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Message: [QUOTE="Jimdish255, post: 4014406, member: 137"] Don't understand why ESPN would tear the guts out of the Big 12. The league still has years to go on a shared contract with Fox but ESPN seems to have most of the football content. The league may wish to tear the guts out of the AAC which is cheap programming for ESPN. That means Houston, Cincy, UCF and Memphis. It gives them recruiting in multiple sports, eyeballs and cable boxes, and pretty much diminishes any interest in the AAC no matter who they backfill. 2 additional teams also fills more TV time slots. They could literally be strong in hoops and while dropping some in football power rankings, and basically vanquish a competing league. They could possibly have a case to remain P5. But that then puts them at odds with a media partner unless ESPN would rather dump the Big 12 sans TX OK at contract end. Both ESPN and FOX have a contractual relationship with the Big 12.The question becomes will they agree to preserve the AAC or the big 12 or both or neither. Their contract is not up quite yet but they are kind of weird partners. This will be interesting and could be messy. But of course ESPN may feel it has a lot of leverage here unless Fox were to step up big. [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2021/05/25/espn-fox-decline-early-tv-negotiations-with-big-12-conference/[/URL] [/QUOTE]