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Thanks Ann Richards

<A HREF="http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/</A>

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 06-09-2003).]

Not sure the link works, Nacho - what is the story?
I just got the CBSsportsline home page....

It was a story about the BE/ACC mess which mentioned how SMU, Houston Rice and TCU got sucker-punced by Ann Richards and her Baylor Bears. A guy named Dodd wrote it. You may be able to get it in the archives.

Actually you can go back to the link and click on college football and then click on Big East suit mostly about $$$.

here's the link.....

<A HREF="http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/</A>

Here's the part of the story in question:

Former Southwest Conference members TCU, Houston and SMU had better cases in 1996 when Baylor somehow got invited into the Big 12. The Bears' entrée was that then-Gov. Ann
"Richards was a Baylor grad. Baylor cashes a multimillion-dollar check each year from the Big 12 despite contributing little in football.

Meanwhile, Houston, TCU and SMU are at a financial disadvantage because of the politics of Texas in the mid-1990s."

[This message has been edited by Peruna88 (edited 06-11-2003).]

Hopefully this is a direct link to the full story

<A HREF="http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://cbs.sportsline.com/</A>

Can't get to the direct lin. Go to NCAA footba;;, opinion/columns on the left side, then to Dodds' "someone will pay" column for the full story

[This message has been edited by Charleston Pony (edited 06-11-2003).]

We got railroaded by ABC and the Texas government…

The Big 8 and SWC actually had a deal in place that would have kept both leagues healthy and thriving. The deal included bowl match-ups, promises of non-conference scheduling, including a Big 8-SWC challenge in every sport but football, and the promise to remain partners in the "alliance".

However, ABC was tired of paying two premium packages for only 5 top markets in Middle America (Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas and Houston). Hence, ABC executives approached the Big 8 with the expansion idea... promising a substantial raise in the rights package including a huge payday for the championship game for securing 4 Texas schools. Even though the Big XII package would be much more expensive than the Big 8 package, it was still cheaper than paying for both.

The Big 8 quickly jumped at Texas, ATM and Tech. Then the Texas government scandal kicked in with Richards and Bullock (both Baylor grads) threatening huge tax laws for any Big XII event held in Texas if the Presidents did not approve Baylor as the 12th school.

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I believe one of the reasons ESPN has been such a vocal supporter of the Big East in this situation is that ABC/ESPN knows the Fox Network is entering into the college football pool. Speculation in the trades (Multichannel News) is that Fox will follow a similar model to CBS and show national games (as opposed to ABC's regional coverage). The Pac 10 is likely a done deal with Fox... the ACC, which has a lucrative basketball partnership with Fox Sports Net, may be the Network's other target, as the Network may look to show an ACC-Pac 10 double header each week. The SEC is in the middle of an outstanding partnership with CBS, and we all know about the Notre Dame-NBC partnership.

Sink the Big East, and all ABC has left is the Big XII and Big Ten. While those are outstanding conferences, it is a considerable drop off from their current position, as they currently own 5 of the 6 BCS deals.