I know David Ubben, but that right there is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read. My goodness. I know he went to MU and covers the Big 12 for his blog, so he'd like for them to stay... but this can't be serious. The MU board, in addition to giving Deaton power to finalize a deal, issued a directive to establish a regional football rivalry game in Kansas City as well as an annual basketball tournament. You know, the same city in which... if members of the Big 12... MU already plays Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium and the Big 12 Tournament in March. So hmm, why on earth would they need that directive? Anyone who believed MU would stay in the Big 12 (which few did, granted) before today, and STILL believes that, after this... they have blinders on. There's just no justification for it. Fairly certain the official withdrawal letter comes on Sunday or Monday.
Ummm, if the Big East and CUSA+MWC aren't good enough for BCS bids, why not BigEast+CUSA+MWC? http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/32854353 28-32 teams, 4 divisions. This would be hilarious.
Big 12 prefers(in order) west va, byu, louisville, cincy according to ESPN ticker(Katz?). That's if Mizzou leaves.
West Virginia lined up to leave Big East for Big 12 Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/coll..._for_big_aS3e4cF01Oc4fAyQ6qlw4O#ixzz1bo13BzI0 The Big East Football Conference's survival as a league with BCS automatic-qualifier status is about to take a serious hit because the Big 12 has lined up West Virginia to replace Missouri, The Post has learned. The Big 12 held a board of directors meeting yesterday, and a source said the league's plan is to hold on to Missouri, which wants to leave for the SEC, for one more year then replace it with West Virginia. That would mean the Big East is losing a fourth FBS-playing member, leaving the league with five schools that play FBS football: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and South Florida. The Big 12's thinking, which could become more aggressive, forces the Big East to look at "Plan C" as it heads into its annual meeting of presidents and board of directors next Tuesday in Philadelphia. Initially the league was hoping it could survive by inviting Air Force, Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Navy and SMU. But if the league also must replace West Virginia along with Pittsburgh, Syracuse and TCU, the Big East must look at Temple and perhaps Army. "Of all the schools the league has lost, from a football standpoint losing West Virginia would be the most damaging," a source told The Post. "Despite what anyone says, that's the program the league has hung its hat on." A source said the Big 12, by holding Missouri, might hold at 10 teams for next season and then consider a jump to 16 teams. Louisville and Cincinnati are under consideration as well as Boise State and BYU. The Big 12 released a statement last night which said, "a strong desire for the University of Missouri to maintain its Big 12 affiliation was expressed." You can bet a lot of lawyers representing conferences, schools and TV networks are billing by the hour. Mark Nordenberg, the president of Pitt who stabbed Big East commissioner John Marinatto in the back by taking his school to the ACC, may have served one useful purpose: He helped craft the legislation that requires a 27-month stay for teams leaving the Big East for another conference. It is that legislation, and the firm stance Marinatto has taken since Pitt and Syracuse announced their move to the ACC, which could prevent West Virginia from leaving next season. Marinatto has been adamant about not allowing any outgoing member to negotiate that exit window. Of course, the Big East faces a bigger problem. If Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia are all headed elsewhere, whether it be in one or two years, Big East Football Conference would probably collapse, leaving the exit penalties moot. The league is one of six that has AQ status, meaning the league champ gets an automatic berth in the lucrative BCS pool. Without AQ status, the Big East loses all leverage. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/coll..._for_big_aS3e4cF01Oc4fAyQ6qlw4O#ixzz1bo0wzfNm
ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton Hearing from Big 12 school sources that Missouri, Big 12 are negotiating legal issues, including departure date (2012 or '13) and exit fees. ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton But Tigers are clearly gone at this point. Only question is when, maybe within a week. West Virginia has become strong leading candidate. ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton Here's a little info on Big 12 network concept. Would not include Texas obviously and probably not OU, working on its own deal. ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton Clarification on Big 12 network concept: would not include home Texas events because of LHN. Unsure about road. Same with OU. ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton Big 12 network would include schools affiliated with both Learfield Sports and IMG. I'm told that won't be a major problem. WhitesideUSAT Kelly Whiteside by ChrisLevel West Virginia indeed is headed to Big12. Plus, it's a bargain! Only held to $5 million exit fee cause Navy/AirF hasn't joined yet, I'm told
http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1283801 Orangebloods.com was first to report Notre Dame possibly moving its non-football sports to the Big 12 back in August. We were nearly laughed off the internet when we reported it. But the discussion of ND possibly moving its non-football sports to the Big 12 continues to heat up. The subject is actively being discussed by Big 12 administrators and the Irish. The driving force in all of this has been the close relationship between Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds. We reported on Monday that ND will decide in 60 days if it is going to move its non-football sports out of the Big East (and into the Big 12). If Notre Dame does make such a move, it is being proposed that the Irish would remain independent in football but begin playing six football games against Big 12 competition. Orangebloods.com has reported that Texas would love to replace Texas A&M on Thanksgiving with Notre Dame, if possible. That still may be a bit of a longshot. But to quote Lloyd Christmas, "So you're saying there's a chance." One high-ranking official at a Big 12 school holds out the hope that if Notre Dame moves its non-football sports into the Big 12 it would be a "segue to full conference membership in a year or two - about the time the first tier TV rights (held by ABC/ESPN) are negotiated." Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas continues to voice hope that Missouri will remain in the Big 12. And there is speculation that Notre Dame's possible interest in the Big 12 for its non-football sports could entice Mizzou to stay put. Sources said Missouri is being told it will be cut in on any rotation of football games involving Notre Dame and the Big 12. Some Big 12 administrators, though, think Missouri is still gone. Orangebloods.com reported Monday that Missouri was expected to talk to SEC officials today (Tuesday) about planning out the next steps for the Tigers. Stay tuned.
No one laughed at that. They laughed at the idea of ND football going to the Big 12. Non-football makes perfect sense for ND if the Big East folds. Mizzou leaves, WVU comes in, but they have to wait 27 months. So... hopefully they need a Cougar shaped bandaid for 2012-2023 (BYU or UH).
if all this 16 team super conference BS happens, they're eventually going to have to join a conference.
The ACC and Big10 still make far more sense for them - academically, financially, and culturally (and geographically & historically, with the Big10). The relationship between two ADs can only go so far. It's funny that there's now talk about a Big12-2-2+2 Network minus OU/TX. What a bizarre mix of interests the Big12 is becoming.
they have this in the SEC, right? doesn't Florida have its own network? or am i confusing that with another conference? i think there's been way too much ire over Tier 3 media rights, frankly. they're only talking about UT home games, after all, being on LHN. one..maybe two in a season. EDIT: http://outkickthecoverage.com/sec-expansion-to-14-goal-its-own-network.php The SEC has always protected its local multimedia rights packages. That's why comparing television revenue was always comparing apples and oranges. The SEC sold its tier one and tier two television rights to CBS and ESPN, but all the schools retained their tier three -- or local multimedia rights -- packages. That means that every year when you see the announced television revenue comparisons between the SEC and the Big Ten, for instance, what you're seeing is an uneven comparison. Because unlike the Big Ten and the Pac 12 -- which specifically give over all rights to the league -- every SEC school has retained the rights to sell its local multimedia packages. So has every Big 12 school. Indeed, that's the hang-up with Texas, the Longhorn Network is a third tier rights package paid for by ESPN. While the $15 million a year has gotten a lot of attention, Texas's deal isn't astronomical relative to other SEC schools. For instance, the Florida Gators receive somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million a year from the Sunshine Network for their local multimedia packages. The issue with the Longhorn Network was what it did -- take the local multimedia rights and make them national. See, no one had really thought that the value existed for games like these prior to Texas's deal with ESPN.
ChuckCarltonDMN Chuck Carlton Big 12 school source: West Virginia "on the launching pad" for Big 12 membership. Will occur after Missouri exit terms are finalized.
I think there's a lot of confusion over what a "network" is. For example, all the UT basketball games have been televised for years on random stations throughout Texas - that was our "3rd tier network". My understanding is that Florida and many other schools have similar things - they are just not 24/7 stations dedicated to the school. Then there is the SEC Network, but it's not a full-fledged thing like the Big10 Network - I think it's still a growing work in progress. My assumption (and that's all it is) is that when it's up full-speed, it gets priority over things like the Gator's network. I think the issue is that 1st tier rights are worth less than 2nd tier which are worth less than 3rd tier. So there's a fortune in 3rd tier money out there. Not because of quality, but sheer quantity of games available.
Here's a description of SunSports: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Sports Sun Sports airs professional, collegiate and high school sporting events. It offers split feeds for the state's regions. Along with sister network Fox Sports Florida it is the cable home to the NBA's Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, and MLB's Tampa Bay Rays. In addition the channel offers baseball, basketball, football, and other sporting events from University of Florida, Florida State University, and the SEC. Longtime partnered with FSU & UF, Sun Sports produces all regular season football games for both schools and airs them statewide on a next-day delay basis. The network also has the rights to the FHSAA Football and Basketball Finals. It's sort of a regional sports network showing all sorts of content.
I updated my post, above, with an article about Tier 3 rights in the SEC. The SEC allows for the exact same thing....it's just that no one has taken advantage of it the way Texas did. Frankly, I think what ESPN did surprised even Texas. The point is that UF owns the rights the same way UT does. No way you'll ever convince me that the good people of Gainesvile would turn down a Gator Network were it offered to them under same terms of LHN to Texas.
It seems like the Big East and Marinatto are holding up all of this. I know the Big East has their 27-month clause, but that's no way to hold a conference together. Mizzou wants to leave next year, but it seems the Big 12 is nervous (and rightfully so) about what that could do to their TV contract $ and scheduling this late in the game. Of course, if you could slide WVU in place of Mizzou... I'm guessing the Big 12 would give Mizzou a reasonable deal on the exit fee and everything would move forward just fine. I think and hope it's just emotions talking from Marinatto, because holding a conference together for two more years via red tape is far from the solution. In fact, if I were Boise State or Houston, it'd make me quite nervous about whether BE leadership is progressive enough to have a long-term plan. If WVU, Pitt and Syracuse want to go, let them and grab some extra revenue via exit fees on their way out. Then focus on the best way to rebuild the brand with your new additions. Holding onto the past just complicates everything.
It's not like it's unreasonable for the Big East to exercise the clause in the contract that WVU themselves agreed to.
Oh it absolutely did - DeLoss Dodds said that they were close to signing a $3MM/yr deal with FOX when ESPN swooped in. I think it depends - if you can generate similar money (the Pac12 is expected to be $11-$12MM/yr) and get much better distribution & exposure, that has a lot of value. The tradeoff is content - you wouldn't get 24/7 coverage of your own team. But the flipside is that Mack Brown has talked on multiple occasions about how much time LHN is taking up for both players and staff, etc. The real test, I think, will be whether LHN gets distribution and if ESPN deems it worth what they paid - future deals may not be worth nearly as much for other schools. Teams like USC, Michigan, and Ohio State were all willing to give up their 3rd tier rights, so it's not out of the question (USC did so knowing what Florida makes). I suspect we'll see a comprehensive SEC Network soon, but we'll see - interestingly, there might still be restrictions on football with those SEC rights. Here's an article on that Florida deal: http://texas.247sports.com/Board/21/Florida-gets-paid-10M-a-year-from-Sun-Sports-Network-4131234/2 One thing it mentions is that it only includes tape-delayed football games played the next day. I'm not sure why that would be unless the SEC restricted it in some way.
