rams80

What was illegitimate about the Mountain West?

His purported deal does far more than double the Big Twelve's money. And the ACC hadn't lost any teams-let alone their 3rd largest market and one of their nationally prominent flagships. Those losses also weaken the earning potential of any future Big XII Network, because the subscriber footprint just lost two states. Turner and Versus weren't going to go that far over the top for a highly regionalized Conference in the Great Plains that has a footprint of just Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas-especially when the biggest school/market/what have you is planning on launching its own network.

There is still an issue beyond 2016, but the have-nots, like Baylor, just doubled what they were getting previously. The MWC does not even have a current contract in place to give them what they were receiving 48 hours ago. Some of those schools are dancing all the way to the bank and not that concerned about Texas/OU/aTm getting $6 million more than they are. What did they have to give up to double their take? Only loyalty to the conference, which they wanted to maintain anyway. I would have thought you would have caught on to this, but this newfangled Big XII deal doesn't officially exist in contractual form either. All they have are assurances from Dan Beebe. The numbers could end up being pure fiction and everything could once again blow up in a couple of weeks.

Fortunately the designer made a "12" variant. Oh... If I'm the Mountain West, I'm going to be trying my hardest to put a package together for some combination of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Kansas State. This "alleged" TV deal didn't save the Big XII. It merely postponed the execution.

To BBTV Some of the "standards" have been waived. However, the Pac 10 and Big Ten have still been focusing on large state-run schools (especially of the "flagship" variety) that have decent academic pedigrees (or in the case of Texas Tech, promises of massive financial influxes from the state to get the pedigree). Boise State remains a secondary state school (of a small state) in terms of prestige and treatment, and with a low focus on research. There remains a sizable gulf academically between Boise State and even Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Also, if Villanova, Georgetown, and ODU are concerned about missing the major Conference boat, perhaps its time they hauled their Division I-AA football programs up to I-A status. (Well...that may actually be the long term goal for ODU's renewed football team. I'm not sure)

I'm pretty sure NCAA Division exemption waivers (or whatever the term they use to explain such things as Johns Hopkins' Division I lacrosse teams) are not intended to encompass revenue sports.

Big XII-Texas and the Nine Dwarfs (Somebody, I forget who, owns the rights to the Southwest Conference Moniker. Which is a shame because this is the spiritual reincarnation of the Southwest Conference-complete with pending Texas-induced disintegration) Big Ten-Big Ten

Or maybe it's because the Mountain West Conference already took them. Just a thought. I'm pretty sure Boise State's deal included verbiage that allowed them to renege on that move in the quite unlikely event that an even better offer were to surface.

Their unstellar nature would keep them out of Tier 1.

Presumably these power Conferences have academic associations and play other sports as well. That's why.

I can flat out guarantee the Pac 10 won't take Boise State. All they literally have is the football team-everything else is historically sub par athletically, and academically the school is little more than a jumped up junior college.

Your English tutor before they commit suicide.

I have a prediction where that extra money comes from. Those poor blighters in what was once the Big XII North. Perhaps Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Iowa State need to start negotiating with some other conferences. I hear the Mountain West is looking for AQ status.

They do it in Miami, and Jet lag doesn't get fixed in 6 or 7 Hours. Bingo. Hence why they depart for schools on the continent for their education.

Yes....that's a brilliant idea, playing football games in a tropical climate in the middle of the day. And both the jet lag problem remain as does the greater problem that no network is going to pick up a Hawaii game for prime time because they lack the national following.

I think it would be in their best interest to make a run at the two Utah schools, Utah and BYU. Both schools put a better product on the field year-in and year-out than any other school in the Big XII region. That's a good move as well although Utah is rumored to be headed to The PAC-10 if The Big XII stays intact. TCU is another good option. In any case, if Texas and A&M stick around, The Big XII could actually turn this whole thing into a real positive. They could end up a being better conference when it's all said and done. This is getting interesting. Except the financial inequalities that helped precipitate this whole thing remain/have been exacerbated. Give it another 5 years, and the Conference "Have Nots" are definitely going to be looking at other options. Which unfortunately furthers Texas' narrative goal of not being the "bad guy" in the eventual breakup.

Hawaii was boned the second June Jones left. Granted, they were also arguably the worst team to ever play in a BCS Bowl. True, but it would be cool to have teams go to hawaii and play they have good hs players. So do California, Texas, and Florida. And better yet, you don't have to deal with bloody jet lag. So does Nj, but it would be nice to dee all the top hawaiian players play for there home state. Except they don't. And they know that the bright lights of the TV viewing public are going to be asleep when they are playing. Also, flying sucks.

I like the part where they say losing the championship game is no big deal. Right. What was the primary criticism of the Big Ten champion's "legitimacy" (for lack of a better word) to contend for the national title again?

Gosh....Texas really doesn't want to be seen as the villain of the piece.

Hawaii was boned the second June Jones left. Granted, they were also arguably the worst team to ever play in a BCS Bowl. True, but it would be cool to have teams go to hawaii and play they have good hs players. So do California, Texas, and Florida. And better yet, you don't have to deal with bloody jet lag.

Hawaii was boned the second June Jones left. Granted, they were also arguably the worst team to ever play in a BCS Bowl.

I wouldn't say the Big Ten is well behind the SEC financially. They're pretty close...although they have taken opposite approaches to TV revenues.

I'm pretty sure the SEC would move to "renegotiate" its ESPN contract post expansion upheaval. There may be more slices, but the pie would be getting bigger.

$$$ And apparently some fundamental disagreements over the direction in which the Conference was headed and how it was run. Also the Commissioner was never very proactive in addressing those concerns.

Speaking of revenges 15+ years in the making.... I guess Tom Osbourne isn't the only guy who still carried something of a grudge over the formation of the Big XII.