12 every year," the official said. "In the SEC, A&M will probably struggle to get into the top seven."

Branch also called a hearing last year when it appeared the Big 12 could
break up with Texas and Texas Tech headed to the Pac-10 and Texas A&M headed to the SEC. But the Big 12 came together before the scheduled hearing.

Those being invited to the Aug. 16 hearing will include Texas A&M board of regents chairman, Richard Box, a dentist in Austin; and A&M president R. Bowen Loftin.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive will be invited, and members of the committee have indicated they'd like to know when discussions between Texas A&M and the SEC were initiated, and by whom, to determine if there may be any tortious interference with a contract between Texas A&M and the Big 12's television partners.

There's a chance Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor officials would be invited to talk about the potential fallout of an A&M departure. Questions for Texas would undoubtedly include the Longhorn Network, which has been a public concern for A&M officials.

"We want to be in position to have a discussion about a potential move to a new athletic conference for one of our major universities - that it's in the best interest of the state of Texas," Branch told Orangebloods.com.

"There's a lot of resources in play. These athletic programs have a lot of dollars involved with the TV contracts and the funding that comes from a particular conference. So we want to make sure if there was a decision to go a different direction at Texas A&M, it's the regents' job to make sure this is in the best interest of Texas A&M as one university in that system. And it's the Legislature's job to make sure it's in the best interest in the state of Texas."

I asked Branch if the committee found that such a move wasn't in the best interest of Texas, what could the Legislature do about it?

"Ultimately, these are public institutions," Branch said. "The Legislature is responsible for funding and directing the ultimate policy of our public institutions.

"So I think it's important that the Legislature be advised. And so I want to create an opportunity on a timely basis to give the members of the House of Representatives the opportunity to ask questions and make sure they felt like this was in the best interest of the state of Texas.

"There's an argument that going to the SEC would be a good thing so that Texas' biggest schools would have a footprint in two major conferences, so I'm going into this with an open mind. But it seems to me it's the regents' responsibility to do what's in the best interest of Texas A&M as the flagship of that system. And it's the Legislature's responsibility to make sure it's in the best interest of the state of Texas."

Branch said there are really two points of interest that are critical to the state's view of a possible move by Texas A&M to the SEC.

"Part of that goes to you don't want another major conference coming undone by the action of one," Branch said. "So there's two parts to this. One, is this a good move for Texas A&M?

"And, more importantly, from our vantage point would there be a negative consequence to the University of Texas or Texas Tech University and even our private schools like Baylor - what effect it could have on them?"

Stay tuned.

[Uncle Ted]

The Big 12 Commissioner UT AD, Deloss Dodds gives his opinion...

Dodds expects Big 12 survival

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told the American-Statesman on Friday that it appears to him that Texas A&M is leaving for the Southeastern Conference but said he thinks the Big 12 can survive, perhaps with as few as nine teams.

“They’ve got to do what’s best for them,” Dodds said of the Aggies. “We’re going to look at every option we’ve got, and we’re going to end up in a good place. That’s what we do. We’re good at that.”

Dodds told me that he and his staff have been in contact with the other eight Big 12 schools, and the remaining nine teams are already exploring possible replacements for A&M.

“I think nine’s an option,” Dodds said. “I think nine are solid. I think 10’s a good number. I’ve always liked 10. In my mind, we’d try to stay at 10. If we had to, we’d go to 12.”

Dodds said he didn’t know if Texas would continue to play A&M if the Aggies bolt to the SEC.

“That’s one I cannot answer,” he said. “If they leave the conference, we would consider things sport by sport. There are more people involved in that decision than me. Our coaches have to be involved.”

[TripletDaddy]

Chris Level of red raider sports says an ACC school is in talks with the SEC...



Florida St?

I must be reading that incorrectly. I'm getting a different interpretation.

[TripletDaddy]

Regardless of what happens with BYU, I am really digging A&Ms tactical maneuvering to screw over the intrusive Texas legislature. Gig 'em!

[Coach McGuirk]

The Big 12 Commissioner UT AD, Deloss Dodds gives his opinion...

If Dodds thinks 9 is fine, I don't want any part of that conference. While everyone else advances and is being progressive, the Big 12 sticks its head in the ground.

[USUC]

So does Larry Scott and the PAC-12 make a play if A&M leaves? In all likelihood it looks like the SEC will be a 14 team conference. Will Larry feel the need to expand in kind?

[TripletDaddy]

If the SEC succeeds in getting to 14 and it is a school such as FSU, could we very likely see the first BCS national championship game between conference opponents? If you stack the deck enough, a regular season conference loss won't hurt you very much because the conference is so "tough."

But how would the polls react after the SEC conference championship game? The winner would clearly play for the title. Would the loser? Doesn't seem possible.

[TripletDaddy]

Barry Tramel hates Houston, all over BYUs tip

http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2...s-no-solution/

[falafel]

Barry Tramel hates Houston, all over BYUs tip

http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2...s-no-solution/

I think he nailed this point:

So the Big 12 is reaping what it sowed. I don’t think the Big 12 will survive as a nine-team league, and I’m not sure it will survive as a 10-team league, even with a BYU replacing A&M. I’m not sure it could even talk BYU into coming, since the league is so unstable.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Barry Tramel hates Houston, all over BYUs tip

http://blog.newsok.com/berrytramel/2...s-no-solution/

What if the Big 12 expanded back to 12 with BYU and TCU? The football would have been just as good as before. Probably better, since Colorado seems to have abandoned the sport at a high level. The TV markets would have been only marginally harmed; losing Nebraska hurt, but losing Colorado didn’t hurt much, because even though it provided the Denver market, the truth is, no one much in Denver watches the Buffs. TCU brings no appreciable new television sets, but BYU most certainly does.

So the Big 12 is reaping what it sowed. I don’t think the Big 12 will survive as a nine-team league, and I’m not sure it will survive as a 10-team league, even with a BYU replacing A&M. I’m not sure it could even talk BYU into coming, since the league is so unstable.

[Uncle Ted]

So the Big 12 is reaping what it sowed. I don’t think the Big 12 will survive as a nine-team league, and I’m not sure it will survive as a 10-team league, even with a BYU replacing A&M. I’m not sure it could even talk BYU into coming, since the league is so unstable.

What does BYU have to lose? If the Big 12 dies then they might have to go back to being an independent. OK.

What does BYU have to gain? A better Oct/Nov schedule for football and a very good basketball conference to play in. Edit: Also, a path to a national championship game.