Texas & Georgia Tech to B1G rumors

[Wild Turkey]

The SEC has A&M. Since A&M is HOT and in the SEC, A&M recruiting is going gangbusters. A&M just took in $750 million from donors. Texas has poo pooed SEC over academics for decades.

The SEC is a much superior academic conference than the Big 12 and the national rankings of the schools proves it. If not for Texas the Big 12 would look more like the Big East.

 

[Codaxx]

The SEC is a much superior academic conference than the Big 12 and the national rankings of the schools proves it. If not for Texas the Big 12 would look more like the Big East.

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I think the argument was if they moved they wanted to upgrade academically, while wallow in the same muck. Nobody knows if that is true or not. Lot of talk and rumors fly, but very few people know the real reasons. At end of the day, it woudl not surprise me to see Texas in the SEC. No tmy first choice, but if realignment happens again everything should be on the table.

 

[Tharvot]

I don't believe Texas and the B1G are in any serious negotiations. I'm sure the higher ups have kicked the tires a few times, but I would be very surprised if anything substantial has come of it.

One work around I see for the LHN is if it can be bought out by the BTN and become BTN channel 2 or something. Letting Texas keep all of the LHN $$ plus get some of the pie from the BTN seems like something that will not fly with most B1G schools.

I've always supported a Texas move to the B1G because I think the school would be a great fit in everything except for geography. If it was a full UT and OU move to the B1G, that would be even better IMO.

 

[Codaxx]

I don't believe Texas and the B1G are in any serious negotiations. I'm sure the higher ups have kicked the tires a few times, but I would be very surprised if anything substantial has come of it.

One work around I see for the LHN is if it can be bought out by the BTN and become BTN channel 2 or something. Letting Texas keep all of the LHN $$ plus get some of the pie from the BTN seems like something that will not fly with most B1G schools.

I've always supported a Texas move to the B1G because I think the school would be a great fit in everything except for geography. If it was a full UT and OU move to the B1G, that would be even better IMO.

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Could do a Pac 12 deal. Pac gave concessions to USC and UCLA, if I remember correctly, guaranteed a certain payout and once that was reached they share everything. Its complicated, but everything can be worked out with money and lawyers.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I say this all of the time but outside of the ACC and B1G who have cooperative agreements the academic standing of a conference means nothing. Even in those conferences it doesn't mean much. If school a has an agreement with school b, they won't sever it because of sports conferences. I have written, reviewed, had accepted and awarded many grants in my lifetime. These were big NIH and CDC grants. Not once has the conference affiliation of the school ever played on iota of a part in the discussion. We worked with an SEC, Pac12, Ivy and B1G school on one major grant, for example. Academic arguments are windo dressing. This is all about market size.

 

[Codaxx]

I say this all of the time but outside of the ACC and B1G who have cooperative agreements the academic standing of a conference means nothing. Even in those conferences it doesn't mean much. If school a has an agreement with school b, they won't sever it because of sports conferences. I have written, reviewed, had accepted and awarded many grants in my lifetime. These were big NIH and CDC grants. Not once has the conference affiliation of the school ever played on iota of a part in the discussion. We worked with an SEC, Pac12, Ivy and B1G school on one major grant, for example. Academic arguments are windo dressing. This is all about market size.

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I have looked at some of the data (admittedly briefly) and it seems research is more of a function of a Universities core competence than conference affiliation. It is a nice talking pt, but it is reason #21 or so on the list of reasons to join a conference. I believe it is more of a nice excuse than a true reason.

 

[Tharvot]

Anything UT related when it comes to the B1G can be taken with a grain of salt. These rumors have been flying around since before the B1G got Nebraska. Up till now, there have been 2 major factors that have held back any real negotiations:

1. A bogus opinion that B1G games are boring and that every road/home game would be against Purdue. Please, like Kansas and Iowa State really get the Longhorn fans' juices flowing. But, the geography situation has resonated with large donors at UT, and in the end they are the ones who really call the shots. Though if they were in the B1G, they would have bigger home games than anything they get in the current B12 considering their biggest game of the year is always at a neutral site.

2. DeLoss Dodds. Dodds has been the most pro-B12 cheerleader at UT and has been dismissive (almost to a point of arrogance) of any rumor or idea of UT leaving the conference. For good reason I guess. Texas calls the shots in that conference and now that Nebraska is gone, its really their baby to mold and grow how they see fit. However, Dodds is gone after this year and maybe a new AD will be more open to other options.

The biggest fear locally seems to be a general disconnect from the rest of the conference if UT were to join and the next closest school geographically were to be Nebraska. However, that feeling would completely go away if they went with OU in tandem. That would guarantee the RRSO always happening, breathe life back into the Neb-OU rivalry, and would set up the B1G as a real football power conference. Money money everywhere. If we can't get ND, then I'd love to see both UT and OU in the mold.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Yeah if I am a PI, and I want to work with a group on a project, I am going to dig very deeply into the competency of the other investigators, their access to equipment and subjects (if neccessary), their team and maybe their publication record. I am not going Team ACC.

 

[Tharvot]

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Could do a Pac 12 deal. Pac gave concessions to USC and UCLA, if I remember correctly, guaranteed a certain payout and once that was reached they share everything. Its complicated, but everything can be worked out with money and lawyers.

If they can work it out to where every school receives the same payout, it wouldn't be an issue. So, lets say the LHN gives UT $11M and the BTN payout ends up being $15M per school. Then all the schools but UT would get $11 evenly and the final left-over would be split among everyone.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

It looks like this is from a WVU guy, probably the dudeofwvu who is a back, FWIW.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

This whole thing looks like a complete fraudulent rumor by one guy on the internet.

The main reason (outside of the GOR and losing Oklahoma game):
Texas really gains nothing from going to the Big 10.

Texas makes insane cash now. They are the #1 earner. #2 is not even close.
I doubt the Big 10 really makes a huge cash jump over what they have now.

So, exactly what does Texas get out of the deal???

The Big 10 is not going to suddenly turn them from a lesser school to a national name like A&M.
Texas is already a top brand. That angle is not going to help them build an identity.

The Big 10 does not offer access to BCS bowls and playoffs.
Texas already has Big 12 access to the BCS, playoffs, and great bowl tie-ins.

The Big 10 does not offer a perfect cultural fit.
Texas probably is a hybrid of SEC/PAC 12 culture. It depends on whom you ask.

Academic research money is a possibility. Maybe...
But, thanks to Oil Money, Texas has an endowment that is almost obscenely well funded.

The Big 10 is an outstanding league of wealth and academics.
It can really help teams like Maryland and Rutgers.

But, I don't really see it as much more than a lateral move for Texas....EXPENSIVE lateral move.


I call BS on the article.

 

[john01992]

these are two programs who have history of jumping around conferences and dont have a true identity for themselves. thats why i just never understood the whole unc & uva to sec/b10 moves because their identity is with schools like wf, ncsu, duke & vtech and getting them to split would be like trying to get minn, iowa, & wisky to split.

i still think the b10s ultimate goal is texas/notre dame though

 

[john01992]

This whole thing looks like a complete fraudulent rumor by one guy on the internet.

The main reason (outside of the GOR and losing Oklahoma game):
Texas really gains nothing from going to the Big 10.

Texas makes insane cash now. They are the #1 earner. #2 is not even close.
I doubt the Big 10 really makes a huge cash jump over what they have now.

So, exactly what does Texas get out of the deal???

The Big 10 is not going to suddenly turn them from a lesser school to a national name like A&M.
Texas is already a top brand. That angle is not going to help them build an identity.

The Big 10 does not offer access to BCS bowls and playoffs.
Texas already has Big 12 access to the BCS, playoffs, and great bowl tie-ins.

The Big 10 does not offer a perfect cultural fit.
Texas probably is a hybrid of SEC/PAC 12 culture. It depends on whom you ask.

Academic research money is a possibility. Maybe...
But, thanks to Oil Money, Texas has an endowment that is almost obscenely well funded.

The Big 10 is an outstanding league of wealth and academics.
It can really help teams like Maryland and Rutgers.

But, I don't really see it as much more than a lateral move for Texas....EXPENSIVE lateral move.


I call BS on the article.

theres no doubt that texas makes a lot of money, but the real question is wether or not their revenue model is sustainable......

and i think everyone with half a brain thats not a horns homer knows that it isnt.

-the LHN is still just a 1 school network with limited viewership that has seen more failure than success so far.

-the b12 is still the smallest conference with the smallest footprint and has yet to go to the tv contract negotiating table without texas a&m & mizz

in 10-15 years when both those contracts expire, theres no chance in hell they get followed by new blockbuster deal on par with notre dame's current NBC contract or the b10/sec's new TV contract.

thats why texas will have to look for new streams of revenue even though they are making bank right now, by no means is their model sustainable long term

 

[GoldRusher]

Where does the Longhorn network fit into the BIG's plans? I don't think it's going anywhere for awhile.

 

[Wild Turkey]

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I think the argument was if they moved they wanted to upgrade academically, while wallow in the same muck. Nobody knows if that is true or not. Lot of talk and rumors fly, but very few people know the real reasons. At end of the day, it woudl not surprise me to see Texas in the SEC. No tmy first choice, but if realignment happens again everything should be on the table.

I don't think it could happen now:

Georgia
Kentucky
Florida
South Carolina
Texas A&M

would all block it making it impossible politically.

 

[WhiteMamba]

Any concession of future TV money is flat illegal anyway and could be defeated in court according to most lawyers that I have talked to.

GT UNC to B1G

FSU, Clemson to B12

Virginia Tech, NCSU to SEC maybe?

Pitt and Virginia Tech could end up in B1G as well. If so I imagine SEC may visit Louisville as the 16th.

Wouldnt 4 more be 18?

 

[Tharvot]

This whole thing looks like a complete fraudulent rumor by one guy on the internet.

The main reason (outside of the GOR and losing Oklahoma game):
Texas really gains nothing from going to the Big 10.

Texas makes insane cash now. They are the #1 earner. #2 is not even close.
I doubt the Big 10 really makes a huge cash jump over what they have now.

So, exactly what does Texas get out of the deal???

The Big 10 is not going to suddenly turn them from a lesser school to a national name like A&M.
Texas is already a top brand. That angle is not going to help them build an identity.

The Big 10 does not offer access to BCS bowls and playoffs.
Texas already has Big 12 access to the BCS, playoffs, and great bowl tie-ins.

The Big 10 does not offer a perfect cultural fit.
Texas probably is a hybrid of SEC/PAC 12 culture. It depends on whom you ask.

Academic research money is a possibility. Maybe...
But, thanks to Oil Money, Texas has an endowment that is almost obscenely well funded.

The Big 10 is an outstanding league of wealth and academics.
It can really help teams like Maryland and Rutgers.

But, I don't really see it as much more than a lateral move for Texas....EXPENSIVE lateral move.


I call BS on the article.

Its definitely a random internet guy rumor in all likelihood with no teeth to it whatsoever, but it's an interesting topic nonetheless.

I would disagree completely that it would be a lateral move for UT. The only powerhouse name brands in the B12 are UT and OU. Sure, that game is huge and the B12 has BCS tie-ins now. But times are changing. Aside from the RRSO, how many games does UT have in conference that have national appeal? You have plenty of regionally appealing matchups since almost all the schools in the conference are in TX and OK, but that's about it. TV deals will suffer eventually if that is a trend that continues. Might not hurt UT that much because of the LHN and their cash coffers, but it definitely isn't ideal. The major reason why the SWC broke apart was because it had become too regional, the same thing is happening to the B12.

On the flip side, there are 4 major names in the B1G already (tOSU, UM, PSU, Neb) with Wisconsin not too far behind that group. Any time UT would be matched up vs one of those schools it would be a guaranteed national broadcast. Additionally, if UT made the move with OU, then you would be leaving very little behind. The TV money for a conference with those 6 brand names would be absurdly high.

In the end, it is all about what Texas wants to do. They can stay in the B12 and it won't hurt them really or they could leave and it won't hurt them either and could potentially grow their brand even more.

 

[john01992]

Where does the Longhorn network fit into the BIG's plans? I don't think it's going anywhere for awhile.

im pretty sure both texas & espn would have no problem parting ways with that trainwreck if texas had & was planning on accepting a b10 bid

 

[BigAppleBadger]

I've always supported a Texas move to the B1G because I think the school would be a great fit in everything except for geography. If it was a full UT and OU move to the B1G, that would be even better IMO.

The West division would get a hell of a lot more competitive (and fertile for recruiting) real quick.

East:
Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Michigan State

West:
Nebraska
Texas
Oklahoma
Wisconsin


That's a hell of a league.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

John, you do realize that Virginia Tech has only been in the ACC for ten years right? Meanwhile GT has been in it for 35.