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

[CoastAtlantic]

 

[atom58]

I think UH became a poison pill for Big XII expansion. UT wanted them only b/c of about 332 acres they have in Houston as a potential UT expansion campus (and to kowtow to State politicians pretending that they are a team player). I think UH will oppose that now. Most of the other schools were not happy with another team in Texas which would steal recruits from them and which was ranked only 187 among US News National Universities. The conference really needed 4 new states for TV purposes rather than a SWC reunion and the presidents would want the highest ranked academic institutions. The Big XII GOR ends in 2025 and the LHN in 2031 - I really don't see anyone else picking up that network as ESPN which has lost about $48 MILLION on it so far will NOT renew it unless it becomes a conference network - they are simply losing too many viewers and Disney will continue to pressure ESPN to cut costs anywhere possible. In 15 more years the landscape will really be much different than today in terms of telecommunications, computer networks >> TV networks. This doesn't take into account the lawsuits against the NCAA and the possibility that most private schools might drop FB if those copy and paste "closed head injury" lawsuits gain any traction in the courts. Finally, the country is being flooded with immigrants for whom FB means soccer so the long term TV viewership likely will decline as the population changes - I believe this is already under way with the NFL.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UConn990411]

I'm irrationally angry at these angry responses from UH fans and boosters.

This no-name, garbage excuse of a university has been good at football for what, all of 10 minutes? And they think it's an outrage the Big 12, with 4 Texas schools already, didn't feel the need to add them?

To quote Fishy, "go pound sand."

 

[huskymedic]

Orlando Sentinel: Mike Aresco says AAC ready to move on after Big 12 opts not to expand

 

[Willy Gee]

"John E. Hoover: Big 12 Conference expansion was always just a bluff to get more money."

It sure feels like this is true. Brings back memories of when the Patriots said they were moving to Hartford. Everyone in CT got all excited and then, bam, they didn't come after all. Turns out it was just a ploy by Kraft to get concessions from the Massachusetts government. We looked like fools afterward. I've hated the Pats ever since. This time we got played by the Big 12. I guess I have to hate the Big 12 now.

 

[Yawkey Way]

"John E. Hoover: Big 12 Conference expansion was always just a bluff to get more money."

It sure feels like this is true. Brings back memories of when the Patriots said they were moving to Hartford. Everyone in CT got all excited and then, bam, they didn't come after all. Turns out it was just a ploy by Kraft to get concessions from the Massachusetts government.

Massachusetts State Legislature never budged on their firm " No" that they were not going to spend millions of Massachusetts taxpayors monies for a new stadium for Bob Kraft... even after Kraft temporarily took his team to Hartford as his threat to move the team out of Massachusetts. When Kraft blinked in that high states show down however, Kraft came back to Foxboro, and used his own money to build a state of the art stadium in Foxboro. The Mass State legislature is not known for protecting the taxpayors money, but in their showdown with Bob Kraft, they ultimately protected the state treasury, and got Kraft to use private capitol to build his new Stadium.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Massachusetts State Legislature never budged on their firm " No" that they were not going to spend millions of Massachusetts taxpayors monies for a new stadium for Bob Kraft... even after Kraft temporarily took his team to Hartford as his threat to move the team out of Massachusetts. When Kraft blinked in that high states show down however, Kraft came back to Foxboro, and used his own money to build a state of the art stadium in Foxboro. The Mass State legislature is not known for protecting the taxpayors money, but in their showdown with Bob Kraft, they ultimately protected the state treasury, and got Kraft to use private capitol to build his new Stadium.

Kraft did get $72 million out of Massachusetts for infrastructure improvements around Gillette, which is a lot less than other municipalities have ponied-up. Of course, such improvements massively helped his real estate investments in the areas. There is also the persistent rumor that Kraft has focused his interest on building a soccer only stadium for the Revs in Boston because the outlining cities that have shown interest, Somerville and Revere especially, are not able to offer Kraft the money he wants from the public. It maybe the key reason he backed Boston's Olympic bid before it blew-up.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

DAVIS: Where to begin? Well, for weeks it appeared the Big 12 was leaning toward no expansion. Oklahoma president David Boren was the one who started this whole mess, saying the league was “psychologically disadvantaged” for its inability to get a league-wide network. But why the Big 12 put everyone through this ringer only to do nothing is still baffling. If you take all the emotion out of it, this league is probably better off by not adding teams. There’s not a single candidate out there that moves the financial needle in any dramatic way. Sorry, Houston. My apologies, BYU.

Here’s the real problem for Texas. The school has no interest in extending its grant of rights beyond the 2024-25 athletic year. OU won’t do that, either. So let’s drop all the “we’re stronger than we’ve ever been” rhetoric. If that was indeed the case, Texas and OU would agree to extend their TV rights for another decade or so. By not extending its rights, Texas continues to remain flexible.

I still contend Texas will end up in the Big Ten when this is all said and done. Oklahoma will go to the SEC, and the other eight schools will have to fend for themselves. Why schools like Texas Tech and TCU think Texas will “save” them in the end is beyond my comprehension. Every single school in this league should be thinking about itself and nobody else. Memo to the Red Raiders, Horned Frogs and Bears: I promise you the Longhorns are worried about their long-term future, not yours.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Kraft did get $72 million out of Massachusetts for infrastructure improvements around Gillette, which is a lot less than other municipalities have ponied-up. Of course, such improvements massively helped his real estate investments in the areas. There is also the persistent rumor that Kraft has focused his interest on building a soccer only stadium for the Revs in Boston because the outlining cities that have shown interest, Somerville and Revere especially, are not able to offer Kraft the money he wants from the public. It maybe the key reason he backed Boston's Olympic bid before it blew-up.

More importantly Somerville and Revere aren't able to offer Kraft the land....they have none.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

It may not mean anything but...

 

[sportsart]

It may not mean anything but...

Rumor is OU will be meeting with 11 FB conference leaders, across all levels, to see presentations about OU joining their conference.

Fox and ESPN monitoring.

 

[CardiffGiant]

Rumor is OU will be meeting with 11 FB conference leaders, across all levels, to see presentations about OU joining their conference.

Fox and ESPN monitoring.

Where did this rumor come from?

 

[huskymedic]

Where did this rumor come from?

 

[Fishy]

Where did this rumor come from?

@theArtofWV

 

[The Funster]

I can't see Texas in the B1G or SEC. I could see the PAC or ACC as landing spots. I can see OU in the SEC or PAC. And as I type this I realize I really don't give a crap anymore.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I can't see Texas in the B1G or SEC. I could see the PAC or ACC as landing spots. I can see OU in the SEC or PAC. And as I type this I realize I really don't give a crap anymore.

Just a guess on my part (if I was one of the twitterati I would claim it is sourced) but as the B-12 GOR approaches its end, I can see ESPN working out a deal where Texas gets an arrangement with the ACC similar to ND. Added to this, while playing fewer conference games than the remainder of the conference, both ND and UT will sit in opposite divisions and can (under very specific circumstances) qualify for the conference championship game.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Pretty much exactly what I would expect the president of tech to look like.

 

[TRest]

Pretty much exactly what I would expect the president of tech to look like.

He has a bitchen' Camaro.

 

[Jae-VT]

Here is the money quote to remember whenever the conference realignment twitterati speaks from their mountain top again:

"I do think Texas one day exits the Big 12, as Lebreton suggests, but the idea that any combination of Texas A&M, LSU, Nebraska and Arkansas would ever consider, let alone leave, the riches, stability and prestige of the SEC or Big Ten to cast their lot with a re-tooled, Longhorn-less Big 12 is asinine. Asinine doesn’t even begin to touch the spot of how clueless, mom’s-basement-blogger, 75-followers-on-Twitter, flat-out dumb that scenario is."

 

[don356]

Pretty much exactly what I would expect the president of tech to look like.

That's actually former Pitt coach Dave Wannstadt. He was on Jenny Craig for a year. The Stach man!

 

[dayooper]

That's actually former Pitt coach Dave Wannstadt. He was on Jenny Craig for a year. The Stach man!

There is no stach in football better than this one:

 

[MattMang23]

There is no stach in football better than this one:

Not many better defenses either.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Massachusetts State Legislature never budged on their firm " No" that they were not going to spend millions of Massachusetts taxpayers monies for a new stadium for Bob Kraft... even after Kraft temporarily took his team to Hartford as his threat to move the team out of Massachusetts. When Kraft blinked in that high states show down however, Kraft came back to Foxboro, and used his own money to build a state of the art stadium in Foxboro. The Mass State legislature is not known for protecting the taxpayers money, but in their showdown with Bob Kraft, they ultimately protected the state treasury, and got Kraft to use private capitol to build his new Stadium.

I was a lifelong Patriot and Steeler fan up until that debacle. Kraft toyed with my greatest sports passion (UConn). I had visions of sharing a pro size Stadium with them. When CT offered him the farm and he eventually balked and went back to Mass, that signaled the end of my Pats fandom. I was used and didn't like it. I swore I'd never root for them again as long as Kraft was the owner. It's been a long time and my hatred continues to ratchet up every year. At this point I could never go back to rooting for them. the cheating Pats & their owner.