Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[brasssbonanzaa]

I suspect I know which side of the ledger we'll fall on, re: football.

I also suspect a nice, tidy, 8-win season this autumn would help a ton. C'mon Diaco, get it done!

These decisions will all be made before the opening kickoff of the season.

 

[Adios]

The networks are POed UConn is not included. Who else would they be this POed over? UCF?

 

[kobe]

KILL ME. SOMEONE. PLEASE. I BEG YOU.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

The networks are POed UConn is not included. Who else would they be this POed over? UCF?

Far more likely they are POed that it's happening at all.

 

[Sea Goat]

Standby for what should be an interesting Dodd story coming:

Dennis Dodd ‏@dennisdoddcbs 19m19 minutes ago
Filed to CBS Sports: Battle lines being drawn in @Big12Conference expansion. Quality teams vs. quality ratings.

Hey ASweet3781 I enjoy reading many of your posts, but could you ditch the avatar? Every time I see that photo of e-f-f-i-n-g Hathaway, I start playing with sharp objects. (Although, I recognize letting on about this might cause a rush by many of you to change avatars to the same damn photo!)

 

[sub legacy]

Far more likely they are POed that it's happening at all.

Welp, these networks (namely ESPN in particular) are a bunch of hypocrites. Before the NCAA ruled to allow the Big XII a championship game without expanding, ESPN analysts were the loudest voices chiding them along into expanding in order to amplify their chances of getting into the playoff. Basically, "why aren't you more like the other four power conferences?"

Now they vote to expand and now ESPN has a problem with it? What changed?

 

[jostar1]

Dennis Dodd ‏@dennisdoddcbs · 1h1 hour ago

Filed to CBS Sports: Battle lines being drawn in @Big12Conference expansion. Quality teams vs. quality ratings.


Big 12 expansion battle lines drawn with TV rights holders shaking their fists

 

[amory]

Welp, these networks (namely ESPN in particular) are a bunch of hypocrites. Before the NCAA ruled to allow the Big XII a championship game without expanding, ESPN analysts were the loudest voices chiding them along into expanding in order to amplify their chances of getting into the playoff. Basically, "why aren't you more like the other four power conferences?"

Now they vote to expand and now ESPN has a problem with it? What changed?

Well, the analysts and the decision makers aren't the same people.

 

[sub legacy]

Well, the analysts and the decision makers aren't the same people.

True, I get that. But if ESPN big-wigs had any forethought that a Big XII expansion might affect their pocket books, you'd think they'd put a muzzle on that rhetoric right away.

 

[MattMang23]

From Dodd's article:

"The networks claim the likes of Houston, UConn, UCF and Memphis would "water down" the Big 12, which isn't exactly news"

But the implication is that Cincy wouldn't? Seriously?

I like this one too:

"Activating the pro rata clause, which SBJtermed a "cash grab," rubs "ESPN and Fox the wrong way because any new schools would not carry the profile of most Power Five schools ..."

Except there is one candidate who does... And he even mentioned us as being 48th in the country in revenue... Despite playing in the AAC...

And so the narrative of "UConn is not a Power Five school" is advanced again.

 

[Excalibur]

From Dodd's article:



"Activating the pro rata clause, which SBJtermed a "cash grab," rubs "ESPN and Fox the wrong way because any new schools would not carry the profile of most Power Five schools ..."

Except there is one candidate who does... And he even mentioned us as being 48th in the country in revenue... Despite playing in the AAC...

And so the narrative of "UConn is not a Power Five school" is advanced again.

Add a 1/2 share of B12 revenue and we're right around the top 30.

 

[MattMang23]

Add a 1/2 share of B12 revenue and we're right around the top 30.

Exactly. We are still a mid level P5 team despite being fed for money. We have proven to be successful in a BCS league in the past, why are we treated like the Memphis's of the world? What did we ever do to lose a place at the table? It's astounding. And I'm really confused by it.

Imagine if this predicament ever happened to like Arizona, Indiana, or gulp, Syracuse. Outsiders would be like wtf I don't get it? With us it's like well they're where they belong. Like what???

 

[Adios]

Because we're new to the big boy scene. At least we made it to the big boy scene. Better than the rest of the state schools in the Yankee Conference.

 

[MattMang23]

Because we're new to the big boy scene. At least we made it to the big boy scene. Better than the rest of the state schools in the Yankee Conference.

So Indiana should be rewarded for 90 years of shytty football just because they played 90 years of shytty football? We have had as much success as them in less than 20 years. I'd look at a blind comparison of the two and say wow that second team has accomplished a lot in such a short period of time. I'd like to have them in my league, especially if the rest of their resume included 21 national titles, four of them coming in the second biggest sport in college athletics, their TV numbers and the fact that they are a state public flagship- nothing our other competitors for a big 12 invite can say.

 

[Adios]

So Indiana should be rewarded for 90 years of shytty football just because they played 90 years of shytty football? We have had as much success as them in less than 20 years. I'd look at a blind comparison of the two and say wow that second team has accomplished a lot in such a short period of time. I'd like to have them in my league, especially if the rest of their resume included 21 national titles, four of them coming in the second biggest sport in college athletics, their TV numbers and the fact that they are a state public flagship- nothing our other competitors for a big 12 invite can say.

If Indiana was playing FCS football until recently and won their basketball titles recently, they'd be getting the same or probably uglier looks than us.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Thanks for this, though consensus here is that Flug tweets go in the Non-Key thread,

 

[UConnKev]

Thanks for this, though consensus here is that Flug tweets go in the Non-Key thread,

My fault, I can delete it

 

[4in16]

If nothing has changed course according to flug/btm that gives me a bit of optimism as flug has consistently maintained UConn/UC and more recently BYU/UH as the 4.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

If nothing has changed course according to flug/btm that gives me a bit of optimism as flug has consistently maintained UConn/UC and more recently BYU/UH as the 4.

Cincinnati, UConn were both in the top 3 of that TCU report as well.

Really seems to me that if they go to 12 it will be Cincinnati and then 1 of UConn, Houston or BYU.

I think the Texas faction (4 schools) would want Houston and then I have no idea who the Oklahoma/St, Kansas/St, Iowa State and West Virginia would want.

 

[NYUConn]

Cincinnati, UConn were both in the top 3 of that TCU report as well.

Really seems to me that if they go to 12 it will be Cincinnati and then 1 of UConn, Houston or BYU.

I think the Texas faction (4 schools) would want Houston and then I have no idea who the Oklahoma/St, Kansas/St, Iowa State and West Virginia would want.

If they go to 12 I have a really hard time believing that the non-TX contingent will let Houston in.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

With UH coming at all you can hardly call it expansion any ways.

 

[jostar1]

BYU athletics: Big 12 TV partners pumping brakes on expansion, but talks continue at BYU

It appears that the ESPN and Fox Sports aren't quite as sold on the notion of Big 12 expansion, according to Sports Business Journal.

Meanwhile, BYU's entire athletic department was called to a meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, The Salt Lake Tribune learned, although the agenda was unknown to several attendees beforehand.

Several top-level leaders from The Church of of Latter-day Saints, the faith that owns and operates BYU, visited the athletic department offices and met with high-level department heads the past week, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Several recruits have said in the past few weeks that BYU coaches have told them the school's prospects of being invited into the Big 12 look favorable, but are not certain.

Whether Monday's revelation regarding the television angst is good, or bad, news for BYU is debatable. BYU is seen by many as the leading candidate for Big 12 expansion and the only candidate — Houston, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Colorado State and Memphis are the others most often mentioned — that could potentially add value to the conference.

Although ESPN and Fox balking at expansion could foreseeably diminish the chances of it happening, BYU appears to be the strongest candidate, as viewed by the networks, if it does.

BYU athletics: Big 12 TV partners pumping brakes on expansion, but talks continue at BYU

 

[MattMang23]

BYU the only candidate that could add value? Then why are they far behind us in TV evaluation?

 

[jostar1]

Boren, OU have leverage for expansion moves
Jake Trotter

While Bowlsby has been examining expansion possibilities, the Big 12's television partners, ESPN and Fox, have anxiously been waiting to see what happens.

If the Big 12 pulls the trigger on expansion, one recourse the networks would have would be to request an extension to the grant of rights, to at least gain long-term security for the league's live content. Recently, ESPN agreed with the ACC on a network, which will launch in 2019. In exchange, ESPN got the ACC to sign an extension of its grant of rights through 2035-36.

The difference with the Big 12 is that ESPN and Fox, contractually, have nothing to leverage the conference for the grant of rights extension -- the $25 million-per-school increases are already in the contract.

On this one, ESPN and Fox can only ask and hope.

Oklahoma's only motivation, however, would only be, well, an altruistic stance on greater Big 12 stability.

However, one industry insider, who worked directly with programming before recently leaving for another job in the industry, indicated getting the Big 12 schools to sign a grant of rights without offering anything in return will be a tough sell for the networks, even as they have to shell out up to $800 million to the league. More likely, to get a grant of rights extension, ESPN and Fox would have to put forward an immediate renegotiation of the Big 12's tier 1 and 2 deals, and pay the Big 12 up to the levels of the SEC and Big Ten. The Big Ten is now getting an estimated $250 million per year from Fox for only half of its rights.

If the networks put that on the table, the Big 12's viability for the next two decades would be virtually assured. But only if the Red River flagships signed off. If either balked against a proposal the rest of the conference supported, it could, once again, send a message to the other Big 12 members -- that the Sooners aren't completely committed to the conference.

"It might say, OU could begin flirting again," the insider said. "That they're not sure about the Big 12."

Of course, Boren could attempt to utilize this leverage for what's clearly become his white whale: a Big 12 network. The ACC previously implemented a clause in its agreement with ESPN that triggered the upcoming network launch. If the ESPN or Fox were unwilling to do yet another network deal now -- but still wanted a grant of rights extension to avoid competing with a Netflix or a Google for rights down the line in an ever-changing media landscape -- perhaps Boren could procure such clause on a future Big 12 network.

Still, given the current television climate, that could prove to be too ambitious.

Even then, Boren would still have the option to push back on Texas.

To get a new school into the conference, eight of 10 schools must sign off. It's hard to envision the Longhorns being able to get Houston into the Big 12 without Oklahoma's support. Boren could demand Texas sanction his expansion school of choice, in exchange for rallying northern support for Houston.

The Sooners have long believed to have had their eye on BYU, which has the strongest football brand of any non-Power 5 school. The Cougars also have a national following through the Mormon Church, and operate near Salt Lake City, a top-35 TV market. Boren also has shown interest in Cincinnati; he traded emails with then-Cincinnati president Santa Ono last year. Besides that, Boren could also press Texas to support a four-school expansion, which would net the conference an additional $50 million a year.

Just what lever will Boren pull? That remains unclear. What is clear is this -- he has a move to make.

The entire article is here:
In expansion talks, just what does OU really want?

 

[Charley Horse]

Cincinnati, UConn were both in the top 3 of that TCU report as well.

Really seems to me that if they go to 12 it will be Cincinnati and then 1 of UConn, Houston or BYU.

I think the Texas faction (4 schools) would want Houston and then I have no idea who the Oklahoma/St, Kansas/St, Iowa State and West Virginia would want.

According to the TCU insider:

• six Big 12 schools just want to expand no matter who's invited;
• two only want to expand if the expansion adds value; and
• two really don't want to expand at all.

According to recent quotes by actual school representatives:

• Iowa State's AD didn't sound very keen on expansion at all.
• Texas originally belonged to the third group, moved to the second group and then named UofH as its added value.
• OU's prez, David Boren, has always claimed to be in the second group.

So let's say:

• Texas and OU comprise second group;
• Iowa State (defying all logic) and somebody else comprise the third group; and
• everybody else in the conference is in the first group.

I'm going to guess Baylor is in the third group with Iowa State, simply because they're under the gun, feeling vulnerable, insecure, paranoid, cross and disagreeable.

In the months leading up to now, random idiot know-it-alls claimed Texas was for BYU and against the UofH while OU was for Cincy and UConn.

Now that Texas and Texas Tech have come out in favor of the UofH, ESPN's Jake Trotter has begun to speculate that OU must be for BYU and Cincy.

But Flugar thinks Texas is ESPN's lackey, and if Texas were ESPN's lackey wouldn't Texas actually be pushing for an added-market-value school like UConn or BYU, instead of the UofH?

And now there's speculation (thank you! finally!) by Chip Brown and Frogs o' War that BYU might not even be in real contention anymore.

But Chip thinks Memphis has gained momentum.

So, in conclusion, I think you have Texas pushing UofH, OU pushing Cincy, ESPN pushing BYU and/or UConn (or no expansion), six Big 12 teams agreeable to anything, and two Big 12 malcontents disagreeable to everything.

Should be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Good luck, UConn. I'm rooting for you. You and Cincy or the UofH. But definitely not BYU or Memphis.

And if the Big 12 stops with 12 maybe ESPN won't be too angry.