I will number my questions so it is easier to respond.
High Lonesome;1718216; said:
There is no doubt that there will be some lingering resentment, but in the end its business. I don't believe for a second that this process was handled any differently than any other merger or buy out. All sides were working for their best interest, as they should.
that begs the obvious question of why will the next merger be different? Perhaps next time the opposition won't outbid the next suitors Texas, maybe ESPN won't rescue the conference, their influence and investment in the BCS. But it will make the next courtship even more dicey. Fool me once... fool me twice...
It is one thing to be outbid. It is another to be onboard with terms and then at the 11th hour try to pull a fast one to regain power and a bigger piece of the pie.
1) can Texas' next suitor trust them?
As far as the politics go, I don't know that it will be as big of a deal. I have a couple of thoughts on this.
1.) Rick Perry will no longer be Gov.
2.) It was decided durring this go-round that UT and TAMU do not have to stay together
This process has left many bridges burnt localy and they are seemingly mending them with masking tape. I don't expect either of the states flagships to remain in the same conference past the next decade.
2) how important do you think it is to remain in the same region?
Can Texas realistically leave for the big ten by themselves? You seem to be implying it is possible, but would Texas be ok abandoning the region and simply playing a few ooc rivalries?
Bevovision will be used for Baseball and other sports that have problems getting air time.
As a Texas fan I am pumped about the ability to watch Baseball on a consistant basis. I know that it doesn't sound like a big deal to yall but we take a lot of pride in that team and almost never get to see it till the supers.
was that not an option in the pac 16? I know they don't have a network or a solid foundation for one.
Baseball, softball, gymnastics, hockey, soccer, track all get major air time on our network, and there is a ton of room to add more content. The majority of the post bball content is filler content from regular students and classic replay games... and there is also plenty of room during bball and football season.
Maybe its just the arrogant texan in me, but all this talk of the Pac10 passing and the big 10 telling texas take it or leave it the next time around seems foolish.
the pac ten can't afford to turn down the Texas ratings and time slot, but they are feeling betrayed and probably aren't interested in trying that again.
The big ten is absolutely big enough to tell Texas to take it or leave it. The one change I could foresee is possibly maintaining the Texas network if it is successful. you could run content on both channels, and then Texas' ownership of that network could provide their extra helping of the pie while still splitting the league revenue evenly from that network. Basically Texas could get the chunk of revenue like Fox gets from the BTN, and the rest would go to the league.
While texas (with its own network) becomes a bit less desirable, there will still be plenty of options. We may not have the ability to pick and choose independantly but if this all starts going towards mega confrences Texas is not going to be left out in the cold. Especially if we are still raking in close to 15mm more than the next closest school.
3) if the pac ten is done with you and the big ten won't let Texas play by a different set of rules, who else is there? Is it worth it to be left with only the sec next time around just to maintain that power for a brief big12-2 conference?
with an expansion of Nebraska, Missouri and Rutgers the value of the BTN is projected to double, taking the individual team revenue closer to 35-40 million when including ESPN and CBS contracts.
With notre dame, that number goes even higher... let alone with Texas as well.
There is also the question of whether Texas was worth twenty million to ESPN, or whether that investment was as much about losing the entire west as well as watching their huge BCS revenue and influence be swapped out for another system.
Texas is a juggernaut indeed, but to me, they stand to make a lot more money in the big ten than on their own, particularly as an academic institution.
I think its become rather obvious that neither the PAC-10 or the Big Ten (or anyone else) is going to allow Texas to join their conference as an UNequal and favored participant. What they've done with the Big 12-2 (Texas and minions conference?) can't be repeated with any other conference they join. Yes, the Big Ten and the PAC-10 will both tell them to "take it or leave it" with regards to being an EQUAL member next time around, that seems very obvious.
