wrong. he said they are allowed to do whatever they want. never said they get special favors available to no one else.
no, aggies are just saying that they want to move on. the most I have ever heard is they should have made a Big 12 channel.
No you wouldn't. Not if dominating the "scrub conference" gets you in BCS and NC games. If you would prefer to be a middle of the pack team then competing for titles then go right ahead.
I thought you were referring to schools that honestly should have a chance to win. Baylor and A&M aren't on the same playing field. A&M should be able to challenge for titles. Baylor not so much. So from a "competing on the field" perspective, it makes more sense for A&M to be good in the Big 12 and have more chances to play in BCS bowls and NC games then it does for them to be take their chances in the SEC. There is no shame in having an easier path to the NC game, which is why you don't hear OU complaining. But it's not all about winning on the field and the other aspects around the move seem to be in the Aggies favor.
I was thinking an OU/OSU/UT/TAMU channel would have been better for everyone involved, especially ESPN. Oh well.
You can't split a conference up like that against itself. It just doesn't work. We're seeing that now, and it's going to get worse as time goes on.
I agree ... The Big Ten Network and the future Pac XII network is the model to follow. To me this was the #1 biggest problem with the LHN. It prohibited Texas from being part of any Big XII network, and that alone is enough to kill the conference in the future. Why should any other team stay in that conference if they have the option of going to another conference where they can all have the top draws involved in the conference network with revenue split equally. Compare the success of the NFL with the Big Ten/Pac XII type TV deal with equal revenue sharing versus the success of MLB which follows the Big XII model of to each their own. MLB's biggest problem is that they have the Yankees/Red Sox and everyone else, and it has lost many many fans as a result. Whereas the NFL has achieved greater success for all because they are all on equal footing. I don't blame the Yankees or UT for doing what they do, but they have to understand when they take that path, other schools like A&M have better options. Frankly, unless OU somehow pulls together a similar network deal (which I doubt), they will move to more solid footing as well.
I think there is only 1 reason A&M is wanting to go to the SEC. Recruiting. They know how big Texas is in football and they know that UT has the upper hand on them currently concerning recruiting. They have something more to sell to new recruits if they pitch the SEC and it's the same reason the SEC is interested in A&M and not Iowa State - because the SEC wants some of that Texas football.
Another big reason UT never wanted a TX school in the SEC, they don't want to compete with SEC recruiting practices. And btw to ziggy or anybody: wasn't aTm originally part of UT's plan for a network? It was talked about as a joint deal, right?
Im the initial stages Byrne said ut talked about a lone star network but it never got any further ... The Big XII would still be in deep trouble if they did a Lone Stat Network and A&M did not turn down $150MM if that is what u r asking
It shows that of the 27 most watched regular season college football games in Houston, Texas over the last 2 seasons, A&M has participated in exactly one of those games. Not exactly the delivery of the Houston market that I was thinking of generally when considering the benefit of all this to the SEC.
See this loses me. Texas kids play in the SEC all the time. Want the SEC experience?? you go to LSU, FL, AL, etc. TX kids have been instrumental in the success of those programs. I don't get the notion that kids have really been wanting the SEC experience, but just haven't gone because it's not afforded to them in College Station.
That list excluded all games carried on Fox Sports Net, which is where the Aggies games are broadcast. Notice how the UT-A&M game was the only exception? That's because it is broadcast on ABC.
I'm not really sure what additional funds they plan on putting into the football program. they already have an open purse. What's great about the LHN for texas is all the support it gives to every sport that isn't Football and Mens basketball. Not only are they all safe but those kids get national exposure. Most of them don't have a career waiting for them after college. Most of them are anonymous at their own campus even when they win national championships. The thrill of people watching you compete on television is extremely unique. They may not appeal to college students but they might appeal to other swimmers, or soccer players, or rowers across the country. It is not something that would be possible without a dedicated production team that has all the equipment, permissions, and ease to broadcast events that a big 12 network would not go through the trouble to make. There are no applications, no renting production vans. You have your cables permanently installed in all the facilities so it's just plug and play. There is no debating with the programing and marketing team over the appeal of an event that doesn't attract that many live spectators. I worked at the UT TV station and we broadcast 4 or 5 sports games on time warner cable a year. It means a lot to the players and there are a lot of people that tune in to watch. Fact is, the football team already has **** loads of money. It's great to see the impact this will have on all the other sports.
