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.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.
Ausgezeichnet!So you're saying the dude has a case of backpfeifengesicht?
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.
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?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.
Not the best news, but for those of thirsting for even a NKT, it's like a long cool drink of water.
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..
Texas Tech and Texas to UConn, UC, and UH...UT = Queen of the Mean Girls (the other Texans).
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.
Regarding CR, what's an NKT? Thanks in advance.Not the best news, but for those of thirsting for even a NKT, it's like a long cool drink of water.
Non-Key TweetRegarding CR, what's an NKT? Thanks in advance.
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.
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.
Like I said, they are doing so with what appears to be nothing in return.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.
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?).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.
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.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.
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