Texas to the ACC?

[smupony94]

The problem for Texas is the reason the B12 is breaking up. TU does not want to give up their Longhorn Network. The PAC 12 will require them to make it a regional network with equal coverage of Texas Tech. If the ACC or any other conference wants Texas bad enough to let them have their network they can have TU. We also have ESPN acting like Darth Vader lurking in the background. They have tremendous influence on where everybody ends up. I believe it ESPN wanted us in the ACC and TU in the PAC12 it would happen. That is just how strong I think ESPN is.

From your hometown paper

TV won't prohibit UT move
Longhorn Network could be altered if Texas leaves Big 12.


The Longhorn Network wouldn't act as an impediment to a potential move of Texas to another conference if the Longhorns should choose to leave the Big 12.

An examination of the school's contract with ESPN provides provisions where UT could walk away from its deal if it joins a new conference.

The entire agreement with ESPN is subject to the rules and regulations of any new conference where UT would relocate. The Pac-12 already has a conference deal for the creation of regional sports networks for its members.

A person familiar with the UT agreement said those agreements would supersede the Longhorn Network if it joins the Pac-12. That likely would force UT's programming to be folded into a reconstituted regional network with potential conference members such as Texas Tech, Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.

These developments emerged as OU coach Bob Stoops said Tuesday that the venerable UT-OU game could end if both schools aren't in the same conference.

UT's current deal with ESPN indicates it will use its “best efforts” to provide the network with all play-by-play and commentary rights for a minimum of one regular season football game and the annual spring game each year among numerous live sporting events. All of them are part of the school's 20-year, $300 million contract with the network.

“There's no question this is extremely complicated,” one person familiar with the contract said. “But it can be worked out. It's just various layers that would need to be settled before it could get done.”

But the Longhorns' decision of moving into the Pac-12 is far from being assured.

The Longhorns have a variety of options. They could join an expected exodus to the Pac-12 with OU and OSU that appears to be growing by the day. They could stick in a weakened Big 12 where their power would be absolute over a depleted group of remaining conference rivals. They could play as an independent. Or they could move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has a television deal with ESPN and friendly bylaws that would enable them to keep the Longhorn Network.

OU and OSU appear to be pointing to joining the Pac-12, perhaps as soon as this week, according to several people familiar with negotiations. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is expected in Stillwater on Thursday night for the Cowboys' nationally televised game against Arizona.

Published reports have said that OU has placed all of its focus into joining the Pac-12. OSU billionaire booster T. Boone Pickens said last week that he expects the Cowboys to end up in the Pac-12 with OU.

If the Longhorns don't follow OU to wherever it lands, the Red River Rivalry could be a casualty of the breakup, Stoops said. The game has been played 105 times, including each year in Dallas since 1929.

“I don't think it's necessary,” Stoops said about the game. “No one wants to hear that, but life changes. If it changes, you have to change with it.”

Stoops added that potential conference realignment could affect the UT series in much the same way the Big 12's scheduling effectively ended the Sooners' storied rivalry with Nebraska.

“If it works, great, I love the game,” Stoops said. “But if it doesn't, it doesn't. Sometimes that's the way it goes.”

Pac-12 bylaws forbid nonconference games from being played after the third week of the season.

Baylor, which is scrambling to keep up with the other Big 12 schools, has started a web-based campaign to keep its Texas rivalries intact as it maintains membership in a BCS-affiliated conference.

“Texans must stand up and call the leadership of the University of Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech to clear-headed thinking about the state's future,” says Baylor's website, in a message called “Don't Mess With Texas Football.”

Readers are urged to click on “Take a Stand Now” and to email regents at UT, A&M and Tech.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/coll ... z1XHCyZNIn

[Nacho]

baylor will sue them.

[smupony94]

baylor will sue them.

Just for fun, I hope SMU, Rice and Houston blackball them from CUSA. And then let them in of course. Better than what we have currently. Replace Rice with Baylor.

[redpony]

Unfortunately none of the conference alignment conversations mention SMU. This doesn't look good for our chances at AQ/BCS. I hope GT, SO and any alums that have some stoke are working the phones like crazy to help our cause.

GO PONIES!!!

[ericdickerson4life]

While it doesn't look good for us and never really has I question the thought of 4 - 16 team conferences. Are those that were in an AQ and get left out during this shake up going to roll over and take it? You're talking about some BE schools possibly being left out, B12 schools being left out, and not all just tiny private schools. And what about ND and BYU, your independents? Are they just getting an automatic bid into the new playoffs that will be coming? I know, they'll be forced into a conference (yes BYU because of TV$$). But then who do they kick out? Seems like the path of least resistance is to include these AQ scraps in either a 5th conference or instead of going to 16 going to 20. That's our only real hope.

[San Antonio Mustang]

Pony 94, Thanks for adding the information about the Longhorn Network. The article sets out why I think TU has a dilemma. On the one hand going to the PAC12 will be best for their alums and recruiting, but they have to give up their network (which may provide some face saving) and on the other hand going to the ACC or becoming independent will allow them to keep their network. Since I don't think SMU is going to get an invite from the Big East or ACC I believe what would be best for our recruiting and getting Dallas to attend our games would be for TU to go to the ACC. For kids in Texas the ACC just does not sound as cool as the Big 12 or even the PAC 12. It would also eliminate the TU-OU which may bring some of them to our stadium.

[redpony]

ed4l- good points. We can all hope that some 'biggies' get left out and then it will likely 'hit the fan'. Creates great possibilities for us- esp if there is a 5th conference. Perhaps 5 conferences of 16 teams.

GO PONIES!!!

[smupony94]

ed4l- good points. We can all hope that some 'biggies' get left out and then it will likely 'hit the fan'. Creates great possibilities for us- esp if there is a 5th conference. Perhaps 5 conferences of 16 teams.

GO PONIES!!!

Watched Househunters International and they were in Lima. Cool looking city and good looking ladies. Don't know if it was subliminal but first put good licking ladies.

[smupony94]

George Schroeder: Change is in the offing — and soon for Pac-12

By George Schroeder

Register-Guard Columnist

Published: (Wednesday, Sep 7, 2011 05:02AM) Today

The deal is not done.

There’s still a slight chance the fractured Big 12 gets patched up and holds together for a few more days. That the college sports landscape won’t radically shift just yet.

It’s possible the Pac-16 won’t become reality by sometime next week.

Just don’t count on it.

“We’re not quite there yet,” said a highly placed source involved in the process. “But the trend is moving there.”

Which means only this: Get ready for sudden, dramatic change. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are set to go west. No one should be surprised if Texas and Texas Tech come along, too.

The only real hitch is who makes the first move. The Pac-12 won’t. But it won’t be left behind, either.

“It’s like a ‘Sadie Hawkins’ dance,” the source said. “Is the guy gonna ask the girl, or is the girl gonna ask the guy?”

A year ago, Larry Scott invited half of the Big 12 to join the Pac-10. This time around, the commissioner is mostly listening.

Oklahoma has come to him. Texas is making eyes, and might be willing to drop its Longhorn Network.

The Pac-12 sits and waits. Insiders say the conference’s presidents would prefer to do nothing. But they won’t allow the era of super-conferences to begin without them, either.

When the SEC formally invites Texas A&M — several media outlets reported it will happen today — then the Big 12 crumbles. And the Pac-12 will pick up the pieces.

Speculative reports suggest announcements of Pac-12 expansion could come as early as Friday. But another high-level source involved in the process said the conference wouldn’t move that fast.

Expect the process to take a few more days, into next week. That, by the way, would fit neatly into the outside end of the timeline given by Oklahoma president David Boren last Friday, when he said something would happen in 72 hours or two weeks.

“It won’t happen in 24 hours,” the source said. “That doesn’t mean it has to take a week — but closer to a week.”

How the process happens is a little less certain. The Pac-12 could be the Pac-14, at least for a little while, with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State joining up while everyone waits to see what Texas does.

Scott said last Saturday that the Pac-12 would not budge on its newly enacted policies of equal revenue-sharing or pooling TV/media rights. But there are indications that Texas might be willing to shed its new Longhorn Network, or see it reduced and folded into a Pac-12 regional network and shared with Texas Tech.

If Oklahoma and Oklahoma State leave the Big 12 — and understand, the Pac-12 would be willing to take the Sooners and Cowboys by themselves — then Texas has two realistic options.

Go independent. Or go west.

The Pac-12’s new TV deal (12 years, $3 billion with ESPN and Fox) contains provisions that would trigger a bigger payday if the league expands. A source said the language is written to ensure that expansion would add value, not dilute it.

Thus, a Pac-16 would be able to provide Texas more money than it could make as an independent, and certainly more than it would make from a watered-down Big 12.

A first move by Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would also provide political cover for the Longhorns, who don’t want to be seen as the villains who broke up the Big 12 — even if that’s essentially what happened.

However it happens, Scott might be about to get everything he was after a year ago, when he made that grand tour of the heartland on Pat Kilkenny’s jet, only to return home mostly empty-handed.

Is it a good idea? At this point, it doesn’t really matter. When the SEC takes the first step toward the super-conference era, the Pac-12 will respond.

“We’ll have to look at the world a little differently,” said the second source.

Which is why in the past few days and weeks, as schools came calling, plenty of groundwork was quietly laid by the Pac-12. And why we’re probably all about to see the world a bit differently.

[EastStang]

I know money talks. But OSU in the PAC 12? I know that Utah, Washington State and Arizona are not the greatest bastions of higher education, but we're talking about OSU. Dexter Manley went there and came out illiterate. He couldn't read at all. Darrell Green had to teach him how to read so he could read the playbook. I would think that at some point, Cal, Stanford and USC would have to say, hold on a second. If you're going to take a school with no academic rigor at all, you need to balance that with a school or two that has something worthwhile academically. UT would fit that mold, but what about another private school, like SMU. USC is a Methodist school. Stanford has an institute named after a Republican president.

[ericdickerson4life]

I know money talks. But OSU in the PAC 12? I know that Utah, Washington State and Arizona are not the greatest bastions of higher education, but we're talking about OSU. Dexter Manley went there and came out illiterate. He couldn't read at all. Darrell Green had to teach him how to read so he could read the playbook. I would think that at some point, Cal, Stanford and USC would have to say, hold on a second. If you're going to take a school with no academic rigor at all, you need to balance that with a school or two that has something worthwhile academically. UT would fit that mold, but what about another private school, like SMU. USC is a Methodist school. Stanford has an institute named after a Republican president.

I'll agree with you on why OSU, outside of $$$. But give me a break on SMU, we have little to no chance. The fact that USC was founded as a Methodist university will have absolutely no bearing on the chances of us going to the PAC12. Delusional.

Texas to the ACC is interesting. If you remember the ACC attempted to form the first super football conference when they raided the BE to get Miami and VT. People forget that conference was THE football conference at the time. Miami was red hot, VT had just been to a national championship, Florida State was a national power, and Duke was there still getting slapped around. Anyways, FSU is on its way back, VT is good if not great team year in year out, Miami will be back in business soon enough, sanctions never stop them just slow them down. The ACC, if they could land UT, and snag another might not be able to be raided by the SEC. They would all of the sudden look like a really strong conference again and a desirable destination for some other big programs looking for a landing spot (i.e. team(s) from BE or B12).

[San Antonio Mustang]

East, Cal is on record it will oppose any church related school. We not only have a denomination in our name we are still affiliated, although somewhat distantly, with the Methodist Church ( remember we had to get church approval for the Bush library.) USC was founded by the Methodists, but it is not currently affiliated with the Church. Even if we were as desirable as a Texas or Tech I don't think we would get an invite to the PAC12

[Dukie]

The problem for Texas is the reason the B12 is breaking up. TU does not want to give up their Longhorn Network. The PAC 12 will require them to make it a regional network with equal coverage of Texas Tech. If the ACC or any other conference wants Texas bad enough to let them have their network they can have TU. We also have ESPN acting like Darth Vader lurking in the background. They have tremendous influence on where everybody ends up. I believe it ESPN wanted us in the ACC and TU in the PAC12 it would happen. That is just how strong I think ESPN is.

Like the PAC 12, the ACC has very strict revenue sharing. I doubt even an adding-Texas-Tech solution would work in the ACC; there are too many members with no incentive to add the Whorns *and* let them keep extra $$.

[gostangs]

Well they add or get picked off and die - so there is your motivation.

[East Coast Mustang]

Texas isn't going to the ACC, especially if the SEC ends up taking an ACC team- would they really want to go to the conference that just got raided by A&M's new conference? Besides, their superiority would be challenged by FSU and the Tobacco Road bluebloods, who I can assure you wouldn't bend over and take Texas' BS like the Big 12 has.

Texas best case scenario always has been and will continue to be the Big 12. They know this...it gives them their only chance (outside of being an independent) to be the top dog and boss their little [deleted] around. OU could make things interesting if they left for the Pac-12, but the likes of Cal and Stanford in the Pac-12 aren't taking those redneck neanderthals without Texas and their hippie liberals.