Thought all the conference change drama had finally hit the back burner for awhile? Think again! According to Sporting News, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are so pissed off at the prospect of Texas’s Longhorn Network airing live high school games of potential recruits, they are threatening to jumping ship to the SEC, a move that would all but sink the numerically challenged Big 12.
My first reaction: Um, Aggies and Sooners? What the hell did you expect when you agreed to the sweetheart deal for the Longhorns in not only the TV network, but also getting a larger portion of the conference’s money pie? Of course they are going to want more and more. You all had the chance to call the shots last summer, but you turned down the Pac-12 and SEC, and went crawling back to the Texas-and-the-nine-dwarves conference otherwise known as the Big 12.
Apparently Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is paying attention, though, and has said that any plans to allow Texas such an advantageous move are off the table. After all his last-minute machinations to save his conference that was on the brink of dissolution last summer, I’m not surprised he took this step, even if it risks upsetting the big dog in the room.
I hope the NCAA is paying attention too, because if what Texas was planning wasn’t a recruiting violation, it sure as heck should be. Boise State is in trouble because they let prospective recruits sleep on players’ couches, but it would have been okay for Texas to showcase potential recruits on their TV network? Really?
Oh, and Larry Scott? You should be burning down the telephone wires with calls to Norman, OK and College Station, TX to give the Pac-12 the best chance possible of landing some, if not all, of those teams should Texas drive them away [or decide to go independent, a la Notre Dame and BYU, which would just as surely end the Big 12 -Brendan]. The alternatives, even if it means no Texas in the Pac-12, are not promising if Oklahoma and A&M both go elsewhere.
P.S. (by Brendan) The Big Lead had a post from back in January, shortly after the Longhorn Network was announced, discussing the likely domino effect if A&M were to join the SEC’s perpetual war. Excerpt:
Pretend [Texas A&M to the SEC] happens. The SEC then would need at least a 14th and potentially a 15th and 16th team to complete that deal. Looking for natural targets, the big Florida schools, Georgia Tech or Clemson, could be tough politically. Raiding the Big 12 for further targets would be more palatable.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would make sense geographically, financially and competitively. They could easily pry away one more team, say Missouri, which would have leapt for the Big Ten if offered, to provide the 16th team. Sweetened with improved TV contracts, that would make an even more fearsome, geographically congruent conference that would look like this.
SEC West: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri
SEC East: Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
That would leave the “Big 12” with Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa State.
Texas fulfills its destiny under this scenario and becomes an independent… The Big East possibly jumps for Kansas in this scenario. It makes about as much sense as TCU, it is not a terrible option for football and a great basketball move.
That would leave Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Four teams that could slide into a 16-team Mountain West Conference. The BCS gives that conference an automatic bid, thus embracing every team beating down the door from outside and pacifying the Big 12′s discarded children. It will be a while before another Boise State emerges from the MAC, the Sun Belt or Conference USA.
Note how the WAC, alone among the Division I-A conferences, isn’t even mentioned as a possible source for the emergence of “another Boise State” — notwithstanding that the original Boise State came from the WAC. Heh. Even the Sun Belt gets mentioned, yet the WAC doesn’t! I guess The Big Lead has limited faith in the ability of schools like New Mexico State or Texas State–San Marcos to follow in the Broncos’ reverse-lateraling, fake-punting footsteps. I wonder if Karl Benson wrote an angry letter? Or, alternatively, invited The Big Lead’s editorial staff to join the conference as its eighth football member?
I think it’s far more likely that Virginia Tech is the next big piece of the puzzle after AM and Oklahoma than any other school. It’s a great geographic fit and by adding a team in the east you don’t have to shift teams to the east division to balance the numbers. Assuming the Oklahoma part doesn’t work out (maybe they can’t go without Ok State) I think Missourri would be a good fit.
Also this all assumes that Larry Scott isn’t busting his butt to make deals either.
Oklahoma and Okie State are a package deal. One won’t be allowed to go without the other.
Kansas and Kansas State are a package deal. Enough officials in that state have made that clear.
Baylor and Tech have too many friends in the Texas Legislature to be left out in the cold.
Which leaves Iowa State, and if Conferencepocalypse II happens we’re screwed. Even with the change in government officials – not only elected ones, but ISU’s president is stepping down – there were too many people who were practically giddy at the idea that Iowa State would have to crawl on its hands and knees to the MAC.
Also great points JD. Is the SEC willing to take Oklahoma State to get Oklahoma? Depends on if they can get Virginia Tech and Virginia (or some other ACC schools. I think Texas AM and Baylor/Missouri makes more sense since they will likely only pull in two schools from the West.
The other question is, if things start to tumble and Texas goes Indy, does the Pac-12 hold out on going up to a full 16 to save room for Texas or do they go for a Texas Tech/Baylor and Ok/Ok State quartet? I realize that Baylor is religious affiliated but is not as conservative as BYU. Does Kansas/Kansas State become an option if Oklahoma is out?
The more I think about it the more I think Mizzou is the logical fourth member of a Texas AM, VaTech, Virginia (or some other east coast team) expansion move.
St. Louis media market, solid academic reputation, geographic fit. You could even shift travel partners so that Arkansas is paired with Mizzou and TAMU with LSU.