Here’s to the most awkward end of three months of soap opera provided by the valley girls of the big 12:
Multiple sources indicated there have been discussions with the Big 12’s TV partners to pay the league not to expand. The purpose of the payment would be to eliminate the pro rata clause in the TV contract—which the TV officials consider a loophole—that enables the league to receive nearly $25 million annually for every school it adds. The willingness of ESPN and Fox to discuss paying to eliminate that clause and end future potential expansion drama in upcoming years makes not expanding the most likely conclusion.
“If they put more money up and bought out that pro rata clause, we’ll likely keep ourselves at 10,” speculated a high-ranking Big 12 source.
This dysfunctional league should do the world a favor and dissolve. Bought and paid for in full. $$$ has forever ruined college football in the same way that it was ruined our nation’s political process.
Once the LGBT community put BYU in their sights BYU was dead as an option anyway. The current PC nature of US colleges makes it a given that the LGBT community will get their way on this and BYU is out of the picture regardless of what the BIg 12 does. BYU won’t be invited to the party by any conference. It is only a matter of time before the NCAA starts putting the thumb screws to BYU to change their honor code and then big time sports will be over at BYU. Enjoy it while you can and hope that BYU can make some noise in the time that is left.
Who cares what the LGBT community thinks. You live your life and we will live ours. Don’t put BYU down for doing the right thing for their school. If BYU has a honor code for their school so be it. BYU is not telling other schools how their honor code should be. Just leave BYU alone and they will do the same. If you don’t believe in the honor code at BYU, don’t go there. Go some place where you will be happy.
The LGBTQ (whatever else) “community” is out to make sure that every person / organization in the country obeys any and all rules and laws they get passed for “their” rights and they will not leave BYU or the Church alone until that happens. They will exert any and all pressure, they can muster, to punish individuals or entities who they believe interfere with “their” rights. No matter what we think or believe.
Trevor Matich put out a good idea.
Get Fox and ESPN on board and create a new conference of the best of the rest.
Boise BYU Cin UConn
if the price was right I imagine they could poach an AZ or Col from the PAC12 due to their lack of real funding.
BIG12 is set to implode when TX and OK bolt, which is the only real reason not to expand right now anyway. ie the real reason Fox and ESPN don’t want to pay the extra annual amount is that its money sunk into a losing cause without OK and TX signing on for extended years.
other schools could be added to for non-tv sports with their agreement to come aboard once their current agreements expire.
I heard Trevor’s comments as well. If TX and OK get poached, the BIG 12 is dead. Wasn’t he suggesting to form a new conference when TX and OK leave? If that were to happen, TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas St., Houston, BYU, Kansas, Boise St. would make a good start for a new conference. What about Air Force, Colorado St., Colorado, Utah State? Anyway, I don’t see any of the BIG 12 members leaving their conference before the current contract ends in 2025. So, who could we get sooner rather than later? Houston, BYU, Boise State, Air Force, ??? You would need to convince some of the current P5 schools to bolt. I just don’t see it happening. We would probably just end up with a realignment of Group of 5 schools.
Haha they were happy to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars–if not millions–on research and manpower to put on a charade; I’ll bet the academics at those schools are really proud of that, as are the students screaming about rising tuition costs at state universities. My take is that they wanted to play with the big boys (B10/SEC/PAC12) but realized early on that they were in over their head (nobody paying for a conference network)–so, instead of saying they got out over their skis, they put on the charade to try to make it look like it was THEM rejecting other schools instead of the NETWORKS calling all the shots.
I had hoped we would be invited (with Houston). That said, I have always liked being indy. As a big fan living outside of Utah, without access to local Utah channels, and, because Directv does not broadcast BYUTV in HD here in Oregon, I love knowing that I get EVERY game on a legit network with a legit announcing crew (with the tiny exception of the annual practice game on BYUTV vs an FCS team). I also LOVE–and I mean LOVE–playing against all these cool schools every year! Seriously, look at our next few schedules! Next year alone we have TWO SEC schools, a Big10 school, plus a PAC12 school (and one week open that TH could fill with a heavyweight and buy out a late-season patsie game). And we are not playing the Vanderbilts of the world–we are talking LSU, MSU at MSU, Wisconsin, and Utah! PLUS Boise State on top of that? Seriously? Beats the heck out of the bad old days playing CSU and Wyo in half empty stadiums in the snow.
And, according to some reports, Tom Holmoe has been sitting on some agreements for BYU’s future schedules until the charade played out. I wonder when he will be announcing the additional games?
I also wonder how much the networks payed the Big 12 to not expand. I don’t think anyone announced that last night.
So what exactly did Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Boren and the other nine presidents accomplish these past few months?
Well, for one, they blew off a whole bunch of earnest people who just wanted to associate with them. They ticked off their TV partners. And they subjected themselves to a new level of mockery
Big 12 or little 10, whatever you are, go away and die slowly
the populations of the fan bases favor money for eastern schools.
the lack of tv exposure favors picking up P12 schools.
the lack of certainty of the future OK and TX favors picking up some B12 schools.
Cin, UConn, Nebraska, Colorado, BYU, AZ, Kansas, Houston, another TX school, a couple of Fl schools.???
Yes, I agree but there is tremendous pressure for the states and federal governments to acquiesce to the LGBTQ?? “community” specifically and Christians, generally, to knuckle under to their demands. And that will not change until and if conservative values ever come back to dominance amongst our moral, religious, political and governmental leaders. And that has not been the trend for 50 or more years.
fish: Right on, the little 10, lets face it, they are grabbing more money for themselves from their TV partners. David Boren and Bowlsby are making a laughing stock out of themselves and the Big 12, erh ah the little ten. They both look like our current Presidential candidates. No integrity, can’t be trusted as a conference.
Kay: Liers don’t tell anything, just look at the Presidential candidates. The Big 12, erh ah little ten is all about $$$$$ lying, subterfuge, and posturing for more money under the table for the little 10. Disgusting as usual in this decrepit world.
Yes, we don’t like it, in fact hate it. But they are laughing all the way to the bank. And who is to say but that has been their strategy from the git go.
I am under the impression the networks are paying the B12 about $5m extra per year not to expand and to buy out the pro rata clause. That is a whopping $500k per school, mind you–about what BYU does in concessions revenue each home game.