http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...ts-oklahoma-sooners-decide-future-source-says But Baylor, like Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State, isn't sitting idle. Neither is the Big East, which has reached out to the Big 12 schools that could be left behind if the conference were to lose two members (Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) or four (the Oklahoma schools, Texas and Texas Tech), the source said. The Big East would be willing to expand to 12 football-playing members and 20 for men's and women's basketball in order to stave off a potential raid from the SEC (West Virginia), the ACC (Syracuse and Connecticut) or even the Big Ten (Pitt or Rutgers), according to sources. Kansas and Kansas State could also be alternatives for the Pac-12 if it were to decide to expand to 16 without the two Texas schools. At least two Pac-12 sources told ESPN.com that they weren't in favor of expanding beyond the current 12 members unless Texas were involved.
But nothing is going to change for another year. There's already built-in time for everyone to get their ducks in a row. Yes, absolutely. We have the Big East/ACC as a precedent here; Baylor should simply ask them for the money already; they sure as hell can't take a hint. ($52,000?) Isn't that what it ultimately boils down to? Money and likely a yearly game with A&M so that Aggies flood Waco every other year? I don't see how that can't be worked out as this continues to be allowed to move forward.
1. things are moving very, very quickly...there is no "another year" for ducks to be in a row sans someone pushing pause; 2. your Aunt Edna quote wins you major favor in my eyes; you are a gentleman and a scholar. However, this claim is the ONLY leverage the smaller schools in the Big 12 have left. They'd be foolish to willy-nilly sign away legal rights without understanding the context around them.
But from their perspective, it *is* over. They were granted release from their Big12 obligation and have no further obligations to the remaining Big9 universities. None. They owe them, technically, nothing. A&M did their due dilligence here; they took the necessary, legally-binding steps to move. They should be absolved of any remaining ties to the Big12, beyond playing games against them this year. They shouldn't be jerked back into this because Baylor got blindsided and is facing the prospect of a future in CUSA. That is not A&M's concern nor problem.
I know Max; I agree completely. I'm not arguing they shouldn't use it. I'm arguing why A&M has every right to be upset that they're using it. From the Aggie perspective, this is no longer their fight.
Yes, we don't know. So we can't say they haven't done anything wrong. Especially since the SEC wants these CYA waivers. That only tells me that some wrongdoing may have happened. But who knows. But I'm pretty sure if the PAC-12 poaches schools they won't be concerned about waivers because the threat of liability won't be there. You keep dismissing the need/want for waivers but the threat is working for a reason, and it's not just because folks don't want to pay for lawyers. It's quite possible because folks are guilty. This has been covered and clarified that the letter didn't bind each individual school. So we can throw this out the window. As others have noted, no one is holding A&M against their will. They just aren't giving up their rights to sue. The SEC can accept A&M without these waivers. This is the SEC's choice. Edit: So whats the feedback to the BYU news? How is the Big 12 with BYU?
That really doesn't matter in the context of the discussion that's been spelled out on about 44 of the last 105 pages of this thread. Someday when you go to law school, even if it's just a mediocre one, you'll realize that the possible future lack of privity of contract between the two schools doesn't mean f-ck-all with respect to the full panoply of claims that Baylor could realistically bring against Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, the Southeastern Conference, and certain other entities, which are not limited to the merely contractual. They realized this, hence the demand for a release of claims prior to the Aggies finding a new home. You don't, and that's fine. I look forward to engaging fulsome discussion with you when that day arrives. See you in 3 !
Note: The SEC, not Texas A&M, wants the waivers. The Aggies have never asked for any waiver. The SEC is the potentially liable party, not A&M. The contract these schools sign with their conferences have out-clauses. If A&M hadn't followed that out-clause to a T, the Big12 never would have issued a free-and-clar statement.
All wasteful litigation; as mentioned, designed to do nothing but delay the inevitable (and/or extract their financial pound of flesh from the Aggies/SEC). There are no damages here. The Big 12 still exists. The ESPN/Fox TV contracts have not been voided. If Baylor wants to sue A&M for the demise of the Big12, then they're going to have to pull Nebraska and Colorado into this, too. Which means Baylor, lobbying hard to not be discluded from future superconferences, would effectively be suing teams in the SEC, Big10 and Pac12 - not smart.
for now....that's exactly why you don't release claims though...because you don't know what's next, particualrly since OU is "talking" about going elsewhere. releasing claims without knowing when you stand to lose what they stand to lose is crazy. honestly, there's not a lawyer in the country that doesn't understand that, no matter his college stripes/allegiance. No they're not...they don't have to pull NU or CU into anything. Certainly chills discsussion from the Pac12 though...which is exactly the sort of thing Big 12 schools not named OU (and maybe TTU) are interested in right now.
This isn't necessarily true and Major has done a good job of explaining why. Basically all parties were trying to stay friends as long as they thought the Big 12 would survive. The threat of them not surviving changes things. This has already been clarified. The letter was not for the individual schools. Let's please stop saying this. No it's being dictated by the SEC. They are the ones asking for something....something that the other party would be stupid to give away for nothing. This is a nice way to twist "I'm not freely giving up my rights" to "I'm making you do something". But semantics I guess....
It's wasteful from your narrow perspective in view of your narrow goal, certainly not from theirs from a common sense standpoint; as for the rest, obviously better accredited minds than yours feel differently, including the ones that voted to allow the Agricultural & Mechanical Universitarians to join them on the express condition that such litigation be avoided. This is why I invite you to obtain some credentials and then weigh in at a later date. No they don't; you have no idea what you are talking about here in terms of claims, parties, and joinder.
A&M does not mean that and has not for some time... see below: What does "A&M" stand for? Texas A&M, the state's first public institution of higher education, was opened on Oct. 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and at that time the "A" and "M" initials were used to abbreviate the name components. When the institution gained university status in 1963, the "A&M" representation (no periods, no spaces and with an ampersand) was incorporated into the official name in deference to the institution's history and rich traditions, but the individual letters no longer explicitly stand for anything. http://www.tamu.edu/about/facts/faq.html Sucker
The interesting thing as that this whole thing is going to come down to Oklahoma. If they make a promise to stay in the Big 12, Baylor drops the lawsuit and this whole thing becomes irrelevant. If OU bolts, Baylor goes down kicking and screaming and does everything in its power to stop A&M. In short the ball is in Oklahoma's court. Lets see what they decide to do.
Thank you, from now on I shall refer to it as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas as a matter of course and the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University when necessary so as to generate maximum annoyance lulz.
Hopefully OU winds up in the Pac-13 and TAMU is forced to stay due to Baylor's beaten house wife routine. That'd really do me in.
