Non-Key Tweets

[CL82]

Texas is simply sabotaging the process by backing a candidate that is unacceptable as #12 to over half the membership of the Big 12. Nothing more interesting than that.

It looks like expansion is close to dead now.

It's a little more interesting than that because they are doing it in a way that scores points with the Texas legislature and causes Houston not to oppose their Houston campus.

Well played by them.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

So you're saying the dude has a case of backpfeifengesicht?

Ausgezeichnet!

 

[CallMeBruce]

It isn't a "kick out" situation. It's a question of the league wanting a network and voting for one, and UT being forced into a difficult decision. They can't keep LHN in any other league, and likely don't want to give the B12 leverage against them later.

They also can't be forced to give up their T3 rights. There's no voting on that. If Texas says they're not giving up T3 rights, then it doesn't matter what the rest of the league wants.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Even Flug has written off UConn so no expansion is probably our best outcome.
If AAC stays intact a raid on the MW is very plausible..

 

[Marty Jackson]

UT's goal is:

1. Retain the status quo by killing expansion...a poison pill of 2 teams with UH as one probably does that...

2. Since UT was forced to publically agree to expansion due to Texas politics then only agree to expansion which allows UT to maintain control of the B12 with a larger % Texas voting block. That means increasing only by 2 with UH as one of the teams.

UT wants the Big12 to continue but only on its current terms. Those terms include UT having a special deal (LHN) and the rest of the B12 being indentured to UT. A 14 team Big12 with an expanded national footprint only hurts UT's power ..why would UT agree to expansion teams which allow the other Big12 programs more stability in the future? UT rules by fear...a stable, revenue sharing, nationwide B12 doesn't increase the fear.

If the above Flug tweet is true it is actually ok news for UConn. Sure, a big win would be getting into the Big12 but a much, much bigger loss would be UH/UC leaving with UConn staying in the AAC. We may hate the AAC but an AAC without UC/UH is not sustainable and would require drastic actions. The kind of drastic actions which might hurt UConn's P5 opportunities in the future.

No B12 expansion only means there is a monster shake up coming before 2024 because the B12 is a dead conference walking. At this point a "push" may actually be good news for UConn. There is no reason to think the PAC, SEC, BIG and ACC will all not try to pluck programs from the B12 and UConn is a nice partner school.

Here is the crazy thing. Schools not named Texas are going to walk from $150M over the next 8 years for the promise of nothing in return?

That makes zero sense.

Something else has to be going on.

 

[mavblues]

Not the best news, but for those of thirsting for even a NKT, it's like a long cool drink of water.

Actually not bad news as far as I'm concerned. Assuming it's true, it takes our worst case scenario (UC/UH) off the table.

It may result in no expansion at all, but at this point I'm kinda OK with that.

 

[D/$$$]

UT = Queen of the Mean Girls (the other Texans).

 

[sportsart]

Talk about some serious irony possibly waiting to happen.

Houston gets rejected by Big 12.

Houston makes college playoffs.

Big 12 gets shut out of college playoffs.

The icing on the cake would be Houston would have to have beaten UL in order to get there.

Asking for a lot but one can dream.

 

[MountainMan]

Even Flug has written off UConn so no expansion is probably our best outcome.
If AAC stays intact a raid on the MW is very plausible..

I would love to see that happen. If it included BYU as part of a 4-6 team expansion for the conference I have no doubt the new TV deal would get more interest than the last time around. Fox would certainly be more interested and who knows with all the streaming options available.

 

[SAMCRO]

UT = Queen of the Mean Girls (the other Texans).

Texas Tech and Texas to UConn, UC, and UH...

 

[MountainMan]

Talk about some serious irony possibly waiting to happen.

Houston gets rejected by Big 12.

Houston makes college playoffs.

Big 12 gets shut out of college playoffs.

The icing on the cake would be Houston would have to have beaten UL in order to get there.

Asking for a lot but one can dream.

The downside is when you look at the seasons TV ratings for Houston they will be off the charts with 2 big numbers already and the Louisville game sure to be big as well.

 

[Hoophound]

Not sure why people think the American would raid the MWC. We'd have to start a new conference and shed less valuable schools. There is too much dead weight.

 

[JMick]

Ideally we get into the Big XII or a P5. The second best option is that the AAC becomes a football-only conference (which will probably never happen) spanning the best of the rest throughout the entire country and bball finds a home in the Big East. The rest of the schools join more local conferences for basketball/olympic sports boosting all of those conferences stock.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Not the best news, but for those of thirsting for even a NKT, it's like a long cool drink of water.

Regarding CR, what's an NKT? Thanks in advance.

 

[Wings]

Regarding CR, what's an NKT? Thanks in advance.

Non-Key Tweet

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Not that I expect this to happen, but if the Big 12 doesn't want to look too foolish by going through all this and then not expanding at all, a 2-team UConn/Houston package would seem to be a fairly reasonable compromise. UConn, more than any other candidate, furthers OU's goal of opening up new markets for a potential Big 12 Network, and UT still gets the Texas school it wants in. Assuming, of course, that both sides are actually interested in reaching a compromise, which seems a doubtful prospect at best.

U Texas care very little what anyone outside of Austin thinks about it.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Here is the crazy thing. Schools not named Texas are going to walk from $150M over the next 8 years for the promise of nothing in return?

That makes zero sense.

Something else has to be going on.

For Iowa St, Baylor and TCU along with possibly K State, Texas Tech, and OK ST, its turning down $150 million now for the opportunity to have a P5 beyond 2024 because if Texas (and Oklahoma) blow-up the XII in 2024, those school are likely G5 candidates making a million or two a year.

 

[Marty Jackson]

For Iowa St, Baylor and TCU along with possibly K State, Texas Tech, and OK ST, its turning down $150 million now for the opportunity to have a P5 beyond 2024 because if Texas (and Oklahoma) blow-up the XII in 2024, those school are likely G5 candidates making a million or two a year.

Like I said, they are doing so with what appears to be nothing in return.
Texas gets status quo until it decides something better has appeared. What do those other schools get that they wouldn't already get for the next eight years.

Eight years is a long time. Who knows what the landscape will look like then. If I'm walking from $150M or more, I better have something that I believe to be of equal value at least, otherwise questions should be asked.

 

[06029]

Not sure why people think the American would raid the MWC. We'd have to start a new conference and shed less valuable schools. There is too much dead weight.

In any conference you will have "dead weight" or else everyone will .500 which is called mediocrity. Every school in the AAC fills a partial need. That the conference could not generate any significant TV revenue was a function of lack of seasoning and success by any of its teams when formed. Houston has it this year. Last year it was Temple and Houston (and how did Temple fall back so quickly?).

Uconn can not afford to start a new conference if there is no Big 12 invite and Houston plus 1 leave. The BE break up and conference exit fees help soften the start up costs of this one. Become the big dog of the AAC in FB like UConn is in BB and help write the next media deal to Uconn's advantage. Or as Pudge would say, use arbitrage to capitalize and monetize the disintermediation that will be evident when the next media rights deal is negotiated.

 

[CL82]

Become the big dog of the AAC in FB like UConn is in BB and help write the next media deal to Uconn's advantage.

To that we'd have to free up Tier 3 rights, for which we'd be paid more than we receive under the current AAC TV deal. That would undoubtedly make the conference TV deal worth less. So the only way UConn is a in a position to make that happen is if they have an alternative conference arrangement waiting in the wings.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

To that we'd have to free up Tier 3 rights, for which we'd be paid more than we receive under the current AAC TV deal. That would undoubtedly make the conference TV deal worth less. So the only way UConn is a in a position to make that happen is if they have an alternative conference arrangement waiting in the wings.

Which is why I been saying forever that if B12 expand without UConn, we need to take the lead and form a nationwide FB only conference with big markets to maximize the next TV deal. We can park our other sports in the BE while keeping our T3 rights. That's the best way to maximize TV dollars.

If the FB only conference can sign a deal with Twitter or Google with new user viewing experience, it can maximize TV dollars and draw in new viewers.

 

[BKarchitect]

Say you are a Big 12 member not named UT or OU...if there is a 4-team eastern expansion with Fox backing but those two programs bolt in 2024, does the following remain a power conference?

(I'd like to think KU would have the potential for a conference upgrade if those two leave and I know UConn fans would feel the same about their program - but for the sake of this exercise, let's say we both are on the outside looking in).

Baylor
Cincinnati
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
South Florida
TCU
Texas Tech
UConn
West Virginia

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I was actually thinking last night that with all of the momentum about expansion not happening and the prospect of OU and Texas leaving, at what point do UC, UConn, UH, and whoever (perhaps not BYU due to their current toxicity issues) approach the likes of KU, K-State, Iowa State, Baylor, TCU, and WVU about forming a new-ish league were UT and OU, along with Tech and OK State as tagalongs, to leave for elsewhere.

 

[Slasher]

Say you are a Big 12 member not named UT or OU...if there is a 4-team eastern expansion with Fox backing but those two programs bolt in 2024, does the following remain a power conference?

(I'd like to think KU would have the potential for a conference upgrade if those two leave and I know UConn fans would feel the same about their program - but for the sake of this exercise, let's say we both are on the outside looking in).

Baylor
Cincinnati
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
South Florida
TCU
Texas Tech
UConn
West Virginia

Are you assuming in this scenario that Texas and Oklahoma end up in the same conference? Because I don't find that scenario all that likely (excepting perhaps the ACC.) Oklahoma and SEC seemed destined together and Texas seems more likely for the B1G than anywhere else (A&M will block them into the SEC.) If they're going separate ways, then each league needs to grab one more team. Kansas/UConn to B1G and no idea to SEC... WVU doesn't help with cable boxes, Oklahoma State possibly if there's enough politics for it. Cincinnati? I have no idea there. For the SEC new states are going to be important, but seemed locked out of NC/Virginia.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 1h1 hour ago
What happened to all the talk of the Big 12 adding 4?

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire 3h3 hours ago
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17612297/where-do-things-stand-big-12-expansion-talks… Article from Jake Trotter today mirrors the comments made yesterday from our OU Contacts. EXP not looking good.

John Jay Miller ‏@John_Jay_Miller 42m42 minutes ago
@flugempire You and Trotter must have same sources.

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire 32m32 minutes ago
@John_Jay_Miller Not drinking from same cup... ....but from same water fountain is highly probable.