Mountainman wrote:Spence wrote:Mountainman wrote:Spence wrote:It is true that the B1G now owns all the major tv markets in the US except Dallas. If Notre Dame would happen to jump, I think it would open the door for the B1G to go after Texas and Florida again.
IMHO, it would be a very good thing for College Football and College Athletics in general if the BIGTEN is driving the bus. The Jim Swofford’s and Greg Sankey’s of the world have shown they just don’t have the aptitude to understand and embrace that ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’ and ‘without followers, evil cannot spread.’
Just wait ‘till you get a look at my ears!!!!
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Not sure the B1G has the best interest of the many either. Lots of greed to go around in CFB these days.
There is no short supply of greed, but here’s my point……. When the ACC and ‘The Mouse’ colluded and decided to expand at the expense of another conference and when, once again, the SEC and ‘The Mouse’ colluded and decided to expand at the expense of another conference……. Which conference stood-up and trumped both of those moves, It was the BIGTEN.
And where do we find College Football now……… once again, we’ve got ‘The Mouse’ colluding with anyone willing to take College Football off the field and put it in a ‘room of experts’ to determine which teams have ‘The Brand’ and get to play for ‘The National Title’, when every team in the ‘NATION’ has no defined path to EARN a spot.
Maybe the BIGTEN will once again, step-up and bring some sense to these wreckless, shortsighted and GREEDY college presidents, conference commissioners and RODENTS.
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It was responsive action ...
For all of this "We're going to be Proactive" talk, coming from Conference Officials, nothing seems to happen until someone else flinches.
Adding all of those teams the Big XII did, was purely to attempt a desperate stabilizing motion. But, what is happening to them, is very similar to what happened to the Big East.
Two moves that went after the biggest players in the league, with deliberacy to erode it out of existence.
The A&M move wasn't an issue. Because they weren't the big boy with all the gruff. However, poaching A&M was an attempt to fracture the confidence of the Big XII, which worked to some degree. Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska all leaving was the result.
Still, not enough to damage the credibility of the Conference's Strength, so long as they had UT & OU. --- While adding West Virginia was a numbers move, it was hardly viable enough to replace 3 teams from the Northern Division who had been challenging for a Conference title.
Also, the first move was to setup the second.
Since reports had come out that the ACC was, and I quote the articles of when the news hit; "
Blindsided by the announcement of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC, because they thought they had an agreed upon deal with the two programs", it would suggest that espn was doing what they could to end the Big XII, in order to sponge up FOX's Market.
There is no way in the world to convince me, that OU/UT were settling in on joining a conference affiliated with espn, without their direct involvement. Especially when the move being made, was from the Big XII to the ACC, then pulling the rug out from underneath the ACC to manage an SEC move. While reports of e-mails from espn
"People" had attempted to sway programs outside of the conference, to Not Accept an Invite.
It tells me that espn opened the door to the ACC for Texas and Oklahoma. Then, changed their minds, realizing they could increase the Revenue of 16 teams in the SEC would make more fiscal sense, than having to match Revenue earnings the ACC would negotiate if OU/UT were to join there.
Either match the money going to 16 more schools, along with the 14 members in the SEC. Or, have Texas & Oklahoma join the SEC and only increase the shares by 2 more schools, while keeping the contract with the ACC as is.
Either way, you get the two South West teams out of the deal.
Then the rumors that were circulating about certain major teams from the Big 10 possibly going South East.
Next thing you know, USC and UCLA are joining the Northern Midwest.
espn made one crucial error in all of this.
Feeling out the Big 10 powers, expecting it not to get back to FOX.
If they wanted to get all of the major brands, and believe it's pretty clear they did. They should have pressed the larger brands out of the West, first.
The PAC-12 was already struggling to sustain. Getting ahold of the brand names from out there, even if it meant merging them with the ACC, would have had more of an impact on decisions from the Big 10 programs you were hoping to court.
By being greedy, and arrogant, they went for the biggest brands first. Not the ones that would have opened the floor for talks.
The PAC has been left out there on their own Island.
Nobody aligned with them, and that made them vulnerable.
It also gave FOX leverage, by persuading the Big 10 Offices to reach out to the LA schools.
That agreement stabilized the firm structure they had already built, and afforded them a Negotiation that could match what espn was paying to the SEC.
All the while, the ACC & Big XII contracts remain valid, at their discounted prices --- and since the ACC's deal with espn is a locked grant of rights, through the 2035-36 academic year, with a $130 million exit penalty per team, then FOX has no reason to hurry in upping their offer outside of the Big 10.
As this is going on; The Big XII claims they are being "Proactive" and "No Longer Sitting On the Fence".
Yet, nothing worthy of note is actively happening.
The Big XII & Pac-Whatever are posturing their words, but not in motion.
One thing I have learned, is that no matter the language they use, they never mean what they say. It never became so much more evident, than when Donna Shalala told the Big East Committee, not to worry. Miami was going to stay in the Big East.
Then, the year the Big East/Miami contract reached its end, Miami bolted for the ACC, Shalala's answer to her saying Miami was staying:
I said Miami was staying in the Big East. I never said how long Miami was going to stay.
Then, the word of any College Administrator was completely deteriorated, when Texas A&M joined the SEC, and Missouri was mentioned as a potential secondary pairing.
Missouri, with Administrator as the Conference President, stating:
We have no plans of leaving. We are dedicated to strengthen the Big XII's firm bond.
The very same week they where signing the SEC dotted line.
You cannot take a syllable of what these puppets utter with sincerity.
So, when the Big XII commissioner tells us that they are "Going to Be Proactive" and are "No Longer Sitting On the Fence" --- I will take that to mean, each individual School is looking out for the best possible window of opportunity, regardless of how it effects the other conference members.
Until they prove otherwise.
They may mean what they say ... They just aren't being clear about what is meant when they say it.
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